Another idea from Sleuthfest. Several speakers advised what I guess you can call forward-writing: not letting yourself edit until you've got a first draft. I've made my case on this one before. Can't do it.

The idea is that you don't look back. You make yourself write on because (they say) the act of editing can become a stalling technique and a writer can become lost in "this could be better." While I agree with that, I find that editing sets the story-thus-far in my mind so that I don't go off in an irrelevant direction. It reminds me of where I was headed in the first place. And I must admit, it helps to quell my doubts about my own work. If I don't reread, I succumb to thoughts of "you didn't explain that character very well," or "you haven't put in any sensory details." They're usually there when I look back, but I like the reassurance of reading it again. Add to that the reminders of "are her eyes blue or green?" or "what was the doctor's first name?" that you pick up as you skim through, and it's downright efficient.

I know that mid-work editing can become crippling, so I guard against too much of it. In my workshops I meet wanna-be writers all the time who can't get past the first three chapters. That's not what I do. I'm willing to go on, but I find it comforting/encouraging/helpful to go back every few chapters and read the so-far to see if the whole is seamlessly coming together. And if it isn't, I want to fix it now, not in a major rewrite later.

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Comment by Clair Dickson on March 6, 2009 at 10:53am
Do what works for you. It doesn't really matter what "others" do. As long as you finish with a good, well-written story, that's all that matters. Some people edit as they go, others will make huge revisions after they write.

I can't usually write if there's something I *know* is wrong with a previous section (such a character saying something that I changed my mind on) so I go back and fix it while I'm thinking about it. But the point is to keep writing and finish the story.

Don't worry about what "they" do. Some people can get up an hour before work and write. I get up an hour before work... and drool on the keyboard. But I can stay up an hour later and churn out hundreds of words. Just write.
Comment by Craig Faustus Buck on March 6, 2009 at 3:12am
Editing while writing is definitely a stalling technique, but a productive one. What's the alternative? Procrastinating? I find my work getting much more layered and complex as I unravel character and plot, then go back to plant their seeds in earlier chapters. To maintain forward momentum, I give myself a daily word count quota and don't allow myself to reread from the beginning until I've reached the end.
Comment by Dana King on March 6, 2009 at 12:04am
I like to get all the way through before doing major edits, mainly because once I get the story flowing I hate to break the momentum. I do go back and tidy up what I wrote yesterday before starting today's work. I keep a few Word documents handy when i write: one for plot, one for characters, and one for locations. I refer to, and add to, each as I write, which makes it easy to go back and clean things up when I do the edits.

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