Story of the Day
One of my favorite pieces of writing advice of all time?
“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”
That’s from Stephen King in his book about the craft On Writing.
Now, King was describing how to handle writing first drafts versus editing them.
Basically, when you’re writing that messy first draft…
Don’t show it to ANYONE.
Work on your first draft until you hit your target word count or finish it.
Forget about ttypos (there’s one!), Oxford commas, and editorial feedback.
Set your first draft aside for a few hours, days, or even weeks, depending on the length and deadline.
Then, when editing, show the draft to other people.
The trick?
Show your draft to someone whose opinion counts.
Your dentist might know how to remove a filling.
But she’s not the best person to advise on what to extract from your first draft.
(Unless she’s writing on the side).
Instead, find an editor.
I usually hire someone on Reedsy.
Show it to another writer.
Pick a family member who understands your writing style and goals.
Or collaborate with another writer.
On that…
A few years ago, I was in a creative writing group.
We critiqued each other’s pieces.
I found their notes more valuable than showing my work to a friend who didn’t write… even if I didn’t agree with all of the feedback.
I take Stephen King’s writing advice literally, too.
I’m lucky enough to work in a home office.
When I’m writing, I close the office door so I’m not distracted.
I put on a pair of noise-canceling headphones, fire up some ambient music on Spotify, set a timer for 90 minutes, and GO.
That way, I can work on the first draft until my buzzer sounds.
Usually, I close the door in the mornings… after the kids go to school.
I’m less worried about distractions later on in the day.
I work in the afternoon with the door open.
If you need some accountability with your writing, I can help.
Hit reply, and I’ll tell you more about my coaching offer.