SPEEDBO – Quality vs. Quantity

By Debby Giusti

Tortoise or hare?

I’m the tortoise. At least, I always thought I was.

Of course, I’m referring to Aesop’s Fables and the story about the race between the overly confident rabbit and the slow-moving turtle. The rabbit gets off to a fast start and seems assured of winning, so much so that he stops to take a nap. We all know the ending. The determined turtle keeps moving forward and wins the race!

Early in my writing journey, I worked at a slower-than-molasses pace. Each page had to be pulled from me. Often it was a painful, bloody process.

In those days, I marveled at the fluid prose that seemed to effortlessly flow from the pens—or computers--of more experienced writers. While I struggled to have my characters lift a teacup or exit a room gracefully, many of my friends were filling pages with pithy dialogue and action tags that transported their characters seamlessly from scene to scene.

I was a college grad who had excelled in honors English and considered my vocabulary to rank at least slightly above average, yet when faced with a blank page, I inevitably reverted to a few tried and true expressions that appeared far too frequently in my writing. He smiled, she smiled. He nodded. She nodded. He shrugged, she shrugged, they both shrugged. Body parts flew. Heads hopped. Infinitives were split and modifiers dangled.

My stories were heavily seasoned with filter words, such as felt, heard, wondered and thought. I told everything, in huge information dumps, because show don’t tell was an elusive concept I couldn’t grasp, along with GMC and POV. When a friend suggested NaNoWriMo, I shook my head, wrapped my arms defiantly across my chest and emphatically screamed, “No!”

 

It's almost Spring!

At that time, I was focused on quality…or the lack thereof in my writing. I didn’t see the need to increase my productivity when I had so much to learn.

Fast forward to after I got “The Call” and was working on a multi-book contract. Productively became important. Working on a deadline meant I didn’t have the luxury of overanalyzing each phrase. I no longer could spend hours and hours on a sentence when the clock was ticking and the editor was eager to receive the completed—and polished—manuscript.

 

From Art & Fear

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I needed an intervention. Enter AlphaSmart, the portable word-processor that allows me to write without editing. Each of the eight files holds approximately 25 pages of text when downloaded to my computer. By breaking my manuscripts into 25-page sections, I can gauge my progress and move more quickly to completion.

My old, but faithful AlphaSmart.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still a tortoise. I inch my way through the first three chapters as I’m getting to know my characters, but by chapter four, I’m reaching for my AlphaSmart and increasing my speed as my hero and heroine bicker and banter and struggle through that awkward, becoming acquainted stage. By midpoint, they’re much more compatible, are working together and falling in love. Danger threatens, and the enemy is preparing to attack. The closer I get to the black moment and climax, the faster my fingers fly over the keyboard. The ending is easy and almost seems to write itself. (A bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.) Once I have a finished manuscript, my pace slows again as I carefully edit and rework that rough, first draft.

 

The Bradford pear in my church parking lot
is in full bloom.

Which brings me to the question of quality vs. quantity.  David Bayles and Ted Orland, in their book, Art & Fear, provide the following scenario. A ceramics teacher divided his class into two sections. One section was to be graded on the quantity of work they created. The second group was told to create only one piece of art, their best work possible, which would determine their grade. On the final day of class, the work from those who had focused on quantity was far superior to those who had worked on only one piece of art. Trying to bring that one piece to perfection had slowed their progress. Those who had created numerous ceramic pieces had improved with each attempt to create something new.

Joe Bunting, in his blog post, “Writing Fast and Slow: CreativeWriting Lessons from Daniel Kahneman,”  discusses the quality vs. quantity topic as addressed in Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow. Kahneman writes about two systems in the brain: System 1 is the creative, fast-paced subconscious; System 2 is the focused, problem solving, conscious side. Both are needed, but at different times. Bunting claims the creative System 1 should be used when we write our drafts, which means writing fast to allow our creative subconscious free rein. System 2 should be used when we edit our work.  

Magnolias are starting to bloom.

So where does that leave us? Probably with two sides of the same coin. At times, we work slowly. For me, that’s at the beginning of a book as well as when I edit. At other times, we need to push ourselves to create more, faster.

Even if our progress is slow, Speedbo encourages us to write. It also provides accountability and a community of support. Increasing our productivity is an added plus.

"The Tortoise and the Hare", 

from an edition of Aesop's Fables 

illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1912. PD-US.

           

Keep in mind, both the hare and the tortoise ran the race. No matter your speed, keep writing! Thirteen days are left in March. Thirteen more days to SpeedBo!

Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of my March Love Inspired Suspense, STRANDED. I'll also include a special, secret gift!

Happy writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

STRANDED

BY DEBBY GIUSTI

AMISH COUNTRY REFUGE

Colleen Brennan has one goal—take down her sister’s killer.  But chasing after evidence leaves her in the path of a tornado and stranded in an Amish community. With the killer nearby, Colleen must depend on the kindness of Special Agent Frank Gallagher. Although the army officer is recuperating from a battlefield injury, he wants to help the beautiful woman he rescued from the tornado’s fury. He can tell she’s hiding something important. But getting her to reveal her secrets may be his most dangerous mission ever.

Order your copy in digital or print format: Amazon.

Debby will sign copies of STRANDED, on Thursday, March 26, from 4-6:30 PM, at Omega Book Center, 100 North Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree City, GA. This seventh book in her Military Investigations series is dedicated to Frank Forth, a Peachtree City resident and member of the Greatest Generation who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Proceeds from the signing will benefit Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, Inc., and Bugles Across America, a non-profit organization that recognizes the service of our veterans by providing buglers who play a live rendition of Taps at their funerals. Hope you can join me if you’re in the area.  Orders can also be phoned in at 770-487-3977, and autographed copies can be held for pickup or mailed.