My Writing Process

So you have an idea for a story? Maybe it's been playing around in your head for a few days, maybe even a few years. What's next for that idea?

Do you let it smother, or do you flesh it out? What's next varies from person to person. Today I am going to share a glimpse into my writing process and what my next, usually is.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional, I have no degree. Everything I share is simply what has worked for me. It may not work for you, and that is OKAY. We're unique humans with unique brains and processes.

START WRITING

Maybe that's a little too on the nose, but that is my first step when I have a new idea for a story. I start writing immediately. Whether that is jotting things down in my notes app, phrases, plot points, one-sentence pitch, premise, the first chapter, how I see it ending, etc. It varies from idea to idea, but I ALWAYS ALWAYS write something as soon as possible. I can't tell you how many documents I have that are still just ideas, but will hopefully be full-length novels one day.

VISION

Once I have something written down, I start working on the project that I have the most vision for. I can tell I have a good vision for a story when I can clearly see how I want it to start and how I want it to end. For both of my completed manuscripts, I wrote the first chapter first, then the last chapter second. This is not the case for everyone and that is OKAY. Maybe clear vision on a project for you is knowing the "guts" or "meat" of your story, maybe it's knowing character motivation, whatever it is, start on the idea you have the most vision for.

KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS

I cannot stress this enough. Before I start plotting or do any other step in writing a story, I want to know everything I can about my characters. So I "interview" them. I note their mannerism, their features, their childhood, their trauma, their vices, etc. EVERYTHING. Getting this part out of the way early will GREATLY help your writing. HERE you will find an article that I used to find applicable questions to ask my characters. There is no pressure to answer every question on that list.

As you interview your characters you should get to a point where you can clearly recognize their motivations. This is so important for your protagonist and antagonist. Their motivations are the reason for your story, their motivations are what drive your story. If you do not flesh those out early, you will struggle in the future. Learn from my mistake ands pend the time doing it first.

BUILD THE WORLD

This is another step that I recommend doing BEFORE you start writing. It will make your writing a bit easier and should help you avoid too many loose ends. I struggled A LOT with this in my first manuscript. I write fantasy, so it's up to me to create years worth of lore, lands, political systems, etc. It was intimidating. My friend RJ shared the most comprehensive list of questions for world-building and I wish I used it WAY BEFORE almost finishing my first two manuscripts. I highly recommend it. I also want to add that I did not answer every single question on this list, but I did answer 90% of them.

PLOT IT OUT BABY

I thought I was a strict pantser. I was wrong. I am a plantser and wouldn't have it any other way. Before I start writing, I loosely map out the goal for each chapter in an outline. It helps me stay focused when writing, while still giving me the creative freedom to not feel married to the plot.

I WRITE IN ACTS (STORY STRUCTURE)

I write all my stories based on a three-act structure. I could write all about it here, but there is already a resource out there written for it and I love it. Another resource that I highly recommend is the book, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need.

It is so so helpful in mapping out your plot, learning where to put action beats and so much more. If the only resource you visit from this post is that book it will be worth it.

After the story is written, I do my first read-through and make revisions as I go. Once those revisions are done, I get a few BETA readers to read my manuscript and leave feedback as they go. I will do another round of revisions based on their feedback. After that, I just go with the flow and hope for the best.

Remember, everyone's process looks different. There is no "one size fits all" and even the resources I shared may not be helpful to you. But I hope you're encouraged to just start somewhere.

I want to read the story you have brewing in your head and I believe you can do it. Just start somewhere. :)

Tell me in the comments what resources you recommend for writers!

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