Process

I often get asked the question, “How do you write?”

My reply is usually, “With a keyboard.” Hahahaha

It is usually the best answer because the truth is usually pretty boring. I will try and describe it as below, however, I warn you, it may be boring, however, you may find it interesting, however, it may be wishy-washy, and I’m gonna stop this run on sentence now before I use up my comma allowance for the week.

When I start with an idea, it is usually written down on a note pad and forgotten about for a few years. Literally. It is writ down, sorta baking away in the back of my mind, until I find the note and remember to check the oven. There it is, a something.

     Once I have an interest in it again, I will start making notes, again, passively – I carry a note book and when something hits me, I write it down. As the days go on, I become more and more interested until I have a stack of notes and a vague idea of where the story might be going, key points to hit, without knowing how they’re strung together.

     From there I start writing with pen and paper – yes an old fashioned pen! Gasp. I might fill a workbook or two with a basic plot, some dialogue, and probably some points left undescribed and assume I will fill it in later. Leaving this gap is good, though it might seem daunting, I consider it a creative space where once I hit the next phase, I know the story well, and can trust that the gaps will be filled.

     The next phase, if I haven’t re-written it by hand a second time, is to start typing. I take the workbook plot and start fleshing it out onto the screen. It is naturally rough, I don’t edit as much as possible in an effort to just get the words down (You can’t edit a book without having written a book).

     Once I have that done, possibly three or four months have gone by and I need a break…. And after that I go through re-writes. I do minor edits, though I am still more concerned with the plot and character, reading for sense and continuity, I will be fleshing out dialogue and improving things like theme and style.

     Theeeeen, after that my hands are sore… so I do another go through, this time more concerned with spelling and grammar and – this is probably 6 months in btw – still making sure I have hit all the points I aimed for and the characters work with continuity and the timeline makes sense.

     And after that, maybe, maybe it is ready to share with a close friend, and by share, I mean I might say I have been working on this project - and that is it - I cannot share more than that.

     At that point it might be time to say it is near a solid thing, and yet, it is still far from complete – begin the rounds of editing! You think you’re done, mate?? Nup, EDITING! Keep going until you question your very existence and if anything can ever actually be finished editing.

     After that, welp I guess you could share with some friends, this thing that has kept you hidden away for so long – this is around the second year by now… and after that, keep editing…

     Repeat this for roughly 10 years, allowing for interruptions such as the birth of your kids of course, haha.

Anyways so that is my process, I hope it was meaningful for you in some way or other.