I will not edit yet.

I think that's part of the NaNo mantra. With an ending of something like "I will make 50k. I will make 50k" or "Can't edit, novel won't get finished. Can't edit, novel won't get finished."

Filling an empty life with a joy and hope something accomplished, just to hide from the inner nightmares.

But its so HAAAAAARRRRRD not to edit! The moment I want to edit I jump to somewhere else in my plot to shake off that urge. I feel like I need one of those lifeline people (you know the ones you call to say I'm about to have a psychotic breakdown and start editing... heeeeeellllp meeeeee)

Main Character plot twists:
- fallen through thin ice
- attacked by a wolf
- best friend poisoned
- fallen in love, been betrayed by her
- rescued people from a fire and then had the burning building collapse on him

This guy has some bad luck!

I try to mollify my inner editor by allowing myself to edit the last paragraph or so that I wrote the day before - and then just moving on and writing the next thing. It usually works...? -_-

“We, Soldiers of a different sort,
We, wasters of ink and page,
We, warriors of words,
Masters of melancholy,
Harlots of the pen,
We bleed these volumes,
and expect only absolution.”

I make sure to turn off my spell check during November. If I avoid reading what I wrote the previous day, I have a better shot of not needing to fix it right off. Remember, backspace is evil!

Nano'08: Motercycles & Medieval Dresses Don't Mix- Won
Proud member of Moose Mayhem, and Team Moose

Yes! Backspace is evil. I think that is what makes it so tempting... and oh, so addictive.

Editing is killing my word count, heh. I should stop re-reading everything. It's so hard though!

I'm writing chapters of roughly 2500 words each so since I normally write and then edit I'm doing pretty well with that. However I do have to keep my spell check on. How do people write without it? I can tell when stuff is spelled wrong and with spell check I can quickly click a couple of times and it's all fixed rather than me trying to figure out how something is spelled because I suck so bad at spelling. I'm in awe of those who don't use it.

I am noticing that I'm starting to get the urge to edit my first chapters, so I'm thinking of hiding them somewhere on my computer and writing it down somewhere and giving that piece of paper to my friend so I can't figure out where I put them. And since they are all titled things that would make it hard to search it might work. But I'm hoping to hold out for a few days more.

Normally, I would have this urge, but the first section of my Nano is soooo messed up and awful that the idea of trying to edit it terrifies me.

Group pressure is the thing for me. And writing every chapter in a separate document works like a charm too.
Everytime I think about editting, one of my guildies in WoW starts verbally abusing me and tells me to get the next chapter online because they want to read about it.

/shrug

Works so far :)

99,9% of the time, the problem lies between the keyboard and the chair

Last night I wrote a part that needs some major help but I am ignoring completely even thought it is like having an itchy back in a middle of a funeral sitting in a pew packed tighter than vacuumed bag of beef jerky. Must scratch back...must edit story...need to edit story. Can't stop the thoughts must resist...

http://wjafirefly.livejournal.com/
a place to read an online story.
http://wjafirefly.deviantart.com/
a place to see art(I am not the best but I have fun)

I atomized my inner editor yesterday. Write Or Die: Desktop Edition has the option to disable backspace. I found out that I really can't type and I hit my backspace key far too often. But it kept me from editing and got me to my goal!

I don't have Plot Bunnies so much as I have Plot Bunniculas... Mine go for blood.

Hoo boy, can I relate to that! I think I'm probably doing the absolute worst writing I have ever done. Ever. And this certainly includes those 5th grade compositions. If I read over it, I won't just have the desperate urge to edit... I'll have the extreme compulsion to completely erase it all and start over. Obviously not something I can afford to do already being far behind on my word count as it is.

NaNo 2009:
Machinations of Human Contact (Working Title)
Science Fiction

Tweet Much? @TinyL

I'm here.

I keep saying after every 1k in words or so that I shall not re-write anything and by god I had better not ever write by hand again - because the transfer to the computer is the worst thing to do.

That's why my goal is to average 2k words a day in typing.

HGL is behind, but that's normal. (behind again :'I *sigh*)
~~~
Do the characters have minds of their own? yes
Did they do something you weren't expecting? yes
Are they hiding things from you? yes
What good is it to be the author?!

but..but sometimes spell checked makes your words BIGGER. *sniffles in a corner*

~* MageQueenHoshi aka Lindsey *~

*stomps on little editor inside her* take that!

I just keep going back to make the threads of my plot connect. I really should have planned this thing out before trying to write it. I keep coming up with really good plot twists and get really excited, but then have to go modify or add to a prior conversation. Which helps word count. But doesn't really help with overall progress!

My heart beats in every word. Have you noticed? If not, you know nothing of it or my writing.
-Edmund Jabez

Honestly, I think this is the mantra of all writing. The ability to stomp your inner editor long enough to finish an idea is something that takes both skill and determination. It really sucks to have to turn it off, and even I hate doing it. I make deals with myself. I generally have a pretty good understanding of what I wrote, and I am able to accept that it's not the best. However, if I know that I missed a huge chunk of plot/necessary material (which has been known to happen), or if I just want to go back and mention a detail that'll be important later, I'll let myself do it. Even if it involves re-writing. I re-wrote two paragraphs of my story this year. Of course, that two that I wrote turned into five, so it was ultimately all for the better.

2007 Novel - Ice to Embers (Fantasy) - Winner

I pretty much allow myself to edit ONLY if it means I'm adding words. I actually just wrote myself into a plot hole, immediately figured out the answer, went back and made an entire paragraph earlier strikethrough, and then wrote new stuff that would fix the problem. Added a good 100-200 words, and didn't delete that 100 word paragraph.

I also tend to just make a lot of author notes to myself in parentheses. This stuff works for me. I've killed that first inner editor that doesn't allow me to write a sentence until crafted whole and proper, and only let the others out when I want. Mostly.

I definitely can't stop the backspace though. Misspelled words bug me too much, I have to fix them.

I am in this camp as well. I can't help it. I have to use my computer for schoolwork, so I'm used to editing my comments in the online school forum. If I don't, I'd get thrown out. I can't seem to turn it off. And I still managed to do the same thing, just now when I was typing. I try and not edit but it's impossible after trying to parse my classmates' meanings all the time.

NaNo journal where the supernatural community runs free and delights in shaking up the author's plans left and right.