So, after reading some really interesting posts on Dean Wesley Smith’s site (a really awesome place to browse around for all the other writers who lurk here), and getting snarky about self-publishing on one post, I kind of got the smack down from Mr. Smith himself when he told me I should concentrate more on writing than publishing. Ooh. Ouch. 🙁
Anyway, he said some very interesting stuff in these two posts (here and here) about the creative voice versus the critical voice when drafting. Specifically, he made a comment somewhere in there (yes, I know it’s a lot to read. Look, just carve out four hours and have at the entire site, okay? You won’t be sorry.) that as an experienced writer, he can turn on the creative voice when its time to write. He also said that writers need to trust themselves in the creative voice and realize their inner creative self knows what he or she is doing. (Basically, MUCH more positive way of explaining writing a “crap draft” or turning off your inner editor.) But it’s funny how being positive makes things easier.
So, as I sat staring at my screen, reading blogs instead of writing, I put all of this together. “Mr. Smith told you to write,” I told myself sternly. “What’s stopping you?”
I realized it was my damned inner editor or critical voice or whatever you want to call it. I was worried about how I was going to make the words sound right or get the description together properly–you know, the work part that gets in the way of the story? So…I just turned it off. I said, “Screw it. I’m going to trust myself to write this story right now.”
What happened? Um, two hours, 2800 words. Yup. All good stuff too. And I realized, I LOVE this story, and I LOVE writing it. And maybe that’s really what this whole thing is about.
