I have become more and more attached to the idea of being a writer. And as such I have been trying to write. Alas there are difficulties with that process and I just thought I would share some of my findings.
One of the hardest parts of writing, for myself, is all the work that happens before any writing actually takes place. Deciding on one chain of events and all the little necessary developments that happens in the plot is really tricky work. Most of my problem is that my plots are very fluid and tend to change daily. I have a hard time moving to paper before I have the plot down solid. I have done so much rewriting and I have thrown away hundreds of pages because I change my mind on how the story should be. Granted, the changes are always better and any writing is good practice. Still, it is heartbreaking to decide that 200 pages and 8 months of work wasn't good enough. Honing in on character developments and action placement takes a lot of mental orchestration. I can go weeks without writing a word, but once my mind is set I can sit down and write five pages of good stuff. I guess that's the payoff. More mental strain but (hopefully) less rewrites/reworks, plus fast work (when you finally get to it).
I like to have a tactile keyboard--something textural that makes a sound. I can write long-hand, but I prefer the computer. It makes corrections easier and I can type faster than I can write. I also like the sound. Tappa-tappa-tappa. Makes me feel productive.
I hardly ever write anything out before I start writing The Story. Occasionally I'll make a time line or a map, but mostly it's in my head. I think it's because I don't like any evidence left behind. I have written several really embarrassing stories, but no one would ever know. It was all digital and now deleted. Mwahaha.
I can't write in a room with an open door. Closets or to the hallway. I need an enclosed space. Perhaps it's because I don't want distractions or I keep mistaking my clothes for people in my closet. Either way, doors have to be closed.
My best work comes late at night. I've done stuff for the day, people are going to bed, settling in. It's allowed "me" time that no one wants or will interrupt. Unfortunately I also get tired so I don't write for very long. Like I'm almost asleep right now.
There is a quote I think very accurate to the writing process. Samuel Johnson said, "A man will turn over half a library to make one book." For me, nothing could be more true. I read a lot and when I'm writing I read more. Writing is like making a quilt with all that's in your head. You collect everything; books, stories, movies, photos, images, sensations, memories, textures, nuances, glances, smells, light, comfort, hurt. Everything, everything. You can never have enough. And once you have collected enough to fill your box of random scraps you go through and find the pieces you really like and others that touched you. You place them together, matching patterns and colors and blends and shapes, fitting it all together into this cohesive beauty. There are these long periods when I am not writing at all or even thinking about a story, but these are collecting periods, like a chicken carcass being boiled down into broth. I am stewing. Stewing, gathering, hoarding, searching. It's a strange sensation in itself because I can literally feel my brain stewing over all that it has and priming itself for some new work. There's a specific mood about it that will not be rushed. These periods feel the least productive. They are full of ambiguity and discontent and seeming laziness. But I have come to accept that these are important restocking periods, where your writer is digesting and stewing, gaining stores to supply the great energy required in creating a story. It's simply visiting the gas station on your way to Storyville. Whenever I try to rush it I end up writing crap. Don't rush, just read.
I always ponder over my stories as I'm falling asleep. They tend to be my last and first thoughts of everyday.
My moods are genre-specific. A certain mood for science fiction, another for fantasy. A unique one for adult fiction, a lighter one for young adult fiction. And since my mood changes I tend to have a developing story in every genre and I rotate which one I work on based on my mood. The further a story is developed the longer I stay in that mood, which is how I'm every able to get something down on paper. I doubt this is a very efficient way to write, but it's so natural to rotate like that that I don't quite know how to stop.
I need lots of time to develop thoughts, characters, plots, and all that jazz. The thinking side of this work goes slowly. The actual writing goes much faster.
The more edits and rewrites you do the less heartbreaking it is. Editing also needs distance. Everything needs serious reworking. Everything, but you can't do it adequately if you're too close to it. It needs time to just marinate in your mind before you take a scalpel to it.
K, I'm really falling asleep. Hope you enjoyed. More later. After all. I'm going to be a writer now. I just need. More periods. .. ..... Goodnight. ..
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