Friday, January 26, 2007

Production writing

I've been doing Elizabeth Bear's novel-in-90 challenge.
What this is ... it's getting down 750 words a day, every day.
For three weeks now, I've been doing it.

Here's why I'm doing it.

For five years or so, I've worked at writing fiction with fair seriousness.

I've written and written and fiddled with mss, which is how one learns to write. I've also thought and researched and pondered and critted other folk's work, which is also how one learns to write.

In this preliminary process, when there's no contract, you're kinda doing 'boutique' writing.
You can make it perfect, no matter how long it takes.

The next step, with a contract, is what I think of as 'production' writing.
Writing to deadline.
Producing mss fast enough that the readers remember you and look for you.
This is what a career writer does.

So. Lets see how I do in the 750-words-a-day challenge. Lets keep it up.

This is the next step ...

1 comment:

  1. Jo,
    I totally agree. Good for you for doing this. Keep going!

    ReplyDelete