I drive an eleven-year old sports car, and I belong to a club that organizes events called Solo 2, the objective of which is to drive, at the quickest possible speed, through a closed course marked by pylons. Participating at one such event, I learned an important rule, one that I try to apply to every aspect of my life–including writing.
At a Solo 2 event a few years ago, I was becoming frustrated by my inability to improve my time. When a more experienced club member jumped into the passenger seat and coached me around the course, his intructions sounded, to me, completely illogical. “Hit the brakes,” He’d command as we’d approach a corner. Again and again, he’d repeat the same intructions, “Slow down right here,” then “Brake hard now.”
Imagine my surprise then, after completing what I was convinced would be my slowest run, to find that the exact opposite was true. I had, in fact, just set my best time.
So how does any of this relate to writing? Let me cite two examples.
While writing the novel, I’d often feel apprehensive about the amount of time it was taking for completion. I’d give myself a deadline, maybe three months hence, only to find, as the target date approached, that I’d have to increase my output. All of which resulted in chapters that were, let’s just say, less than noteworthy. Not understanding that writing doesn’t lend itself to production-line principles, I’d end up edgy and frustrated over the resultant major rewrites and writer’s block. And all of that because of an arbitrary and unrealistic deadline. It was only when I deep sixed the deadline that I found myself slowing down, writing with relaxed conviction and, increasing my output.
Here’s another example. When unable to come up with interesting dialog, I’d sit at my computer, hours on end, only to get increasingly dejected for not coming up with something clever. When I learned to slow down, shut off the machine, walk away from the book, maybe go for a bike ride, I discovered ideas of all kinds–and good ones too–popping into my head. It was almost like the book was writing itself.
My advice then, if you’re barreling along at full speed and not making progress, is to hit the brakes. It’s amazing how much faster you’ll go.
