With the "write, don't edit" rule in mind, how should one handle mistyping?
I usually stop or go back to fix the error as soon as I spot it, but often I feel this breaks the flow of writing.
Should one keep going, or stop to correct? I'm afraid I might miss some errors if I don't. And the thought of going back to fix everything in the end seems overwhelming.
Why should I prefer one over the other?
Answer
It sounds like you are struggling between two possiblities:
- Fixing typos but having your concentration on the forward movement of your writing broken, or
- Moving on but facing a daunting task of catching all of your errors during editing and re-writing.
Personally I would be driven crazy by not fixing a mistake I knew was there, and that would break my concentration far worse than going back, re-typing a word, and moving on. You may be totally different, however.
Since you have already tried fixing typos, try working on a segment for about 3/4 of your normal writing time without fixing typos. Then use the last quarter of your time to go back and fix typos - read the work out loud to yourself, read backwards, do whatever you need to do so that the brain's automatic comprehension features don't kick in and keep you from spotting errors. See if this way of working is better for you than fixing typos.
You may want to try both ways of working more than once. As you work you might come up with a hybrid approach. Perhaps you want to write short segments and then fix all the typos in them while deciding what to write next. Perhaps you want to figure in some time spent fixing basic typos. Perhaps you want to leave it all for your first round of editing, or even your last.
Whatever you do, make sure it keeps you writing.
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