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Develop A Writing Process That Works For You

Copyright © 2004 by Angela Booth


We're experiencing a building boom in the little Sydney suburb I live in. Every second street contains a building site. Stroll down a street one day, and there's an old house surrounded by mature trees. The next week the house, most of the trees and all the fences are gone, and an ultra-high, barb-wire-topped chain-link fence surrounds a vacant block. A few weeks later, a bulldozer levels the block and digs trenches. Then ten fashionable town houses appear, brick by brick, where the original house once stood.

Once the bricks and the sun-tanned builders arrive, the entire construction is a done deal. They've got plans, and a process.  The framework goes up. Every day the walls get a little higher.  It's messy and confusing to an outsider, but the process works.

Like the builders, you need a way to construct your writing. With a writing process, you don't get stuck. You build your writing brick by brick, tile by tile. Here's a process which works for almost any piece of writing:


 1. What's the task?

Ask yourself what you want your writing to do.

If you procrastinate on your writing, it's because you haven't laid the foundation. You haven't created a brief for yourself.  Ask yourself: What job does the writing have to do?   Then create a working title which defines the job: "A Summary Of Three Popular Diets"; "A Sales Flyer For Smother's Garden Center For A One-Day Sale"; "A Whodunit Featuring An Aboriginal Detective".

I paste Post-Its with working-titles around my computer monitor.  They're mini-briefs, and provide a compass for a writing project.


 2. Create the framework

All writing needs structure, and you must put the structure in place before you begin your first draft. This doesn't mean that you can't free-write, and pre-write. But once you start the major work, you work to a structure.

The easiest way to do this is to look at your working title, and make a list of points and ideas. For example, for "A Summary Of Three Popular Diets", you could list three major headings: (1) high protein (2) low-fat (3) calorie-counting. Then list sub-headings under these initial headings.

If you're creating the framework for a novel: "A Whodunit
Featuring An Aboriginal Detective", you could list  headings too.  They might include: (1) the crime (2) the detective/ main character (3) conflict (4) red herrings (5) suspects.

Your framework gives you a map for the writing.

Each piece of writing must be logical. Your reader will be
asking: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Answer the questions.


 3. Write right now, research later

Write first, as soon as you've completed a framework. You can research later. It's vital that you get your basic draft on paper first, otherwise you'll get lost in the byways of research. Once you have a basic draft, you'll know what information you're looking for when you research.


 4. Write (the/ an) introduction

Write your intro when you've completed the first draft. Your intro is your hook, and you may change it half a dozen times before you complete your article/ book.

Many embryo novelists struggle with the first chapter. They rewrite Chapter One until all the juice is wrung out of the story idea, and never get beyond Chapter Three.

Don't worry about the introduction, whether it's a couple of paragraphs or an entire chapter. You'll rarely use it, it's simply a way for you to get comfortable with the voice and the tone of the piece of writing. Think of it as clearing your throat before you speak.


5. What's the takeaway for the reader?

What will your reader get out of what you're writing?
Information? Entertainment?

Once you've worked out what the takeaway is, highlight it. Add more conflict and excitement (or romance or humor) to your novel.  Make a list of "how to" items for your article.

Editors buy because of the takeaway.


 6. Cut

Cut your work by 50 per cent.

Yes, you heard right. Cut by HALF. This is because your work contains fluff and filler, like adverbs and adjectives.

You won't see where you can cut until you've removed yourself from the writing. So leave it for at least a day, preferably a week, or in the case of a novel, at least a month.

After you've slashed and burned, you can revise and rewrite.


 7. Have you covered everything?

This is where you ask yourself questions about the writing, trying to approach it the way a reader would.

Fill in any missing bits. You will want to fact-check here. Check names and dates.


 8. The final polish

This is where you can pretty it up. Focus on style. Use a
dictionary. Work on the title.

There you have it, a writing process that works. To get the process to work for YOU, tinker with it. You'll develop your own process over time. Have fun with it.


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WRITING AND THE CREATIVE IMAGINATION - HOW TO OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK 

by Craig Lock

Writers block: What is it and how do you overcome it?

Introduction:
This piece was written as a
reply to a question in a literary magazine on how we can all use our creative imagination (or subconscious mind) to overcome writer's block. Thought I'd share a few thoughts on how to use the amazing powers of your creative imagination to the fullest in overcoming "writer's block"...

Just letting you know that I start all my novels with a BASIC PLOT (plan) and don't have much idea how it's all
going to end up ("pan out". I don't use techniques, like
"mindmapping" and have found that by writing one chapter at a time then simply "letting go", the story simply flows onto the next naturally (at least I think it does!). When I get "stuck" for a while, I take a long walk along the stunningly beautiful beaches here, which really relaxes me and then the thoughts simply "flow into my head". This takes hold and I get a clear vision of the next small step ahead (always) - through the amazing powers of the subconscious mind , which is where our INSPIRATION
comes from..... and this leads, impels (nice word!) us into
ACTION. I study and write quite a bit about the amazing powers of the human mind...and truly believe the "powers" are available to ALL writers, when they simply relax and trust their intuition. "Let Go and Let God (or whatever God means to you personally), Spirit, the Universe* reveal plot (or ANY IDEA to move forward) to you" through your CREATIVE IMAGINATION, our "connection with God, the Divine", Higher Intelligence, Our Creator... and it never fails to work for me (in all areas of life, I believe)! 

