Direction?
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about this blog. What I want it to be. What I wish it were. Why the stupid sidebar annoys me so. All important issues.
Deep down, I always envisioned myself a writer. I have dozens of stories in my head. But every time I try to put them to words, they lose their power and epic-ness. Today, driving in the car to work, I had two epic stories brewing in my noggin. But when I commit anything to paper (or screen as the case usually is), I get stuck in the cases and tenses. For example, should I right in the present tense as the main character:
As I stood looking across the parking lot, I could feel the tension building.
Or do I write in the third person:
As Jed stood at the edge of the parking lot, he could feel the tension building.
And then the story falls apart. It becomes a big jigsaw puzzle and I can’t even find the edges to start rebuilding it. I suppose I should try and write without doing any editing and then when I’m finished, go back and edit. I know I have writers who read this blog. Thoughts?
August 14th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Write then edit. Just get it down. Tense is easy to fix. I have the same problem as a writer, but that’s my advice as a professional book editor.
August 14th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
It’s hard to turn off that anal-retentiveness I get when I see printed words. I just love editing stuff. At work, I am the go-to guy for all the letters because I’m just good at that. I should have been an editor in real life. Any openings?
August 15th, 2007 at 9:44 am
I write and edit as I go. Since I never write anything meaningful and longer than 3 paragraphs, it is never really a factor. Just post pictures of boobs and funny videos. You’ll be set!
August 15th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone is part of a bigger story. When writing, I always like to get the ideas down on paper first. Try to record the backbones of the story. You will have time later to edit. Besides, who’s to say you can’t write it out in the first person, and then an entire other one all set in the 3rd person? What’s better for you to hear? A story someone tells you that happened to them? Or the same story that happened to someone else? It’s all good but I must admit, I’m interested to see why the tension is building for Jed LOL
August 15th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I have a massive issue with my own sad inability to focus my own blogs! Someone needs to force feed me a niche.
August 15th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Patrick, a writer writes.
Write now, edit later.
Just get some words down.
(I should talk! I’ve got a zillion things started and haven’t finished a single one. However, I’ve got the basics down…)
August 15th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Well, you’ve heard from two people who are professionals, but I’ll put my 2 cents in as well. I’ve had several blogs and write some for work (SOP manuals, letters and memos) and I’ve always found that I just write and then go back and edit 3 or 4 times until I like what’s there. Or I should say I used to.
Now with my blogs I’ve gotten too lazy, I don’t care about typos or spelling anymore. But I had tried my hand at short fiction also. None that I’ll share with you, it’s all very niche specific, and found that it was best to get my ideas down and then go back and fix everything.
My husbear was an editor for 10 years, not something you want to do. It’s a thankless job and very high pressure.
Good luck!
Joe The Bear
August 15th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Thank you all for the encouragement. The key appears to be write first and go back and edit later. Noted.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
You’ll also find, that if you just get the gist of it down, it will stop yelling at you in your head, “WRITE ME!!!” It’s like knowing you need to take out the trash by a certain day…it’s in your mind and sorta bugging you until you do it, then your brain is quiet again…well usually it moves on to the next thing, but you get my point.