Give Yourself the Gift of Writing – Part 1

I have not written here for a while because I have been spending my writing time on, my next book. I’ve also been interacting and sharing with other writers and poets, reading other writers and discussing all aspects of writing with a dear friend who is throwing much of his time into writing his personal story. Sort of like athletes who share with others information on the joys, challenges and struggles of their training process, writers too find value in that genre of mutual support.

Many of you are writers or wanna-be writers (I think its kinda the same thing) so to bring you into the circle and support you in flourishing in your new or existing writing project, I wanted to share a bit about my writing process. This will be the first in a couple of parts. In a similar thread to my past post on studying practices (btw I aced all my quizzes, midterm and final in the History of Photography class I was taking!), this first part will be a brief synapsis of the nuts and bolts of my writing process thus far. The really juicy stuff will come in my next post, but this may offer ideas on how to start to sort your own project.

Like most writers I regularly jot random notes, often at irregular times and on irregular pieces of paper. Since this book is a collection of adventure stories, each with an intellectual/introspective infusion, and each being adventures I have already shared about in some manner, I already have short excerpts, blog posts and pieces that will play into the stories. So before I even started writing this book (a chunk of it was pre written for my book proposal)  I spent a few weeks sorting my notes, rewrote them on post-it notes then organized those onto a large flip chart. On each page of the chart I gathered post-its relevant to one story and then use the white space to make notes and write down thoughts as I write. Though I write on a computer, I edit and “think” by hand so the visual of the flip chart has been not only useful but a place I go to ponder.

I know that there are software programs that do this sort of thing. But one of my motives is to create a process that keeps me away from the computer as much as possible as well as insert snippets of hand note writing.

After all the notes are sorted, I then begin the part of one of my stories that is my least favorite, what I call unpacking the story. I move around, rearrange and try and make sense of the pile of notes I have gathered. After I create some sort of first-pass sense of it, then I’ll begin the act of writing. This will show up in a variety of different ways depending on how much ‘unpacking’ I have already done.

After I write for a while (this time period can range from a few hours to a few days) I will print what I have written and then take the pages and sit on the floor to edit them by hand. This serves

several purposes; I get to leave the computer screen for a while, I can stretch and edit at the same time and I will spread the pages out so I can see them all as relating to each other. I also like paper. I want to pick up and read the pages. I happily use a red pen when editing. Initially the pages will look like an unfinished Picasso with lines, arrows and text going every direction, then as I move through edit after edit, the red is less evident.

I love to edit as much as I love to write, which is helpful, though I am quite aware that after many rounds of editing I can’t see the problems any more. That is why I have enlisted a few readers as well as an additional editor to help me work the kinks out before I will ultimately submit to my publisher.

Though this all sounds incredibly clinical (and writing is not), I can settle into my writing easier if I feel organized on the front end. So the organization informs my writing while also putting my mind in a more relaxed state.

I have a good friend who is writing his life memoir. He may or may not ever publish it, but he is doing it as a means to process what has come before and share that with family and friends. Using flip charts and pre-defined notes isn’t relevant to his process and it may or may not be for you. The important piece for us both is to carve out the time to write. And since the reason I’m writing my book and the reasons why you should start that book you have been considering, are the most important part of the process, my Part 2 blog will be about the act of writing.

In the meantime, start writing, notes, paragraphs, thoughts, desires. Just write. Because as cathartic as it is, getting the ink flowing will help your writing goals come into focus more clearly.

Happy Writing Holiday,

 

Terri