Before you fire up those grills, eat lots of food, and celebrate with your families, let’s take a few minutes to get our writing tip for the week. It’s a good one, so you don’t want to miss out on the weekly boost we all need to get those words counts and goals accomplished.
Today, I have a fellow fantasy author with me, Jason C. Joyner. YAY! Welcome to the blog, Jason!
Name: Jason C. Joyner
Genre: A supernatural/fantasy/superhero (it’s a superhero book, and I see these classified all over the place!)
Latest Novel: Launch (Rise of the Anointed, book 1)
Writing Tip:
Turn off your editor! No rule works for everyone, but I was a paralyzed writer early on when I tried to edit as I went. I couldn’t get traction because I’d obsess over the best word or phrase. When I turned off the editor and wrote, I made progress and got into a groove. Often my writing is better then anyway. Write first, edit later. You can’t edit what you don’t have on the page, so get it down first, even if it stinks.
Are we related somehow? This is exactly what I struggled with for years before I made myself turn off my internal editor and just write. It was hard for me at first, but once I made myself sit down and write without editing, the first draft flowed and was finished quickly. If you’re struggling to get that first edit finished, then try this.
Favorite Writing Tip for New Writers:
Find a tribe. Writing can be a lonely past time. If you find others who write what you do and understand it, the support can be invaluable. That’s made all the difference for me as a writer.
No one will understand quite like your tribe, the ones who write in your genre. Writing groups are wonderful and a great place to find those people and ones that write in other genres. (You need to learn from them too) Don’t have a local writing group? Start one! The one that I attend meets at a local library once a month.
Sixteen-year-olds Demarcus Bartlett and Lily Beausoliel are among a select group of youth invited to an exclusive, all-expenses-paid conference at social media giant Alturas’ California headquarters. Led by charismatic founder Simon Mazor, the world’s youngest billionaire, this isn’t the typical honors society. It seems that everyone here has some secret, untapped potential, some power that may not be entirely of this world. An ancient prophecy suggests that if these teens combine their abilities, they could change the course of history. The only question is: Will it be for better or for worse?
Jason remembers sitting in 3rd grade, imaging he’d save the day when a dinosaur came through the window. Unfortunately he never had the chance. But his overactive imagination and love for the heroic has combined into a love of telling stories of people sacrificing for others to save the day, along with witty quips and a smattering of geeky references.
His “real job” is working as a physician assistant. When Jason’s not mending people, he’s traveling to exotic locales or coaching soccer. Or maybe watching Star Wars just one more time. He lives in the high desert of Idaho with his wife, three sons and a daughter, and two Star Wars-named cats that don’t get along.
Thanks for joining us today Jason! I think everyone needs the reminder to turn off their internal editor and get those words on the page. Learn to love the rewrite phase. You can fix all your mistakes then, but you’ll never get anywhere if there’s not a first draft to work on.
Please take a moment and connect with Jason on social media, and check out his new release, Launch (Rise of the Anointed, book 1) that was just released yesterday! Congratulations Jason!
I love to connect with people on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Find me at www.facebook.com/jasoncjoyner, www.twitter.com/jasoncjoyner, www.instagram.com/jasoncjoyner. I also have my website, www.jasoncjoyner.com
*If you are an author and would like to be a guest on Wisdom Wednesday, please contact me. I have openings available this summer and would love to have you!
Great tips. I think that’s why writing during nanowrimo every year really works for me. No time for edits if I am going to meet my word count goal. 🙂
Yes! It helps you focus on getting the first draft finished. If I let myself edit as I go, I will just try to make it perfect and not get anywhere.
Amy, I’ve finished 3 of my 4 novels during NaNo. The constituency helps my motivation and momentum.