Editing as you write or not?

[Stacy]

Splitting the topic off from the writing longhand thread.

I see the same idea a lot in writing advice - don't stop, don't edit, just keep going.

LSB has a first draft feature where you can't backspace or delete or anything. The idea terrifies me. No, I don't know how to use it. Don't want to, either.

Lunar suggested Writing Down the Bones as a writing book I might like, and it was one of three writing books I picked up at the used bookstore last night.

Ooh, digression to tell cat story! We adopted Luna from the used bookstore and John took a collection of Luna pics and made a book with them through Apple. Last night we took the book and gave it to the owner of the store. He really liked it. He also knows that John is out of work and asked if he'd heard from the library about reinstating him yet. John said no, of course.

And then we got 14 books for $10 - I'm pretty sure that's not what their sticker price would have come to.

ANYWAY.

I just read a chapter in Writing Down the Bones about writing practice and not crossing out, and I realized why I'm cool with editing while I write and why it works for me but may not work for other people.

The author talks about an inner censor and fear of what people will say and some Victorian idea of politeness. I pointed that passage out to John and I said "I guess that's why I can edit while I write, because my inner editor is sure as hell not an inner censor."

She uses an example where a person thinks of a beautiful unique sentence with great imagery, and then tones it down to boring-ness because oh noes, what will people think?

When I cross out a sentence, it's because it's not what the story wanted. Doesn't have anything to do with Victorians and/or judge-y people who like to judge things - if they have a problem with my writing that's cool. I will judge them right back in their judge-y faces for judging it.

So yeah - do you edit while you write or not, and why do you think your method works for you?

[dinuriel]

I used to read a lot of "How to write" books and articles and essays, but I've stopped doing that recently because they seem so one-size-fits all. Actually, a lot of my creative writing classes seem to be shaping out like this too. I suppose that they have to cater to what they perceive to be the largest audience, but just because a method works for some people doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.

I tried LSB--eventually gave it up because I'm a formatting freak and I hated that there wasn't an option to justify text, even if I loved some of the features like timelines--and I used that feature for about half a paragraph before I got fed up and switched back to the regular word processor. I was pretty much nodding along with what you said about inner editors and inner censors, because that pretty much describes me too.

Anyway, I edit while I write because I find it works for me, and I can be a little obsessive about small errors, so if I make a significant mistake, it will usually gnaw away at my brain until it's been fixed. Also, a lot of my work is timeline-dependent, so if I make a critical mistake early on and ignore it, I will subconsciously base a lot of the later text off that mistake and then I will have even more editing to do.

Another factor is that I have little patience for reading my own work from beginning to end and I honestly don't think I'm capable of a full post-production edit.

As for the "inner censor" idea, I think my inner censor has died. I think I killed it when I did one arc in my main story about an incestuous relationship that ended in a suicide. There's not much I'm not willing to write about content-wise, and I figure if people don't like my choice of language or phrasing or sentence structure or whatnot, no one is forcing them to keep reading.

That's just me, though. I'm sure the continuous-writing-with-no-editing process works for some people, but I'm definitely not one of them.

[thelunarfox]

I'd guess it's just whatever works best for you.

My thing with editing while writing has always been because of the subconscious influences that affect me as I write. Sometimes I actually cringe at what I'm writing, but I carry on. Lots of times I remind myself that we are going to rewrite it later, so if some sentence doesn't sound right or isn't in the right place, it doesn't matter so long as the thought gets put down.

Course, my memory is horrible. If I don't write it down as soon as it occurs to me, it's gone and possibly gone forever.


What I love is the letting go. When I stop thinking about what fits or how it sounds, then I catch this flow where even though things sound horrible they feel really good. Thoughts connect, details emerge, a thread gets picked up and woven between stories. I might be writing about something 20 years in the past and find some detail that might solve a problem I'm having with a story set in the present.

Basically, I let my subconscious go and it's like reading a story for the first time. After I get everything out, then I organize it for "consumption."


Edit: Illandrya snuck in on me there, lol. Oh I do that too. Sometimes I will rewrite a scene or just rewrite a whole story. It's all about experimentation and play for me, so if it doesn't sound or feel right, I'll give it another go until it does feel right, and then chop pieces together to make a whole.

[somuchsong]

I have to edit while I write. I'm afraid that if I leave an error, or something that's not working/sounds stupid/whatever, I'll forget to go back and fix it later. I'm good at proofreading other people's stuff - I'm a teacher, so I have to be. But when it comes to my own stuff, not so much. I start reading it and I tend to automatically skim, because my brain is saying "You just wrote this. Why do you need to read it again?"

When I'm teaching, I tell the kids to proofread. I also tell them to write whatever comes to mind, even if it's silly, because they can always work with it later. It's so hard to get 7 year-olds started with creative writing that once they start, I'd rather they just keep going instead of stopping to worry about spelling or content. But I don't practise what I preach.

