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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Hello, Harvey. I absolutely loved that change from "she said" to "she slapped the steering wheel," but when I do that same kind of thing in my writing, I--and I think most writers--simply call it "editing" our own work. I sense a reluctance on your part to use that phrase. Is that accurate?

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Harvey Stanbrough's avatar

Yes, that's accurate. The difference is that *cycling" is a function of the creative subconscious. In other words, when I cycle through what I've written, I'm not consciously looking for anything. (For instance, I didn't 'look for' instances of 'said' and think about how to replace them with descriptive dialogue. As I read for pleasure, I allow the characters to touch the story.

Editing is a function of the conscious, critical mind. We look for things to correct, then correct them. That's a sure way to start second-guessing yourself and freeze solid in your writing.

In TNDJ, my didactic *explanation* of the technique is a function of the conscious mind, but once writers are aware of the benefit of slowing down and taking their time as they write and/or cycle through what they've written, I hope they will trust their creative subconscious and just tell the story.

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Dr. Mardy Grothe's avatar

Thanks for the explanation.

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Harvey Stanbrough's avatar

You're welcome.

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