Discover Your Own Writing Process
Every writer has his or her own writing process. I have mine and you have yours – no two are the same. Often, the process comes naturally and is not a step-by-step guide to which writers refer. And eventually, after many trials and errors, that process becomes your own writing routine made to fit in your personal lifestyle.
I discovered my own from reading and listening to authors talking about parts of their writing process. Many times, the thought of “I cannot write like that!” came to my mind. Other times I may think, “Oh that’s a great idea! Let me give that a try.” Therefore, I tried.
It may work, and it may not. However, we are changing and growing beings, and I believe it’s wise to try new things outside of our comfort zone. On second thought, don’t try. Instead, really start doing. Do your best to get outside of your bubble.
Not Everything Will Work
Everything that I do won’t work for you, and that’s okay. It’s good to figure out what does and doesn’t work for you and to stay true to your creative self.
I hope this post will bring comfort to those of you who share a similar process, and motivation to try something new to those of you who don’t. At the core, being aware of your own writing process is helpful when you find yourself struggling with a particularly tricky piece.
So, here are five guidelines I use when I write, which may help you towards creating or identifying your personal writing process:
1. Prewriting
You’re ready to start. Yes, you are! So, why have you been staring at that blank page for the past hour?
The idea of prewriting is to identify everything, or at least most of the things, you need to do before you start on your rough draft. There are three keywords that help to identify what you need: “Find, Build, and Plan.”
- Find your idea: Ideas and inspirations are all around you. It can be drawn from your everyday situation, conversation, routine, and good or bad memories. Be as open-minded as you possibly can. Do your research if needed and keep a notebook with you specifically devoted to writing down your ideas as they come to you. Your own imagination is the only limit to finding your source of inspiration.
- Build on your idea: There are two popular methods to work out your idea, which are freewriting and brainstorming. Freewriting means writing every idea that you have on your mind unto (digital) paper. Just let the ideas flow and do not stop to edit your mistakes. Or, try brainstorming. If you’re on a computer, try to visualise your narrative: write your idea in the centre of the page and work outwards in all of the different directions you can take your story.
- Plan and structure: Bringing your idea together comes next. It’s time to choose which ones you will use to form your story. Make sure you keep your notes even after your work is published. Whatever there may be in your notes, there may be the seeds for your next story as well.
Tip: Once you have an idea, don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into your writing because you’ll end up with a badly structured piece. Instead, expand on it and see the bigger picture of how your story unfolds.
2. Writing
Now you have your plan and you’re ready to start writing.
Remember, this is your first rough draft. Forget about word count and grammar. Don’t worry if you stray off topic. Even the greatest writers produce multiple drafts before they produce their finished work.
This stage is basically a free writing exercise. Identify the best time and location to write and get rid of obvious distractions. Make writing a regular part of your day.
Tip: Writing requires concentration and energy. If you’re new to writing, don’t try to write for hours without stopping. Instead, give yourself short breaks of 30 minutes relax and refocus. Try not to check your emails in the meantime.
3. Revisions
During this stage, your story can change a great deal.
At this stage, the focus is still on the content itself and not grammar or spelling. When revising your work, adopt the A.R.R.R. approach:
- Add: Does your work have enough words to be considered a blog, article, novel, or e-book? Have you given all the information that your readers need to make sense out of your story? If not, go back to your notebook that you kept for additional topics and details.
- Rearrange: Think critically about the flow, pace and sequence of your story. Would the story improve if some of the events occur in a different order?
- Remove: After making additions and rearrangements to your story, how much is your word count now? Are you overloading your readers with too much information? Maybe you can send your message across with fewer words? You may need to eliminate paragraphs that don’t quite fit.
- Replace: Do you need more details to help clarify your work? Is one paragraph contradicting another? The most effective way to review your work is to ask for a second opinion from one or multiple proof-readers. Ask friends or fellow writers to proof-read and give you feedback. If something isn’t working, rewrite it and replace it.
Tip: If you’re not sure what works and what isn’t, show your writing to someone else. Ask a friend or family member for feedback. Getting feedback from several people will be the best, so that you can get more than one opinion.
4. Editing
You’re done revising your story.
Now, it’s time to fine-tune your work line by line. Check for repetition, clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Editing is an extremely detailed process and it’s best when performed by a professional. It’s unappealing to read content that is full of errors. Here are some things to check for:
- Using the same word too many times in one sentence or paragraph;
- Sentences that are hard to understand;
- Words you could cut to make a sentence stronger;
- Grammatically correct sentences;
- Everything spelt correctly;
- And Using punctuation marks correctly.
Tip: Print out your work and check for errors on paper. Many writers or proof-readers find it easier to spot them this way.
5. Publishing
The final step is publishing. Of course, This means different things depending on the piece you’re working on. Feel free to bookmark this post so that you can come back to it each time you start on a new article, blog post, essay or story.
