Man, I LOATHE outlining. I only started doing it with the really big long things where I realized that after fifty short stories written out of order, I needed to be sure of what happened when so I didn't have basic continuity errors like, say, two stories taking place right next to each other but in different seasons.
But I can't go in-depth or I just stiffen up.
In my case, writing shitty is honestly liberating because I wanted to learn to suck exuberantly and break my own perfectionism. But I don't go around telling other people their work sucks, that's a jerk move.
I do think that over-editing is a problem. I look through some of my old-ass work, and I see the parts I just edited over and over, never getting anywhere, reaching the writing equivalent of that poor schmuck who draws all their art at 200% print size and fixates on making every line perfectly smooth even though nobody will even notice when it's printed. (I have known people like this. I am shocked they manage to FINISH anything, it sounds awful.)
Sometimes, a writer just has to let it go and accept when it's done. But I think there's a lot of anxiety and insecurity about it, so folks cut themselves down and say how shitty their work is so they can beat everyone to the punch.
no subject
But I can't go in-depth or I just stiffen up.
In my case, writing shitty is honestly liberating because I wanted to learn to suck exuberantly and break my own perfectionism. But I don't go around telling other people their work sucks, that's a jerk move.
I do think that over-editing is a problem. I look through some of my old-ass work, and I see the parts I just edited over and over, never getting anywhere, reaching the writing equivalent of that poor schmuck who draws all their art at 200% print size and fixates on making every line perfectly smooth even though nobody will even notice when it's printed. (I have known people like this. I am shocked they manage to FINISH anything, it sounds awful.)
Sometimes, a writer just has to let it go and accept when it's done. But I think there's a lot of anxiety and insecurity about it, so folks cut themselves down and say how shitty their work is so they can beat everyone to the punch.
--Rogan