My home isn't spotless...I think I've made that clear on this blog. But each room is tidy except for two--our kids' rooms. When I walk by their rooms I'm struck with conflicting desires...one, to step inside and tidy it, and the other, to close the door and pretend it doesn't exist.
Guess which one wins? Yep, I close the door. After all, if I can't see the mess, it's not really there, right? *head in sand*
Sometimes I experience these same feelings with messy parts in my manuscript. It could be a scene that needs tweaking, or an entire section might need reconstruction. When it's the latter, I tend to shut the door for a little while.
I'm no expert on this stuff, but when I catch myself avoiding a difficult writing task, here's what's worked for me:
- Acknowledge the problem. It's a huge step in the right direction if critique partners, beta readers, or editors noticed a troublesome section or a tricky character issue. At least you have the benefit of focus. If you know something's not quite right, but can't pinpoint the problem, try running your manuscript through a scene grinder. I talked about how I accomplished this in my post about Performing Plot CPR.
- Stew over multiple solutions. James Scott Bell talks about this a lot in his craft books. We need to give ourselves down time in order to work solutions out in our heads. Closing the door on my mess wasn't necessarily a bad thing as long as I kept my mind working on solutions. When ideas popped into my head, I added them to a growing list and chose my favorites.
- Formulate a plan. How will you tackle the problem? Big issues first, then the smaller problems? Smaller problems first, just to get you warmed up? One pass each for characters, transitions, or weak verbs? Knowing the plan ahead of time can help keep us focused when we ... SQUIRREL! (you know what I'm talking about!)
- Dive in. This part is where I've struggled. I get myself psyched up about needing to make it right this time around. My husband gave me some great advice, even though he's not a writer. He suggested I not worry so much about making it right, but focus on making it better with each pass. That freed me up to dig in and make changes, knowing this revision wasn't the revision.
So there you have it--my tips for avoiding avoidance. What works for you when you want to close the door on your messy manuscript?
Great advice, Julie! My hubby is the kind of guy who says - you'll always feel better if you do something instead of just sitting there. I agree with him...and you...just dive in on something, anything...and before you know it, the problem gets better.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I agree with your husband on this one. I don't actually try to make it right, but I do try to make it better. And with every pass it does.
ReplyDeleteI've read some work I wrote 3 years ago and think, OMG, this is trash. But, I know now how to fix it and with time and patience I can get the job done.
Thanks for the great post.
for me, it's definitely editing as i go. i know, i know, we've been told NOT to do that...but if it's too messy, requires too much work, i will shut the door and then i won't return. but if it's just a little mess, if i edit/clean as i go it doesn't feel so overwhelming.
ReplyDeletethis is why i've never returned to last years NaNoWriMo....i wrote and wrote and wrote...and it's such a mess i can't even tackle it. but if i'd allowed my inner editor to work it's magic while i wrote, the manuscript would be finished and probably through a few rounds of polishing edits already.
i am the exception though, i believe. probably my ocd. LOL
You have a solid plan, Julie. The only thing I'd add is a deadline. For me, they're a great motivator.
ReplyDeleteI put it away for a while. Lol
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Julie. earlier I used to put it away for a while. Nowadays my Crit Partners are a huge help.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice in writing and I am all for closing doors too when needed... :O)
ReplyDeleteI take my cue from Scarlett O'Hara. There's always tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteDid I mention I'm a procrastinator too? :-)
This is FANTASTIC advice on how to approach it. Sometimes we really do need to stew over it for a while before we can dive in. Or sometimes we've been working on it and working on it for so long that we need some distance to look at it objectively.
ReplyDelete(And nice Up reference. ;))
Guys, thanks so much for your thoughts on the subject. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who tends to avoid messes!
ReplyDeleteSome good advice here. I like the idea of closing the door on a writing issue while it sorts itself out in my head. Wonder if it would work with the ironing though.
ReplyDeleteOh, man! This is exactly what I've been going through with my ms. Not to mention I just did The Clean of my daughter's room. I avoided it for a year. Let's hope I don't do the same thing with the problem areas in my ms. LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie!
xo
I usually just go for the last one. Once I begin, I know I'll get it done.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha on the "squirrel" reference. That's so me. I have such a short attention span.
ReplyDeleteI try to do little problem and then a bigger one. At least if I figure out something small, it will give me confidence to get for bigger things.
FANTASTIC tips!!! I really - SQUIRREL! Sorry...
ReplyDeleteI wrote such a long and profound comment earlier *dangblogger* Good post!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Julie!
ReplyDeleteI avoid my children's rooms, too. And even when I try to clean them, it usually doesn't work too well because someone always seems to be taking a nap at our house. I have a hard time finding a good time to pull out the vacuum cleaner. Oh well! (You may be able to tell how much this bothers me.)
But writing is different. I love that it is mostly a silent activity. And my children stay asleep while I do it. :) I love your husband's advice about making it better at each pass. Not as overwhelming as MAKE IT PERFECT. :)
Amy
I love this advice… thx it will help me a lot.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I haven’t had internet for a while, I am trying to catch up with all the blogs I follow.
I'm avoiding grading essays by reading your blog. When I hit a "messy" spot, I love to do quick writes that image different ways to go with it. Often that kicks me in gear for a fix.