[celebkiriedhel]

I kind of do both. If I'm writing longhand, I don't edit - I just write as fast as I can to get everything out, and what I'm seeing.

When I'm typing it up into the PC, I tend to edit it then - but then often continue on with the story after that. I fix spelling mistakes as I type because they irritate me.

I did an editing course as part of a creative writing course I did back 9 years ago, and found that although it added a lot of dynamism to the story I found it a very harsh and confronting practice. (We were examining every line, every sentence and sometimes every word for cutting out). It's not something I do a lot of now - I'm kind of a minimal editor. I'll reword something to make it less clumsy, or get the idea across better, but I rarely pull things completely out.

I found some of my old longhand notebooks, and I noticed that if a sentence was really, really irritating me, I re-wrote it next to the original sentence and left them both in, to edit it when it got online.

But I do aspire to not editing when I write, because I think for me I can lose the flow when I do. For me, to edit or not edit is only and always about the flow.

[laura]

Editing as I write - definitely, but not in the first initial draft. My first drafts are a little bit like vomit, lol! No really, it's like OMG *runs to the toilet* I HAVE TO GET THIS OUT RIGHT NOW!!!!! And they look a little bit like vomit too, lol!

(Not that I write in the bathroom, but you get the idea.)

But there's no time for editing. I might correct a misspelling or something, because that would just pick at me, but otherwise, no editing. I don't even feel compelled to edit in that stage, because what would be the point? It's all getting reworked anyway.

Though I NEVER draft a whole story from beginning to end all at once. My first drafts come to me like snapshots, like a scene, or a character doing or saying something. And I write them all down in that initial vomit-like stage, but they're not necessarily in order yet.

But once I finish vomiting a scene or chapter or whatever, sure, I'll edit then. Lingering and examining and filling out the scene can give me great clues about where it goes, or what comes next.

I rarely read any "how to write" books. I enjoyed Stephen King's On Writing, but that's more about the writer's life and the business than it is the actual writing (though there are some amazing writing points in there!). And I like Kurt Vonnegut's rules. And every writer should own an Elements of Style. (I read through mine once and never touched it again, but it's there!) But other than that, most of what I've learned about writing has come from reading great books, and getting great feedback on my own stories.

[drew]

Personally, (not talking Sim stories) I have to get it all down first, I have to keep myself in a forward motion, it is the only way I can write. I go back and fill in the pot (or plot) holes after. And fix all my glaring grammar mistakes. But I have my school teacher hubby for that, he is my live-in editor. I also go in fits and starts. When I was without the internet and my computer for almost 3 weeks, I did over 20,000 words on my old desk top. Since then, pfffft. Maybe I need another internet break!

As for sim stories, it has been pointed out to me more than once that I break major grammar rules, like mixing my tenses and what not, I admit I don't take the kind of care with sim stories. I guess it's because my live-in editor hubby has no time to look over my sims stuff before I post it.
Yikes, I should take more care.

Doing sims stories helps with the other writing, it has been invaluable for characterization and plotting.
Everyone has their own style and way of doing it, how neat to read how everyone approaches this~

[blackdaisies]

I'm extremely casual about the actual 'writing' part of the story. Actually, a lot of my story comes through while I'm shooting the screenshots. It's not exactly writing but it is a different way of getting the story across. And in doing so, I just shoot away and I guide the screens the way I want my story to flow. When it comes to actually writing it out, I do edit along the way if I find it absolutely necessary, if I become stuck or something is so obviously not working I can't possibly keep on going. But most of the time, I keep writing until the chapter is finished. I proofread and change some stuff around afterward, but the chapter usually happens the first time through. I hope that made sense.

[heredoncove]

I have to raise my hand and say I edit while I write too. I find it physically impossible to continue writing if some internal sensor is telling me that there are several lines that don't read right and need to be rewritten. It's the process that works for me although it can slow my process down because I see a giant STOP sign until I get to everything starts to flow right.

I also go back after I'm finish and rework things that don't match the feeling I have at the end or if the characters voice sounds stilted. With the last few updates I've actually gone back after I've finished and change whole sections.

So maybe it's both.

[sb]

I'm always so impressed and learn so much from listening to you all. Since Gayl edits everything I do, I'm very free form. Usually slap down some dialog first since that's what I hear, then fill in the description as it unfolds, sort of reveals itself. Everything begins as a brief half baked fragment.

I do fix spelling mistakes as I go but that's it. My internal censor and I share only one eye. If I'm using it, she has to wait her turn.

[bunnylita]

I edit as I write. I was always told not to do it, but my neurotic nature prevents me from listening to such advice. I just can't continue if I know something needs to be fixed.

[lhasa]

I must edit as I write. It's a really bad habit. I was getting out of it, but the habit took a hold of me again. It's like something takes a hold of me and won't let go until I edit something I don't like.

I tried using that feature of LSB and I kept closing out the application so I could edit the passage in notepad, so...yeah.