How many pages, exactly, of crap was it that you needed to write before you got to the good stuff?

Powering through the word count here at NaNoWriMo Castle. But not all of the words are good.

It’s OK. No, really. It’s OK.

We are cranking out the words here at NaNoWriMo Castle. But it doesn’t mean these are finished products.

I would love to know how many paintings the masters tossed out the window. How many drafts do the best-selling authors chuck into the trash can (if they work with paper). Or delete. Or backspace. Or just “select all + delete” and it never sees the light of day?

It’s OK. Not only is it OK, it’s necessary.

If we didn’t write crap, how would we know when we wrote the good stuff?

I’m only half joking, but I’ve been on a tear the past few days writing clean, flowing prose and knowing it’s pretty good. But then this evening was a mess. However, I kept going. Part of me thinks it’s getting the nasty stuff out. Getting the kinks out, the wrinkles, the crap.

You have to get it out of your system. Let it out. Let it be free. It’s healthy. I promise.