When I sent out my very first newsletter last month, I asked my readers what topic they would like me to write about first. Then I extended that question to my social media that way I got everyone involved. The seven topics everyone was given were: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing, Rewriting Your Story, Criticism: Don’t Take It to Heart, My Writing Process, Writers Block, Challenges of Doing Everything on Your Own, and of course, suggesting a topic.
In the end, the topic that won this round was…My Writing Process!
It was my fellow author, JJ Lair, who said it best when he commented on my Instagram post, “All good ideas, but let’s get to know you. What is your writing process?”
The thing is, though, I don’t have an exciting writing process. I unfortunately don’t have a regimen where I sit down at my desk from morning to night, writing. I don’t have my laptop (or journal and pen) in front of me from six in the morning till six at night. It’s honestly heartbreaking and as I’m typing this, I’m actually getting a little mad at myself.
I remember watching a clip where George RR Martin was interviewing Stephen King, and at one point, he asked, “How the f*** do you write so many books so fast?”
As audience members, and Mr. King himself, were laughing, Mr. Martin remarked how in a good six months he can write three chapters while King has written three books in that time. (I feel your pain, Mr. Martin, I truly feel your pain!)
But Mr. King answered, “The way that I work, I try to get out there and I try to get six pages a day.”
SIX PAGES A DAY!
He goes on to explain that every day he sits and writes in a three-to-four-hour span, and he tries to get them as clean as possible. He does admit that things, like doctor appointments, happen, and he may not get those six pages done, but he does his best to do so.
And I know, you’re probably reading that and thinking, “That’s it? Only six pages? How hard can that be to come up with six pages in a day?”
Well, for me, there can be a day where that’s very easy and there can be days where that’s very difficult.
I sincerely wish I was able to publish this post and say that every single day I’m sitting down for a good few hours and writing. However, that is unfortunately not the case. I have “dry spouts” where I go months with writing nothing and then I’ll get a “burst of energy” and write as often as I can. This is my “writers block” phase, which I will discuss in another post at another time.
However, when I do get a chance to sit down and write, I’m normally typing on my laptop. There are times I really do enjoy writing in a journal, but if I have an idea and the laptop is open, straight to the laptop I go. Unless it’s the middle of the night and a chapter develops in my mind, then I’ll grab my phone – so I don’t disturb my husband as he sleeps – and “write” the chapter on my phone.
I am not a planner (plotter), I am a pantser; I go by the seat of my pants as I write. I tried outlining once and let’s just say…it didn’t work out very well. Some of the outline I followed, but most of it went out the window. Haha!
Once the “first draft” (because I’ve read over it a thousand times and made changes throughout) is done, I will send it out to some readers to see what they think: if the story is flowing well, what needs to be added or what needs to be deleted, etc. I will also be reading it over as they read it.
Then when I have their edits/suggestions, I go through and make the necessary changes. Finally, I will send it out, once again, to some readers (including professional editors), as I feel I have the “final draft” set. Again, I will read it over as they’re reading it. Then once I have their edits/suggestions, I’ll make the necessary changes, and if I feel confident that the story is ready for publication, I will format it, get the cover art set, and out to Amazon and IngramSpark it goes. :-) If not, then there may be one final read through and I’ll go from there.
Oh, by the way, there’s a feature on Word that I have recently found – and that has been extremely helpful – called “Read Aloud,” where a voice will read the story to you so you can hear it being read instead of reading it yourself over and over. Trust me, I’ve found mistakes that I’ve missed even when I’ve read it out loud to myself thanks to this feature.
In the end, I may not be as inspiring as Mr. Stephen King, who writes six pages a day, but when I do get to write and I finish writing my book, it is truly the most amazing feeling in the world. I hope this not only helps you understand how I work, but I also hope that if you’re on your own writing journey, it helps in a way. Don’t ever get discouraged if a day, a week, a month, or even a year goes by, and you haven’t written a word. It happens to even the best…well, maybe not to Stephen King, but you get the point. :-)
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