Re: more questions on fast writing

On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 08:18:36 +0000, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Catja
Pafort) wrote:

>Patricia wrote:
>
><lots of interesting stuff snipped>
>
>[Stephen]
/snip/

>>  Or Inner Critic, if you prefer.  The
>> little voice that chants "This is crap, this sucks, who told you you could
>> write" when you look at the day's (or the last few minute's) production,
>> that says "That comma shouldn't go there, that word isn't right, there's a
>> better way to put this, change that, fix that, get it right and perfect
>> before you move on" with every additional sentence you type.  
>
>What about the inner cheerleader? "You're writing so well, you've got so
>much experience now, you're easily as good as all those published
>writers, sure, it needs a little fiddling, but you're really onto a good
>thing this time."
>
>How often do you come across *him*?

They're rare, cherish them....

I've got another good one: an Inner Rafsc that says things like, "WHEN
do you need to worry about this? Probably on revision. Or layer it in
later. -- Don't assume that's a problem till some beta readers complain.
-- Make a note and go on. -- Beware endless roling revisions." Etc.


>My internal editor, OTOH, just had a little learning to do herself; and
>I'm rather glad now when she chirps in with 'keep that in mind, it'll
>become important again later' or 'of course that won't work, you're
>looking for the wrong solution.' When she complains, I stop, make a note
>with the chapter in it as a clipping file (with titles like 'note on
>trade from Melkin in IV, III') and go on with the story. Overall, she
>can see structures better than I do, so I let her.

I like having an inner editor for "Does this scene seem pointless or has
it developed a point yet?" But with the recent talk about  fiction vs
non-fiction techniques, suddenly she found a new setting: "Pre-zero
accumulation of notes for a scene, with at least one point in there
somewhere, which are in more or less the right order and can be further
shuffled and sharpened later."


R.L.
-- 
RL at houseboatonthestyx