Be a Bad Bad Storyteller
Yep, you heard me.
If you want to keep writing, and this is where the stubbornness comes in that I spoke of last post, you must keep writing even when in a bad mood. BUT don’t do any editing! At least not without making a copy – hack away at the copy if you must. Writing regularly is about good habits forming and making writing a part of your everyday life (Wheatley & Wegner, 2001). And this is where the bad bad storytelling comes into play.
There are one of two things that may happen.
- Your story section is, or edits are, going to be crap, mutilated beyond belief (even you can’t suspend your disbelief)
or
- Your story is going to be better than crap, maybe even wonderful
Now, let’s expand.
- You really were in a bad place and when you re-read the section you may have to delete most of it or return to your previous version – because you heeded my advice and made a copy. So you kept up the work and writing automation is in place (a plus) and you have lost a little time (a minus). Don’t be hard upon yourself, writing is a process – it’s a lot like maintaining a relationship – no, that’s too complex. If you are into robotics and coding then writing is a lot like an algorithm – step by step by step. Draft 1, draft 2, draft 3, edit 1, edit 2 etc. You apply the same principals each time you do some writing.
- The effort has paid off and it’s actually pretty good or you could use it for another time. Bad writing may mean there’s lots of angst in it, or sadness, or another strong emotions. So use it for another section where angst is needed or you want to make readers cry or laugh. Bad writing may mean you’ve developed something in your characters – given them a wicked streak. Your good, almost angelic characters now are kick-ass with a BFK!
Think about it…
Seriously.
Controlled vs Automatic Processing: Definition & Difference Video
https://study.com/academy/lesson/controlled-vs-automatic-processing-definition-difference.html
Wheatley, D.M. Wegner, in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/automatic-processes
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