Any tricks to stop the fussies?

[IThinkICan29]

definition of fussies- the intense need to edit and make everything perfect while writing...It's driving me nuts! I mean, I actually know that I'm doing it, but I feel powerless when trying to stop thinking and overthinking then rethinking. At first I thought there was something wrong with me, then I thought...I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON..in the world that goes through this. I'm really surprised that I've written as much as I have at this point. I can't tell you guys how many times I'll write 100-200 pages only to come back to it later and discover I hate it and start ALL over again. With the novel I'm working on now, I've done it at 8 times already. What I don't want, is to get so sick and tired of starting and restarting that I just cry UNCLE and throw it back under my bed. And I don't want to get so sick of the back and forth tug of war on my feeble soul that I burp a bunch of crap into my word processor, call it platinum, and send it out only to be crushed by someone other than myself. Ok, now that everyone knows I'm officially a basket case....carry on...

[CaroGirl]

I think the "fussies" are the kiss of death. All the advice I've read about becoming a successful novelist says not to edit the first draft (AT ALL!) until it's done. Then, and only then, do you give yourself permission to hack it to pieces. Put your best words down the first time, and then let 'em ride.

[Zolah]

Oh, I spent about five YEARS doing that. The way I got over it was by refusing to read what I was doing as I went along. I could fiddle and self-edit as much as I liked during my day's work, but I wasn't allowed to go back and read yesterday's work. Don't even glance at it. Don't let yourself so much as glance at that comma. Leave it. It's the only way you'll manage to write today's words instead of mess about with yesterday's. And if you resist that temptation long enough, you'll suddenly find you've come to the end. And how do you know you're not sending out a bunch of crap and you'll be crushed? You edit, revise, re-write, polish, polish, polish - ONCE YOU'VE FINISHED!!!! But you can't prune a tree into shape before it's even grown. Don't look back. Look forward.

[JanDarby]

Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird, has some great advice on writing a Shitty First Draft. It's definitely worth reading.

JD

[jbal]

Don't know how helpful this will be to you because I am about at your same level of experience, but I just finished the second draft of my first novel (yesterday), and here's how I approached it: each day when sitting down I go over what I wrote yesterday just to get back in the right frame of mind (typically this is about 700-1000 words). I don't go over it with a fine tooth comb, but just check for spelling, grammar, and to make sure I didn't repeat the same word or phrase in the same paragraph. Hopefully by this quick once-over I am now ready to continue. I never[I] went back farther than the previous day's work, and sometimes not even that far. By the time I was done writing, I hadn't read the first part of the book in three months, and that lent me more perspective on how bad it really was (ha ha?). You may find that after you let it sit, you will be able to read it in a more detached fashion, but I would definitely finish the book first, as even a bad complete novel is better than quitting or second guessing something to the point of leaving it unfinished. I have to qualify my advice by saying that there are much more experienced writers on this forum, but hopefully this helps.

[maestrowork]

It took me over 18 months to write the first 50K of my first novel... all because of fussies. I stopped doing that for the second half of the draft and I finished in about 4 months. And you know what? The second half flowed SO MUCH better and was generally better written and required less rewrite. Go figure.

[Gillhoughly]

1) At the end of your writing day print what you've produced, then put it away.

2) Begin your next writing session by only looking at the previous paragraph on your screen or whatever notes you made about what's to be covered in that session.

Repeat 1 & 2 until your book is done.

I edit as I go, so I'm a fusser, but make sure I produce a certain amount of new material as well.

Used to be I'd finish the whole book, then go back and fuss, but tight deadlines got me into the habit of editing as I go so as to turn in a "final draft" the first time.

Since you're perhaps an uber-fusser you don't wanna do that! :D

[blackbird]

I see this with myself much moreso since I became an MFA student. I used to seldom edit until perhaps my second or third draft, always trusting my instincts to tell me when something just didn't "read right." However, my instructors at school were ruthless, and if nothing else, I have definitely learned how to self-edit my work. I am now, for instance, much more aware of things like unintentional repetitions and sentences that are too long. I have a much better feel for being able to write prose that flows well on the page. I am not complaining; my work has greatly improved as a result. However, I also find that I tend to doubt myself much more. Whereas I used to fly through my first draft like my fingers were on fire, I now often find myself literally plodding through the thing sentence by sentence, line-editing as I go and going back every 2-3 sentences to re-read for clarity. Now, this certainly has its advantages after the first draft--it's what you SHOULD do--but it really bothers me that I don't always feel the self-confidence that I used to feel with my words. I suppose that can probably be a good or bad thing, depending. But it still bothers me sometimes.

