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Write drunk, edit sober.
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Victoria
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Apr 27, 2015 04:33PM
Nope. I don't drink alcohol in general though.
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Its not necessarily a bad thing until the letters start swimming.
Are you talking about writing drunk for real? Or is it metaphorical for writing fast without agonizing over it just to get the story down, like Cristine states, and then going back and editing, editing , editing, etc.,. If so, then I'm a drunk writer, and edit sober. But if you meant for real, then no.It seems as if drunk writers don't fare too well.
i do used to do that errday all day :pnow my poor liver cant handle it and i limit my tom collins consumption to bs company meetings.
i cranked out 80 novels during my booze painkiller speed herion tripping balls phase and now that im out of steam, im editing the stuff. only two i had to trash (so far) due to sheer fuckedupedness and unworkability. im eventually getting round to them all...
and sometimes i still get kite levels to get through blocks when i go through developmental trying to recapture that headspace and figure what tangent i was on (i kept solid notes but after edits major changes were made and then a new outline had to be drawn). success 80% so far. other times the aha moments happen in odd places (doing yard work, washing dishes, walking to the store, strolling the park, in the shower, on the can, recovering from hangover...)
Groovy wrote: "Are you talking about writing drunk for real? Or is it metaphorical for writing fast without agonizing over it just to get the story down, like Cristine states, and then going back and editing, edi..."I like the metaphorical--drunk on creativity. I love to write on that kind of high. New stuff shows up that I wasn't planning on and it's when the plot breaks out into something original. I don't drink alcohol. Heck, I'm so easily amused I can get into kind of a flow state editing and revising. It's different high than the creative flood, but it is one.
That's me, too, Amber. It flows out of your head and you just write it down whether it makes sense or not. Then there's the fun of going back and putting it all in order, theennnn, the editing process begins:)I have a book due out in the fall (maybe)and I can't wait for my daughter to get the first read. I truly wrote this one on a creative high (I'd like to think all of my books were)
That's me, too, Amber. It flows out of your head and you just write it down whether it makes sense or not. Then there's the fun of going back and putting it all in order, theennnn, the editing process begins:)I have a book due out in the fall (maybe)and I can't wait for my daughter to get the first read. I truly wrote this one on a creative high (I'd like to think all of my books were)
@Groovy and Amber:I do that too; my first drafts are usually a real mess, because I never worry about typos and things during the first draft. To me, the first draft is to get the story out of my head and in to a word document... I can worry about cleaning up the mess of typos and things later.
Given that the quote is attributed to Hemingway, we can't be too quick to dismiss it as metaphor BUT..... it's still good advice. I was unable to finish my first novel until I put aside polishing and editing as I went and just rolled through to the end. Of course, the edit and rewrite were tough... and I could REALLY have used that drink!
Somehow I deleted my initial post. Sounds like something Hemingway would say but he didn't. I have to admit when I wrote the sex scenes in my book (which were not terribly graphic but still a bit mortifying for an old lady) I had a glass of wine.
More often than not, emotions, ideas, and opinions that may seem entirely logical and intelligent while intoxicated, are not. Any activity undertaken in said condition usually results in regret and requires a do-over.
It's a great cure for writer's block, I'll say that. You stop worrying and agonising other things and just put your ideas on the page. Although, it does usually increase the amount of editing work required...
I don't drink when writing, but there are times (sex scenes!) when definitely should.
You know Hemingway. Initiallly, he wrote:Writeas ifdrunkon the sweet nectar of life, editas if you want the spare the poor souls from thesobering whip of the slavemaster.
Martyn V. (aka Baron Sang-Froid) wrote: "You know Hemingway. Initiallly, he wrote:Write as if drunk on the sweet nectar of life, edit as if you want the spare the poor souls from the sobering whip of the slavemaster."
I like it. Including the new way to spell initiallly.
I'm still writing with a fresh dose of doobie under my belt, so excuse the odd typo...
Martyn V. (aka Baron Sang-Froid) wrote: "You know Hemingway. Initiallly, he wrote:Write as if drunk on the sweet nectar of life, edit as if you want the spare the poor souls from the sobering whip of the slavemaster."
LOL - nicely put. I suspect this is exactly what Hemingway did.
Years ago I was fascinated by a Dent educational edition of Conrad's The Shadow Line that had a long notes section at the back showing exactly what he had cut out. It was a late book and he was ruthless. I had always found him rather wordy before. I am not sure if booze played a role however.
People who think that writing is an art, should also consider editing an art. It's difficult to strike a balance between 'not enough' and 'too much'.Good editing often requires mulling over the necessity of words and whether a word strengthens or diminishes the prose.
Martyn V. (aka Baron Sang-Froid) wrote: "People who think that writing is an art, should also consider editing an art. It's difficult to strike a balance between 'not enough' and 'too much'.Good editing often requires mulling over the n..."
Astute observation, Martyn V.
It took me 14 months to produce what I believed to be a completed, polished manuscript, but only 2 months, working with and learning from a copy editor, conceptual editor, and layout design artist, to realize that it was neither compete nor polished.
Write without fear, edit without mercy!
Wine is optional but fun. The first wine is for health reasons, the rest, well those are for witty comebacks and awesome dance moves.
Belle wrote: "I like that, Colleen."Thanks Belle!
I just made a meme of the write without fear thing. When people ask my husband what kind of beer he likes he says - the sixth one. That one makes me handsome.
Ha, True. That reminds me too of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Seven drink Amy? Did you see that one?
Oh, The episode was good. Do you want Brooklyn 99? It is a pretty fun show. The episode is named Six-drink AmyOne is relaxed amy.
two is loud amy
three is dancing amy
four I totally forget.
five is confident amy
six is sad-sack amy
That's funny. I have never heard of Brooklyn 99.
Colleen, I have an editing workshop where I often say No Mercy!!!!!
Colleen wrote: "Write without fear, edit without mercy!"Yep. That's it, Colleen!
Nice Abigail. It is true though, even if it hurts, you need to cut!
Thanks Anna. It is. I am doing Junowrimo and thankfully no editing now. I always make sure those months are about words.
