When I'm writing a first draft, it's so rare for things to go well that whenever I sit down to write and don't face existential doubts about story, characters, voice, plot, etc., it is a day to be celebrated. Hooray, I don't hate it!
Doubt will come later, certainly during revisions and probably in the tangled middle of the story. And (mercifully) I can't remember enough about what I wrote this morning to say whether it was good or bad.
Instead, what I remember is the feeling of the story, and of the world it takes place in: the things I saw when I closed my eyes to see, so that I could write down what I saw. I like being there, in the story-world.
So it's a relief, and an uncommon one at that, for me to actually -- can I say it? -- believe in the story. Absence of despair = victory!
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2 comments:
That does sound like a good day! And I know what you mean about not totally remembering what you've been writing. In my usual mode (persnickity) I reread everything so many times I practically memorize it, but trying to write a fast first draft, egging myself relentlessly onward, I find I often sort of forget what I've even written. I'm waiting until the end to find out :-)
I think you're right about the momentum of a first draft. There's something about just going, going, going -- without the endless second-guessing or backtracking that is SO TEMPTING. Especially when I think, "I just remembered the word I was trying to think of this morning. I'll just open up the document and drop it in. Maybe rework that sentence. Maybe rearrange that paragraph." I think sometimes I write in circles!
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