Hello frens, anyone else facing this problem? I've read this line 30 times over and I'm STILL not satisfied with what is being said. Am I actually making any sense? Am I reading too much into this? Does it make sense? Could it be better... how can I make this sound better? Am I just muddling myself? dOEs iT maKE sENsE???
This is a continuous challenge I face when writing poetry. I find it difficult to refresh and relax when it comes to reading over my work. It reaches a stage where I feel like nothing is making sense and I am unable to either improve the line, or know when enough is enough and no further editing is required.
I would be curious to know if others out there experience the same thing. How often does this happen to you? Do you have any advice to help clear the mind before re-reading? For me, I like to run my poem through Google Translate and let the automated voice read my poem out to me in a new voice, lol. It does work a lot of the time!
Let me know ya thoughts. Thanks!
I've run into this problem so many times. It is a common occurrence among writers as a whole. We are natural perfectionists when it comes to our work. That is why I would suggest the following:
After you finish writing something (this first draft) set it aside for two to three days before looking at it again. The reason why this technique works is that it gives your mind space to let everything settle. More than likely you won't even remember what you were writing about in the first place, and so when you go to look at the prose again, you will have a new set of eyes.
Have other people review your work. This one is a bit tricky because you have to be comfortable enough to share it in the first place, but I assure you it works if you are willing to accept the process. Pro Tip: Don't judge what everyone is saying about your work, or get combative, but instead consider what they are saying and apply it before ruling it out. Doesn't hurt to try.
Just take a break. Leave the prose alone. Go for a walk to clear your head. Listen to some music. Paint a picture. Check your socials. Go on an adventure somewhere. Anything except focusing on your writing. It isn't going anywhere. It's not like it will fly away. Give yourself the space you need to start refreshed. Then when you are done with that task, come back to it and try again. I recommend looking at the Pomodoro Method.