October Novel Prep Challenge

Jed,

I don't know if you've participated in NaNoWriMo before, but I learned a great lesson in my first Nano that changed me as a writer.

I always had a hard time getting that Inner Editor to shut up -- it's my profession, after all! Yes, I'm an editor and proofreader, so I see every mistake. Even while reading fiction, I mentally change poor sentences and typos!

But early into my first Nano (2009), I learned an excellent lesson. At a Write-In at a nearby Panera, the woman next to me saw me backspacing. She challenged me to just write: no backspacing, no correcting, or rereading what I'd written. Going forward only.

It was liberating! I quickly got the hang of it and finished Nano with a bit over 50k. Now I've learned to write whatever's in my head, then edit later. As someone said earlier -- you can't edit a blank page!

Don't get it right -- get it written!

Good luck & keep writing!
Monica

There's a word for a writer who never gives up... published.
-- JA Konrath