Writing – The Process

 

When I read posts from beginning writers, I see a lot of wishful thinking. Some of them seem to believe that there is a magical formula to writing. If they just had the right software or whatever then they would have what they need to be the next “Big Thing”. In whatever form that takes for them. All they need is the magic formula and everything would be fine.

And it’s just not true.

Every writer I have ever heard describe their “process” describes something different. Some can only write it longhand. Others use typewriters, still others are using computers. Fancy, writing-specific software, basic word processing, or pen and paper. Daytime, nighttime, overnight, or just in spare moments. Churchill wrote in bed; one author wrote in the nude with instructions to his servants not to return his clothes until he had reached his daily page count. There are even folks who dictate the story and let someone else transcribe it! There is no “magic” process. There’s just what works for you.

The most important part in finding your process is to write regularly. It may be daily or weekly or every other Thursday. A writer needs to commit to the work. And it is work. The best results tend to come from workers who commit to getting it done.

My process works for me. Some parts of it may work for you as well. Feel free to borrow any part that works.

I try to write daily. My best work tends to come in the evening. After supper ‘til about 9 pm has been my “golden time”. Sometimes just an hour a day. There are lots of other things chewing up my schedule and I’m not in a position to write full time. If I find time during the day, I will write then, too. But I’m best when I write every day. Even if it’s only a paragraph.

For prose (short stories, blog content, and novels), I prefer computers. (For the record, I’m writing this post by hand. I had some time and an idea – but my hand is cramping!) I’ve tried several different pieces of software. They all have advantages and disadvantages. At the moment, I’m using Scrivener. I like the flexibility, and that it’s set up for the kind of writing I do. It’s working very well at the moment.

There is one time that I prefer to write longhand. When I feel the call to write poetry, I cannot do it on the computer. The technology feels like it is choking the poetry. My favorite pen (the Uniball Vision) and a notebook are the tools for that process. Poetry doesn’t work on a schedule the way prose does. It happens when it happens.

Peace

JD