Is this normal?

[Aleric]

I am spending very much time on correcting sentences in my story.

It seems to take too much time, perhaps unreasonably much.

I think that the quality of the story is improved, of course, but it reduces

the progress of the story dramatically - like with a factor of 7, because

before I found myself writing 1000 words per day - now I only write one

day per week a new little piece, and spend the other 6 days of the week

rereading it and correcting sentences.

 

Perhaps I exaggerate it? I don't know how important it is to the reader

actually. Maybe people lose themselfs in the story and don't mind when

the sentences themselfs are not written as well as they could have been

(because the story ideas are still there).

 

Let me give a practical example, so you know exactly what I am talking

about. The following sentence was written when I was writing the story,

it came up in my mind like that, and I wrote it down without worrying

about it (yet), just continuing with the next sentence and the next sentence

etc... Later I reread it and it didn't sound right; I had problems reading it

smoothly. So, I started to make changes and more changes and again

and again etc. In total I have been working on this one sentence for

10 minutes. Now please tell me if it is/was worth it.

 

The next morning I woke up early, still excited about what had happened the day before, but also about what I was going to do, that day.

 

The next morning I woke up early. I was excited about what had happened the day before, but also about what I was going to do, that day.

 

The next morning I woke up early. I was excited about what had happened and looked forward to what I was going to do that day.

 

The next morning I woke up early. I was very excited about what had happened and looked forward to continuing my adventure.

 

The next morning I woke up early, still excited about what had happened and looking forward to buy the things that Tim wanted me to buy.

 

The next morning I woke up early, still excited about what had happened and looking forward to continue with the project.

 

The next morning I woke up early, still excited about what had happened and feeling eager to continue.

 

The next morning I woke up early, still excited about the progress I was finally making and feeling eager to continue.

 

The next morning I woke up early, excited about the progress I was making and feeling eager to continue.

 

And only then I finally had the feeling that it read smoothly. Hopefully everyone

at least agrees with me that the last sentence is the best - even much better,

because then it was worth it. But, do others this too? Or do you think that I

should have used one of the earlier sentences because it is good enough?

 

It might be a major problem that I am not native english

Often I feel very insecure about whether or not a certain sentence

might sound weird to an native english speaker. Unfortunately, I mainly have to

rely on myself to decide if a sentence 'sounds well' or not.

 

I wish I could put more time into it the "front wave" of the story, but I want

to deliver quality as well

 

Aleric

Edited February 27, 2005 by Aleric

[Myr]

I write best by just writing. I then go back on a different day and read what I've written and edit it. I repeat this a few times before sharing it with my editor. Then he goes through it and yells at me.

 

If you find you are stiffling your writing... edit later. Eventually, as you write more and more, you'll write closer to what you like the first time.

 

Remember, even the great ones like JK Rowling, edit and edit and edit and edit and edit....

[reapersharvest]

Reading all those sentences, I noticed that they all flow pretty much the same way. I'd write it off as typical writer's neurosis, something we all suffer from. Try just taking a break from your story and approaching it with a fresh pair of eyes after a few days. I tried it and only ended up changing a few things. However, whenever I'm reading a story I get wrapped up in, it's like running down a road and badly written sentences are like little pebbles you trip on.

[Patrickgay17]

I like to smoke so much pot that I don't care about mistakes and I just want to eat pizza. That's when my writing gets the best, but i seem to be not sitting at a computer............hmm...........weird.

[Crackerwriter]

So that's why I've got editor's headache is it, Patrick? Good thing I gave it up years ago!

 

Seriously, Aleric, I agree with Myr. Just let the writing flow from you and worry about editing it later. The first sentance would have been quite satisfactory really, unless you were trying to accentuate some particular aspect of it. I think you worry too much, and it's all too easy for readers to be over-critical later, isn't it? They're not the ones developing the plot and trying to write it!

 

Personally, as long as my stories are reasonable, I'm never going to try and compete with Shakespeare or his peers! LOL.

[moonspenders]

Aaah, rewriting.. my mortal enemy.. lol

 

The best advice I was ever given is "keep writing til it's done, then go back and look things over." Sure it's a challenge to those of us searching for the perfect sentence, but if you just stop yourself when you get stuck on an awkward sentence, phrase it as best as you can, and keep going, you won't lose momentum and get bogged down by details.

 

Perfectionism is good, but it cam also be a curse. Just write first and ask questions later!! LOL

 

Ken

[Guest macdavid]

Aleric,

 

I "discovered" this site through a chain of events after I had read a couple of Nifty stories. One writer I had encountered has a real gift for story-telling. Each chapter kept me waiting for more. His character development was excellent, the erotic content was incredible, and the multiple plots flowed effortlessly.

 

Nevertheless, his writing contained so many typos, spelling and grammatical errors that I found myself asking myself, "Didn't he even look over his manuscript before posting?" It was a little frustrating for me because his story was so beautiful that I (as a reader) wanted it to be flawless. It wasn't that the mistakes got in the way; they were just a disconcerting nuisance.

 

As a result I volunteered to go through the chapters and correct errors. I didn't hear from him for several days, and by the time he did respond with a "thanks-but-no-thanks," I was releaved because by then I realized that I could be getting myself into a very big task, and I wasn't sure I had the time for it.

 

As I continued to discover and read other Nifty stories, and then eventually discovered this Gay Authors site just a couple of days ago, I found that many of the stories were similarly "flawed" (hope that's not too strong a word). Apparently this is fairly widespread, and I think I can understand how it so easily happens: the writer gets his creative juices flowing, gets the story quickly down in print, and then wants to move on to the next thing. Meanwhile, the Reader subsequently gets his "juices flowing" if it's a good read, and everyone's happy even though the end result is not flawless. (For example, I will not take the time to look back through this post, and there are probably errors that I missed and would later wish I'd caught before posting. If so, I apologize, but then this is not a hot story, is it?)

 

Maybe I'm overly concerned with this, but for me the errors get in the way... just a bit. All of which is to say that I think proof-reading and editing are very important, but you, the writer, should not let this task impede your writing progress. BTW, I am not a writer, nor an editor,... just a normal reader.

 

Anyway, I haven't seen any of your stuff yet but will look for it. I am so grateful to everyone here for writing. This is a very new discovery for me. What a treasure trove!

 

David

[reapersharvest]

I agree, minute errors interrupt the flow of a good story. I myself submit my stories too early sometimes. I've submitted "revised" chapters of basicaly everything I've written to Nifty. For example, I recently decided to change the name of the School in "Living the High Life" so now I'm thinking, Now what? Submit yet another revised version? I do prefer the new name.

[Ashken]

I think that to answer your question you have to look at why you write. Is your purpose to create entertaining stories, or to express a talent that you have, or to build your craft for a future as a professional writer, or a combination of there and other reasons?

 

Some writers I know let the words flow and poetry in prose is the result. Others create memorable characters easily. And still others develop a storyline that is unbeatable. I would suggest you do what you do best in the first writing and not let your "weaknesses" slow you down. Then go back in the rewrite and hone the parts that create a dissatisfaction in your personal assessment.

 

Most up and coming artists still live under the misconception that true art is what flows naturally. The professional artist has learned that true art is the melding of talent and technique. The parts that are a struggle to perfect are as important to the whole of the art as the parts that fall on to the page.

 

In a short sentence, write what you love and what feels go to you, and then rework according to your intent and taste.

 

Ashken