To write as it falls out of your head or revise often?

[Kreigsbane]

I write often but i can never put down all i want, how i want it. To this end, i actually don't get as much done in a writing secession as i would like because i revise it soo much. Should i just write it as fast and easy as it flows from my head to hand or stop and revise as much as i do?
thanks in advance

 

[Codey Amprim]

I have this problem, but it usually only occurs on the extremes. Sometimes I'll stare at one or two paragraphs for an hour to perfect it, or I end up writing too much, and in the process, write entire things that seemed great that eventually get deleted altogether.

I don't know a proper way to handle it, but the only good that comes of it either way is that you're writing... And that's the best thing you could be doing.

 

[Anders Ämting]

The recommended thing is to start by writing until you have a finished draft, and only then go back and change stuff. The first draft is going to be terrible, that's pretty much a given, but the point about the first draft isn't to write a great book all at once but to get something that's actually finished.

 

[sashamerideth]

Here is a process that I have adopted

In A session, I write A, never revising.
In B session I revise A then write B, do not revise B
In C session I revise B then write C. Etc.

After a while, maybe a week, I will revise the past week. That's how I am doing my serial short story. Anderson beat me, but I write my novel differently to my serial.

My longer works, I never go back until the first draft is finished. I take notes if things need to be introduced earlier on my second draft. I rewrite second drafts with my first draft serving the purpose of detailed notes, sometimes I lift things straight from the first draft, but in the second draft, I know my story already, the first draft was exploratory.

 

[San Cidolfus]

It's all about your preferred flavor. If you write without pausing to revise as you go, your first draft will take longer but require less work on the edit. I've heard a lot of talk about getting the first draft done without worrying about stressing over the syntax, but for some of us, that's just how our minds work. I edit as I go, maybe because I'm an obsessive freak, but hey, my first drafts are somewhat light on stains. There's nothing preferential about doing it either way. It's just writing style.

 

[zizban]

I write straight through then revise after I'm finished.

 

[Klee Shay]

As a couple others stated, in various, it's whatever works best for you. I write a chapter at a time, then go back and change minor things as my characters tell me to. Once the whole story is done, whether a short one or novel-length, I read through again to see if any changes jump out at me. None of my stories ever work when I try to force them. But, that's just me.

 

[Jess A]

I know how you feel.

I keep reworking the plot, which in turn changes future plots. It has made me very hesitant to put pen to paper, which is not what you want.

However, I think I am coming closer to what I want, and I must agree - writing a first draft is a good idea. If huge chunks have to be re-written, then so be it - it's better to get everything down first so that you can put bits and pieces together later. It might actually be a lot easier to critique it and revise it when you have everything there, and if there are plot holes, you can fill those in or rework areas of the book.

Robin Hobb once told me to write every single day. Good advice.