10 Ways to Ignore Your Inner Editor and Listen to the Angel on Your Shoulder

with guest Barbara Scott.

Most of us battle the inner editor perched on our shoulder while we’re writing. Mine is especially obnoxious since that’s primarily the way I’ve earned my living since I was nineteen and worked at a newspaper as a college intern. I’ve learned to ignore her by tiptoeing to my computer while she’s still sawing logs. That’s when my creative angel comes out to play.

Your inner editor is a hard taskmaster who can stifle, paralyze, or even kill your creativity, leaving you stuck trying to write the perfect first sentence. Create first…edit second. I loved the quote Tina posted this month:

“You can’t edit a blank page.”

—Nora Roberts

Since Seekerville is celebrating a milestone birthday this year, I’ve devised 10 ways to improve your creative output and deal with that pesky inner editor.

1. Pray: First things first. When you sit down at the keyboard, pray that the words you write will fulfill God’s purpose. Pray for your future readers. Pray that every word you write will glorify Him—the Creator of the universe. Pray that you won’t be tempted to edit your words before you finish your manuscript.

2. Loosen up and learn to play again. Maybe I should define play. Better yet. Close your eyes and remember the sights, smells, sounds, and emotions of playing as a child. What’s the first thing that pops in your head? Before your memory fades, write down your experience. Ignore your inner editor telling you that you’re wasting time. Don’t worry about pretty words. Don’t think about proper grammar. (Sorry Grammar Queen.) Just write.

3. Find your special time to write. More creative in the morning? Get up an hour earlier. I set the alarm on my cell phone and leave it in the kitchen so I have to get up to shut off the blasted thing and its annoying music. Because I set the timer on the coffeepot the night before, dark, rich, French roast coffee is waiting for me to pour into my cup. My inner editor is still in bed snoring. Find what time works best for you and stick to it. It may be midnight when the house is quiet, or it may be during your commute to work on the train, or at lunchtime.

4. Engage in conversation with that voice in your head. Trust your inner angel and brainstorm your idea with her. If God called you to write, He’s got a story for you to tell. He’s prepared readers to hear what you have to say. Maybe they need to learn how to giggle and play again, to stop worrying and listen to His voice. Your writing might be the book your readers need to lift their spirits or give them a new perspective on how to deal with a situation.

5. Daydream. Every child daydreams. It’s easy for them. Life hasn’t boxed them in yet with the tyranny of the urgent. Writers need to regain their ability to daydream. Don’t think of it as wasted time. Daydreaming is one of my favorite methods to shut out the noise of my inner editor. When I’m paralyzed by her voice telling me to rewrite my first chapter before I’ve finished my second, I lean back in my chair and stare at the clouds. For you, it might mean a long walk or reading for a while. When you relax, the voice of your inner editor fades away.

6. Learn to say no and ditch the guilt. Let’s face it. A lot of us carry around suitcases of guilt about taking the time to write. You feel selfish. Your family needs you. Your church needs you. The world needs you. You feel stressed and guilty you don’t have time to write. You’ve listened to your inner editor who has told you that your writing takes away from the important things of life, and besides, you’ll never publish anything. Ha! Give yourself permission to write and learn to say no to other opportunities.

7. Ignore the voice of your English teacher. When I attended school in the Dark Ages, we learned to write a perfect paper the first time around. Now they teach writing as a process. But long ago, we didn’t have computers that corrected our mistakes. We used typewriters, and typewriter erasers could wear a hole in the paper. Whiteout made a mess. So unless you wanted to retype your paper, you wrote it perfectly. That’s why some of us are such perfectionists, and our inner editors stifle our output.

8. Write drivel on the page. To write drivel is to write nonsense, gibberish, rubbish, mumbo-jumbo, garbage. When you have writer’s block, write drivel. I don’t believe in writer’s block by the way. I think your inner editor has blocked your imagination. When you write drivel, your inner editor gets a migraine and curls up in the fetal position. Cover her with a blanket, and let her sleep while you and your creative angel finish your book. Those words may be drivel now, but when your first draft is finished, you can wake up your inner editor to help you whip your manuscript into shape.