[maestrowork]

Jab yourself with a knife every time you edit during first draft.

In the eye, preferably.

[IThinkICan29]

Maestro that made me smile....which is something I really needed to do today....thanks!

[LeeFlower]

ditto on the laugh, Maestro.

I'm a fusser myself, but not rereading anything but the previous days' work sounds like good advice. I also found that my fuss-level went down when I turned into a total outline freak, but that might be just exchanging one vice for another.

[Rachael]

NaNoWriMo is a good 'no fussies allowed' exercise... 50K in one month? Heck, who can afford fussies at that rate? That's what December is for!

[three seven]

I tend to try and avoid this problem by not typing a load of garbled sh!t in the first place.

Anyway, I think it's important not to give the impression that fussing is inherently bad. It may drive some people to the brink of insanity, but it works very well for others. Time consumption is not even an issue; it takes just as long to blurt out a bunch of crap and rewrite it half a dozen times as it does to make an effort to get it right the first time. It's simply a matter of perception of progress.

If you do consider your fussing a problem, simply recognising that you're doing it and understanding why it's driving you mad should be enough to stop you stuttering and loosen your creative inhibitions. If it isn't, try gin.

In any case, I'd strongly advise against stabbing yourself in the eye every time you edit your first draft. By the time the conditioning takes effect, you'll be blind - one of the leading causes of inaccurate typing, according to a recent study.

[expatbrat]

Oh, But you can't prune a tree into shape before it's even grown. Don't look back. Look forward.

Zolah - I love that line. I just wrote it on a post-it and stuck it on my wall.

I'm a fussies fool and it is really holding me back. I need to stop that, need to let my tree grow... Some good techniques here, thanks.

[victoriastrauss]

Anyway, I think it's important not to give the impression that fussing is inherently bad. It may drive some people to the brink of insanity, but it works very well for others. Time consumption is not even an issue; it takes just as long to blurt out a bunch of crap and rewrite it half a dozen times as it does to make an effort to get it right the first time. It's simply a matter of perception of progress.Amen. Plenty of writers edit as they go.

You shouldn't let an obsession with editing prevent you from progressing, but if you're an edit-as-you-go kind of person, you'll handicap yourself just as severely if you try to press forward without looking back. Shitty first drafts work for some people, but they're totally the wrong approach for others.

- Victoria

[Qelenhn]

I too have a novel I have started over from scratch multiple times. I still don't know exactly how it ends. My solution for getting myself out of that rut was to change the subject for a while. I decided to start a completely new novel, and set goals for myself according to the Nanowrimo model. I didn't finish it, but I got the word count, and then made myself finish it by my birthday. I did edit as I went along some, but not to the extent of going back and redoing entire scenes. If I made a change to the story that would affect earlier scenes, I made note of what I would need to change but refused to go back and do it right that minute because I was under deadline pressure. I made it by a few hours. The whole process was about four months. That was almost four months ago, and the second draft hasn't made any progress at all, so this isn't a total success story, but the self-imposed deadlines and dedication to getting to the end finally pushed me past the need to redo the beginning into eternity. I do have more confidence that I am capable of writing a novel now, and have gone back and reread the draft and determined that it does not completely suck.

Now, for the original novel that I've restarted several times, my next plan of attack will be to start in the middle and work my way to the end, and then go back and fix the mess I've made at the beginning. I know who the characters are and what the setup is by now, and just need to get it to a resolution so I know it's a story worth telling before I bother editing the first half any more.

[mjlpsu]

I have this severe problem as well. It holds me back from finishing most projects. I managed to break this trend only once while writing my MFA manuscript. I resisted the urge to go back and kept reminding myself that someone else would read it to give me suggestions and I could go back when I finished. It didn't always work, but it help somewhat. Also, try not to look too far back in the manuscript... only a few pages to remember what point you're at. If you read over all of it, you'll just edit it all.

