Novel What's Your Writing Process?

Adopting a writing process is very important for a writer, mostly all writer's are following a writing process. Writing process is a best idea for writer to write any blog or story perfectly. Firstly you have to prewrite what you want to write then increase your ideas and inspiration, build your won idea and concept to write, make a proper planning, then write what you want make it fare, revised it and remove all the mistakes and then publish it without any mistake.

 

For me just making sure that I'm continuously thinking about whatever I'm working on really helps. While walking to work, putting on an audiobook about learning how to write better, or if I have an idea for my story, making sure that I toss it into my phone for later. I know these suggestions don't really help so much with the actual structure of your writing regimen, but I find that the hardest thing for me is just keeping up the motivation to continue working on it after I get home from my real job (which has nothing to do with writing...).

 

Excellent thoughts all, your threads give me hope that I too can learn for all of you. I am late in life trying to relearn writing, I wish I could introduce casual writing as just making friends without challening the rules.

 

My way of writing has changed over time, I used to be able to sit and write for hours at a time (what with not being able to find a job, as much as I tried, it wouldn't happen) now that I am doing about 40 hours of work split between college and my job, its much more difficult to be able to gain the time, but I make the most of all opportunities (even if its a working lunch). Because I have become quite quick at touch typing, it's made my life a lot easier to get the words onto the page, even if they aren't that great, because I've realised the true value of editing

 

I keep a notepad and I have an idea vault. I also use concept artwork to help me flesh out or imagine ideas.

 

Lately I have adapted a new process of writing. when not writing on paper I use take notes on a single word document, then on the same document, start to form sentences , ideas, thoughts, research info ect.. writing more sentences, paragraphs and start to delete what I don't want until a story begins to form

 

Hi I'm new
I have settled for the impulse method.
I get an idea and just work as quickly as possible to get it down on paper. I have found it to be the most efficient way of beating what I call 'the doubt'. I currently only write short stories so I doubt how effective this method would be for a more complex novel.

Once finished I save my work and will not look at it for a good few weeks. This way when I come back to it, it is with a clear mind that (in theory) is unbiased from being immersed in an imaginative world. I find this helps with being more clinical when making a second draft.

 

I used the outline technique with my last book and it work so I am currently trying that with the new book I am writing. They are leveled bullet points or numbered points. For each number I will write a map as to the main points I want to hit in the story/chapter. The sub-points will contain things that I want specifically to happen under each point so for example:

1. John meets Karen
a. They meet at a coffee house
b. John talks about the weather....
2. Karen go back home
a. She tells her roommate about her night and the boy she met

Having a map works for me so that I don't spend too much time thinking about what happens next. Also today, I decided I want to change up my characters relationship a bit to make it more strained so I go back and edit the outline first to make sure the change will not disrupt my plan for the story. Perhaps if the relationship is strained that X doesnt ask Y to go to the movies...blah blah yah know?

I started my outline yesterday and that same night I started writing. I only got about 1000 words so far but I covered my first 2 points.

 

I started with a blog - and fleshed out the idea over a couple of years banging away at the keyboard - seeing what the response was.

Next, the idea was shelved and I pursued other projects. I thought the whole writing thing was just ego holding me back.

Soon, I am in full production and have basically set aside a few things to give me space. I have a strict deadline and am focused on getting a result.

Just today, I join this forum and I am writing this... It is not enough to keep delaying with more 'research' and no productivity....

Back to work!

 

Tough for me to really say as I'm very new to writing.

For me I have had this idea building up inside my head for well over a year but never really put anything down, mainly thinking this was just some stupid fantasy about having my own book. I guess you could call this a confidence issue, putting it bluntly I'm not the most gifted person in grammar and punctuation...

As of late though I decided I really want to get this idea out of my head and down into a book if you like, so I started with researching more about books and how to write and general ideas of how to actually reach my goal.

So far I have no title for the book but a concept and if you like chapters that I have thought of, now I want to connect these chapters flesh them out a little and try and get my first draft complete. The main thing for me is that I really enjoy writing and for me in a self indulgent way be able to sit back and know that I wrote this book !

I also enjoy blogging, but I actually blog about different things from writing and my book idea which in truth I have kept very very secret from everyone so far.

 

Hi, I'm new to writing as well.
This is what I've found useful for me so far:

1)The ideas come from a lot of daydreaming on the bus whenever I'm going somewhere alone. I'd say about 90% of my ideas have come from just idle daydreaming. I imagine the scenarios how they would play out in real life and any dialogue that sounds good I write down on my phone.

2)I make a timeline of the main events of the story.

3)I write dialogue for the main events, although this gets edited out. It's more so I can 'see' how the events would unfurl.

4)I work on the parts of the story that are most suited to my current frame of mind.

5)When writing in the first person I decide what kind of music my characters would listen to and put it on in the background (regardless of whether or not I like it myself!)

6)I write really rough drafts and go over it later and add in bits of information that connect the main points together.

Its a bit scatterbrain but for me it seems to be working!

