#1 Rule of Writing: Write

Editing: The bane of a writer, whether you're terrible and need to fix it all, or you're a grammar Nazi and have to correct every single mistake. But what is the #1 thing you ought to be doing instead?
























That's right.
I, unfortunately, had to learn this the hard way. I have been working on my novel for over a year now, and all because I wasn't doing this one thing. Sure, I had scenes done. I had material. I could've kept writing.
But I didn't.
Instead, I kept going back, worrying if this plot point was right, deleting and re-writing scenes- oh, is that a punctuation error? Gotta fix that.
I was so focused on the details that I missed the point:
This is the foundation.
This is the hard news I had to face.
This is the Rough Draft.
It's not the polished story. This is the idea, the foundation on which you grow the rest of your story. There will be other drafts; first, second, third, fourth... heck, even fifth. Your story will change. It's inevitable. It doesn't have to be perfect now.
What matters is getting the idea down. Out of your mind, before it can morph again. I have a friend who outlined, plotted and wrote a rough draft of his story in three days. 12 chapters. 21,000 words. And it is good.
If that's what it takes to get it done, do it. Forget grammar. Focus on your story, not on "I before E except after C, unless it's in these words..."
Write. Your. Freaking. Amazing. Story.
Let it out. Don't chain it. It's like a dog: You buy a puppy. You raise it. You train it. Not visa-Versa. Get this puppy down, then train it with punctuation, commands, etc. Later.
Free your story first, or it will never have a chance to grow.

Write.

Your.

Story.