I thought it was fun to participate in the Twitter hashtag #1k1hr. For those who are not familiar with Twitter hashtags, here is the definition from Twitter Help Center:
Definition: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.
I already knew that I was a slow writer but this hashtag definitely confirmed it, ha. And guess what? I’m not alone. So this blog post is for those tortoises out there. Here’s to you, “slow but steady wins the race.”
I was recently interviewed by the wonderful Dina Santorelli and was asked, “What was the most challenging part of the writing process.” More details on the interview coming soon.
For now I want to share that both participating in the hashtag #1k1hr and answering this particular interview question got me thinking that I am a slow writer but that’s okay. When I start a rough draft, I take my time writing less words-per-hour but with more definitive sentences. If I’m going to name a character I tell myself, is this the name I am going to be okay with 30,000 words from now?
Many people disagree with this slowpoke method. I’ve read many blogs that recommend just write for the sake of writing and go back later and revise a hundred times (I’m exaggerating) but for me it just makes for an exercise in frustration when I’m in the revision process. I’d rather take my time writing the first time and only have to revise half the amount of times. I still agree that rough drafts always suck but with my slowpoke method I think they suck with less of a mess. Seriously, I’ve read blogs where people admit to changing a character’s name or spelling of a name midway through their manuscript and don’t notice until second or third revision. With my slowpoke method that would be less likely to happen. I would have already taken hours to decide on the name and spelling of said name and that’s that. I’m not saying my slowpoke way is better, I’m just saying that it’s a better fit for me and I’m not alone on this.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Thank you so much for supporting SAND!
