Whatever Works for You...Just Write!

If you're a writer, chances are someone, or many someones, will ask you about your writing process. Some folks swear it's better to write with pen and paper while others are lost without their computer. Some cannot write without notes and a comprehensive outline while others dive right in and write by the seat of their pants. I say the process that works best for you is the BEST process.

Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? The organization NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel in just 30 days (that's approximately 1,667 words a day). The idea is to get the words down on paper, emphasizing quantity over quality...it is a rough draft, after all. This technique can often help reluctant writers jump the hurdle of starting a large project like a novel.

Sometimes I'm asked the question, "What makes it so hard for someone to write?" My answer usually sounds something like this: "A blank sheet of paper. The sheer blankness ignites fear that engulfs our confidence, making it seem improbable that anything as paltry as a few words can impress anyone. My husband once told me that in a drafting class, he was told to draw a line across the sheet of paper; he had a beginning and from there, he could add, modify and complete his drawing. It works wonders for writers, too! Put your name, date, title, or simply start with a simple sentence you can remove later like 'this fascinating story by me is about a boy, his robot, and the girl who lives down the street who take a wild adventure on the planet Otumnu.'"

Another question I'm frequently asked is:  "Do you write everyday?" And my answer is no. My characters live inside my head, so I always have a working story, sometimes several stories at once. I think it is intimidating to some writers when we tell them “You must…” write, read, edit, do…, because it is a matter of style and preference. I don’t keep a journal, but I listen and observe and remember keenly little details that come into my writing. I have on occasion kept a dream record, which fascinates me years later, but I don’t write everyday. Sometimes, though, I will write all day and night, into the next day if I’ve gotten a scene that needs to be written down in its entirety.

It's always interesting to compare notes with other writers about their writing process when I meet them at book fairs or writing workshops...and, with the magic of the web, I can easily my curiosity about how various well-known authors write.

In a 2011 article for O Magazine, Maya Angelou describes her writing process: "I keep a hotel room in my town, although I have a large house. And I go there at about 5:30 in the morning, and I start working. And I don't allow anybody to come in that room. I work on yellow pads and with ballpoint pens. I keep a Bible, a thesaurus, a dictionary, and a bottle of sherry. I stay there until midday. About once a month, the management slips a note under my door and they ask, 'Please, Dr. Angelou, may we change the sheets? We know they must be moldy.' But I've never slept there. I just go in and sit down and work."(How to Write a Poem http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Write-a-Poem-Maya-Angelous-Advice/)

According to author Susan Sonntag in a Paris Review interview in 1997, "I write in spurts. I write when I have to because the pressure builds up and I feel enough confidence that something has matured in my head and I can write it down. But once something is really under way, I don’t want to do anything else. I don’t go out, much of the time I forget to eat, I sleep very little. It’s a very undisciplined way of working and makes me not very prolific. But I’m too interested in many other things." (The Daily Routines of Famous Writers http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/11/20/daily-routines-writers/)

Lev Raphael, author and blogger, says, "I don't urge my creative writing students to write every day; I suggest they try to find the system that works for them. I've also never worried myself about how much I write every day because I'm almost always writing in my head, and that's as important as putting things down on a page." (Who Says Writers Have to Write Everyday? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-raphael/who-says-writers-have-to_b_4097441.html)

I firmly believe there is no right process for writing. I strongly urge you to try out various techniques and take some time to discover what works best for you and, please, don't be afraid to alter your process as you grow as a writer.