Last month I tried to turn-off my internal editor and crank out a book quickly, with limited success. I could write stuff I knew would have to be edited later, I avoided the temptation to go back and change earlier scenes and a few other things that always slow me down. However looking at the 25,000 words I wrote. They are pretty good. Better than my second novel after 3 rewrites.
A big part of the problem is I don’t want to totally turn-off my internal editor, I value the input and spotting problems in a paragraph a few paragraphs later saves me a lot of work later on. I just need my editor to use its indoor voice instead of a megaphone.
Struggling with my internal editor for a month I feel as if it is a living breathing character. Whenever I get that feeling I know exactly what to do. I turn it into a character in one of my books.
I quickly typed out the first two chapters of my sequel to THE SETTING EARTH with my internal editor being a major character and it has me inspired. I have no idea if the book will be any good and for once I really don’t care, at least not at this point. But it is nice to sit down with a personal demon of mine, and work together on a project instead of arguing with it.
By Darrell B. Nelson author of Invasive Thoughts
