Planning Your Writing – Is An Unedited Writing Spree Worth the Time?

Do you plan your scenes or write without the internal editor turned on?

I Just finished the April Camp NaNoWriMo, which is an exercise in writing fluently, and without the internal editor to stop the writing flow. I was able to make my goal, but now I have to go back and edit. Of course, any first draft needs editing.

After a month’s time, I started looking back at the beginning of my story – I opened up a dialogue with a critique group, and it was agreed – IT NEEDED A LOT OF WORK!

So the question remains – was it worth the effort – I humbly say YES.

I know the work I produced needs a lot of rework, but in reality any first draft does. Now I have a starting point, I have an idea on paper and something to work with – and just like many writers also admit, much of it will be garbage, and will need to be crossed out, but some will remain, and will be a good starting point.

All in all, I had a good experience with the NaNoWriMo writing sprees, and I do suggest for any writer to try it, at least once. It was also a good way for me to learn my limits, so that I can put together a real writing schedule for myself, for when I am writing on my own, and there’s not support or tracking done publicly.

Just one more thought – if you use software like Scrivener (or others) there is a tool that you can use to track your daily writing, and the progress of your project. I suggest to use it – it will help you see progress and assist you to attain your goals.

Keep Reading – Keep Writing!

PS – there is a Bonus to joining NaNoWriMo – If you WIN by accomplishing your goal, you get a 50% discount on Scrivener, or a lower discount if you at least attend the event. There are also other discount offers too!