Have you ever had those days when you hate every word you put on paper? I have. In fact this is the third post I have started because the other two are just awful. I hope to fix them, but just not in the mood right now.
What do you do when you don't like your own writing? Well, you could cry and curl into a little ball, but that won't get the story written. You could get mad and throw the proverbial pen at the wall. Or could could take a deep breath and power through.
Sometimes what you think is the worst piece of drivel to glow on a computer screen isn't so bad when you go back and look at. With a little rewriting you can salvage it. Maybe make it shine.
Don't give up on your writing. Ever. Keep going, keep pushing. In the long run it will make you a stronger writer.
What do you do when you don't like your own writing? Well, you could cry and curl into a little ball, but that won't get the story written. You could get mad and throw the proverbial pen at the wall. Or could could take a deep breath and power through.
Sometimes what you think is the worst piece of drivel to glow on a computer screen isn't so bad when you go back and look at. With a little rewriting you can salvage it. Maybe make it shine.
Don't give up on your writing. Ever. Keep going, keep pushing. In the long run it will make you a stronger writer.
If I'm working on a scene that I think is blech, then I try completely rewriting it -- not tweaking it! I mean completely re-writing it. Sometimes I'll do this two, three or more times. Sometimes I go back to the original and realize I nailed it the first time (this happens a lot), but at least now I KNOW, so I can proceed without those nagging doubts dogging me.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the fresh rewrites give me all sorts of new ideas, and take me in fun new directions. So this is also good (for obvious reasons).
The bottom line is, with fresh rewrites, I get perspective (on my story, my writing and my headspace). It's a win-win.
You're right, Cary - it works both ways - sometimes I have to rewrite - but the main theme is still there - I still kinda consider that tweaking because I've gotten the bones down - when I rewrite the whole thing changes - and I've had to do that when I go back and edit because of changes I've made at the end of a story.
DeleteGood comment!