Let's say I'm writing a story that goes A B C D E, each letter representing an idea or something that happens. I seem to have a habit that I have to go sequentially from A to B …C, D, E. I can't write A, then get kind of stuck and then try to tackle D.

When I try to tackle D, I'll write like a paragraph, and get stuck, because I'm not sure yet how it relates to C and B, and I want everything to be aligned and interconnected the "right" way.

There's this perfectionist streak that makes me have to perfect a section, before I can go on to the next. Is this a bad habit? (I think it is.) How can I go about trying to cure it? Could it be incurable and just be a part of personality?

Thanks

Just_a_Moth

Canada1966 Posts

July 05 2013 20:09 GMT

I don't know if it's a bad habit, but it's probably good to be able to just a bunch with worrying to much about the quality. In my opinion it's not to write stuff you know is bad as long as you will come back and edit it. Sometimes when I write I'll realize what I'm writing isn't that good but I keep on writing. Then when I come back to it I read it again and then just delete it all because it's bad.

I hope that helps a bit.

Salv

Canada3083 Posts

July 05 2013 20:24 GMT

On July 06 2013 04:54 husniack wrote:
There's this perfectionist streak that makes me have to perfect a section, before I can go on to the next. Is this a bad habit?

Thanks

At least when it comes to writing essays, you're almost always going to be going back and making revisions - so if you don't move on to a next section before you think it's perfect, you're essentially writing one single draft and expecting it to be perfect - I think you'll find that no successful, professional writer does this.

Epishade

United States2267 Posts

July 05 2013 20:26 GMT

I've done that in a couple of my stories. It's not a bad habit, but if you switch around to different points to write first, you do have to make sure it flows well. This has an unintended "consequence" of extending your stories to longer than you may have first planned. Usually I have to write another paragraph or two to fill in what happens between point A and point B if I write point B first and want a smooth transition from point A.

ZERG_RUSSIAN

10417 Posts

July 05 2013 20:57 GMT

If you can't relate D to the rest of the story it means that D should be cut.

Read On Writing by Stephen King.

Incze

Romania2058 Posts

July 05 2013 21:32 GMT

B is like a multiple personality D.
He's fragmented, broken but D is whole and sane.
Compared to C, though, D is closed, more of a shut-in, maybe even introverted. C has no boundaries, he's free and he tries to reach far, he's an idealist. D on the other hand knows his limits and stays in there. He drew a straight line that he will not pass.
D may be the most normal letter, most boring. He's the 9 to 5 type while B is the psycho and C is a dreamer, a guy who takes risks

This probably doesn't make much sense. It's late

Cowpieguy

United States97 Posts

July 05 2013 21:46 GMT

I was a writing tutor in college. I had similar problems to you. The secret is to just write shit. We did some exercises where you just set a timer and write until it goes off. Maybe 5-15 minutes. Just write the entire time and don't let your pen stop moving or keyboard stop clicking, even if you get stuck and just have to write the same word over and over until something else comes to mind. This can help.

As far as being a perfectionist, that's just something you have to get over. It's hard to do. But you just have to make yourself write something even if it is really bad. Just keep going. That's all I can say.

divito

Canada1213 Posts

July 05 2013 22:35 GMT

It's somewhat a bad habit. I had the same issue with any essay or story that I've written; I'll write for a bit, and continually go back and read it over and over, editing and writing as I go along. The problem is that you're too narrowly focused to really be able to connect those sections, or too stubborn in trying to make them work and you'll never progress into your story. As someone above said, if you really can't relate it in a meaningful or realistic way without compromising other parts of the story, it should be cut.

I'm not sure how many authors can go from A-E and simply write. There's always going to be revisions, sections cut out, added, or things that need fine-tuning to help everything flow. The biggest thing they have in common though, is that they have written the material to be able to cut sections, or edit them. Without writing it, you'll never have something to fix or add to, or subtract. Who knows, let's say you can't relate D into the rest, perhaps that becomes a sequel or a spin-off or what have you.

You just have to write. The easiest way I know to get over that style, is to simply force yourself an allotted time for writing. Let's say you choose 30 minutes; for those 30 minutes, you can only write. After the 30 minutes, then you're allowed to go back and edit a bit or see how it went. Perhaps, if you have enough self-control, you can make it two hours, or even an entire day. Write as much as you want, take a look at it the next day. But that's really the only way.