ReplyDeleteHi, Julie.
ReplyDeleteMy OCD is so bad that I couldn't even make it past the part about your kids' messy rooms. I'm quite sure that your post was important and informative, but I just couldn't help myself. I had to go inside and tidy up those rooms. *laughs*
I have the same issue with my kids and their rooms. It drives me up a wall.
-Jimmy
P.S.: I was kidding about not ready the post, of course. :)
I do all those things, usually at the same time as I'm diving in. The best thing that keeps me working is knowing I have limited time to write. So I don't get up until I've hit a certain word/chapter goal.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I get stalled at the dive in stage too. I can stew for a very, very long time analyzing new ideas, but I have to get better at writing. I'm going to follow your hubby's advice!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who closes the door on the messy bedrooms. At least when I let my MS sit for a while the mess doesn't get worse. I wish the same were true of the bedrooms!
ReplyDeleteI'm so bad about avoiding problems in the wip. But, the silver lining is that I've learned letting them sit helps me solve them faster in the end, than trying to force a correction that STILL doesn't help. If I do that I wind up with a bigger mess in the areas surrounding it. I really don't want to be bald, and I would pull my hair out if I tackled it too soon. So, while I *may* be doing a bit of avoiding, I'm really keeping myself sane until the answer decides to pop up and make itself known:)
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to this post! Yep, I used to close the door to my kids' rooms, especially when they were teens. Good grief! Except my son's room was always pretty tidy! Haha, but not my girls!
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing with my ms, put it away for a while and let my subconscious work on it. I love James Scott Bell, too. He gives great advice. And so does your hubby, by the way. Excellent advice that he gave you!
This is excellent advice. Personally, I eat my frog first. Whatever I have to do, I just do it. To help with the motivation...an energy drink and a great workout, shower... creativity flows in the water... then turn on mood music for the chapter. I just go for it.
ReplyDeleteI love the notion of not trying to make it right, just try to make it better. I'm going to have to keep that one in the back of my mind.
ReplyDeleteAwesome advice! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteBy the way I passed the Versatile Blogger Award on to you! The info can be found at http://3pointperspective.blogspot.com/2011/09/write-on-wednesday-seven-random-facts.html
I wasn't sure if you've received it before or not, but I love your blog and figured I'd pass it on anyway!
That's what I always get stuck on - making it right the first time. It's why sitting down and writing is such a daunting task (much like cleaning up a room). It's a very nice metaphor, actually, because you can compartmentalize things - so maybe the toy box is still a mess, at least all the toys are now IN the box - and so on and so forth until you finish. I love reading entries like this - it really motivates me, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI like your steps and plan. When I have a bad case of avoidance, I try to focus on one small section of my manuscript. This way, the task isn't as daunting. Usually, once I'm into my story again, the avoidance goes away.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this! My kids are getting older and better about picking up their rooms, but the messy manuscript? Forget it! I just tell myself I'll fix everything during revising. And you're right--each pass does make it better!
ReplyDeleteThe man makes sense! :) I employ both methods: close the door, but keep the wheels going around. Then, once ideas have magically appeared in my more relaxed mind, I go in with a view to making it better. Re, bedroom issue, I go into to pull back curtains - eyes fixed firmly on window, back out - eyes fixed on door. ;)
ReplyDeleteYour hubby's advice is very good - you've got to start somewhere, and whatever you do first isn't necessarily going to be what you end up with, but if you don't start you'll never get to the end you want.
ReplyDeleteReally helpful advice. Sometimes you gotta clean, most of the time you gotta write! Well, that's my motto! :)
ReplyDeleteHey, for once I can smile and nod and not feel extraordinarily guilty! Not because I don't do the exact same thing, of course, but because I actually just fixed one of my ostrich problems. (And blogged about it today, ironically... it must be the topic of the week.)
ReplyDeleteSo yes, I will agree with everything you said. I knew the pacing was off in the back half of my book, and I knew--in general--what the problem was, but every time I edited that section, I just glossed over it. The answer didn't come easily, so I pretended everything was fine. Then my crit partner nailed me, and another with the help of another, I geared up and did the work.
How do always come up with such good advice to blog about? You amaze me! I'm definitely a stewer. I stew and stew. I take notes as I stew, then I stew some more. It's not so much that I'm avoiding it, it's more like I'm constantly distracted. I can't wait for the Seattle rain to start back up so I can just snuggle down into the darkness and get my groove on again!
ReplyDeleteGreat points, Julie! Nice analogy, comparing it to a messy kid's room. :) haha, and the SQUIRREL--I just watched that movie for the first time not too long ago. (it's UP, right?)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! I especially like #4 because sometimes you all you can do is make progress on improving a scene that's especially difficult. Knowing that it'll get better with each pass makes me feel more confident when tackling those scenes.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I needed that right now.
ReplyDeleteHi, Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour post is a timely one for me. I have two small plot points I need to intensify, so I've made a note of those and now that I'm finished with another round of editing, the next stint will be dedicated to fixing those two things, which I'll have to filter through a couple of chapters. Doing this in a manageable chunk is the only way I can stay on point.
ReplyDeleteBanned complain !! Complaining only causes life and mind become more severe. Enjoy the rhythm of the problems faced. No matter ga life, not a problem not learn, so enjoy it :)
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