Finding the Confidence to Draft Your Story — Believing you can fix it in revision

Filling blank pages is an act of hope. Even when you feel like the sentences are perfect, maybe its just the intoxication of enthusiasm. And, sad to say, some sentences that really are wonderful may be axed later on because they don’t belong in the story that finally emerges. “Kill all your darlings, etc.”

But when you draft, it’s more likely you’ll encounter doubt — if not in the moment by the next the day. The editor in your head will look askance at each sentence, questioning your word choice, and shouting when a “rule” is broken, a requirement isn’t met, or the work does not measure up to Shakespeare.

Whenever the emotion for the prose exceeds the emotion for the scene or your empathy for the character, remember these words:

It can always be fixed in the rewrite.

It can. It isn’t over ’til it’s over, and you get to decide when that is. But, no matter how much you believe in happily ever afters,  you may not think your story has a chance of rising above its humble beginnings. Having confidence in revisions, especially if it’s not your favorite part of the writing process (true for me) can undermine storytelling. So here are a few ways to fight back:

    1.    Recognize the stories you read and admire are rarely first drafts. Some of them have gone through many revisions. It’s not fair to compare your virgin pages with these highly processed works. That’s labor, and one reason why so many people quit writing (but not you). By the way, despite what the movie Amadeus contends, Mozart did revise his work.
    2.    Remember you’ve done this before. If you’ve had some success with your stories, you’ve fixed them up before sharing them. (If you haven’t done this before, start writing some flash fiction and getting it out there. Revised. Then you WILL have success to build on.)
    3.    Have a revision process. Document it. Then you’ll be assured that you know what your next steps will be. Finishing a draft won’t be stepping into a void.
    4.    Edit and critique other people’s stories. This takes your ego out of it and becomes proof that you know a lot about how to make stories better.
    5.    Write down what you think you’ll never be able to do in revision. Make it funny? Provide a hook that catches attention? Fix the point of view? Find the right starting point? Just saying it sometimes reduces the concerns. This is especially true if you have any evidence that you can do what’s needed. (And it’s good, if the same questions come up, to compile instances where you showed you have the chops to do what you’re afraid is beyond reach.) If you have no evidence (say, when you are experimenting with something new to you like a love scene), do two things. First, analyze three works by different authors who have done what you’re attempting. Figure out how they did it, so — in revision — you’ll have some options to emulate. Second, give yourself permission to fail and credit for trying something new.
    6.    Dictate. This won’t work for everyone, and I think you have to have confidence about dictating before this approach can overcome concerns about revision. But, if you can use the mic coming on as cue to start and the difficulty of making corrections as the encouragement to press forward, dictation can silence the editor in your head.
    7.    Trust in other people. If you can’t quite believe you’ll do a good job revising, lean on other people. They can ask good questions, call out problems with clarity, let you know where pacing is off, and contribute in dozens of other ways (including catching your typos). Editors, writing buddies, and beta readers are your friends.
    8.    One more thing — Sometimes there’s concern about missing mistakes in revision. It’s fine to make a habit of taking some notes after drafting to check later, during revision. Also, it’s helpful to know you have a checklist to review your common mistakes (including omissions) scene by scene.

Trust is born of two parents: Good intentions and competence. We trust those who have our best interests at heart and who know what they’re doing. To believe in revision as you draft, you need to know you are on your own side (I hope that’s a given) and that you are a skilled editor (hence creating evidence of this and referring to it, as stated above).

Add one thing. Boldness. It takes courage to explore your own confidence and to develop it if it’s not up to supporting you in drafts. Be brave.
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In case you missed it, I wrote a bonus blog entry to promote my SavvyAuthors class...

Story Whispers – An odd sort of exaggeration writers can put to work