Distractions; Killing Me

[Moogle]

Originally Posted by Malloriel

Now, from experience I can tell you that this isn't really the best idea, because what frequently happens for a lot of writers is that they'll get caught up in what then qualifies as the editing process and never progress far at all. Every time the start back up they re-read and edit before continuing the thread of their thought. I certainly don't disapprove of the editing process, but one thing I was told once is to plug on through. Continue writing even when it's crap, and it will be crap (as far as we're concerned being the authors), and the first draft is always going to be an unsatisfying lump of potential until beaten, broken, whipped, and crammed through the editing process a million times, and once done it's polished and glittering with all your effort. It can never glitter, though, if what you do is write a bit, and then edit and edit and edit and polish as you go along. What if later ideas contradict earlier chapters, but the later ideas are far too brilliant to be ignored, but you've already polished those earlier chapters to the point where you can't imagine cutting or changing them in any way now? You've just cut off your own foot. Congrats.

I too get in that perfect frame of mind where the images are living in your mind, you feel the characters and their emotions, the words come out fluid and pristine, and then the phone rings and it's a telemarketer. And you feel like you hate anything that's written outside that perfect state, which doesn't mean that what's written outside of it is BAD, just doesn't have the same feel and weight to it that everything within that trance-like state may have. It's hard to feel motivated to write when the conditions don't allow for that place, but to stop just because of it I would consider a mistake. A mistake I know I've personally made and would hate to see you suffer doing the same.

Perfect conditions are hard to find, so I would (and actually already do) follow the advice of Orian there, and write down notes and ideas as you have them. You can organise them into the structure you want later, but don't let lack of conditions strangle your story, or abuse and defile it while you're not looking.

But that's just me.

Malloriel, THANK YOU! That's exactly my problem, I'll write a few chapters and then go back looking for inspiration in those first chapters. Unfortunately going back and rereading just points out all of the errors and better phrases, words and such you're going to want to add in. I always get hung up on polishing those early chapters to a bright shine that I hang myself with a noose because my plot won't go anywhere.

That's some of the best advice I've heard, Kudos!