Part 1: The Writing Process

Everyone who has ever tried to write has at some point experienced the horror of the blank page (or blank screen).  For many writers that first blank page is the most intimidating one.  Some writers become so overwhelmed with figuring out how to start their story that they in fact, never begin and their story is never written.  Fear of failure wins the battle and the world loses out on yet another story that’s never told.

Luckily, there is a way to get past the seemingly insurmountable hurdle of the first blank page.  Just take it one step at a time.  Let’s go back to the beginning and try to remember what we were taught in school.  If we could do it as children, surely we can still do it now as adults? 

Here’s my take on the standard writing methods utilized by elementary students across the country.  The names and descriptions of each step vary from source to source but they all boil down to the same essential basics.

Step 1: Preparation or Prewriting

Step 2: Writing the draft

             Step 3: Revising

             Step 4: Editing

             Step 5: Publishing or Distributing

Preparation

This first step of the writing process is essential and may be the cause of the blank page for many people.  How can you write if you don’t know what you want to write about?  Take some time to think about your story before you sit down with your pen and paper or sit down at your computer.  You’ll probably want to read up on events, locations and careers that you think are key to your story.

For plotters, this may mean working out the timeline of the story, creating character descriptions, and using a storyboard to determine the events, characters and locations for each scene or chapter in the book.

For pantsers, this may mean letting the story ferment for a while, getting a feel for the characters and what drives them.  (For those who may be curious, the term pantser comes from the expression “to fly by the seat of your pants” and is applied to writers who don’t follow a set plot but rather let their stories develop on their own.)

But, beware of analysis paralysis!  Only do enough research to give you the level of detail that you feel you need to get started.   

Writing the Draft

This is where the blank page occurs,  of course!  Everything ever written started with a blank page, but don’t let it scare you.  You’ve already done your preparation and you probably have a good idea of your characters and the bones of your story, so just let it out.  Write your ideas as they come to you and don’t worry about proper structure or complete sentences. 

Most writers actually write in layers.  It may help you to think of writing like making a pizza.  You start with the crust, add the sauce, add the cheese, then the pepperoni, then the green peppers, etc.  You layer it.  And that’s exactly what you need to do with your story.  Start with the basic structure, what happens when and to whom.  Then add the descriptions, then the emotions, etc. 

Revising

In this the step, you need to look at your characters GMC – Goal, Motivation and Conflict.  Do you characters have believable goals?  Are their goals easily achievable or do your characters need to work for them?  Why do you characters have these goals?  Why are they important?  What is preventing your characters from achieving their goals?  What internal forces are working against them?  What external forces?  If the answers to any of these questions are not satisfactory, then go back and revise your story with these points in mind. In the end, you’ll have stronger characters and a more interesting story to which readers can relate.

Editing

This is the mechanical part of the writing process.  In this step you want to polish your writing.  Read your story out loud and take a closer look at things like sentence structure, paragraph breaks, repetition of phrases, verb tense, word choice and subtext.  Make sure to double check the basics like punctuation, capitalization, spelling, etc.  You can’t always rely on your word processor to make the appropriate choices for you.

This is also a good time to review the he said/she said tags in your dialog and smooth some of those out by using action tags instead.

The question of when is the right time to share your work is something very personal that can only be answered by you.  Some writers have critique partners that work with them on a regular basis and review each chapter or scene as it’s written in rough draft.  Others prefer to wait until after they’ve finished revising, still others wait until they’ve finished editing.  There is no wrong time to share.  Do what feels most comfortable but do it before you reach the final step if you intend to try to get your work published.

Publishing or Distributing

This is the final step of the writing process.  To publish your work means that you issue your work in any format for sale or distribution to the public. 

As a writer, you need to determine for yourself if this is a step you want to take or not.  But if you do, make sure to present your work to agents, editors and publishers in the format they want.  In order to have your work taken seriously, it has to look professional so be sure to check their websites for submission criteria and guidelines before you send your work to them. 

Please check back soon for Part 2 of The Blank Page and the NaNoWriMo Cure.   In Part 2, I’ll be talking about the National Novel Writing Month challenge, the goals behind the challenge and how it can help writers get past the dread inspiring Step 2 of the writing process. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this blog entry so please leave me your comments!

Until next time, happy writing!
Kristine