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Clunky writing

Clunky writing is one of my biggest fears.  Is it, perhaps, every writer's?  I'd rather be criticised for plot or boring characters than clunky writing.  Why is that?  Maybe because sentence structure and word choice are so personal.  It's really "me" I'm putting out there, and not a plot that may be bits of pieces of this and that.  Sometimes the plot and story and characters are other-worldly, like they come from someplace else, but the words?  Those are always mine. 

Word choice and sentence structure are also so nebulous, sometimes.  Or so ingrained that you don't even recognize that the writing is clunky.  It's like trying to recognize that you're breathing badly.  Ever notice that the more you try to focus on your breathing, the more you mess it up?  Trying to write flowy words is sometimes like that.  It has to just come, to be, and sometimes the best you can do is try to let go and let it say what it wants to say.  I think that's what every writer aims for -- that moment of Zen when the words flow out and the inner editor shuts up and magic sparkles on the page. 

So, check out nephele 's post on Clunky writing:  Levels of Craft.

One thing I'm trying to work into my own drafting process is not slowing down and driving myself crazy trying to find the perfect words in the first draft.  If my brain goes into shutdown and I can't find the word I want, instead of driving myself crazy trying to think of it or find it by doing a search for a synonym, and forgetting what was supposed to come next, I just type a Capital XX and keep going.  If I try one sentence and it sounds clunky, instead of deleting it and thinking of a new one, I just repeat myself with a new wording.  All that can be cleaned up in the second draft.  The forgotten word will magically appear when I re-read.  I can make a choice on which sentence I like better. 

Give yourself permission to write a bad first draft, let the writing be clunky on first draft.