Find Your Writing Process

As a writer, you have to find your own writing process.

I never knew about the writing process. When I went to school – back in the day -- we outlined and then wrote. My mind didn’t work that way, so I usually wrote and then crafted my outline from what was written. I got As, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Then I became a newspaper reporter. Lead paragraphs had to be a suscinct 20 to 28 words. That was a problem for me. How did I know where I was going until I was there? So I’d sit at the keyboard and type the story – beginning with the second paragraph. Undoubtedly, by the time I was about halfway done with the story, I’d realize what the lead needed to be. I’d go back and add it in – thank Heaven for computers. Unbeknownst to me, I’d taught myself to write using the writing process.

The writing process is described as cyclical – you brainstorm, draft, rewrite, edit, and publish. Some writers believe that any of these steps can be repeated as necessary until the publishing step. I’m one of those writers. I brainstorm, draft, rewrite, draft, rewrite the whole thing, edit, rewrite some more. Then more brainstorming might happen, which results in more drafting and rewriting.

It doesn’t matter how it is done, just do it!