Writers' High-- How do you overcome it?

Don't read the novel. :) Seriously. Don't go back and read it. That's what I learned from my first NNWM, way back when. Just keep on writing, move on to the next project, whatever. Get some distance between you and the novel, so you aren't so attached to it. That way, you can enjoy your high.

Heather
Forums Moderator

I think there should be some time between the time that you finish writing and then when you go back and read it, though it depends. In my case, I participated and won the '06 NaNo, but disliked the outcome so much that I didn't even bother re-reading or editing it, and it's been on my hard drive ever since. Then, a day or two ago, I accessed the file again and read some parts, and I actually liked it a lot better than I did way back then over a year and a half ago. I remembered the high, as you put it, in writing some of the chapters I really liked. For all it was worth, my '06 NaNo had the power to keep me writing because I feel I liked the characters more. Then, when I participated in '07, I wrote about 8K and then stopped because it was boring compared to the '06 one, and I knew I'd have to write about 30K words until I get out of the introductory phase and into the real plot of the novel, but I wasn't willing to go through the lengthy introduction so I stopped. The novel really needed the long intro so as to supply context to the rest of the novel, so now I'm left with a 8K short story which I re-read and found it to be rather boring; I didn't really have the same "high" with my '07 NaNo, but I wish I did so that it could have developed farther. I know it probably would have been over 100K at full story.

Me? I just kept writing. Until the plot self-destructed during NaNoFiMo, of course. Now I'm completely rewriting both my NaNo novels, since both of them were complete crud and it took me many months to find a way to make the plot coherent. Go figure.

NaNoWriMo 2006: Black Science
NaNoWriMo 2007: Bad Company
Script Frenzy 2008: Spanner
Project Blog: Spanner's World

Why do you assume that it was actually bad at all? ;) You're already more critical of your own writing than it often actually deserves. Realize that every perceived mistake is going to be amplified a thousand times through your own eyes, that's normal. But don't let it make you delete it or stop writing. (Also, don't print it out right away, poor trees! :) You probably wind up feeling worse about it seeing it in such a form and thinking it looks set in stone.)

Best line so far:
"So, what are we going to do with the pink elephant?"

DEFINITELY don't read it right away. It's always best to wait awhile - a few weeks, a month, more than a month - because by then, you have time and distance from it, you've forgotten what you were trying to convey, and you can read it with a fresh eye to see if that really comes through.

I have stuff I absolutely hate when I wrote it, then go back and reread a year or more later and am actually really impressed with a good bit of it. If you're not objective, you're never going to know what you can really do.

NaNo 2005: Can't Go Back (won!)
NaNo 2006: In Between (won!)
Script Frenzy 2008: Razor's Edge (won!)

About 90% of the time (writer's high or no), I think my prose is much better than it really is. The other 10% of the time, I think it's utter crap. Both of these POVs are wrong. There is no such thing as perspective when I'm in the middle of writing a story, or even shortly thereafter for that matter.

As for the writer''s high? Distorted perception or no, I wouldn't trade it for the world. :)

I agree - definitely don't let yourself read it over until you've finished. It takes a certain amount of time to get some distance before you can see the flaws AND the gems.

And... yes, I know that high. That "God, I'm a genius!!! This is sheer brilliance..." moment. Enjoy it. Why not? It feels good. It'll help with the flow and the pace.

But - I think the writers' crash is important too. When I read old things back and realise they're not as good as I thought they were, I a) take that as evidence that I'm learning all the time and can now do better, and b) use it as a basis for editing out whatever I now see as being wrong with it. For me, it's a key part of the process.

You're never going to come out with a perfect draft first time. Just keep the inner critic locked up in it's box until it's time to edit...

Why would you want to overcome it?

In other words, I agree with other posters - it's best to give it time before reading it. I personally *do* like to print it out right away - just so I can see it all and think, "Wow, I did that!" Even if it's bad, look at the volume!

I've had several writers advise not only taking a break, but starting a new story to get enthusiastic about while editing. That way, even if you feel the story you're editing is crap, you still feel good about the new story. Plus, having a new first draft allows you to be more emotionally attached to that one, so you have a more objective perspective about the one you're editing.

I'm currently revising my 2007 NaNo novel and am 30,000 words into a new first draft, so I can say that so far, this works for me.

The Mirror Crack'd: Literary Dark Fantasy? Symbolism, Archetypal Plots, and Insanity, oh my! And, psst... what's with all the dwarves?

I never read what I wrote right away, like the others have said. If I do that, then I doubt everything about it.

I also try to never let myself think about what's already been done or think that any of it's stupid and no one's going to like it. I just keep on going.

After the novel's done and I've left it alone for a couple months, then I can go back and re-read it and change stuff around. But doing it while I'm writing. No way ever.

Unnamed Sequel - 2008
Aldys, Knight of the Third Age - 2007 - Winner!

Lol. I just think it's funny that I came up with the exact same term for it that you did.
But that writing high, that fervent excitement... those are things that are important. They keep you writing.
I don't have any advice that hasn't already been said though.

