about writing process
I’ve written a lot of short stories and a number of novels and I’ve done them all the same way. I start at the beginning and write through to the end and then I realize that the ending completely changes everything. So I go back to the beginning and revise everything and get to the end and realize it changes everything and so on. With my first novel I did that about 40 times. Literally.
Since then I’ve become a little more efficient, but I’ve always liked the idea of hurling myself forward and not knowing where I’m going. I think that transfers some of my energy into my writing. It’s similar to swimming across a river, I think; when you reach the halfway point (or page 120), you know you don’t want to drown so you have no choice but to push forward. (Or you could turn around, but then you wind up spending a lot of time on the first chapter.)
Recently, though, I started doing something completely different.
In January I began taking an on-line mystery writing class at Gotham, which I am enjoying tremendously. The teacher, Michael Kurland, gives us writing assignments every week, which means that every week I write one scene. But the scenes are not necessarily consecutive and it’s fun to be able to plunge into a situation and not have to worry how you got there or how you’re going to get out of it. All I have to do is think about how to make the scene itself as effective as possible. (It’s also fun to imagine murdering various people and although I’m not a hostile person, I’m finding it very therapeutic.)
Once the class is done, I should have a pile of ten scenes and, theoretically anyway, I should be able to connect them into something interesting. I hope. To go back to my swimming across the river analogy—it’s like finding out there are islands in the river and you can stop and rest for a bit.
I don’t know if this is going to help my writing or not, but I like the idea of shaking myself up. It’s always good to try something new. How about you? What’s your process?
February 10th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Hi Susan!
I can see you writing mysteries. I think you’re probably pretty good at it. “…it’s like finding out there are islands in the river and you can stop and rest for a bit.” So true! And that has been the hardest part of writing for me so far. Understanding that, not only can I stop, but I really must stop and take my time.
My writing process is to write the first draft through without stopping to think too much about the craft or the plot, etc. Then I go through what I’ve written and look at the plot. Does it make sense? I work on it until it does because that’s my weakest point.
In the course of working out the plot, the characters start to become more complex. As they end up in different situations, they start to tell me more about who they are. Then when the plot is fairly firm, I fine tune the characters until everything they do makes sense.
Usually, in the course of working on the plot, I do a lot of research about any technical issue that I’m not absolutely sure about. Then I work through the scenes. I try to make sure that the scenes are clear and make sense. Where are objects and people in relation to each other. Where does that matter? What is the time period and time line? Are there enough concrete details for the reader to imagine the scenes? Are there too many details? I can get very similie-happy.
Then, after the story has been sitting in a drawer a while, I take it out and go through it line-by-line, word-by-word. This is a part of the process that I haven’t had a good grasp of until very recently. I’m taking a class where the instructor is unrelenting in his line-by-line, and word-by-word critiques. It’s painful, but I finally understand how to do it. He’s not mean, by-the-way, it’s just that it’s amazing how many obvious problems you can miss if you don’t do this level of edit very carefully.
So that’s my process.
As always, thank for the blog!
February 16th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Hi Susan,
That darn writing process. I imagine it like so: I wake up, drink a cup of coffee, eat some food, sit in front of my laptop, and cry. After I’m all cried out, sometimes I squeek out some writing. OKay, I’m exagerrating. But what works for me at some intervals, doesn’t work at others. I’m at one of those intervals where nothing tweaks the inspiration. When I lived in New York, I used to like writing at coffee shops or even bars, now that I live in California, I have a spare bedroom/office with the prettiest view of a pool and sunlight and serenity and all that good stuff….and I’ve been stuck on the same chapter revision for weeks. I’ve resorted to playing Scrabble online as part of my “process.”
Today, I am inspired to try something different. I will read a short story or two, and write about something, anything. Write for fun, write bad, hachneyed stuff. But, I will write, and not cry about not writing.
Sincerely,
Michelle