My Writing Process…
Ask ten writers about the process involved in creating a story and I imagine you will get ten different answers. Many writers I know are very disciplined. They commit to a set number of hours to write each day and some go as far as setting goals for the number of words they write. In terms of planning a book, I’ve met writers who establish very specific markers before writing a single word, outlining where in their stories a certain scene will take place. I admire this type of discipline.
But that’s not me. I’ve never been one to follow prescribed rules, not even the rules I’ve created.
I begin my writing process by deciding where my story will take place. Once the location is set, I visualize the main characters who will populate this space. From there, I work out how I want the tale to begin, and how I want it to end. Then I spend six months to a year working out the details. And that is where I have so much fun. From my first sentence onward, my characters lead me on a journey, often surprising me by their decisions and actions. Inevitably, characters I never envision spontaneously appear, playing central roles in how the story develops. All of my stories have taken on a life of their own, taking me places I never dreamed I would go.
A friend of mine, who is a successful writer, commits several hours a day to sit at her desk. Maybe I should follow her example, but when I have tried working in a confined space, my ideas dry up, and I feel trapped. That’s why I love my laptop. I can go anywhere and my ideas go with me. I wrote some of Brain Power sitting on a rock in the Black Mountains overlooking layers and layers of blue mountain ridges, right where I envisioned a dramatic scene taking place. With my laptop, I can write while waiting in a parking lot or sitting in our vintage pop-up camper. This summer I began editing Beneath the Ash under a wooden shelter amid a sweltering heat wave that was cooking the Southwest.
By nature I am antsy, never one to be still for long periods of time. My brain rarely turns off. But it does need a rest, and I have found that through exercise, be it running, walking, or biking, problems often get solved in surprising ways. This magic happened when I was teaching and it happens when I’m writing. Without movement my brain quickly stagnates.
I admit that I have no real advice for others who want to write, for what works for me may easily lead to disaster for another. What I do know, however, is that the process I’ve stumbled upon makes storytelling a whole lot of fun.