Plugging along with the work in progress, and it’s funny how often I’m stopping because I’m worried about the edits to come. Will I need to dial back the character? Will the plot need to be tightened?
They’re all good questions, but they’re not relevant to the moment. Edits and shifts in the storyline can all come later, after the first draft, after I’ve sat with the story…
Part of me feels like I’m just being a good writer, I’m thinking ahead to what may need to happen. Part of me feels like this is one of the many ways we writers hamper ourselves. I still don’t know what the full story is or how these characters will evolve. Trying to edit them now feels like trying to paint a wall while the builders are still digging the foundation. In other words, a waste of time and productivity, and ultimately, leading to more work to undo the thing I’ve done.
So, it’s deep breaths when those moments arise (so many breaths, so many moments), then focusing back to the story, to the present, rather than fretting the future, and reminding myself to chug along, full steam ahead to the destination of First Draft (and not FINAL Draft).
Photo credit: Unsplash | @roland_löesslein
