the hurry-up manuscript: In writing, a strategy designed to put as many words on the page as possible while running as little time off the clock as possible.
If there is one thing I've learned thus far in 2010, it's that I am NOT good at the hurry-up manuscript. I admire those folks who can produce 5 or 6,000 words in a sitting, but I'm not one of them. Some writers can churn and burn, get a story on paper in a matter of days. More power to them. Seriously - wow! But I've found that when I try that, my story *feels* hurried, rushed. It has no breathing space. And I really, really like breathing space. I like luxuriating in words, letting them simmer and stew and fill my mindspace like how the smell of a pot of soup takes over your house after a few hours. This makes me a slow writer, but I've found I enjoy taking my time with a story. I don't have the opportunity to write every day, and allowing myself plenty of time with a story gives me the chance to think about my characters a lot, think about the best way to transition to the next scene, think about the path this story should take. So my promise to myself: commit no more hurry-up offenses.
How about you? Do you prefer to knock out a story quickly, while it's fresh, or let it simmer?
