Dare to Suck!
July 9, 2008
I belong to a writers’ support group called Austin WriterGrrls. A number of years ago, Regan, one of our dearest members threw down a challenge. It was one that made a crater-like impact on my psyche:
DARE TO SUCK!
Yup, that’s it. Simple and to the point, but deep in meaning. I like to keep that little nugget on my desk to remind me that I don’t have to write perfectly (much less BE perfect), that it’s more important to get my imagination on the page, one word, one sentence, one paragraph at a time.
Believe it or not, giving yourself permission to write badly is quite liberating. Your apexual (that one’s for you, Colbert!) expectations drop way down and your writing ramps up because you’ve loosened the iron chains of perfection that bind you — reminiscent of the way a stool softener can set you free. You eagerly spill your thoughts onto the page without worrying that your stuff might stink.
Even better, if you keep plodding (plotting?) ever forward instead of stopping to edit and evaluate the writing before it’s ready, sooner rather than later you’ll have that completed manuscript. I issue this advice to you all by way of reminding myself of it, because I know that when I dare to suck at writing, I actually get more accomplished. My reward is that I’ll be closer to finishing the novel and seeing it in print, preferably in hardback.
So for you and for me, go on, I dare ya to suck!
Entry Filed under: humor, life, thoughts, wisdom, writers, writing, writing life. Tags: dare to suck, humor, thoughts, wisdom, writers, writers life, writing.
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1. Jumper Cables for Writers, Batteries Not Included « Story Song | July 9, 2008 at 9:29 pm
[...] Interminable Writer Makes a bold challenge to take off the cloak and throw down the Purell for some downright imperfect storytelling. I think my favorite part of TIW is the stark and honest detail of the process of brushing oneself off after the beloved pages are thrown in the dust. The truth is, most people can’t do it. Brush themselves off. If you can, you just won the lottery. It means you’re getting better. You’re cell five, all you have to do is raise your hand politely and say “check please, thank you.” [...]
2.
leftywritey | July 9, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Great blog entry, and very true. Definitely dare to suck — that’s what the inner editor is for, later.
I think more people wish for the ability to write from beginning to end and at the end, have the piece shining and done (myself included) than there are people who possess this magical writing ability.
It sure would save a lot of time spent on editing and drafts, though. : )
E.M.
3.
weltschmerz | July 11, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Daring to suck –> Stool Softener
This is the best metaphor I’ve heard in a long long time!
4.
B J Keltz | July 27, 2008 at 6:45 pm
There’s a great quote by C.J. Cherryh “It’s perfectly okay to write garbage–as long as you edit brilliantly.” Half my stuff is garbage, but it’s all part of the compost pile, right? It will do it’s work there and feed another work down the road. I just love the phrase “dare to suck.” So much more to the point than C.J. Cherryh.
B J Keltz
bjkeltz.wordpress.com
5.
K. Jayne Cockrill | July 27, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Yes, gotta love that brilliant inner editor. Unfortunately, she wants to barge in and take over everything most all the time! And she’s a die-hard. She never quits! That’s why it’s good sometimes to spite her by daring to suck.
Thanks for visiting!
6.
shariwrites | July 30, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I liked this post. Almost exactly one year ago I began writing my novel. It only took four months to get a rough draft out there — a really rough draft. Since then I’ve been editing, rewriting, you know, and in a month or so I think I’ll be ready to submit it to agents. So, when I began working on my second one I told myself I was going to do it better, make the first draft better so it didn’t need so much time later on. I have since decided I was wrong.
I am making it better, but only because I’ve learned so much from the experience of writing the first one that things are just better. Other than that, it’s still a rough draft. And I like it that way. It allows me to get ideas out there without worrying about if it sounds just right or is visual enough or is SDT.
Anyway, like the site, and thanks for commenting on my blog.
7. Success Means Accepting the Risk of Failure « Bjkeltz’s Weblog | August 5, 2008 at 10:39 pm
[...] Link to Dare to Suck! http://interminablewriter.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/dare-to-suck/ [...]
8.
365pwords | August 12, 2008 at 9:27 am
Easy to say, Jayne, harder to do (write suckily, I mean). My editor jumps in so fast my head spins. That’s why I got my first computer back in 1980 – so my editor didn’t have to retype and retype and retype, which she does badly.
Thanks for commenting on 365pwords!
Joy
9.
K. Jayne Cockrill | August 12, 2008 at 9:56 am
Oh, yeah, not an easy thing to do at all! My inner editor demands to be front and center, and so she and my muse are in a constant battle for supremacy!
KJ