Hey there, I'm glad you took the time to answer! I admit I was a little worried that you weren't replying, but in the end it didn't take that long for you to answer since I sent my message around a week ago, so all is good. :) Thanks for the VMs!
I've been doing a lot of editing lately due to incorporating new ideas. I agree with you that it's best to edit only when the sections are ready, but editing is no mean feat! In reality, I've always had a little trouble editing works that I already had written, including academic pieces that I wrote in the past. It seems to me that the old text is so cohesive that adding or changing something is too invasive... Of course, adding is way easier because you can still make it work with what you've already written, but changing is a bit difficult. I had the idea of making the protagonist's power stem from her lineage instead of being something that "just happened", but I had to come up with a source that explained her powers. I then decided to add a character (her grandmother), which kept the protagonist's mother oblivious about the lineage thing. When I added this character I had to face the problem of making references to it in the material I already had so that it didn't feel like an edit but as integration; however, I didn't want to change what I had already written too much (I admit, due to laziness). In the end inserting a whole section in the middle of the story didn't work too well but it's better than rewriting the whole thing I guess.
I've fallen victim to the people who said to write only when you have inspiration before! Indeed, that's something that doesn't work well. I've felt that many of the nice ideas I've had, I had while writing, so even in a bad day you theoretically could have a nice idea. One of the scariest things about writing for me is that things rarely go as planned. I very often think of writing something but what I put out is a little different and gives me different directions. It kinda forces you to think more sharply! I've had a little trouble handling all those different directions, though.
Different media... I've thought of using proper handwriting before. I quite like to handwrite. I'm using the computer mostly though, because I... need to buy a notebook! It's something silly, really, that I don't have one, but I really don't. I've just recently moved to my new apartment and still haven't had the motivation to reequip my new home with survival tools like pencils, erasers and paper.
I don't like those programs that give you warnings when you are taking too long to write because I like to feel absolutely relaxed when I'm writing, but I'll look into them just in case. :)
I don't really have a deadline... Currently I'm on leave so I'm not working, but I end up wasting my time wandering around aimlessly on the internet, viewing videos and other things, so that I don't have a "fixed" time for writing. I'm horrible at following schedules! It could help me though, because a fixed time is a limit you impose on yourself and limits enable you to develop different skills. And, indeed, writing is VERY hard. I'm lucky that I can usually put out a lot of words in a short time and don't have any issues with grammar, but there are not a lot of people who can claim that. However, when you write fast you tend to repeat vocabulary as well as syntax very often (my most used construction is "A did that, but..."), which I have fallen victim to.
I've been doing a lot of editing lately due to incorporating new ideas. I agree with you that it's best to edit only when the sections are ready, but editing is no mean feat! In reality, I've always had a little trouble editing works that I already had written, including academic pieces that I wrote in the past. It seems to me that the old text is so cohesive that adding or changing something is too invasive... Of course, adding is way easier because you can still make it work with what you've already written, but changing is a bit difficult. I had the idea of making the protagonist's power stem from her lineage instead of being something that "just happened", but I had to come up with a source that explained her powers. I then decided to add a character (her grandmother), which kept the protagonist's mother oblivious about the lineage thing. When I added this character I had to face the problem of making references to it in the material I already had so that it didn't feel like an edit but as integration; however, I didn't want to change what I had already written too much (I admit, due to laziness). In the end inserting a whole section in the middle of the story didn't work too well but it's better than rewriting the whole thing I guess.
I've fallen victim to the people who said to write only when you have inspiration before! Indeed, that's something that doesn't work well. I've felt that many of the nice ideas I've had, I had while writing, so even in a bad day you theoretically could have a nice idea. One of the scariest things about writing for me is that things rarely go as planned. I very often think of writing something but what I put out is a little different and gives me different directions. It kinda forces you to think more sharply! I've had a little trouble handling all those different directions, though.
Different media... I've thought of using proper handwriting before. I quite like to handwrite. I'm using the computer mostly though, because I... need to buy a notebook! It's something silly, really, that I don't have one, but I really don't. I've just recently moved to my new apartment and still haven't had the motivation to reequip my new home with survival tools like pencils, erasers and paper.
I don't like those programs that give you warnings when you are taking too long to write because I like to feel absolutely relaxed when I'm writing, but I'll look into them just in case. :)
I don't really have a deadline... Currently I'm on leave so I'm not working, but I end up wasting my time wandering around aimlessly on the internet, viewing videos and other things, so that I don't have a "fixed" time for writing. I'm horrible at following schedules! It could help me though, because a fixed time is a limit you impose on yourself and limits enable you to develop different skills. And, indeed, writing is VERY hard. I'm lucky that I can usually put out a lot of words in a short time and don't have any issues with grammar, but there are not a lot of people who can claim that. However, when you write fast you tend to repeat vocabulary as well as syntax very often (my most used construction is "A did that, but..."), which I have fallen victim to.
