I finished my first novel in about a year, but it would have been months quicker if I hadn't started every session by going back a few pages and reading.alanna said:Does any one else get caught up in editing before the rough draft is done, or is it just me?
And you can't read at the computer without making changes. More times than I can count, I started at the beginning and just edited what was already there.
I hadn't joined any writer's groups, I didn't search the internet, and I didn't talk to anyone about writing. (It started as a typing excercise to prevent the loss of that painfully-earned skill.) I didn't know what was right and what was wrong, either in techniques for writing or the writing skills discussed in this thread.
Now that I know what a mistake it is to edit instead of finish the first draft... I still do it. (Niven's Law #17: No technique works if it isn't used.)
Meh. Writing takes more discipline than I maybe have.