Writing Practice 3: Spending Some Time

I have to avoid being critical of my first drafts.

I don't know how I can mistake myself for a writer if all I'm doing is producing and presenting my first attempts. I'll write something, look at it, like it or dislike it, show it to someone, hear what they have to say and that's just about all I do with it.
Obviously, I won't be satisfied with what I write unless I do some editing.
Before I edit, it's crap. It's got to be. It's just been born.
I've spent no time with it and I haven't tried to polish it.

I also won't have anything to work with unless it's down on paper so I should never assume it's going to look good out of the gate. It isn't a measure of my writing ability for a first draft to look bad. Instead, it says something negative about my passion for writing if I give up when at the Critic's Point.

"That sucks. Oh, well, I'm no good."
^ I've just criticized my writing and myself and, after hearing such an insult, I'm not longer in the mood to write. After all, why should I? I suck. I said so.
Rule Number 1: Don't talk down to myself. Encourage myself. If something sucks, say: "I can improve it." Or "No worries, this is just practice." 

Shift perception.
Write a first draft of anything and then say: "Ok, let's use my abilities to make this better."

Sidenote: I should write my brainstorming process as I brainstorm it, again, to have something on paper to work with. I have to see how it looks, not imagine it, before I have any kind of idea how to improve it. Furthermore, if I try to get it perfect in my head before I write, I'll never write.

So... brainstorming an idea.

How do I start?

Just write anything. I mean, when you draw a doodle, where do you start? You put your pen down on the paper, make a shape and go from there.

Let's get started....

"There was a guy."

There, I wrote. I've started. Something is growing. I've begun.

How do you learn anything about anything?
Ask questions. It's all about questions.


There was a guy? Who cares?

Good question.
Maybe I should tell you more about this guy, whoever he is.

Let's see, what's something I like?

Balloons.
Sure. Came to mind... work with it.

"There was a guy and he liked balloons."

He liked balloons? Why does he like balloons? And what does liking balloons have anything to do with the rest of his life? I like food. So what? Who gives a shit that some guy likes balloons?


"Richard likes balloons." There. He's got a name.

Why does Richard like balloons?

Lemmie just puke out a few reasons here...

1) He has autism and child-like things amuse him. He's young at heart and at mind and it's the simple things have bring him wonder.
2) He's a clown. He's awesome at making balloon animals.
3) He's in a hospital bed and the view out his window shows a carnival. While he recovers, bored, he keeps looking at the carnival and seeing balloons, developing a fondness for them.
4) He's an asshole(he's a Dick) and his favorite way to scare sleeping animals is to pop a balloon with a safety pin.

Ok.
Now, scrap all those ideas that too easily: "just come to mind" and think a little harder. Now that those primary ideas are out of your system, think of a better, cooler reason.


"As a child, Richard was obsessed with the sky. He loved the stars, the moon, sunsets and sunrises. He loved the clouds, he loved airplanes, helicopters and birds. His favorite thing to see in the sky was a balloon. He was nine years old when he discovered helium. His grandmother untied a balloon at his birthday party, inhaled it and spoke back to him like a chipmunk. Helium did two very interesting things, in his opinion. One, it helped balloons float up into the sky. Two, it changed the pitch of his voice."

Hold on, let me re-read this here....

Ok. This is the story of how Richard became a scientist. That's who Richard is. He loved to see a balloon in the sky and saw that a balloon did two cool things instead of one. He spent time with his interest, learned about helium and the periodic table of elements and became either an astronomer or a cosmologist.

Sweet.
I just made a character.

So, what's the lesson here, self?

1) Write anything.
2) Work with it until it's interesting.
3) First drafts suck. It's your job to make it better.
4) Spend time writing the idea before you spend time writing the final product.
5) Write the brainstorm and edit the brainstorm as if the idea were a piece of writing.