 

I write out a step by step bulletin plan. Short sentences that briefly describe what is going to happen next. I work on my idea, then keeping working on it, keep trying to work it all out, adding to the bulletins until I have the whole thing planned out in short sentences, or bulletins. I do often work on the actual novel in between, when things aren`t quite fully planned, but I will never be able to finish it until the bulletins are complete. I underline the parts that I haven`t finished yet, that way I can easily see what is and isn`t done. I call that word doc one name, I have my working title as another word doc, and a third doc is for my scribble pad. I work on one part at a time, one bulletin until it`s finished, in my scribble doc. Then I transfer that to the main doc, start on another, build it up bit by bit.
Bit of a weird process but it is working for me.

 

I haven't got a process down yet. Since I'm fairly new, and not on any kind of schedule, I'm just feeling my way forward. I am a fairly visual person though, so most of my brainstorming is going on in my sketchbook, next to my sketches of characters and scenes.
I do the outlining of my short stores while I'm out walking, because I have the "space" to do that out there. My office is too cramped (read: distracting) for any kind of big thinking. But that is as far as I've really gotten. I'm not working on a real story yet.

 

I know that many writers swear by outlines and reams of notes. I don't work from an outline. My first draft is always out of my head. After that I sit back and, reading through it, make some organizational notes regarding the shape of the next draft. Then i revise, revise, revise---with plenty of coffee close at hand.

 

Try to show up everyday. That's the course I am on now. For example, right now I am getting up quite early and
making the coffee and sitting down right in front of that computer screen. There's no time limit, or no specific amount of pages for me to achieve, but even if I get a line of dialogue in that I'm satisfied with, or that I feel works, or was exactly what I was looking for, than I will say out loud "Yep, today's a success." That's it. I got something in.

Joining a writing forum on a day in which you can't seem to produce anything, like I have done today, makes that day a success.

The further you indulge in your hobby or future career is always a good thing. If you read something that inspires you on a day in which you are not sure if what you have written is good or bad, again, that day is a success.
You are not giving up. That's what matters. Because all of this combustible inspiration that you've been seeking will continue to feed the right side of your brain, and keep that creative urge in check. Before you know, you'll be on a role. Getting good stuff in everyday, or just about everyday.

 

I don't really have a process or at least not a very good one. I come with an idea, start writing, realize I have no idea what I'm actually writing, elaborate the idea, worldbuild, and then get back to work writing. I'm sure there are easier ways to do it, but it's just what works for me.

 

My writing process is to first have an idea. Then I'll figure out what where it will begin, and how it will end up. Basically, getting from point A and point Z. I developed my own personal five step guide for this part:-

1) Opening: Set the scene and/or introduce characters.
2) Catalyst: Something that happens which gets the ball rolling. Directs the story.
3) Mid-stage: Where something gets noticed or realised. Rouses curiosity.
4) Epiphany: When everything comes together and makes sense. The protagonist has a purpose!
5) Conclusion: How it all turns out. Who dies. Who gets rich and famous. Who stole the keys.

I know this structure isn't ideal for planning every story, but it gives me some direction at least.

After that is established, I start to develop my protagonist and antagonist. I'll do this simple by thinking what kind of person, or creature, would react best within the plot. Then I start to brainstorm ideas for my characters. Name, appearance, personality, weaknesses, conflicts, and so forth. I tend to write down all my ideas, not matter how simple they are. You never know when they might come in handy.

Next stage is block planning: setting up the significant stages within the plot that need to take place. To get from A to B this needs to happen. To get from B to C that needs to happen. And so on.

Everything else is done when sitting before the plank page. That's my method, anyway!

 

A. I write in my physical journal of what scenario's would be best for "Said this chapter."
B. I circle the best scenario's and erase all else.
C. Start writing on the PC.
D. Look over my journal and new chapter I just wrote.
E. Spell-check.
F. Look over again.
G. Wait until Friday to publish it.

 

1. Write
2. Spell Check
3. Keep revising until it seems good.

 

I don't know for sure, but I think everyone goes through this.

I've been a beginner writer for a very long time, but recently, I think I've starting to understand how this whole writing jag works... for me, at least. I've completed drafts of six novels and since what you're asking about is process (how to get from the blank page to a completed draft) I feel I'm qualified to jump in. I had two novels published as ebooks by a forerunner of Smashwords, Action Tales (and I only mention this because they approached me, not the other way around) but I still don't see myself as a commercial author because I have yet to write something that's ended up in physical print (ie. a paperback or hardcover book on the shelf of a bookstore).

However, maybe something here will inspire you.

1. Write out the story idea in one or two sentences; use no more than 50 words.

If the story is solid and commercial (I'm assuming you want to sell it eventually) I should be able to--at some point along the way between first concept and second draft--write a compelling pitch or log-line. If I can't, it'll be a long shot if anyone takes any notice of it. It has to include the main character, the antagonist, the struggle and at imply the genre.

2. If I don't know where I'm going, I can't get there.

I think it was Stephen King who said he writes this way (in his book, On Writing). If he knows what his climactic scene is (the big third-act to-do) then he can start wherever feels right and aim for that final scene. I've done this--especially in seat-of-the-pants drafts--and it does work... for first drafts. There's a long way to go after the finished first draft, but at least it gives me a proof of concept, an idea of whether or not the story is a story and not just an anecdote. If I can hit 60,000 words this way, I feel confident I'm writing a novel-length story.