[IThinkICan29]

You know Qelenhn (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/member.php?u=7987)....starting in the middle might not be such a bad idea. My intense need to start from the beginning often gets in the way as well (and this is after I've outlined like a madwoman-I won't go there). While I believe for some the "edit as you go" method is beneficial, my experience is one that teeters on the not so healthy side of OCD (is that even possible?). The intense need for order and perfection can be terribly paralyzing. The advice and insight you all give is priceless. Boy oh boy am I glad I found this board!

[Shweta]

Amen. Plenty of writers edit as they go.

Oh good.
I was reading this with the increasing sense that I was just shooting myself hopelessly in the foot, and almost panicking at the thought of having to face a crappy, unedited first draft.
I think I'm an edit-as-you-go person :)

[Alan Yee]

I also tend to edit as I go. Otherwise there's a really really crappy first draft that will take much more work to do later to fix it.

I tend to write a particular section of the story in one day so I get all the thoughts down, and kind of revise as I go. Then the next day I usually look back at what I wrote the previous day, cut some unnecessary words out, go into more depth in some certain areas, etc., then start the next section.

All I can say is it works for me, and it doesn't drive me crazy or prevent me from continuing what I've written.

The point is, I need it to be smooth. It's hard to continue writing past a part of the story that just doesn't sound right. It just bugs me if I don't fix it immediately.

[ViatMortege]

Fussies?

I don't know about you all, but I never more than one version anyway.
It's possible you are a basket case though; all of the writers I know are. [No offense people, I include myself in that statement.]

But on that note; don't sweat the small stuff; just get one of your grammer picky friends to come over and edit for you. [If you have friends, there's sure to be a stickler in there somewhere, believe me.]

As for your's truly, none of my stuff's worth writing twice anyway.

[icerose]

But on that note; don't sweat the small stuff; just get one of your grammer picky friends to come over and edit for you. [If you have friends, there's sure to be a stickler in there somewhere, believe me.]


Can I borrow some of yours??? I have the firmest grasp on the english language of about 99% of all the friends I keep. The other 1% are writers who are too busy to read over my work. :D

[MidnightMuse]

I edit myself as I go, but I try hard not to write something down if it isn't the right thing on the first pass. When I do go back and read what I have and make changes or edits, it's just a bit here, a bit there - mostly finding a sentence that would work better if worded differently, or double checking to make sure what I wrote gives the reader the visual I was going for.

That's just what works for me. We all find our own way through this maze and just wave, smile, and share some chocolate as we pass in the corridors. Though it's often interesting and entertaining to find out what works for other people. And if it helps, more's the merrier.

[NeuroFizz]

Hi, ITIC29. In reading your comments, it seems you have more than a "fussy" problem. I edit a first draft as I go, but only for mechanical goofs and clarification--not to totally re-do or drastically alter any of the story. If that is, in fact, what you're doing, you may want to reconsider the entire story before you get too far. Do you know where your stairway is going? If so, don't keep ripping up the first few steps as soon as they are hammered down. You'll never get to the upper floor. After each chapter or scene (step), stand on it to write the next, but don't look down at it. Don't try to adjust the view until you are at the top, and you can see how all of the steps fit together as an intact staircase.

If you are the kind of person who prefers to edit from hardcopy (like me), don't print anything out until the draft is finished. Save your files and back them up, but don't put them on paper.

[Soccer Mom]

I was a fusser. I edited and re-wrote the first chapter of my book until I couldn't do it anymore. I hated the book. I loathed the characters.

I started another book. And I edited. And I fussed until I killed it, too.

This went on and on. I got so frustrated I quit writing. For about six years. I married. I had kids. I moved on.

But writing called to me again. Let's face it. If we weren't obsessed, we wouldn't do this.

Fussing nearly killed my first completed novel. I finally made myself stop by refusing to go back and edit at all. I could read a paragraph at the start of writing to work back into my groove, but that was it. I went cold turkey.

Now, I am a reformed fusser. I am allowed to fuss in small amounts. I go over the previous days writing and I am allowed to correct spelling and grammar. No major rewrites. If I see something that is awkward and I want to change, I highlight the text in red. That's my own flag to myself later. I do not allow myself to rewrite it at that time.

