It seems like more than eight weeks have gone by in the year. February alone, for me, seems like it’s been at least eight weeks. It’s the shortest month! But we are in the eighth week of the Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop. Our #MFRWauthor topic this week is:
Worst Writing Advice I’ve Gotten.
I modified the topic a little to suit my need.
Week 8: Worst Bad Writing Advice (for me)
Who am I to say this is bad advice? It’s advice that doesn’t work for me. I’m NOT saying it’s bad advice for others. Or that it’s bad advice at all. We all have to write our own way. My way isn’t your way. My process can’t be compared to your process.
What’s the advice or rule I’m talking about?
“Don’t edit as you go.”
This process works for other authors and some participants in NaNoWriMo. Me? I have to edit as I go. I have to. It kills me not to go back and rewrite. I can’t tell you how often I rewrite, rewrite, rewrite my beginning. This is how I write. I go back to edit. When I say I edit as I go, it isn’t like I type a paragraph and have to go back to edit it unless the BRAT nudges.
I’ll do this when I’m finished writing for the day or if I need a break to think something through before continuing. Sometimes, I wait until the next day or next writing session. Of course, it takes longer to finish a draft this way, but it makes the revisions much easier.
If I’m away from a manuscript, like a have been with my current WIP while revising one of my other books, I’ll go back to the beginning to reread and rewrite as I get familiar with the story again.
Writing without editing as you go works for many, many authors. There’s nothing wrong with the process, for them. At times I wish I could sit down and write a draft this way, but if I try, I am fighting with myself. There’s a little BRAT sitting on my shoulder poking at me, whispering in my ear that I missed a word back there, or I needed to fix something, and it won’t let up. It’s as simple as:
This process doesn’t work for me.
My bad advice isn’t your bad advice. Do what works for you.
We’re at Week Eight in the Blog Hop. Let’s click HERE to read what other authors have to say.
Thanks for your visit today. Enjoy your weekend.
Thank you, Pixabay, for the images.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
15 thoughts on “#AmWriting Writing Advice That Doesn’t Work For Me”
Teagan R. Geneviene
Mary, I agree completely. The only time I try not to edit as I go, is with NaNoWriMo — it makes some sense to *limit* the amount of editing during the story construction, if you’re running a race against time. But even then, I think a little as you go is still good. Hugs.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
Agreed about limiting during construction, but I find it difficult to limit for long. NaNo is totally different. I don’t do NaNo anymore.
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RaineBalkera
Yes! It’s just too bad OUR way didn’t become a ‘thing’ instead of the other way around, eh? LOL Thanks for sharing!
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
Yeah, good point, Raine!
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Cathy Brockman
I plan to try to edit as I go with my next story. The font worked for NaNo but seems I worked so hard on rewrites etc. I think it will be easier while the story is fresh.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
Revising killed me when I tried not listening to my inner editor during my first NaNo. Good luck, Cathy. It might drive you nutty at first, but do what works for you.
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Cathy Brockman
It seems to take forever and I have to read the story over so I am going to try as I go next time
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
I read it over a million times before my editor gets it even though I edit as i go. There’s always something I want to change, but the manuscript is still cleaner by time I get into revisions.
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Helen Henderson
I think that “brat” has a twin who smacks my hand when I don’t correct an obvious problem, even if I’m writing.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
I believe you’re right, Helen. Maybe even more than a twin–like triplets… 🙂 I get poked often. As I wrote yesterday, this happened a lot, so yes, I have to stop and go back while writing, too. Thanks for visiting.
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Meka James
Very true. I am the same way. I have to edit as I go. I’m a slow writer, being a pantser I have to think about what is happening next. Make sure it all fits. Editing as I go helps with that. It works for me.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
Making sure it fits is a good way to put it, Meka. I plot goals and pantser to get to them.
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D. Wallace Peach
I’m totally with you on this, Mary. I edit as I go too. I can write without editing, but I experience a lot of anxiety when I don’t go back and fix things. It explains why I’m such a slow writer, but I swear I don’t have to do as many drafts either. 🙂
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
You have it all figured out, Diana. It’s nice to hear someone else understands the anxiety of not going back. The drafts and revisions are much easier. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
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D. Wallace Peach
Yup. I totally get it!
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