When you first begin writing, there’s issues. You don’t know what to write, what not to write.
You write a novel or two amazingly quickly.
Then you begin learning about writing.
You learn all about the power of structure, that “Story is structure”. So you consciously begin fussing with the arrangements of scenes and chapters to try to get the precious inciting incident where it belongs.
Now you find out about filter words – see, hear, feel. You learn to avoid writing that.
Filler/glue/expletives. You discover that too many words add nothing to a sentence, and you begin learning that you have to cut words out to give your writing power.
But then you run across the writings of others who prefer to pants their novel, instead of planning – and they decry everything you’re doing.
Then you start reading some of the bad writing advice that writers who aren’t as good as you are putting on their blogs, and you’re thinking, “Wait – I don’t need a social platform? I shouldn’t use action? I should make sure I’ve got an explanation for why my antagonist is evil?”
Now you question everything you learn.
Your word counts have been steadily dropping from 1800 words a day or more, down to 300-600.
It’s the paralysis of analysis.
Here’s what you need.
Confidence.
Just write.
It’s going to be good.
It has to be good, because if you passed your story to me and demanded I write it, it’s going to be completely different. Only you can write your story.
Master the art – a little at a time – of learning how to use the RIGHT information. Remember, there’s a lot of really bad writers out there, and they’re trying to pump advice out there on how they write – but they’re terrible writers, and what they’re telling you is really a bad idea to listen to.
Master the art of writing correct story structure. Master the art of using as few words as possible. Master the art of presenting “show, don’t tell” – because essentially what they’re trying to tell you to do is make your novel more active. Master the art of learning to write that the protagonist is doing something, not sensing something.
Do this a little at a time, stress free, relaxed, confident.
You’ll get better.
