I’ve had lots of advice. Tons. On every aspect of writing, editing and storytelling. Grammar. Sentence structure.
You name it, I’ve heard it. I’ve been told how, and how not to.
While I was writing Vezien’s story, I got so bogged down with all the things I shouldn’t do, that I didn’t actually do any writing.
I got stuck.
Seriously stuck.
Couldn’t do a thing for nearly 2 months with that story and it drove me nuts. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. It had flowed, nicely, steadily and consistently — and then WHAMMO. Brick wall.
Could I work out what was wrong?
Nope.
I bugged my crit partners. I drove my other half nuts. I kept looking at the last page, wondering why I got stuck and how to unstick my brain.
Nothing worked.
And then, suddenly… it clicked.
I ignored all the advice. All of it. The whole kaboodle. Every little piece of wisdom, every "you shouldn’t/mustn’t/can’t" all the "don’t do this, that and the other" and the "You should’s".
Yup, I threw every shred of it out of the window.
Why?
Because I was so caught up in what I shouldn’t do, that I forgot what I must do!
Write.
I had to write, without distractions, without words of wisdom. I had to let the story flow the way it wanted to flow.
That is what I was really doing wrong. I listened to everyone — except myself. Or my characters. Or my story.
And as a result, I lost the plot.
So if you listen to one word of advice — namely mine — it is: WRITE.
Ignore everything, ignore all the other advice, and just write. From your heart, from your brain, wherever your story comes from. Let the words flow onto the page the way they want to. Let your characters do what they want. Let the plot fairy take you where it thinks is best.
Let it all hang out, let your hair down. Go wild.
And when it’s done, when you got the first draft down, and you’ve typed "The End"
Put it aside. Shove it into a drawer. Ignore that Word Document.
Let it breathe, don’t pick it up. Just leave it alone and get some distance.
Most of all, give yourself a rest.
After a week or two (or more), go back and read it.
THEN listen to all that advice you’ve been getting and fix what needs fixing. It’s a lot easier to see errors and where you can make improvements when it’s not fresh in your mind.
But…
Do it in the SECOND draft.
And not a second sooner.
I hope, if you are stuck, this will help you clear your mind a little.
Don’t be so scared of "Doing it wrong" that you forget to do what you really want to do: Tell your reader a story. From beginning to end. With all the pitfalls, terror and heartache it entails.
Give yourself a break and just once don’t listen to advice.
Tags: Advice, Revision, Writers Block
