My writing process
Since I said I would try and write some more about writing, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to write about my process. Not really whether I am a pantser or a plotter, I feel like I have touched on that before and if I'm honest, I don't even know what I am.
No, today I want to write about my process with writing in general. Because I don't have a daily writing routine. Writing is not my job or even my main free time activity. I tried to establish a daily writing routine before (you know the ones that tell you you should try and write at least a sentence a day so you get into the flow) and I admit, I did advise other people on how to write daily. Because in theory I know all the tricks. But in reality, sometimes I stare at all my 7 started projects (4 in revision, 2 in the writing stage, one in planning) and not a single new word comes out of my mind. That is usually when I turn to editing because criticizing myself never seems to get old, but I can't focus on any of the rewrites or new first drafts. Not even for that silly little trick with the one sentence a day that is supposed to kick start your writing process.
Disclaimer: You won't find any tips on how to progress with your writing or how to establish a good routine. Who knows, maybe one day I will be there and I will write a post on how to write daily.
Second Disclaimer: This is a somewhat messy blog post because I wrote it in the middle of the night after an entire day of writing and words don't really look like words anymore. I hope you can't still enjoy this post.
Usually, I have an idea in the back of my head for a while. Sometimes it appears when I read a book, watch a film or talk to a friend about something they did the other day. One time I had an idea about a story while I was at work. Then that idea is stuck in my head for a good while. I try to figure out if I know anything about the characters, if I know anything about the plot or if there is anything I would like to research and learn more about. This is important for me to know that I will have enough to work with once I get started with the actual writing. One time I thought I had something, but I only had one scene and nothing else and only, years later I came back to it, morphed it with a project I had been working on for a while that was missing something. One less thing to worry about.
Once I know that I have enough to start considering writing it, I go down the rabbit hole, I call outlining. It starts with a one page summary and it can turn into a pinterest board/binder/mood board monstrosity. I look for actors I could use for inspiration for the characters, I definitely create at least one cover before I even know the plot and I have a new notebook selected for the job.
Please note that at this point I don't even have a surname for my main character.
Sometimes this is the point where I put the project away and focus on one of the projects I had already started but neglected at the idea of something shiny and new. At least I have a little bit of an outline and a mood board to get back to whenever I want to get started writing it.
But as with so many shiny, new things, this new project then spooks around my mind 24/7. Because of course I had to look more into the actors that I chose for my project and get obsessed with them and of course I have already figured out the title even though I'm still not really sure I even have a plot.
This is where the first shot of enthusiasm and writing energy comes in and I put away the novel I started 6 years ago and still haven't edited. I open up a new word document or yWriter file and I get to town. The opening scene is always very easy for me, because it is usually how I got to meet my main character as well. I like to work in chronological order and the most important part is to figure out who I'm even dealing with.
So the first chapter is usually done within a day (we are speaking 1. draft here, so I'm not at all saying that it isn't very badly written, but at least it is on paper) and now is where one of two things happens. The first is the dream scenario of me being able to keep going, writing that first draft and being proud of how I managed to write the story from start to finish. Or the second, more likely, scenario happens and I am completely lost after I wrote the first chapter. This is where I go back to my "outline". I look at the actors some more, because at this point I am truly obsessed; I try to think of the spark that caused me to even consider this idea worth pursuing and most importantly, I start writing down things that could or should happen. Sometimes I do that in a word document, sometimes on a piece of paper (or even a page of the notebook that I dedicated for that new project) and write down every little scene idea that I have. Every detail about a person, a location, a theme that I might want to include but don't know how to. To be honest, I often either lose that piece of paper or document or it isn't at all true anymore once I come back to the story.
Because I will have to come back to it later.
You are probably wondering why you are even still reading this post. I can't answer that for you. However, I can tell you why I am writing this.
A very common phenomenon happened to me over the last three days and it is exactly what happens after those first steps in my writing progress that I just told you about.
I finally wrote.
But I don't just write.
No, no, I have written 12 thousand words over the last three days. I hadn't touched any of my "work in progress" projects in at least six months. And I know that because I was genuinely surprised to see 2019 as the year I last opened the files. To be fair, usually it only takes me two months or so, but because the last six months have felt like one very quick one, it makes sense that I only got to it now.
It is like all the words that have been floating around in the back of my mind, waiting for the month right before all my exams where I should be spending most of my time preparing for exams, but instead I wrote non-stop, all day long (only on my days off, of course.)
