Wordiness

The other day I was working on my manuscript and JEEEEZ...it was like pulling toenails or something. I knew I was only days away (considering the days were good) from finishing my current work in project. Tell you what...I couldn't think. I overevaluated every single word. Very frustrating proposition when you've promised to be finished by so and so date. Out of the blue I got an email from a writer friend who said she was getting a group together for Word Wars?

Word Wars? I'd never done that. Totally new to me.

Considering I REALLY needed a jump start I was game to try. So I signed on to a chat she had set up, met some other really nice authors and we chatted until it was time to start. After READY SET GO, we each pulled up our manuscripts and started typing. Just go. Just write. Just do it. Suddenly, knowing I had to write speedy quick, I loosened up and began to crank out the words. No more overevaluating what I'd written. No more quibbling or procrastinating or self editing. Just writing. I loved it. At the end of thirty minutes, time was called as the little orange light blinked on my computer. I was honestly amazed at how much I accomplished. Was it perfect? No, not hardly but it was there. Had some typos, too. Big deal. The words were there and that was the most important thing. I did this for several hours and at each break we'd share little bits we'd written or just chat. Turned out to be a wonderful afternoon and I finished a chapter.

In the end, it was just what I needed. Sometimes we just overthink things and it can really slow down the process, can't it? A long time ago I did writing challenges with two other writers. We'd meet on-line in the mornings, state our goal for the day and then we'd check in to 'report' to each other at designated times throughout the day. At the end of it all, we'd announce our word count and whoever met their goal or surpassed it got cyber-drinks from the others. That too, was a fun thing to jump start a manuscript.

Actually, I think I liked Word Wars better because writing was done in very short increments and I was amazed at how much I could accomplish in only thirty minutes. It was like a very cool race. This was just what I needed to get me started and to teach me that I just think too damn much. Do you have some writing tricks to share?

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