Friday Favorites include my favorite images on reading or writing!
(taken from Facebook)
Enjoy!
Recently, a few people have asked me how I write.
It's a good question.
I'm sure every writer has a different method.
When I write a new book, I know the beginning, middle, and ending before I ever sit down at the computer and start to type. I know what will happen and I know what point I'm trying to make. I never sit down and think, "Hmmmm, what will I write today?"
The next scene I write is always in my head before I sit down to type.
That being said, there's a lot of filler in between the beginning, middle, and end. I believe that "filler" is what trips writers up.
I never know exactly what that "filler" will be.
It's impossible to know every single word you will write beforehand. The important thing is to just go with the flow of your story. The words tend to be there as you immerse yourself in your writing.
I never know exactly what that "filler" will be.
It's impossible to know every single word you will write beforehand. The important thing is to just go with the flow of your story. The words tend to be there as you immerse yourself in your writing.
When I wrote my first book, Sierra, I remember writing certain scenes, knowing I wanted a conversation to take place between the main characters, but not knowing what I wanted them to talk about. So, I highlighted the scene and moved on. By the time the book was finished, it was easy to go back and fill in the exact conversation I wanted to occur at that particular point in the novel.
Sometimes a first draft is more like an outline!
And that's okay.
Nowadays, I find that once I get started, ideas come to me and I'm able to fill in the blanks much sooner.
However, when I get stuck, I move forward.
I keep going and get all of my thoughts on paper.
During the editing process, I often switch things up a bit.
I might grab a thought from the beginning of the novel, and change it to a conversation later in the novel.
Why?
Number one, it's more enjoyable to the reader to hear the thought in a conversation.
Number two, I want the thought to be revealed later in the novel.
My ex-agent once said, "Reserve little tidbits to be revealed throughout the novel like treasured golden nuggets."
It's good advice.
But you can't do that unless you get all of your ideas on paper to begin with!
So, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE and see where it takes you.
You may only see what's directly in front of you, but once you put it all together, you'll be amazed!
I like reading about your process. I'll have to work harder to figure out my little nuggets to hold onto to reveal later in my stories. That's great advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charissa. I find it difficult to convey how I write. It drives my hubby crazy. He's very methodical and doesn't understand how I can write without having a bulletin board in front of me with every single plot point outlined. As far as I'm concerned, that would take all of the fun out of writing and make it seem like pure drudgery. My plot is in my head and I write it. It's kind of that simple!!
DeleteI'm rewriting the story I wrote for NaNoWriMo right now. I have parts of the story that I like (the original) and others that make no sense because you are just supposed to write randomly lol. But my idea is fun and cute, so I do want to take the time to edit it. I don't know how people can just write from point a to b and do that the whole way through! I'm feeling some better, but I'm still really weak! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting, Christy! I think you should go for it! I almost always have scenes I end up cutting because they just don't work. It's just part of the process. Writing is the fun part. Editing can sometimes be really tough. (I get the most done on my writing when I'm sick. No other responsibilities are calling to me and I don't feel guilty for immersing myself in my writing.) Good luck!
DeleteI love finding how authors write and it seems like your method is a great one, Taylor. Hope you feel better soon, Christy. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherry. I've had several people ask me how I write lately and it actually made me think, hmmmm, how do I do it? I don't really know. I just do it. There's no magical answer or perfect formula. At any rate, I tried my best to share a few thoughts on how I go about it. I think what works for one won't work for another. But I love hearing how other authors write also. Fascinating stuff!
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