These posts are from my A long time ago I read that perfectionism is the surest way to writer’s block. What? That was my problem? Admittedly, I spend a lot of time taking two steps back and one step forward, rereading what I’d written, looking for the perfect way to write a sentence or for that perfect word. Insisting on a perfect first draft is really much slower than writing several quick drafts. Finding I was pedaling but not going anywhere, I started brainstorming.
I suggest jotting down ideas and phrases as they occur to you, usually on topics related to the project you are working on. Forget about paragraph and sentence structure–use charts, arrows, boxes, and outlines, even pictures to move the project forward. I have an enlarged picture of what I visualize one of my characters looks like. Right now, you are worried about getting things down before you forget them. What works best for me is pen and paper. The process of writing (close to being a lost art) generates ideas, adds food for thought, and gets the juices flowing and inspiration to leap onto the page. Again, we’re not looking for perfection in hand writing. You can add little squiggles if you want to dress up the page. I do because I can’t help myself. Sometimes I’ll write a whole chapter I’m really excited about and feel the need to get it down on paper before I forget it, for example a love scene or a fight scene, and then hold it until I’m ready to use it. The purpose is to keep moving, get it down on paper and then put it aside for a few days and do other things, like work on a craft project or weeding the garden.
To quote John Steinbeck: “Pretend that you’re writing not to your editor or to an audience or to a readership, but to someone close, like your sister, or your mother, or someone that you like.” Like in a letter, “Dear Jane . . .” He offered this advice to a friend who found he could then write his piece with some ease. Pen to paper . . .