Today, I got up at 7.30 am and I had to force myself to stop at 10.45 pm. I didn't have lunch, I ate dinner at 10 pm while reading through the last scene I had written and I don't think I had a single glass of water today. (Don't worry, I had a cup of tea this morning and I am drinking my third cup of water while writing this blog post at 11.30 pm.)
I lose myself in my writing. I lose myself in the question of what will happen next. And I will do so for as long as the juices are flowing. But I already know that it won't last forever and I certainly know it will not last until I am done with the first draft, so I will just milk it for as long as I can and then I will have to put it aside for yet another three months until I will finally put the end under a story and then put it on a USB stick in the back of my writing drawer at my desk where I will forget about it. (I am not joking, when I wrote down how many projects I am currently revising in this post earlier, I had to later correct the number because I forgot one of them)
Why am I really writing this post?
I'm writing this post for two reasons. First, to explain my weird twitter timeline of me complaining about not having written a single word in four months and then suddenly letting you all know that I hit 15k in my new project. And second, and most important, for anyone out there who feels bad that they don't have a daily writing routine. For anyone like me who feels like they can't call themselves a writer when they haven't written a single word in months. For anyone who doesn't trust in the process yet. All of you out there I want to tell that it is okay to not write for a while, it is even okay to use your author/writer blog for some reading content because you need to at least post something. It is also okay to not be on Twitter because you feel bad for not having anything new to share with Twitter and can't answer a single question on your current WIP, so you rather stay away entirely. (keep in mind this can result in a lot of people unfollowing you, so maybe try and share a cat picture once a day if you are into the numbers?)
All I'm trying to say is, trust the process. It is yours and yours alone and you should not feel shamed by anyone on social media who tells you that you have to write everyday or otherwise you are not a real writer.
So, now that I got that off my chest, I really have to stop typing, my hands are starting to feel weirdly tingly and I can't feel my bum anymore.
I hope you could take away at least something from this post, and if it is only that I am weird, then that is okay too. I promise I will try and come back to you with some more writing content for Camp Nanowrimo in July. I just hope my writing streak hasn't ripped off by then.
Oh damn, let's all knock on wood, in case I jinxed it.
Anyway, take care and write on.
Lena
No, today I want to write about my process with writing in general. Because I don't have a daily writing routine. Writing is not my job or even my main free time activity. I tried to establish a daily writing routine before (you know the ones that tell you you should try and write at least a sentence a day so you get into the flow) and I admit, I did advise other people on how to write daily. Because in theory I know all the tricks. But in reality, sometimes I stare at all my 7 started projects (4 in revision, 2 in the writing stage, one in planning) and not a single new word comes out of my mind. That is usually when I turn to editing because criticizing myself never seems to get old, but I can't focus on any of the rewrites or new first drafts. Not even for that silly little trick with the one sentence a day that is supposed to kick start your writing process.
Disclaimer: You won't find any tips on how to progress with your writing or how to establish a good routine. Who knows, maybe one day I will be there and I will write a post on how to write daily.
Second Disclaimer: This is a somewhat messy blog post because I wrote it in the middle of the night after an entire day of writing and words don't really look like words anymore. I hope you can't still enjoy this post.
Usually, I have an idea in the back of my head for a while. Sometimes it appears when I read a book, watch a film or talk to a friend about something they did the other day. One time I had an idea about a story while I was at work. Then that idea is stuck in my head for a good while. I try to figure out if I know anything about the characters, if I know anything about the plot or if there is anything I would like to research and learn more about. This is important for me to know that I will have enough to work with once I get started with the actual writing. One time I thought I had something, but I only had one scene and nothing else and only, years later I came back to it, morphed it with a project I had been working on for a while that was missing something. One less thing to worry about.
Once I know that I have enough to start considering writing it, I go down the rabbit hole, I call outlining. It starts with a one page summary and it can turn into a pinterest board/binder/mood board monstrosity. I look for actors I could use for inspiration for the characters, I definitely create at least one cover before I even know the plot and I have a new notebook selected for the job.
Please note that at this point I don't even have a surname for my main character.
Sometimes this is the point where I put the project away and focus on one of the projects I had already started but neglected at the idea of something shiny and new. At least I have a little bit of an outline and a mood board to get back to whenever I want to get started writing it.
But as with so many shiny, new things, this new project then spooks around my mind 24/7. Because of course I had to look more into the actors that I chose for my project and get obsessed with them and of course I have already figured out the title even though I'm still not really sure I even have a plot.