I also read somewhere else that it's best to start as far from this final scene as possible. I guess that means that if, for instance, your main character is going to end up as king of the dung-heap at the end, he should be under it at the beginning, as far from that goal as possible. I don't always consciously do this, but I think about it sometimes if I feel like I'm going off course.

Writing as a pantser can be hair-raising, but also invigorating. What I do is sit down at the computer, clear my mind, and just get my fingers going on the keys. Whatever comes out, comes out. I do a lot of backspacing, though.

I have to keep reminding myself, too, that a finished draft written this way isn't the end of the line. Not by a long shot. Be prepared to do a page-one rewrite of anything you come up with this way, that is: start from scratch with a second story that has a lot of similarities to the first but isn't exactly the same. I usually whine about this for days, weeks or even months before I can talk myself into getting back to work.

3. Finding a solid plot

Sometimes before the first draft, but mostly after, I've used the Dramatica approach as summarized here and found that works well for coming to grips with the major movements in a story if they aren't coalescing well in my head... as long as I don't get too carried away with following it to the letter. Following anything religiously often bogs me down.

But most of the time, I use Save the Cat! beats to get there. They have the advantage of defining these beats differently for different genres of story (although Blake Snyder's definition of 'genre' may not be the same as what you're already familiar with).

3. Getting down to the nitty-gritty of scene/sequel writing

I found Dwight V. Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer to be quite an eyeopener for learning about how the flow of a story is controlled in scenes and what Swain calls sequels, those rambling bits that join scenes together. I guess I find this approach works for me because it's kind of a microcosm of #2 above.

I keep summaries of what a scene, a sequel and a motivation/reaction unit are visible on my second monitor to use as guidelines as I'm writing.

In Conclusion:
The best advice I can give is to read everything you can get your hands on about the process of writing. Experiment with every approach. Something, somewhere, will click with you. There are hundreds of books out there and I've mentioned above two of those that worked well for me.

I once exchanged email with Sandra Brown and she said she found Swain's book to be very helpful when she was learning to write.

 

Really appreciate the in-depth processes being outlined by people further down the track from me. Great ideas and structural examples being provided. Thank you sincerely.

 

I was wondering if anybody had any luck with that. I bought the software awhile back and, when I was asking questions about the process, Chris was really rude to me. I got frustrated with it and sent the software back for a refund. I never could figure it out and came to believe it was snake oil. But, if you find it helpful, maybe you could help explain it.

 

Sorry if I was misleading. I never actually bought the software; I just use what's outlined on that site (the link I posted earlier). I did try the software once a long time ago, but found it cumbersome, mainly because Chris doesn't think the same way I do (but then, no two people do think the same way, right?)

I have a heavy background in screenwriting, so I find it almost impossible not to think cinematically even when writing a novel. If I had to pick what helps me most when writing, I'd have to say it's Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! series for structure and Dwight Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer for the ins and outs of scene-writing. The Dramatica stuff is really more for finding the big picture, what the story problem is and what the final solution turns out to be. For shaping the third act, I find Swain's ideas on climax and decision work best for me... which also helps me find the protagonist's commitment to action which brings the story to a head, as well as the black moment, the reversal and finally the resolution.

Every time I start a new novel, I have to look all this stuff up again. (sigh)

 

Like a lot of others who have posted, I never plan my writing. Usually I start with a tiny idea: a character, a single line, even the punchline of a joke.
Instead of proper planning like efficient and organised people do, I use my first draft as a plan. This involves becoming a bit obsessed with the idea and pouring out the bare bones of a plot and a cast onto the pages (using great swathes of words which would never make it past a second read, let alone a second draft). Then spending months and months (for a novel-length piece) agonizing and rewriting to make it read less like a child's scrawl and more like an actual narrative.

I know that it's probably not the most efficient way of working, but it helps me to keep a feeling of organic dynamism in my work. After all, if I know right at the very beginning that the planet's going to explode in chapter ten, it makes it hard for me to write the big surprise very convincingly!

 

Background:
I've just put aside one novel (it's in its fourth draft) so let it cool off for a while and picked up another which is in its first draft. I haven't looked at it since February.
And now, for my comment:
I wasn't sure it was going to work doing things this way (the first novel needed a page-one rewrite) but after reading through this second one, I have to agree. Almost all the way through writing it, the only thing I knew was going to happen was the ending and even that was vague. As a result, as I'm reading it now, every time something unexpected happens, it truly is unexpected even though it also makes sense (at least the first 60 pages or so follow the pattern). After five months away from it, I find myself being surprised at every turn.

I suppose to be fair, it's not exactly a first draft. It took me almost three years to find a way into the concept so that it sounded like a story and not an online argument about magic vs. science. It took another few months to bang together an outline after which I wrote the screenplay which could be said to be the first draft. After letting it sit for another year, I realized I'd rather write it as a novel, so I did.