My Writing Process

            Everyone has a different writing process, and sometimes that writing process changes depending on the book or the day. Jerry Jenkins (jerryjenkins.com) begins his writing day by editing what he wrote the day before. Some authors are known for writing all day, and others will either wake up early or stay up late in order to get their word count in. Everyone has a different process because we all live different lives and have different priorities and schedules.

            I have been writing stories since I was seven years old. I was a pantser (one who doesn’t plan) until I was about fourteen. At fourteen, I started creating my own writing process, and I built on that process until I finally found something that worked. If you are struggling to find a process that works or you want to change it up, I encourage you to not only read this blog post but to also research how other people write. Sometimes we can take a jumble of tactics and mash them into something unique that becomes our own. It doesn’t matter what we do – as long as we write our projects, then we can do whatever we want!

            Here is my writing process, beginning with the brainstorming stage and ending with the editing stage.

Brainstorming

            I will admit now that if anyone saw me brainstorming, they would laugh. Most of the time, I do come up with a story idea when I am trying to fall asleep, or I am inspired by a certain book or movie. But if I am filling in scenes or trying to create an idea for school, I will move everywhere in my room.

            And I mean everywhere.

            I will start at my desk with a notebook or my laptop. As ideas begin to cook, I will move to my bed for a little bit before settling on the floor and slouching against the wall. I may eventually end up sprawled in the middle of the floor before pacing a little bit and returning to my desk to jot down any ideas I produced.

            This is why I don’t brainstorm in coffee shops. I need space to move and pace.

            Once I do create an idea and begin to imagine certain scenes, I will write them down with an erasable marker on my glass desktop. I call these my Erasable Thoughts. I basically jot down whatever comes to mind, and if I think of something better, I erase a former thought and replace it. This helps me organize my thoughts without wasting a bunch of notebook pages or having to scratch out every other idea.

Planning

            Once I have most of an idea written down, I will add my Erasable Thoughts to my notebook. Then I begin to plan the events of my book. One way I do this is by creating a timeline. I usually write from the perspectives of two characters, so I will focus on one character and create a timeline for their part of the story. This helps me figure out the order of events, and I also decide how many chapters I want in between.

            Once I have ideas down, I create my characters. When I was younger, I’d jump straight into character art. But since I don’t have that kind of time anymore, I just work on creating character profiles (you can find many templates online). Creating characters is one of my favorite parts about writing. Sometimes I create a character and don’t have a story to go with them!

            The next part of my planning is something I picked up from James Scott Bell’s (2004) Plot and Structure book (I highly recommend his books). Bell suggests writing a one sentence synopsis for each chapter, and then writing a longer summary for those chapters. I follow the first one the way he suggests, but in the chapter summaries, I go a little crazy. Yes, I will summarize what I want in that chapter, but if I have a certain line or conversation in my head, I will write that down too so I won’t forget it. That’s completely fine, of course. It’s my planning.

            By writing a one-sentence synopsis, I slightly elaborate on what I already have in my timeline without going into detail yet. This helps me organize my ideas even more and connect each event to each other. Then the chapter summaries allow me to go into further detail which will help me during the actual writing stage.

Writing

            This is the grueling part. I love creating and planning out stories, but the writing part is difficult.

            When I first wrote a full-length book at sixteen years old (which I have since rewritten), I didn’t start at chapter one – I started at chapter twelve (which became chapter fourteen by the end of the draft). Sometimes it’s hard to start at the beginning. There’s no rule saying you have to start at chapter one, especially if you are a planner and already know what you want to write. I was excited to write the events of chapter twelve and beyond, so I started there, wrote through, then returned to chapter one and wrote until I reached where I started.

            I personally don’t think it matters where you start. As long as you write the book and know you will have to do a massive amount of editing at the end of the draft anyway, you can start wherever you want. The key is remembering to make sure everything weaves together during your editing.

            I am not being a good example here, but I have no set time for writing. This is mainly because of my schedule. My work schedule differs depending on the day, and my school schedule can either be light or overloaded. Work and school are my priorities, so often writing is pushed back to whenever I can do it. I do try to stay disciplined and write every day though, whether I am tired or not. When you think of your writing process, consider what your schedule looks like. It is definitely a good idea to have a set writing time, but if your schedule fluctuates like mine does, you may have to settle for writing whenever you find the time.

            Creating a deadline for myself has also helped motivate me to write as well as keeping myself accountable through social media. During the writing phase, I do whatever it takes to get me to write the entire first draft. It’s difficult sometimes, but when I find ways to motivate myself (see my “Lacking Motivation?” series), I get things done.

            Basically, when I write, I write when I can. Sometimes it’s a little bit because that’s all I can get my tired mind to focus on. But if I’m extra excited about a scene or if I have more time, then I may write more. It really depends on the day, which is why I have no set writing schedule. I just set a deadline and make sure I achieve it.

Editing

            There is something so satisfying about editing. Yes, I am practically ripping my book apart as I cross out sentences, move paragraphs, and X out the entire ending because I think it’s trash. Maybe it’s just the organizational aspect. I know that once I am done with editing, then my book will be even tighter than before. It’s like a dirty car. Yes, my first draft can function as a story just like a car can still function even when dirty. But after washing off all the dirt and bird poop and then vacuuming the inside, it’s even better than before.

            My editing process may sound a little strange. For the life of me, I cannot edit on my computer (even for school projects). I must be able to flip through the pages with ease, physically cross out sentences, and frustratedly turn pages when the plot flops. Though I am picking apart my story bit by bit, I honestly enjoy seeing all the red marks and knowing that once I fix all those, my story will be crisper.

            In my current novel in progress, I have had to go through about three drafts, and I intend to read through it a fourth time to make sure I’m happy with the changes. The second draft is usually where most of the changes are made, but the third draft allows me to see what I missed (and I miss a lot). For my novel, I used a red pen for edits during the second draft, and then I used an orange pen for the third run through. Now I am applying those edits to the actual document on my computer (while still editing if I come across something I missed).

There are probably shorter ways to go through the editing process, but I’ve decided it won’t be any shorter if I cannot make myself focus. Editing is more than just little things like grammar errors and misspellings. You have to make sure everything, including the plot, characters, and flow of the story, make sense. It’s tedious work, but it’s worth it.

            This is my writing process thus far! Once I go through the publishing process, I will write another blog post about that (the self-publishing process was just through Amazon KDP, which there are plenty of videos about if you’re interested). Hopefully, this has helped you figure out some things you want to try if you are struggling to find a process that helps you get your writing done. As I mentioned, everyone has a different process, but as long as writing gets done, you can do whatever makes you feel productive and ready to write!

Bibliography

Jenkins, J. B. jerryjenkins.com

Bell, J. S. (2004). Plot and structure: Techniques and exercises for crafting a plot that grips readers from start to finish. Writer’s Digest.