The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
August 2 question: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it?All the time.
I'm an intuitive writer. The characters walk around in my head for a long time before they make it onto the page. They tell me their backstories and their hopes and dreams. They grudgingly admit their flaws and fears as well.
What they don't tell me is how the story is going to work.
So, yes, I sometimes feel conflicted by what I've written. But, overnight, my subconscious works it out and I delete whatever I've written and start again. Thankfully, I've learned to listen to my subconscious and I usually know within a day or two that things need to go, so I'm no longer deleting chunks of 25 thousand words (or entire stories...) like I've done in the past.
How about you? Are you another fan of the delete key? Are you an intuitive writer or a planner or both?
17 comments:
Nothing worse than having to delete entire chapters!
Listen to your gut they say!
Sleeping over what I write seems to work for me as well. Like literally sleeping over it. By morning, I kill many darlings.
Sonia
Trusting your gut as a writer is a great thing!
I end up needing to cut entire chapters all the time because what I thought was going to be the right path ends up not working out as I thought it would. I think my deleted scene files are longer than the final products. :)
I think on other things when I get stuck or like you say delete-delete-delete. When that happens, I know someone from the wings--my subconscious--is trying to get my attention. I've learned to stop until I hear what its trying to say. hehehe
Anna from elements of emaginette
I start with a sketchy plan that takes a backseat after I begin to write. Once the story starts, it's all intuitive.
Bless that subconscious. It's on duty all the time and guides us where we need to go.
I believe that trusting your gut is an excellent way to live - and write. On the rare occasions that I write the delete key gets a workout.
I have had to delete chapters when I let my middle grade word count get way too high. Now I watch the word count as I write my first draft. It's good that you've learned to listen to your subconscious.
Alex - we won't talk about the entire novel and half of the next novel I trashed one day...
Diane - I agree!
Sonia - sounds like your subconscious is super helpful too!
Elizabeth - I think so too :)
MJ - It's so hard when you see what you think needs to happen ... and then that changes!
Carol - me too!
Lee - I'm so glad my subconscious is a hard worker!
Sue - I totally agree!
Natalie - I find cutting easier than adding, but it's all difficult!
I'm a plantser--I like to work from a solid outline, which then somehow gets lost in the process, leaving me to figure out where I'm going. That has resulted in some serious chunks getting the boot from some of my books, not because I'm conflicted about them but because they don't work.
There's only been a few times I've deleted entire chapters and had to start over.
I usually have such a conflict in my head, before I write it down. Whenever that happens, I feel unsettled, unable to write, until the conflict is resolved. Only then I can write it down.
Me too. Delete and cut. Ouch, all those words wasted.
Rebecca - I think that describes me pretty well too. If it doesn't work, toss it :)
Patty - yay for you! I think it's the way my brain works and I've learned to like it...mostly :)
Olga - that's a great way to do it - decide before you even write!
Susan - It's a definite ouch, but I usually have learned something, so not a waste :)
I delete stuff all the time too. I don't plan much when I write a book, and don't write in order, so things that work in one place might not end up working within the story as a whole. I just try to always stay true to who the characters are and what they want. Even when what they want isn't the best thing for them.
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