"working on a story"

[aamcnamara]

Here's a theory, because I've felt inadequate a few times recently.

When most people think about writers, and the act of writing a story, we think about first-draft, putting words on the page. Outlining, just sitting and thinking, staring at that first draft and trying to see the shape of the story that's in there somewhere, chipping the story out slowly from the stone by changing one word or another... those aren't "really" writing.

So when I say I'm working on a story, most people think I mean I'm typing one paragraph after another. I think I mean I'm typing one paragraph after another. Not "I'm going through a Word document of my third draft, highlighting all the bits I want to change in the next draft, or that I need to think about, transferring notes from my paper copy like 'lifevest?'".

Surely it can't just be me who's gotten this idea? It's pernicious, because all the parts of writing are difficult, so degrading this aspect of the process is entirely unhelpful. And it sneaks in, through the inevitable cracks in your facade.


In happier news, a third of my story is now highlighted in cheerful turquoise! The parts which are not highlighted will have to wait for later drafts, because I can't see what's wrong with them right now.

I've been using an external mouse since my laptop's click-button died. It works very well, except when I want to sit on my bed and work on a story (again, the pernicious!). Then after half an hour my hand starts cramping up because the angles are weird. Oh, technology, why must you make me sad? (Anyone had experience with this problem? I have a MacBook, almost two years old now.)

Comments

[jesstherobot.livejournal.com]

It's nice to see from the other comments that it is, indeed, a common mindset and that it should be discredited whenever possible. I have been feeling quite unproductive lately, writing-wise, because I started a new story that's an alternate history, and the amount of research I'm having to do is unbelievable. Then I keep getting a snarky voice in my head telling me that research is just an excuse for not spending time REALLY writing. It is a tough battle between putting words on page and having to stop ever three sentences to find out when post office boxes became a thing or what parts of Boston would have had electricity at the turn of the century. feh. o.O

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

...just an excuse for not spending time REALLY writing.
Oh, yes. I know that snarky voice. Good luck! (I always think, in that situation, "I should just start something else I can be drafting while I'm researching/revising this other story!" but it never quite seems to work out.)