Do You Have Writer’s Brain Or Editor’s Brain?
February 23, 2009 by Jenny Cromie
Filed under Jobs
You probably have editor’s brain if you’re always writing five words and deleting four, if you automatically critique every word choice (and everyone else’s), and you can pick up a newspaper or read a book and automatically spot the one error on a page.
Editing skills are great to have—in fact, they have helped me earn a steady income for several years now. But the editing process has a time and place. And if the editor brain is too dominant or is always activated, it can really get in the way of the writing process.
I suspect that most writers have a bit of the editor brain going on every once in awhile. But for some us, our editing skills may be more dominant than our writing skills. And so when it comes to writing, it can really be an onerous process sometimes. It’s a good idea to keep both sides of your brain exercised and working together.
So how can you shut off the editor side of your brain long enough for your inner writer to get the words on the page?
Here are a few suggestions:
1) Time your writing. I’ve talked about the Power of 15 here before. But it really does help you hit a word count within a certain time frame. By trying to write a certain number of words within a set period of time, the editor side of your brain never really has a chance to take over. So to hit your word count goal, the writer brain has to take over. It’s the same concept as NaNoWriMo.
2) Write tired. I know this sounds crazy, but I’ve done some of my best writing when I’ve been really tired. The reason is that the more tired I get, the less of a filter I have—it’s too much effort after a certain point to care about crossing every “t” and dotting every “i.” So without an alert gatekeeper, your inner writer has a chance to get outside the gate without your editor brain noticing—until it’s too late and there’s a nice collection of words on the page. I’m writing this post tired now, in fact. You can write tired right after you wake up in the morning when your brain is still on the edge of sleep. Or you can write late like I am now and let your inner editor sweep up the minor messes in the morning when you’re more alert.
3) Do some rigorous exercise. There’s probably some plausible scientific explanation for this, but I find that after a really strenuous workout, my editor brain is too happy to care as much about really nitpicky things. Maybe it has something to do with the natural high and all those endorphins, but I find that it’s much easier to access my writer brain after a good workout (and a nice, hot shower).
4) Write in the middle of the night. This is not the same thing as writing tired, but it is similar to my write-first-thing-in-the-morning suggestion. If you wake up in the middle of the night and write, then your brain is alert but still in a quasi-dream state. And the editor brain needs to be on full alert in order to work properly. Not so with the writer brain. Depending on the type of writing you want or need to do, the closer to sleep you can get while still writing, the better. I suppose it all has something to do with inching closer to the unconscious while still technically awake. But it does work.
5) Give yourself permission to write badly. I haven’t met too many writers or editors who don’t have a strong perfectionist streak. And in some cases like mine, it goes back to how we were taught and trained in journalism school. In one of my newswriting classes in college, one factual or grammatical error was an automatic “F.” And really, it’s a good thing most writers are trained that way because accuracy in the news business can make or break your reputation as a writer and as an entire organization. If people don’t trust your accuracy, they won’t bother listening to you on the radio, watching you on TV, or reading your articles. But that same tendency toward perfection can really get in the way of flow when you’re writing. So if you have the benefit of time, give yourself permission to write crappy. Chances are, you won’t—even if you try hard. And if you do, you’ll give your editor brain more of a workout the next day.
So what about you? Do you have more of an editor’s brain or a writer’s brain? How do you manage both? Drop me a line and tell me about it!
Photo credit: Migraine Chick (Flickr)
5) Give yourself permission to write badly. — that’s exactly what I do when I do some version of the 15-minute exercise. It’s the polishing thereafter that’s taking up my time. I need some pointers on how to let the darn things go!
I had to laugh upon seeing this post, as I can’t allow myself to get through one paragraph without going back and reading it through, all the way from the beginning, again. And again. And again. Tweaking it each time. Understandably, first drafts can be a long time coming.
