Memoir Journal 4 (September 22nd, 2020)
What is your writing process?
My writing process is. . . .chaotic. Inconsistent. When I write, I usually do a lot of pre-writing in my head (seriously, I’ve written like entire novels and series in my head. . . .now if only I could translate that onto paper. . .) while watching some show. Usually Charmed, Buffy, or Criminal Minds. Sometimes Supernatural or Law and Order: SVU. Once I have a clear thought, a clear sentence—a first line—then if there’s no paper around, I use my phone and type up that one line that stuck with me. That way I don’t forget it. On my phone, I have probably over 100 notes of my writing.
Often I get struck with inspiration while I’m either walking around the neighborhood listening ot music or laying in bed trying (and failing) to fall asleep. After I have that first line, I tend to jump three or more so paragraphs ahead. I skip the the parts of the story I know.
That’s when I pull out my notebook to write some “blurbs” of the same story, and even though they aren’t in order, they’re all connected. They are all part of the same story. I know where I am going with the story, it’s simply fitting all those pieces together.
After a while between my bad writing (and my carpal tunnel and/or arthritis) which becomes even more unreadable because well, it always is and it gets worse when my hand can’t write fast enough for my brain. That’s when I switch to my laptop. I type up what I’ve written, including all the blurbs. It’s during this process where it all begins to click in my head. (I get really excited when that happens.)
Once everything that I wrote on my phone or in my notebook, that’s when I start writing more. I used to edit while I typed but then I realized that it prevented me from really writing. Instead, I type until I can’t anymore. Until there are no more words I can type. That’s when I go back and edit.
I like colors. Red means that it needs to completely go. Blue means that it’s almost there but needs to be reworded. Green means it’s been edited and can probably go back to black.
Sometimes after I’ve been editing a while, I don’t see the typos or punctuation or anything. When that happens, I change the font. It helps me to see the things I couldn’t before.
What is your writing process?
-K
The Inner Workings 
Thanks for sharing Keely!
My writing process is different per type of copy. If it is a Creative Nonfiction I just start writing and it rolls out of somewhere in my head and onto the page. At that time I edit as I type it up on the computer.
Some things I’m like you and I will be somewhere away from writing but I start having all these ideas of things that need to be in the paper and so I jot lines of random text out in memo on my phone before getting started at home.
For grant writing and legal writing I read everything I can on the subject. Then I sit down and type up on my computer who is the audience, what will their likely stance be on the subject, what are the relevant facts and situation. Then I have to rev myself up to try to get going.
Research papers I find and have to print out to highlight and jot notes to the side. As I read I get an idea of where I need to head and those notes become stepping stones on my journey of writing first on paper and then on the computer.
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Thank you so much for sharing, Hope!
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