Tip: Your work might not receive the results you’re hoping for, but that’s okay. Everything that you write is not wasted, because it all contributes to your growth as a writer.
I will soon create a detailed checklist for you to download for your own convenience. Sign up to my Weekly Newsletter to receive an email with the link to download it when finished.
- How does your writing process look like?
- Do you have anything to add?
- Do you have any tips for me?
Have your say in the comment section 🙂
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interesting post. some people seem to think that they have to do things the way others do.
however, one man’s food can be another man’s poison.
everybody has their own path to perfection which they should travel alone. if, during traveling, one observes that their path looks similar to others, then fine! but till then, it’s not advisable to copy anyone
I couldn’t agree more with you 🙂 thanks!
Great tips , thank you
Thanks and you’re welcome Ann 🙂
This is wonderful
Thanks Julia 🙂
This is a really helpful post! Thanks so much for writing this, I think people can gain some helpful information here.
You’re very welcome! And thanks 🙂
Very helpful article. I will use “write your idea in the centre of the page and work outwards in all of the different directions you can take your story” again. A technique I actually used in the past, but which I completely forgot of lately.
Hi Ninah, that’s great! Try to use it especially when you have no clue on what you should focus.
Noted. =) Your articles never fail to give me something new to learn and to ponder on and your website gives me a very cozy feeling.
Hi Danica, thank you so much for your kind words 🙂
I love the detailed tips. I used to struggle with blog posts, but now that I write them on a regular basis, they come naturally. Usually the ideas take shape in my head while I am jogging. I’ll think of a common theme and subtopics that branch off from the theme. I usually save keyword research for the end. Sometimes it can be tricky finding a keyword that fits, though!
Hi Kate, working out is a great way to let ideas come to you. Keyword is something I really hate doing, but need to do. I’m not so much focussed on keywords lately since many just don’t fit in my word flow. It’s great to hear from you 🙂
I’m a planner like you are before I write, and I always enjoy reading about the process other writers use.
Hi Danielle, I used to be a messy blogger, and I mean really messy. I lost a lot of time because of it. This is so far the new routine I use for myself 🙂
Some great tips and an easy to follow method. I definitely agree, writing is trial and error and everyone needs to find out what works best for them.
Thanks Candice! Exactly 🙂
Those are some really great tips! Thank you for sharing. I often struggle with writing composition and find it easier sometimes to just speak my thoughts and then edit later. I’m looking forward to putting some of these pointers to good use!
Hi Sasha, thank you and you’re welcome! I hope you can put it to good use 🙂 Best of luck!
Hi Ye! As always, you never fail to amaze me. I have introduced your weblog to a really good male friend and he really likes your ways. He is considering writing a guest post for your blog and he is not even a blogger. I can see a lot of him in you. I want you to know that you have been my writing inspiration. Thank you for this guide.
Hi Donna, thank you so much! This is such an honour for me! Feel free to contact me in case of something or anything 🙂
I’ve always loved writing but it’s always been a challenge for me to know It actually sounds good or if I’m reading it the way I want it to sound. This is a great process I’ll need to implement. I need to put more emphasis on planning and preparing I’ve been just writing and posting without edits or proof reading just so I don’t get in my head but maybe this will help (: thank you!
Hi Analee, these are guidelines, don’t be discouraged about your potentials. I’m sure you will find your own writing process 🙂 best of luck!
This is a great article to go by in my blogging journey. There is so much to blogging. I love to write, but there is a process to follow when publishing. Thank you for sharing these writing tips!
Thank you Anna! You’re welcome and keep making progress 🙂
Great article as always. I love your writing style. I’m starting to finally after 2 months of blogging, get into a writing “groove”. I usually start in scrivener with some kind of outline and fill it in with content. It’s always a learning process and something I believe we get better with over time.
Thanks Craig! Glad to hear you’re getting the hang of it. It’s exactly like any other practices, the more you practice the better you become 🙂
Great article. The tips are useful and will help me when I’m writing my blog post.
Just came across your blog and I’m really impressed by your formatting and easy to read writing style! I learned a few things too 🙂
Thanks David! Appreciate it 🙂
Right every writer has different writing styles…nd tips that u give here r really great
Each step is described well, it was only the title I think that set me in the wrong direction. I was thinking I’d discover how I write best (like the discover method verses the strategic planned out method. Those aren’t necessarily the names but types of writing methods). This instead was a breakdown of the steps to bringing thoughts into a readable published format. Both good though! I love your blog layout and hope you the best.
Great tips! I really struggle with writing.
What part or element of writing are you struggling with?
As someone who is new to blogging this is very helpful.
Best of luck Adam 🙂
Great post Ye Chen, shared on my Facebook Page 😉
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for following dear ❤️
You’re welcome Laleh 🙂
❤️
These are really great tips!
Hi Lauren, I hope this can help you in some way 🙂