9. Avoid procrastination. About halfway through your manuscript, you might be tempted to quit. Your inner editor is yammering in your ear, and you feel paralyzed. You might succumb to her need for perfection by editing the first half of your book, or you might stop writing and procrastinate. The lawn needs mowing, you need to run to the store for a few groceries, or you need to load the dishwasher. Stand firm with God’s help. Don’t quit. This is the time to write drivel if you must. Set a daily word goal, make it realistic, and sit in your chair at the keyboard until the work is done. Monitoring your progress every day will give you the courage to slog through the mud of hard times. Your creative angel is right beside you, cheering you on. Miss Know-It-All inner editor may be screaming in your ear that your writing stinks. Don’t believe her. Set your eyes on the goal line and keep writing.

10. Finish what you start. It’s tempting to quit when another brilliant idea for a book hits you. You feel that rush of excitement again and want to start a new project right away before finishing the first one. If you give in to that impulse, you’ll have a drawer full of starts, but none of them will have a last page that reads THE END. There’s something special and satisfying about writing those words—a feeling you’ll never experience if you quit in the middle of every book you write. This is the time to give free rein to your inner editor as you produce the second draft. You’ve finished what you started. Congratulations!

How do you deal with your inner editor while writing a first draft? Any tips for the rest of us?

Leave a comment today to be entered in the drawing to receive a free Kindle copy of my novella I’ll Be Home for Christmas, as well as a copy of my historical romance Dreams of My Heart that will release in paperback April 1. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Many blessings and Happy Birthday Seekerville!

I’ll Be Home for Christmas


Walkin’ in a winter wonderland is no stroll in the park . . .

Forget asking for a pony. Sophia Tucker and her sisters have inherited an entire horse farm for Christmas. The money from selling the place should be enough for Soph to open her own veterinary clinic. Finally.

All that’s left to do is return home for one last Christmas. But there’s a catch.

His name is Matt Weatherly, a former Marine medic and childhood friend. Nurse to her late father, Matt sets to work helping the Tucker sisters bring the family homestead back to its former glory.

However, it’s anything but peace on earth when Matt considers reenlisting. Is it possible for Soph to have herself a merry little Christmas? (First published in Sleigh Bells Ring: Four Contemporary Romance Novellas, October 2016.)

Order here!

Barbara J. Scott, an inspirational author and editor, released her first novella with Gilead Publishing in late 2016 titled “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” that appears in Sleigh Bells Ring: Four Contemporary Romance Novellas.  Just in time for Christmas, Gilead released her novella as a standalone e-book this month. Dreams of My Heart, the first book in the Reluctant Brides historical romance series, will release April 1, 2018, by Mountain Brook Ink. She is currently working on a Forget Me Not Romance—Never Say Never to Love in Nashville. Her best-selling novels Sedona Storm and Secrets of the Gathering Darkness were written with co-author Carrie Younce and published by Thomas Nelson. She has more than forty years of publishing experience and has written several novels, screenplays, and gift books.

Barbara and her husband Mike live in the Nashville area, where sweet tea is a food staple, with their two Chihuahuas, Riley and Sissy, both rescued from puppy mills. Reading, writing, and research are her passions.

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Stop by for “Coffee and Conversation with Barbara J. Scott,” my new Facebook group, a warm and friendly place where you're welcome to relax over a cup of hot coffee and share an inspirational quote or meme or start a conversation about your favorite books, travels, or aspirations. Dreamers welcome!  

Leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for our weekly $50 Amazon gift card and the end of month giveaway, a Kindle Fire with Alexa.

Getting The Editor Off Your Shoulder With Guest Erica Vetsch

There are a thousand and one things that can keep a writer from putting words on the page, but nothing is so frustrating as something that is actually part of the writing process.
It is the Internal Editor.

That voice that seems to have total recall of all the writing rules you’ve ever heard in class, read in writing how-to books, or seen on writing blogs. That voice that knows your every weakness and exploits it at every opportunity. That blessed, whiny, carcass-picking voice that pounds your forehead like the Chinese water-torture until you are completely paralyzed and at its mercy.

You can tell I’m speaking from experience.

So how is a writer supposed to throttle that little…monster…so she can get some work done? I have a few helpful hints. The first one is a tactile experience that you might think is goofy, but I encourage you to give it a go.

LOCK HER UP!
1. Imagine your Inner Editor. What does she/he look like? Mine is a sharp-nosed old harridan that sort of resembles a cross between Phyllis Diller and Nanny McPhee.

