3 Words That Describe Me As A Writer
I’ve been many different types of writer. Aspiring. Pantser. Plotter. Bad. Solitary. Slow. Multi-tasker. Recently my writing has shifted into a new phase. I’ve never felt more in tune with the way I write and what I want to write about. It made me realise I’ve changed a lot from my teenage, Tolkien-inspired scribbles. I also think I’ve grown more in the past two years than all the time I’ve been writing. I started thinking what three words described the writer I am today and settled on the following…
Intuitive
I discover the story as I write, versus plotting every scene in microscopic detail. Although I’m still a fan of outlining, sometimes I need to deviate from my outline, or ditch it altogether, to make a breakthrough. My imagination rebels against formulas - if I spend too long creating character arcs and plot outlines it withdraws in stubborn disapproval!
I love subtext. Stories are like onions. You peel back one layer only to find another, and another. Once I start peeling I can’t stop - asking deeper questions to get to the root of my characters is a key part of my process. Subtext is subtlety, mystery and the unexplained. It’s all the more slippery because it’s nearly invisible, hiding in the things a character doesn’t say or do. Subtext involves the reader on a deeper level as they fill in the blanks and query a character’s motives. Subtext asks questions rather than dishing out answers.
I never considered myself a writer who draws on her own experiences, but when I probe further into where my ideas come from, events, off-hand comments and experiences I brushed off, suddenly surface. Random details always add up to a cohesive whole. I need to trust this part of my process. And not think too deeply about it either!
Scattered
Unorganised notebooks clutter my drawer. I’ve no system for filing ideas or research (maybe Scrivener will help with that?) and my Notes app is brimming with snippets of dialogue, revised paragraphs and new ideas.
Most mornings, I dive into what I’m working on without taking stock. I try to hold the whole story in my head and weeks later discover a ‘note to self’ that might’ve spared me an hour’s frustration.
My brain is easily stimulated - sometimes I feel inspired by everything. Therefore I need an outline with enough structure to stop me being distracted by shiny new ideas and enough flexibility to keep my intuitive imagination happy.
Working within time limits helps focus my short attention span. I’m achieving more in shorter writing sessions than I did when I forced myself to sit at a desk 9-5.
Growing
I’ve been writing for over ten years and still feel I’m at the start of my learning curve. This tells me that writing is a vocation to hone over time. There’s no short cut and there’s always more to learn.
I love trying new writing techniques and try to approach writing as a serious craft - a worthy invest of my time and, where possible, my money.
Writing off course is a part of the process. I try my best to work out where I went wrong and how not to make the same mistake twice! The hardest part is not giving myself a hard time over how long all of this takes me. It’s only recently that my process has evolved to the point where I can plot fast and finish stories. Consistently finishing stories is big because I learn by doing. I think it’s true for most folk that the only way to get from the writer you are today to the writer you want to be is to write lots of books.
And that’s my writing spirit in a nutshell. Maybe those words will change in ten years (there’s definitely room for improvement!) or maybe I’m just finally comfortable with the way I write. What three words describe you as a writer?
p.s. If any of these traits resonated, you might find my Novel Magic Kit helpful - it’s a writing toolkit I developed that helped me get out of the endless rewrite cycle and finish my first book.