The writing
process is different for everyone. Those articles you read, those words of
advice from authors you cleave to, need to be filed away as research. It’s only
opinion. Strategies that worked for them, and sometimes only them. And just
like them, mine is only another opinion.
When I write
non-fiction, I prepare an outline. I decide what information should be included
and in what order. I make a list of things I need to research, then factor in
my own knowledge, and begin. I organize everything into chapters and chapter
titles. For me, it’s a very distinct process.
When I write
creative non-fiction, I simply pick a subject and write. I write what I know
and make notes of anything I don’t. If research is required, I usually start
this process towards the middle or the end of the piece. It’s important to me
to write down my thoughts and feelings on the subject first, then back it up
(if necessary) with any “facts”. It really depends on how deeply I’m going to cover the
subject, or how intimately I’m attached to the project to decide if research is
even necessary.
Now the biggie:
fiction.
I do not plot.
I do not outline. My stories are character-driven, so a character sketch is the
only thing I draft before I begin the writing process. I make notes about where
and when the story will begin, where it will go, and possibly where it will end
up. But that’s it.
My characters
write the story. I may be the vessel they use, but they decide what’s going to
happen, what they’re going to say, and how they will get in and out of a
situation.
I don’t know
how the story ends (even if I guess) because I don’t know what they’re going to
do until they do it.
All I can tell
you is that it’s like having a movie projector in my head. I can see, hear,
smell, and taste everything that’s happening. I am in the room. I am in that
body. I feel and empathize. I am a man and then I am a woman. I am young. I am
old. I am learning and doing everything my character is learning and doing at
any given time.
That’s my
process. It’s a strange and wondrous thing writing fiction. I didn’t think I
could do it. Until I did.
Is that all
there is? Well, I have a note app on my phone where I keep thoughts, snippets of
dialogue, and ideas. I have a slew of notebooks where I write more of the same,
along with paragraphs and phrases. I use these tools to get started, keep me on
track, and edit.
But regardless of
what I’m writing about, the point is, I’m always writing. Always.
There are no
days off.
Does that mean
that I clock in an 8-hour work day? No. Some days I only write down those
thoughts and ideas. Other days, my butt is firmly planted in front of my
computer where I sit and write for as long as it takes to work out an idea, or
hit a particular work count, or when my brain freezes and my characters or the
story just needs to rest.
When I’m not
writing. I’m thinking about writing.
I had planned
on a full day of editing yesterday, but the words just wouldn’t come. I got up
and decided to work around the house. Physical activity helps my brain focus on
other things and ultimately allows the words to come back to me organically.
And there it
was. The words and ideas I needed for the Epilogue I wasn’t sure I was going to
write.
I tell you all
of this because I wish I had someone tell me these things during the years I spent spinning my wheels and “learning” how to write instead of just writing. Knowledge
is power, but you can only learn so much before you actually have to go to work
and just do it. Put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, and write.