This is where the first shot of enthusiasm and writing energy comes in and I put away the novel I started 6 years ago and still haven't edited. I open up a new word document or yWriter file and I get to town. The opening scene is always very easy for me, because it is usually how I got to meet my main character as well. I like to work in chronological order and the most important part is to figure out who I'm even dealing with.
So the first chapter is usually done within a day (we are speaking 1. draft here, so I'm not at all saying that it isn't very badly written, but at least it is on paper) and now is where one of two things happens. The first is the dream scenario of me being able to keep going, writing that first draft and being proud of how I managed to write the story from start to finish. Or the second, more likely, scenario happens and I am completely lost after I wrote the first chapter. This is where I go back to my "outline". I look at the actors some more, because at this point I am truly obsessed; I try to think of the spark that caused me to even consider this idea worth pursuing and most importantly, I start writing down things that could or should happen. Sometimes I do that in a word document, sometimes on a piece of paper (or even a page of the notebook that I dedicated for that new project) and write down every little scene idea that I have. Every detail about a person, a location, a theme that I might want to include but don't know how to. To be honest, I often either lose that piece of paper or document or it isn't at all true anymore once I come back to the story.
Because I will have to come back to it later.
You are probably wondering why you are even still reading this post. I can't answer that for you. However, I can tell you why I am writing this.
A very common phenomenon happened to me over the last three days and it is exactly what happens after those first steps in my writing progress that I just told you about.
I finally wrote.
But I don't just write.
No, no, I have written 12 thousand words over the last three days. I hadn't touched any of my "work in progress" projects in at least six months. And I know that because I was genuinely surprised to see 2019 as the year I last opened the files. To be fair, usually it only takes me two months or so, but because the last six months have felt like one very quick one, it makes sense that I only got to it now.
It is like all the words that have been floating around in the back of my mind, waiting for the month right before all my exams where I should be spending most of my time preparing for exams, but instead I wrote non-stop, all day long (only on my days off, of course.)
Today, I got up at 7.30 am and I had to force myself to stop at 10.45 pm. I didn't have lunch, I ate dinner at 10 pm while reading through the last scene I had written and I don't think I had a single glass of water today. (Don't worry, I had a cup of tea this morning and I am drinking my third cup of water while writing this blog post at 11.30 pm.)
I lose myself in my writing. I lose myself in the question of what will happen next. And I will do so for as long as the juices are flowing. But I already know that it won't last forever and I certainly know it will not last until I am done with the first draft, so I will just milk it for as long as I can and then I will have to put it aside for yet another three months until I will finally put the end under a story and then put it on a USB stick in the back of my writing drawer at my desk where I will forget about it. (I am not joking, when I wrote down how many projects I am currently revising in this post earlier, I had to later correct the number because I forgot one of them)
Why am I really writing this post?
I'm writing this post for two reasons. First, to explain my weird twitter timeline of me complaining about not having written a single word in four months and then suddenly letting you all know that I hit 15k in my new project. And second, and most important, for anyone out there who feels bad that they don't have a daily writing routine. For anyone like me who feels like they can't call themselves a writer when they haven't written a single word in months. For anyone who doesn't trust in the process yet. All of you out there I want to tell that it is okay to not write for a while, it is even okay to use your author/writer blog for some reading content because you need to at least post something. It is also okay to not be on Twitter because you feel bad for not having anything new to share with Twitter and can't answer a single question on your current WIP, so you rather stay away entirely. (keep in mind this can result in a lot of people unfollowing you, so maybe try and share a cat picture once a day if you are into the numbers?)
All I'm trying to say is, trust the process. It is yours and yours alone and you should not feel shamed by anyone on social media who tells you that you have to write everyday or otherwise you are not a real writer.
So, now that I got that off my chest, I really have to stop typing, my hands are starting to feel weirdly tingly and I can't feel my bum anymore.
I hope you could take away at least something from this post, and if it is only that I am weird, then that is okay too. I promise I will try and come back to you with some more writing content for Camp Nanowrimo in July. I just hope my writing streak hasn't ripped off by then.
Oh damn, let's all knock on wood, in case I jinxed it.
Anyway, take care and write on.
Lena
Follow me and stay in touch:
Twitter: @lena_fiala
Instagram: @lena_fiala_
Business inquiries: lena.fiala99@gmail.com
Twitter: @lena_fiala
Instagram: @lena_fiala_
Business inquiries: lena.fiala99@gmail.com
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