MoltkeWarding

5195 Posts

July 05 2013 22:39 GMT

If you are having a writer's block, why don't you step away from the computer and read some fine writing?

red_hq

Canada450 Posts

July 05 2013 23:13 GMT

#10

A good way I learned doing nanowrimo (write a novel in a month thing) to really progress your story is to just do it.

Everyday once a day force yourself to write 400 words continuing from where you left off. It helps you know your average WPM then you can set a timer, the important thing is to write non stop always words coming forth. You are forbidden to edit these words at all (including typos), so no backspace or arrow keys, until the next day. It is important in this time to give absolutely zero fucks and embrace what drivel or total garbage spews forth. Even if you hate doing it and hate what you are writing you have to keep going up to the 400 words and when tomorrow comes you can edit that section and make it good or even completely delete it if you really hate it.

By setting a limit of something small (400 words) it gives you a tangible goal to strive towards and while writing you can push yourself by saying only 200 words left.

RoyGBiv_13

United States1275 Posts

July 05 2013 23:15 GMT

#11

If you are trying to write something, whether its on A, B, C, D or E, but cannot come up with what to say, then there is a chance that you don't have enough well-developed thoughts to write out in the first place. Research is the cure to writer's block.

If you are forced to write something your don't know much about, or care to know much about, like an essay for school, then try writing about something that you do know more about, and can write about easily, then relate it back to the subject.

The order in which you write down your thoughts is a personal style to your own writing. Just be prepared to build a cohesive structure. Building a narrative is one of those things that takes technique and foresight. One protip is that any time put into designing the narrative of a piece of writing before putting content on the page will pay off many times over in saving time trying to patch a narrative together from content already drawn up.

Salazarz

Korea (South)2591 Posts

July 05 2013 23:58 GMT

#12

If you feel like you have an 'obsessive' personality in regards to writing, try the snowflake writing method - http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/

It doesn't work for me personally but I know people who swear by it.

231 Posts

July 06 2013 00:48 GMT

#13

Just keep writing the passages that you want to write (a certain situation here, a clever turn of phrase there, etc.). Eventually, you'll have enough that you'll be able to piece them into something more coherent. You'll end up rewriting everything anyway, but it will get you going.

Roe

Canada6002 Posts

July 06 2013 01:30 GMT

#14

Don't think of it as a bad habit, let it take control of you and enable your to write what needs to be written.

cosine

313 Posts

July 06 2013 01:54 GMT

#15

Kurt Vonnegut said there are two types of writers--"swoopers" and "bashers". Swoopers swoop through a draft, then take pains in revision. Bashers try to get everything right the first time. Slowly, sentence by sentence, they bash out what is essentially a final draft. Your "perfectionist streak" is not a bad habit: it's a basher habit. You can try swooping, but really you should just use the style with which you're most comfortable.

dmnum

Brazil6910 Posts

July 06 2013 02:12 GMT

#16

Hemingway once said to Fitzgerald: "I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket."
Writing is practicing; you don't need to worry about making mistakes. Just try to throw these mistakes away when you are finishing your text. But do not be afraid of releasing bad things. Most writers have and you can learn invaluable lessons from the feedback you will get.

3FFA

United States3931 Posts

July 06 2013 03:03 GMT

#17

I've noticed that most teenagers, including myself, tend to have this 'perfectionist' attitude towards writing where really all that happens is they just think too much. Remember good ol' brainstorming? That helps a bit.

My english teacher helped me this past year, along with plenty other students in my class. Just write. Write sentences for your story. You can always revise and edit afterwards. Just write the rough draft and write it without stopping and looking back at what you just wrote until you are at least a paragraph(you may want to experiment as to what works best for you of course) ahead of where you last checked.

It really worked and made my writing much better. It all flowed together(something I previously never really achieved) because I just wrote down what came into my head. This tends to work best when writing on paper due to you seeing the whole screen when typing but on paper you tend to focus on just that one line you are writing.

AiurZ

United States429 Posts

July 06 2013 04:40 GMT

#18

just write, you have to re-write/edit later, nobody cares about what youre first draft look's like

Mothra

United States1448 Posts

July 06 2013 04:52 GMT

#19

Might take a look at Aristotle's "Poetics". Couple of tips I remember is that the whole of your story should be able to fit in your memory, and also that there's a difference between something happening AFTER something else and something happening BECAUSE of something else. You should strive for the latter.

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