That type of rewriting is only allowed after I have a completed first draft. Otherwise, I would never finish anything.

Don't let fussing kill your book. Write your book. Then fuss.

[Danger Jane]

I work with a balance of the fussies and writing crap. My problem is when I go too far in either direction. If I get too fussy, I edit the same passage fifty times and end up where I started. If I don't fuss enough, I end up with a draft so full of random plot holes that I can't work with it anymore and end up with a total rewrite. I have to keep retuning as I go or the draft will be overwhelmingly bad. As long as I keep the forward progress quicker than the backward, I'm good.

[AKillerCanCan]

Just reading like 2 of these posts completely changed me lol.

I've been a fussie for awhile now and I'm finally going to stop and just start writing, not looking back, and just writing what I feel sounds good at the time. I once asked a novelist what the hardest part about writing a novel was and she replied "Finishing is the hardest part" and I've had that problem for years.

[allion]

I think that looking over the section written the previous day is helpful, but I won't do any heavy editing in a first draft. That is what first drafts are for. It's the first crack at the work, and you and the characters are just getting to know each other.

Sometimes, I will read over scenes, decide they are clunky/trite/crap in their present state, and rewrite them in order to help the story flow. Otherwise, I won't be able to get past them.

It's all a delicate balance of when to start and stop mucking about with the thing.

Karen

[moblues]

I tend to try and avoid this problem by not typing a load of garbled sh!t in the first place.

Eloquently put, LOL. I agree with this sentiment. I achieve this by writing within a spare frame and then fattening it up later. Not skeletal, mind you; I just get to the point and don't try to get cute. All of the pertinent elements will hold it together. Sometimes I leave it alone for pacing.




Mike

[pianoman5]

I guess fussiness is an inherent character trait that quite a few people suffer from. They're the kind who just have to wash the dishes immediately after a meal, and can't bear the thought of an overflowing laundry basket, or leaving any task half finished.

If you're that kind of person, it's always going to be hard to break the habit when writing. Fighting the urge to rework something when you believe it's fundamentally flawed is likely to lead to dark moments of the soul, a gnawing feeling of unsatisfactoriness that wakes you up in the middle of the night and makes you toss and turn.

As a writing habit, therefore, it can't be 'wrong' for anyone with that nature to keep going back and revising. I've done it myself. But it does have annoying and deleterious consequences. The biggest of them is that it wastes so much time, because you can polish whole scenes and passages within an inch of their lives only to find later that they're irrelevant to your story. The second most irritating problem is that, having spent so much time messing with them, you may be reluctant to discard them, which leads to flabbiness in your finished product. The third is that it delays your forward progress and can get you out of the habit of producing something useful in each writing session, so much so that you never finish anything. The fourth is that it gets in the way of your creative flow - creating and editing use different parts of the brain.

So the greatest argument against the habit is its impact on productivity, and that is definitely an issue for any fiction writer with the forlorn hope of making a living from it.

What works for me is the routine that several people have mentioned here - that of re-reading only their previous day's work and doing a quick revision of it, partly to improve its quality to a basic standard of acceptability and partly to serve as a launching pad for today's work.

It takes a bit of discipline, a quality in which I'm severely lacking, but as has been mentioned in other threads, aside from talent and luck it's the essential factor for continual success.

[IThinkICan29]

Excellent analysis, pianoman5 (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/member.php?u=123), I think you hit the nail right on the head about 100,000 times. This WHOLE process has kept me from sleeping many nights. I'll go to bed thinking about writing, wake up two hours later feeling as if I should have at least added two more pages to my previous day's work. It's just madness. I'm hoping this passes once I have one novel under my belt. Today was the first day I only read the previous day's work before starting and I have to say the experience had me typing away with sweaty palms. I was so tempted to start reading it from the very beginning to see if everything flowed. BUT! I didn't! I'm going to take this one day at a time....I think I can...I think I can...

[Sassenach]

I follow the advice of great writers, including:

All first drafts are sh**.
-Ernest Hemingway

Write a little every day, without hope, without despair.
-Isak Dinesen

I always wait for inspiration to write. It comes every morning at 9 am.
-Peter DeVries