My Writing Process

Hello Internet!

What is this? Two posts in as many days? What's happening? Is the world ending? 

Well, yes, but not right at this exact moment. What's happening at this exact moment is that I'm belatedly acting on my tutor's excellent suggestion to analyze and blog about my writing process. Fear not, for this post--unlike my last one--will be short and sweet. 

My writing process, much like some of my previous blog posts, is long and a little scattered. Each of my stories starts off as an idea for either a character or a fantasy world. For example, the novel I'm currently working on began with the concept of a world where elves, dragons, and unicorns live in close proximity to each other. Once I have the initial idea for a story, I begin fleshing it out. This "fleshing-out" process can take several different forms, including but not limited to: 

• Naming my characters and filling out character profiles,
• Conducting thought experiments where I brainstorm facets of my world and/or characters,
• Determining scenes that will be absolutely necessary for the story to make sense,
• Writing down story notes everywhere, from my planner to the backs of old homework assignments to the palm of my hand, 
• Drawing characters, settings, and even abstract magical concepts, 
• And/or researching a variety of topics that I think might be relevant. 

Once I feel that I have enough material to begin my story, I start writing. Although I frequently have scenes planned out for the middle and the end of the story, I always start at the beginning. I prefer to write my stories as they will be read, as this makes it easier for me to visualize where the characters are and where they need to go. Throughout the writing process, I frequently return to my brainstorming notes, both to use them as references and to revise or add to them. In addition, I usually edit my writing as I go, as I just can't help but correct my typos when I notice them. 

And that about sums up my creative writing process. I can acknowledge that it is flawed in some ways; as I mentioned above, I know that it is very long and scattered. However, I am making substantial progress towards better organizing my process and my notes. The tools that my tutor has introduced me to, including Pinterest mood boards and story timelines, have helped me immensely with this. In addition, my process is strong in that it offers me plenty of room for invention. Thanks to the randomness of my process, I rarely find myself getting overly attached to one thought, which means I have the flexibility necessary to make my stories as compelling as possible. 

As I have grown as a writer, I have learned a great deal about the creative writing process and how it varies from writer to writer. That being said, I still have plenty to learn, and I would love to hear thoughts about the writing process from fellow writers. So, if you have any opinions about the writing process, or if you would like to share the steps you follow when you write, please feel free to comment below. 

Thanks for reading!

Abby