* I could go on and on here: Infinite Intelligence, Universal Consciousness, Infinite Spirit, Higher Self, Deity, Divine, Superior Being/Intelligence, etc. Stop, Craig -  this is an article on writing and not religion. 

Enough "spiritual thoughts" and back to writing!

N.B: I truly believe we ALL have this amazing power within us (not only writers) and like any skill, it just needs to be
developed with practice. So that using it becomes a HABIT. Then the incredible power of one's creative imagination can solve any problem you may encounter down the "river of life". Hope this may help in whatever endeavor you choose (artistic or otherwise), as
it does help me move forward daily in my "funny" situation (and "funny job") in life. 

Just TRUST the Creative Imagination, our link to the Divine, a spark that lies within EVERY ONE of us human 'beans'.

Craig Lock
http://www.craiglock.com
http://www.craiglockbooks.com

P.S: Sorry about all the "eyes" in the article, but didn't know how to write it any other way. Perhaps I should have left the "problem" to my creative imagination! 

" I truly believe we can all create and enthuse magic into
'so-called humdrum little lives'. You don't just have to be the choreographer, or the conductor of your life script - rather paint your life as the the masterpiece it could (one day) be. 

There is a rich tapestry of talent in every human soul, that
flows through (and from ), the Source of our Being, the Spirit of God, Life. So don't spend your days stringing and tuning your instrument; start making and playing your unique tunes of music now." 
- Craig Lock

"Life is about finding, then following the dream... and one's dream/vision comes to reality through believing in yourself, making the commitment and then creating it." 
- Craig Lock

The "original" Online Creative Writing Course:
http://www.craiglock.com/writer/index.html 

About the Author:
Craig believes in the great potential of every human being in the journey of life and loves to encourage people to share their individual (and guiding) spirits, so that they become all that they are CAPABLE of being.

The various books that Craig "felt inspired to write" are
available at: http://www.bridgeniche.com 
 

 

5 Quick Ways to Beat Writers Block
Linda Dominique Grosvenor ©2003  All Rights Reserved.

If you need to spend more time writing, instead of endless
hours dreaming about "being" a writer, here are five quick tips.

1. Get away from the computer. Nothing ever happened
staring at the computer except the onset of dizziness
and eye strain. They say that a watched pot doesn't boil,
the same goes for a book. Sitting at a computer doesn't
write a book, whereas a change in scenery (even if you're
just moving a chair nearer to an open window) can start the creative juices flowing and move you closer to your dream of becoming published.

2. Flip through a popular magazine. Faces, places and the bright colors in magazine ads can change our moods. Reading through the featured stories can fuel ideas or help you flesh out your current outline too. I collect magazines specifically for the photos and often make a collage. Every now and then when I desire to create a character that is more tangible and realistic rather than flat, I cut out a photograph from a magazine and add it to my collage. I find that it's easier to draw a story when the characters appears to be an actual person or people I can see and relate to.

3. Smell the fruit. When I'm stumped for an idea or just want to stir up a few memories that I can tie into my storylines I get dressed and get out of the house. I go to the market to buy fruit. Smelling oranges, strawberries and other familiar scents trigger memories that can go as far back as childhood. Memories can in turn give birth to ideas, and wonderful ideas produce interesting stories that don't have the same clichéd
stereotypes, but rather are inventive and new.

4. A good movie surprisingly enough does wonders for my
writing as well. It may be my analytical nature that dissects every scene in the movie and pays close attention to the color of the draperies, the items strewn across the coffee table and the mannerisms of the actors in the movie as they interact with each other or get behind the wheel of a car and toss their hair before they drive off. The truth of the matter is that screenplay or novel, writing is writing, and a good book should be as visual as a movie and effectively paint a picture in the mind of the reader. Watch your favorite movie, take notes on the key elements, then get back to writing.

5. Stilted dialogue or the lack of can leave a story bland and unappetizing. Readers love the interaction between characters and a novel heavy on narration can leave little to be desired. A sure fire exercise to get your dialogue jumping is eavesdropping. Listen to the dialogue around you. Whether the people speaking are angry, remorseful or elated to see each other, the more realistic the dialogue, the more believable your writing will be. Realistic dialogue will turn, "Janice, my sweet darling, the love of my life, I miss you too," into "Miss you too." And it will turn a book that leaves much to be desired into something that readers honestly won't want to put down.

Now, employ one or more of these five quick tips and get back to work on finishing up your masterpiece. The readers are waiting.

=============
Linda Dominique Grosvenor is the Best Selling author of
several novels including BLOOM, FEVER and LIKE BOOGIE
ON TUESDAY. Log on to the website to read a
FREE excerpt of her latest release PRETTY BOYS.
www.lindadominiquegrosvenor.com