I think your last suggestion — giving yourself permission to write badly — is key. Sometimes, I pretend I’m working on one of those old, college freewriting assignments, where you need to get as much down as possible by the end of the period. It’s tough not to self-edit with every word you write, though. You want to be the best version of yourself the first time, not the fifth.
Ah! This totally explains my propensity to spend HOURS at a time on one silly paragraph! My usual tactic is #5. I just start writing and writing and enjoying the suck as much as possible. But you’ve given me a few other good ideas to get over this. I especially like timing idea. I work better with deadlines. =)
Funny you should post this today… just yesterday I spent what was probably my fifteenth DAY over the last six months reworking my resume. Definitely my way-too-obsessive editor’s side.
I’m making a real effort to be a bit less the editor and more the spontaneous, faster writer.
I recently took an assignment –write 1000 words for $250. Because the fee was small, I was determined to make it pay a decent rate and allotted my time before beginning. I allowed one hour for the interview, one hour for a draft, left it for a day or so, and then spent one more hour on a final edit. And off it went. Worked like a charm – but it was an easy gig.
I find that when I begin to struggle and obsess and fiddle every word, that’s the time to take a break. I either go to a completely different project or better yet, take a physical break from the keyboard. Exercise is a charm for me for sure.
I have trouble writing so much as a blog comment without overthinking and editing it to death. What helps me is to just write more.
Yesterday, I noticed a sign spelled incorrectly along the road, cemetary. “All the people in the cemetery are dead,” I rattled off the mnemonic that my 8th grade, English teacher had taught us. “I don’t see the connection,” he mocked. I tried to explain to him that de beginning was the connection to the ce throughout the word. Oh well, I loved it. I need to call those people and let them know about the error. Now back to the blog I started last week. : )
Now, let me edit my previous post. Pronoun “he” is referral to my husband. cemetary should be “cemetary.” See what I mean?
Editor’s brain can totally kill the mood. I like your tips for turning it off. Thanks.
Thanks for the great advice. Self-editing is a huge problem for me, and I need to read this advice from time to time. I’m currently swamped with work, so I plan on trying the 15 minute time limit exercise right now.
Jenny,
very interesting article. I like to brain storm prior to writing and that help me speed things up.
I will have to try point 4, waking up in the middle of the night and writing.
AM
#2 is one of my favorites … wait until my internal editor is yawning and distracted, then type madly away at the keyboard while her eyelids are drooping!
I can’t seem to turn that damn editor off! The worst part is, I still write ugly statements and make mistakes. :) I think the writing tired thing might be the best idea — disable that editor critter!
I have an editor’s mind, which keeps me from getting to the actual business of writing. I tend to overlook my own mistakes frequently, because I know what I *meant* to say. YKWIM?
Yes, Angie, that’s it exactly. That’s probably the reason I can’t seem to get throught NaNoWriMo to save my butt!
Thank you, Jenny, for clearing that up at least! :)
I definitely have more of an editor’s brain. I even edit my journals as I write them. I have made ten corrections to this post, as I went along. *sigh*
Wonderful advice, as always. I find my writing peak tends to be between midnight and 4am, which means I’m inevitably a tired writer!
Thanks everyone for all your comments and thoughts. I didn’t realize I was going to touch such a nerve when I wrote this post. And it’s good to know that I’m in good company when it comes to taming the editor brain.
Your comments have inspired another related post, which will run on Wednesday. Thank you! :-)
Timing is everything! This year, while doing NaNoWriMo, I discovered something that makes you write: Write or Die!
It’s not evil; it’s hysterical and it works. Well, it can be a little evil if you stop typing, but it’ll force you to get the words out.
http://delightedscribbler.blogspot.com/2008/11/write-or-die.html
Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for these tips. Because I just kicked my writer’s block in the ass :) Granted, I have a huge headache and am looking at the screen through very heavy eyelids, but I hammered down 3000 char. in 20 min.
I’ll know if they’re any good in the morning, but I have a good feeling. Some tweaking here and there. Filling in a couple of quotes and data and I should be fine. So really, thank you for this post :)
Andie