Writers need to give themselves permission to play. I think I’ve forgotten that. I set myself writing goals but stress over reaching them. Even small goals seem like insurmountable obstacles.
I need to remind myself that I don’t have to follow the canon in my head. I don’t have to adhere strictly to outlines and character descriptions.
I can play with my world. I can turn the sky bright pink for a day just to see how my characters would react. Towns can grow and cities can disappear if that works better.
I’m allowed to play with my characters. I can change my stubborn male character into a female. If Jennifer doesn’t answer to her name she can change it to Aimee.
I don’t have to write in order. If I want to write the scene where MC1 kisses MC2 for the first time I can, even if the scene doesn’t come in for several chapters. If I think a scene is boring I can cut it out complete.
First drafts need to be played with, not agonized over. I need to keep reminding myself of this. First drafts are not worth the added stress of making them perfect. That’s why we have editing and revising.
I agree that a first draft is for having fun with your characters and inventing crazy situations. But if I make things too crazy in my first draft, I lose control of the story and eventually lose interest. Maybe I need at least some sense of order.
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It seems you have the opposite problem that I do. Hopefully we can both get to that middle ground of ordered play. 🙂
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