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Writing Quickly by Natalie Charles and Giveaway!

We have author Natalie Charles and she'll also giveaway a signed copy of her The Seven Day Target to US commenters and an Amazon Kindle eGift of The Seven Day Target to International commenters!



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"Writing Quickly" – by Natalie Charles

 

While some writers may despise editing, my problem has always been over-editing. I don't write quickly. I overthink, dawdle and edit my sentences to death. For a normal first chapter, I may take six or seven (or more) passes at it, writing and rewriting until I think it's perfect before moving on. Needless to say, this habit has hindered my writing by making it nearly impossible to ever finish something.

Fast forward to November, 2011 when I received the Call and learned I'd won Mills & Boon's New Voices competition. I'd won the opportunity to have my book, The Seven-Day Target, published! Great news, right? Sure…except that I was so certain I wouldn't win New Voices that I'd only written 10k. No problem. I just had to come up with another 50k. In four weeks.

Yikes.

This was me they were talking about. The slow, deliberate writer who took a long time to finish anything. I didn't panic (well, maybe a little) but for the first time in my life, when I sat down to write, I wrote quickly. I wrote each and every day, determined not to edit my thoughts or fret about word choice. Editing could (and would) come later. First things first, and I had to write this book.

I couldn't have asked for a more challenging assignment, but to be honest, it was the kick in the pants I needed. I not only finished The Seven-Day Target in four weeks, but I learned that all of the obsessing I'd been doing about my writing had only succeeded in wasting precious time. For the first time, I was able to separate the frenetic, creative first draft process from the analytical editing process.

To this day, I try to write my first drafts quickly and to save my obsessing for the edits. I can edit a messy paragraph or strike a disastrous chapter, but it turns out I can't edit a blank page.

I'd love to hear about how you write your first drafts. Do you banish all edits, edit as you go along, or do a combination of the two?



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43 comments:

  1. I love to write those first drafts fairly quickly too. I think it's because I stumbled into NaNoWriMo fairly early on in my writing journey. I signed up not realizing how big a task it was and loved it!

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    1. Ooh, I love Nano too, Jemi! It's such a huge undertaking, but what a neat way to bring writers together for one, crazy month. :-)

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    2. Welcome to Revisions & Editions, Natalie!

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    3. Hi Jemi!

      You had a lucky break with starting NANO so early and started writing fast.

      Thanks for coming by!

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  2. I obsess over details, too, and it slows me down. I wish I could write faster, but I doubt I'll ever write at Nano speed. I am doing a little better, learning to put words / notes in parenthesis and move on.

    Good luck with your book. It's sitting TBR on my Kindle right now. :)

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    1. I don't think I'll ever be a truly fast writer either, Melissa, and I think that's okay as long as my internal editor doesn't hold me up _too_ much.

      And wow - thank you so much for trying The Seven-Day Target! I hope you enjoy it. :-)

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    2. Thanks Melissa for sharing about your writing journey and about adding Natalie's book to your reading pile!

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  3. My first drafts are slow until after I introduce the main characters and get them interacting. Then they're fast. I seem to need that extra time to let them get happy with each other before moving on.

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    1. YES. That first part is so difficult, isn't it? Figuring out how the characters talk, and what their dynamic is. Absolutely.

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    2. Hi Carol.

      Thanks so much for sharing about your own experiences!

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  4. I usually write first and edit later. It's something that saves a lot of time for me, and helps me focus on one thing at a time, making sure I do each thing well.

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    1. Great point! I often feel like I'm in a much different mindset when writing than when editing. All the more reason to keep the two tasks separate!

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    2. Hello MJ!

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I love reading everyone's different ways of writing and editing!

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  5. I spent about a month planning my novels and then the first draft pretty much writes itself. I love editing, so that's not a problem for me, but I don't edit while writing the first draft.

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    1. Seriously? This is my dream schedule, to spend a month planning a book and to then be able to write it. You're ahead of the curve, Stina! :-)

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    2. Wow! Stina! You have it down pat! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. I am a slow writer, too, but I am working on it! I agree that it is better to get that first draft down without critiquing it too much as you go. Lord knows there will be plenty of edits later! :)

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    1. I feel like the queen of edits. I pretty much rewrote The Seven-Day Target. But hey, at least I had something to rewrite! Thanks for sharing. :-)

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    2. Hi Rachel,

      Yes, we have to fill the blank paper or the computer screen filled before there is anything to edit!

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  7. I do a little of both, though I mostly plow through and brain dump. Unless something's really, really bugging me (or I just thought of the EVEN MORE PERFECT way to say what I said yesterday) I won't go back and change previous chapters until I go into full edit mode.

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    1. So smart, JeffO. I'll bet you're much more productive with that kind of discipline, too.

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    2. That's the way to go JeffO!

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  8. I'll admit that when I'm in the grove, I can plow through a first draft fairly quickly. Getting lost in the story usually shuts up my inner editor enough to get to work :) (Emphasis on the usually there!). Editing is a whole other story, and not my favorite part, so that can take ages!

    Congrats on your book!!

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    1. Thank you, meradeth! Is there anything better thank getting lost in a story? I think that's what pulls me back to writing another book even after I've completed those painful edits. :-)

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    2. Hi Meradeth,

      I think you are doing it the right way!

      All the best!

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  9. I used to be the same. I'd take ages to write anything because I was constantly 'fixing' it. I found when I write faster, I also write better.

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    1. Ooh, good point, Lynda! Do you also find that sometimes you reread your work and don't even remember writing those (usually good) words?

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  10. I try not to edit as I go along and try to bash out a really rough first draft without worrying too much.

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    1. Smart, Patsy. I've realized it puts the cart before the horse, so to speak, by editing first or simultaneously. The writer needs to speak before the editor does.

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    2. Hi Patsy!

      That's the way to go about it! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. That sounds like a plan. Write as fast a you can and just get on to the editing bit later. Now the result of your labour is there for all to see.

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    1. It's so surreal! And I'm sure readers will weigh in as to whether my editing was thorough enough! ;-)

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    2. Yes, Maria. What an awesome plan for Natalie!

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  12. You are definitely not the only one who edits pieces to death. I have a terrible habit of doing so. But like you, I've learned that if I write fast, my ideas are able to come out without the threat of that internal critic yelling too loudly.

    Great post,
    Jen

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    1. Thank you, Jen! Yes, I've found it's difficult to turn that internal critic off, but many days that's the only way I can get something written. Thanks for sharing! xx

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    2. Hi Jen!

      Thanks for coming by!

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  13. What a great post! I love the last sentence! I am trying to get better and faster and writing and editing later, but I tend to go through things over and over again before I move on. I guess when the time crunch is on it is a good motivator. :) Thanks for sharing!
    ~Jess

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    1. Hi Jess!

      Thanks for coming by to chat with Natalie!

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  14. I rarely edit as I go along. I want to get the draft out of the way first.

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    1. That is the smart thing to do, Medeia! Thanks for coming by!

      Nas

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  15. Over-editing sounds a bit like a good problem to me, but I understand what you mean:) Neat post:)

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  16. great job for rising to the challenge! I usually try to go through my first drafts quickly as well, otherwise my internal editor will kick in and just distract me to no end!
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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Join the discussion. What do you think?