My goals?
Awareness. Courage.
“When I know in my heart that something is right, I will go for it.”

Don't think of it as false confidence... Rough drafts are exactly that. Rough. It's gonna take a few drafts before it's any good... Just keep going! Have fun with it. Being overly critical zaps the fun out of it entirely. You have to throw caution to the wind when you write. Otherwise, what's the point?

wow. after reading your post I just kinda wanna go out and slit my wrists now....man that is depressing.

I agree with the answers that you should just not re-read it just then. It probably doesn't suck all that bad, its just that you are reading it at a very vulnerable time. read later, when its already down and there isn't anything anyone can do about it. give yourself permission to write fifty thousand words of trash, with the idea in your head that you will go picking through it later.

that is the cool thing about writing, sometimes when you go dumpster diving through the trash you sometimes come out with a shiny penny, or even a two million dollar diamond ring.....

If you need a visual, write yourself a permission slip to write such terrible drivel as you could possibly come up with, with the stipulation that you will not reread it until after the book is done, and it has sat and cured for a while.

first drafts are always drivel for me. it is the alchemy of turning lead to gold that gives me a "writers high"

I actually forced a friend to read a speech that I wrote for my story because I thought it was good. But I'm generally on a constant Writer's High.

(He said he liked it, BTW, so I think it made the cut.)

I write what I know. In this case, I know band.

Yes, I think I experienced that last night. I loved the way a certain scene went, but even as I wrote it, I knew that eventually I would have to compare it to what the reader of this kind of book (women's fiction) might expect. Still, what I wrote was right for me and for my characters at that moment. It gave me a high to have written such a wonderful scene. I felt there was truth in it.

I have written things and put them away for years, and then looked at them again and realized, "Hey, this isn't half bad. It's at least competent." So I am not sure how high your expectations are. Are you looking at the glass as half empty when perhaps you should be thinking it is half full?

Then there's something else to consider. What are your intentions in any given scene? Do you meet them, or think you do at the time, only to decide later that you haven't? Does this happen a lot? Then what is it that you are not putting into your first draft that you think you might not be able to put into a second draft?

The fact is, once you have a draft, it is infinitely possible to improve it. But are you unhappy with the plot or with your execution of the plot, or both?

Bottom line, everything can be fixed. The high is what keeps you writing the crucial first draft, and it plays a useful role.

Got back to my nano this week-end after looking at it in March and finding it awful i was then able to find good bits in it to.

So now i know at least 7 months is the time i need to leave it alone.
I was also unable to write since then which wasn't too good.
..........

A writer’s High is what i’m on at the moment and have been for the passed week..

It’s when i yearn all day long for the clock to strike 6, when i know that i’ll finally be free from my obligations to give my self entirely to my muse.
It’s when i forget to do the washing up or pay the bills and even forget time altogether as the light of the day disappears and i realise that i haven’t eaten dinner.
It’s when i only have time to pop out quickly for a bar of chocolate, nut’s and raisins, whilst the coffee is in the making before i get back to my little world of mine for another couple of hours.
It's when I finally crawl into bed in the early hours of the morning and
I feel great.

It’s when i have these really wierd intense dreams in which i'm flying or running at high speed thenin which wake myself up laughing.
It’s when at 3am i stretch an arm out from under the covers to grab a pencil and note down the nonsence of a dream or the idea that came to me in a flash before I tumble over and fall back to sleep and
I feel great.

It’s when i wake up each morning before my alarm clock rings out and immediately i jump out of bed. Yes jump.
My little dog raises his lazy head from his basket and looks at me as if to say ;
‘’ are you crazy ? have you seen the time ? Get back to bed…’’ and I ignore him and
I feel great.

It’s when I sing in the shower and walk the dog through the empty streets with my head held high, arms swinging and a huge grin on my face. So unlike the other days when i’m sulking and hoping that nobody will notice me.
It’s when I get back home and sit at my desk. The café crème at my side and the music is on and
I feel great.

It’s when my fingers find their way easily across the little black buttons as they click away to their hearts content revealing to me the story that appears upon the page as if by magic. Where in heaven did that come from I wonder with suprise as I write word after word after word.
It’s when my favourite song comes on and i get up to turn up the volume and have a quick dance around the room as i get curious looks from the little dog sitting silently in the corner of the room trying to understand and
I feel great .

It’s when after a few hours i feel the fingers slightly slowing down and I get up out of my chair once more for a quick stretch of the arms then and skip, yes skip, like a child in the playground to the kitchen for that necessary top up of coffee.
It’s when i’m back at my desk and away i go once more…click click click till i feel a scratching at my knee and after looking down into the loving eyes of my little dog, I glance over at the clock and shout out '' Gosh is that the time already ? ''
And I feel great.

and i though i was the only one to feel like this

(and it's when i don't mind showing off my rubbish to my nano friends because today , yes you've got it,
i feel great ! )