By Connie Mann
Just like that, creativity
screeches to a dead stop. Now all you can think about is that pesky word. Or
phrase. Or awkward sentence structure.
As writers, we need our
internal editor, no question. But only when we’re in editing mode. While we’re
in creative mode and working on a first draft, we need a way to silence that
pesky mood spoiler and muzzle our personal grammar cop.
How do we do that? Here are
three strategies that work for me:
Write Fast
I know there are writers who
can add 3-5 perfectly written, carefully edited pages to their manuscript at
the end of every workday. If that’s you, I’m envious. My creative process is a
far messier, less organized proposition. I apparently have the attention span
of a gnat, because if I write too slowly, or go back to the beginning too
often, I lose interest in the project before I reach the end. I have learned I
need to dump that first draft onto the page as fast as I possibly can. That way
I keep my head in the story and my excitement strong enough to pull me along
from chapter to chapter—all the way to the final scene.
Write Early
Though I’ve tried to be a
morning person, I’m really not. But I have learned to use this to my advantage.
When I write early in the morning, my internal editor isn’t awake yet. Coffee
cup in hand, I sit down at my computer and simply start writing the scene
that’s playing in my mind. Doing this frees my creativity and I’m usually
surprised by what I’ve written—especially without my editor chirping on my
shoulder. Try it and see if it works for you.
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This is a tough one: while
you’re working on your first draft, don’t let yourself go back and tweak…at
all. Re-reading a page or two to get back into the story is okay, but don’t
start changing things or you’ll wreck your momentum. Just keep plowing forward.
I’ve used this approach with every story I’ve written, including my new novel,
Angel Falls. Those book-in-a-week or month-long writing challenges are a great
way to gallop right past your internal editor and get to the finish line of
your story.
Hopefully, these strategies
will help you keep moving forward, so you can type THE END. When your internal
editor squawks, let him or her know his turn is coming. When that first draft
is out of your head, let her fix and tweak to her grammatically correct little
heart’s content.
____________________________________________________________________________
Connie Mann loves variety, so
she is an author, a blogger and a boat captain. She encourages women to reach
their dreams through her blog: www.BusyWomenBigDreams.com and speaks on
perseverance and the writing craft. She knows a bit about being stubborn since
her new romantic suspense, Angel Falls, took 10 years to get
published! She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and
Romance Writers of America and loves romantic suspense. She is also a United
States Coast Guard-licensed boat captain, so when she’s not writing, she’s usually
on Central Florida’s waterways with local school children or her fabulous
family. Please visit her online at: www.conniemann.com
Blog:www.BusyWomenBigDreams.com
Website: www.conniemann.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaptConnieMann
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II8IWqaxakI
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