The Writing Process

For me, the writing process follows no concrete direction. It’s not necessarily about “beginning” and “ending”. It’s about middles and twists and starts and finishes, and absolutely everything that comes in between could be the beginning of a story for me. I usually start with something that won’t leave my mind; it could be a character, a line of dialogue, or a piece of imagery. After I have this building block, I think about it again and again. I ask myself questions: Who is this person? Who is saying what I’m hearing? What am I seeing? And I begin constructing upwards and outwards in a sense. I add details to what started as a simple picture or fact and create the ideas around it; I compose another world of fiction where these details exist. But I try to remember, and it’s not always simple to do, to keep asking myself questions to fill in “gaps” or uncertainties. Although, arguably, there will always be inquires left unanswered.

           In this entire process, I write things down. They may just be phrases or words, but eventually I use those to construct entire sentences, paragraphs, and scenes. They could become a short story or a chapter in a novel concept, and sometimes they don’t always make it past the planning stages, but I never let go of an idea completely. I keep them stored in notebooks to peruse now and again to see if inspiration strikes. For me, creative writing cannot be forced. Sure, something could always be produced, but I’m not happy with it entirely if I just wrote it because I had to. I like to feel immersed in a story I am writing, and when I can manage to do that- hear and see things as clearly as the imagination allows- I feel successful, like I’m on the verge of feeling accomplished and satisfied with a work. That feeling doesn’t always come, it’s rare, but when it happens it can’t be compared to any other mood-booster. It makes me want to keep working and keep editing and revising and striving to make a piece better because I’m invested in it. So, my writing process is almost all mental and, in turn, emotional. My mood and atmosphere affects how and what I write and how I react to it. 

Here is a blog about the writing process and suggested writing tips. 

"Be A Better Writer"- A website about the creative writing process.