Post First Draft Depression

I want to start off with a little editing series going on on this blog. Since, I did do nanowrimo and won-yeah, I'm awesome-I want to blog about the process of how things are going. At the moment I can't give you a synopsis of the novel, because there is a lot of plot being moved around, and maybe the main problem the main character faces is only a side problem. You know?

Anyways, the first thing that happened when I finished nanowrimo about two weeks ago was that I just wanted to chuck the story out the window and feed it to the coyotes. I suppose many authors feel this way, because we have been so close to this piece of work, that it's too much. I was about to scrap the entire document at one point. Terrible of me for not believing in my own writing, but sometimes you want to kill someone, but instead of someone, many people in your mind.

The other day I got out of this 'depression' stage. Something just clicked in my mind, and I guess with me going back into the community of writers I've found, it motivates me to do something with the story. I have not started actually editing the novel, but I am in the process of reestablishing my characters, and where I want the story to go, and where it should be going. There's a difference. I'm happy with half of the characters I had made up on the spot while writing nanowrimo, but in there are the ugly ducklings. The ones that don't have a personality easy to spot out, or a background that's bland and contains no meat.

So if you are in the post first draft depression state, I beg you to not chuck out your story. You are going to hate yourself if you do, because you will look back at it and think I should not have done that. Especially, if you did nanowrimo and got far ahead. Do not change your mind and free up space on your computer. There is a reason why you started to write the story. Whether you knew what you wanted to come across in your writing or not, it will come across, and you need to edit and think about it to do so.

Great chat with yall today, have an amazing time writing this week. If you have trouble thinking of things to write-which you should be doing everyday-I'm going to start making daily writing prompts on twitter. @Clarareads

Love and hugs
Clara

Over editing?

I've been writing a lot lately. Not on the blog as you've noticed, but personally, and I have edited a lot. I want to say too much, but I know that everyone is going to say that you can never edit too much. You can always find a way to improve your work.For me, when I edit something  a lot, it gets boring and I hate rereading something sooooo many times. It makes me go kind of insane. That's probably why they say you should always look at things with new eyes, everyone in a while.

I can't remember a time that that worked. After a while of editing, I get numb with all those corrections and my mind is saying,"Too much. Too much.... need.... coffee...... or a book..... please?" Does that happen to you?

Since I am doing Nanowrimo this year, I hope that will make me look at writing and editing differently, because I will not be editing while writing nanowrimo. I write quite slow, and that will never work if I did edit like I would. That hopefully, will give me a new way of writing something without getting bored about it.

If you're doing nanowrimo this year, please tweet me @Clarareads, it would dearly help me if I have some encouragement, and of course I will reciprocate.

P.S. I'm not editing this post, so excuse my grammar.