2. Get out a 3x5 card and a crayon and draw your Inner Editor. (It doesn’t have to be good. Don’t listen to your Inner Art Critic—throttling Inner Art Critics is a blog for another day. Use a crayon because this will give you permission to draw something less than the Mona Lisa and not feel bad about it.)

3. Find yourself an envelope and a roll of duct tape.

4. Snip off a small piece of duct tape and tape it over your Inner Editor’s mouth. Then put the 3x5 card in the envelope. Seal it up, and put a piece of duct tape over the flap.

5. Using your crayon, write on the front: Do Not Open Until WIP First Draft Is Finished.

6. Place where you can see it while you write.

I know, you’re thinking, “This is silly. What difference could this possibly make?”

Trust me. Try it. What do you have to lose besides a 3x5 card and an envelope? I’m telling you, it works. There is such satisfaction in locking up that nasty beast. Whenever you are tempted to let her whisper her vitriolic drivel into your ear, look at the envelope, remind yourself you’ve stymied her anti-productive harping, and get back to writing.

My second tip for getting that Internal Editor off your shoulder is simple. Get busy writing. Don’t wait for a time when it feels good, when the Editor has decided to sit by the pool and drink Mai Tais.

Write and write fast. Here are some ways to get that process started:

GET BUSY WRITING AND DON’T GIVE THE EDITOR A CHANCE TO SPEAK

1. Give yourself permission to write a crummy first draft. You can always go back and let the editor out to survey the landscape later, but you can’t edit a blank page. Once you get some momentum, the editor’s voice will be drowned out by the story. It’s when you pick and poke at your WIP in halting steps that the editor has time to examine every adverb and denigrate every description.

2. Join in a speed writing adventure like
a. Speedbo
b. NaNoWriMo November’s Novel Writing Frenzy
c.. NovelTrack (Available through the ACFW)
d. #1k1hr Facebook Group started by Seeker-Villager Carol Moncado and going strong!

3. Believe in yourself and your process. Drown negativity. Remember your successes, remember that EVERYBODY writes a lousy first draft, and that you, too, can improve whatever it is you’re putting on the page.

4. Surround yourself with positive, uplifting friends. You’ve got a passel of them right here at Seekerville. They will commiserate, hold your hand, and they’re adept at giving you a well-timed kick in the pants when it’s called for. (Again speaking from experience. :D )

So that’s it. That’s what I do to press the mute button on my Internal Editor. She’s not all bad. There are appropriate times for her to speak, but it isn’t when I’m writing the first draft. And I know what you’re thinking. Does drawing a picture of a gnarled old woman and taping her mouth shut really work?

Yep, and you should try it today. There will never be a better time, and you might be surprised at how good it feels.


Erica Vetsch is a transplanted Kansan now residing in Minnesota. She loves history and reading, and is blessed to be able to combine the two by writing historical fiction set in the American West. Whenever she’s not following flights of fancy in her fictional world, she’s the company bookkeeper for the family lumber business, mother of two terrific teens, wife to a man who is her total opposite and soul-mate, and avid museum patron.

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Erica Vetsch - Stories that Testify to Love 

  


Our gracious guest is giving away one copy of A Bride's Portrait of Kansas, City to one lucky commenter! Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

  

And, today is another day of our March Speedbo. Find out more about Speedbo and our exciting weekly prizes here. Comment today for a chance to win! Winners announced in the Weekend Edition.

Productivity. How to get the editor off your shoulder to spit out the first draft

This week we declare war.



Cheryl here. This is one week when it is OKAY to ignore an editor. I’m talking that internal editor (IE) in your head who mercilessly pokes your brain with the business end of an imaginary red pen at all the mistakes in your manuscript. That perfectionist creature in you who (rightfully) aims for excellence in fiction. Said editor will be a wonderful, crucial asset at the self-editing stage. But for now, for the purpose of attempting to double-handedly type an entire book in a week, ignore it.

Read: your IE is hereby deemed The Enemy. For one week fight it.

Great links to articles on disabling your IE:


Turn Off Your Internal Editor and Write Your First Draft Faster



Use Three Words To Bypass Your Internal Editor



How To Bypass Your Internal Editor



Internal Editor


My added advice for BIAW:

Be brutal with time management

Abolish perfectionism.

Break the bonds of your backspace key. Deem it off limits.

Unshackle your ability to free write. Use prompts if needed.

Wipe out weapons of mass distraction. Stay offline.

Seek and destroy incoming schedule missiles. Tell everyone you’re unavailable for a week and then do not answer the door or phone.

Tell your family to call ONLY in the case of a life-threatening emergency. Tell your teenager the fact that they forgot their PE clothes is NOT an emergency. If they have to run their mile in flip-flops, they’ll remember their tennis shoes next time, guaranteed.

Eat and sleep right.

Schedule the upcoming week’s blog posts in advance. Send message explaining you’ll be MIA for a week in order to do BIAW.

Type in the dark. I’m serious. Then you won’t see what it is you feel the compulsion to fix. LOL.

Write on an Alphasmart if you have one or borrow if able.

Type with noise-cancelling headphones on to drown outside distractions.

Type with music on to block IE’s voice unless music distracts you.

Think forward. Type forward. No looking back. No going back over the work either mentally or by reading/proofreading. Push the forward momentum. Watch your work snowball into a story you never thought you could write that fast.

Writing well will happen after you complete your mess draft.

Give yourself a strenuous daily word count. For instance, to write a 70k BIAW, you need to write 10K words a day. Figure your necessary daily word count and meet or exceed it.

Sound impossible?

The average typist masters 2000 words per hour at leisure. If you work 5 hours a day without distraction, you’ll meet your goal. Or write 6 hours per day and take brief breaks.

If you work, getting a book out in a week would be worth taking a few vacation days. Just a thought. How desperate are you to publish?

I didn’t watch TV for three years before I sold. I gave TV time up and became brutal with my online time. I disabled IM and went “no mail” on most loops. What can you give up this week in order to have uninterrupted hours to write?

TIME IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE COMMODITY.

Spend it wisely. Don’t waste it on unproductive activities. I’m serious, people. Playing games on Facebook will NOT lead to a book contract.

If it makes you feel better, stick a note on the door that says, “Warning. Deadline house.” Then ignore laundry, dishes and cleaning chores screaming for attention. Learn the art of ignoring. At least for this week. Say no to everyone who tries to infringe on your time unless God taps you on the shoulder and tells you to pay attention or break free. Literally, clear your schedule and warn your friends and family that you are hibernating for a week and can’t be disturbed.

No exceptions. No procrastination. No excuses. I wrote three books in a two month time period with all the tendons injured in my hands after a car wreck when my hands went through the steering wheel but my fingers didn’t. I also had two surgeries in the midst of that. If I did it, you can too.

Give yourself permission to write messy. Aim for edit-free writing.

After you’ve been writing for about four hours straight, something begins to happen. The more you write, the faster the words will come. Here is a daily word count for the sixth book in Wings of Refuge:

4,218day 1 total

9,765 day 2 total

15,153 day 3 total

23,829 day4 total

36, 306 day 5 total

49,405 day 6 total

64,708 day 7 total

Cut to 58,900-final word count

So you see that the more days I wrote, the higher the word count happened each day. Don’t look back. Don’t look around you at everything that needs to be done. It can wait a week. Trust me. Don’t let anyone cut out in front of you as you race to the finish line for this BIAW.

Cook a week’s worth of meals for your family or clean your house top to bottom before you start if that helps ease your guilt factor. Secure safe childcare for your children and attend to anything they may need that week early. Free yourself up.

Those totals broken down by day:

Day 1 approx 4k

Day 2 approx 5k

Day 3 approx 6k

Day 4 approx 8-9k

Day 5 approx 12-13k

Day 6 approx 14k

Day 7 approx 15k

You can cut or add later.

My point in showing you this is to demonstrate how, once you’re immersed in your story for hours and then days, how your word count will snowball. Not only will you be upping your cumulative word count, but you will be upping your average daily count too. Stay immersed! Do. Not. Edit. No matter how tempted. Do not give in to internal or external distraction. Blow through the story and fix later. If your piling-up laundry or dishes bother you, get thee out of the house. Stay with a friend who will respect your writing time. Or check yourself into a hotel (with no Internet access!) for a week. Then come out with a completed book. I’m serious. You can do this! Knowing you finished a book in a week will be worth the time you set aside.

Focus on finishing. Don’t stop to edit for anything.

It’s possible to write 70k in a week. Once you get going and become immersed, you’ll be surprised at your productivity.

Happy writing!

Cheryl


Today I'll be giving away a copy of Noah Lukeman's, The First Five Pages to one Seekerville poster. Winner will be announced Sunday in the BIAW Weekend Edition.