My Writing Process

Today I want to show you what my writing process looks like - from first idea to finished story. I’ve avoided creating these types of post in the past because, being unpublished, I don’t feel like a ‘proper writer’. But you don’t spend the majority of your life writing without developing some kind of process. I like to think mine is pretty foolproof by now, so I thought I’d outline it here for anyone who might find it useful.

The Seed of an Idea

I record all my story ideas in my writer’s notebook. If I don’t have an idea in my head already I flip through its pages for inspiration. I have a raft of ideas on my phone’s Notes app too, which I need to transcribe to my notebook. My notebooks are messy and unorganised. I used to tell myself I was an organised person - I am, to some extent - but when it comes to the creative stuff I can’t stick to anything other than vaguely ordered chaos. Sometimes a story won’t come from a notebook at all - it just arrives in my brain and demands attention. They’re the ideas I’m most excited to write. The ones I can’t leave to go cold in my notebook for too long. In fact, one is tapping me on the shoulder just now…

From Idea to Story

My ideas are usually no more than ‘hooks’ inspired by daydreams, overheard conversation or folklore I’ve read about. What if a family’s fate was linked to the lifespan of a tree? What if old words were spells that unlocked portals to another world?

Both ideas intrigue me, but will there be enough mileage for a story or even a novel? I’ll pick an idea that speaks to me and flesh it out with a big brainstorming session. I used to waste hours brainstorming because I wasn’t asking questions that would make me dig deep or give my story momentum. Now I’ve developed various sets of brainstorming questions that get me to my goal of a fully realised story faster.

For example, I might ask of the first idea “Who is this family? Why do they feel their fate is linked to this tree?” I write up to ten answers, as fast as I can. The longer I take to think the less likely I am to reach my subconscious. To develop the supporting characters I might ask, “Which family member believes the legend? What if the ghost of an ancestor appeared?” or “Who is the rational member of the family that refutes the legend? Maybe they want to cut the tree down to use the land and disprove the legend.” Now the protagonist, allies and enemy are taking shape.

I’ll repeat the above process to discover the story’s theme and setting, too. Character, plot and theme seem to work a gravitational pull on one another that results in a cohesive story. Altogether magical and mysterious, and one of my favourites parts of the writing process.

ORGANISING THE STORY

Once I have my principal characters, settings and theme I organise them into a rough structure. I emphasise rough, because I’m the type of writer who discovers the story details as I write. I suppose I’m a plantser - half plotter, half pantser.

I put the entire plot on one page. This revolutionised my writing process. My brain doesn’t cope well with pages and pages of notes. I get overwhelmed and confused, shut the notebook and rebelliously try to go off memory and intuition. The trouble with that is things get lost. After discovering Eva Deverell’s One Page Novel and Rachael Stephen’s Plot Embryo videos, I finally found a method that worked for me.

I’ve started combing these two methods to get my entire plot on one page in a clear, manageable diagram. It’s a handy reference if I find myself lost in the story’s details.

Handwriting THE FIRST DRAFT

Now I’m putting pen to paper.

(Note how many steps there were before this point - a writing process is so much more than a daily word count, something I’ve learned the hard way).

I like to handwrite early drafts. If it’s a short story I might write the whole thing on paper. For a novel, handwriting is time consuming, so maybe just one or two chapters are written by hand.

The tactile quality of putting pen (or pencil) to paper ignites my imagination. Plus, there’s no danger of drifting onto the internet for ‘research purposes’.

After handwriting I’ll type what I have into Word or Scrivener.

Editing

This step takes the longest but I’ve got to a point where I at least know how to navigate my way around a messy first draft.

I start by listing what I like about the story. Then I list what isn’t working, from plot holes to tense. I return to brainstorming. Is the opening scene flat? Would a setting change make the scene more compelling? Once I’ve fixed plot and structure issues I’ll focus on the technical aspects of the story (grammar, word choice, show don’t tell).

I read over successive drafts, making further corrections.

I’ll read my story out loud to check for rhythm.

When I’m just tweaking the odd word here and there I know the story’s done.

If I was sending a story to magazines or competitions, I’d ideally rest it for a bit before editing again. Mostly I just post them here for your enjoyment and feedback 😂 My process is always a work in progress but this is what works now - a combination of structure and intuition. I’m always eager to try new techniques and ever ambitious to improve.

I’ve never taken a formal creative writing course. Everything I’ve learned has come from books or the internet. One of the best things I did to improve my writing was study story structure. I’d always avoided it, but there’s a point when even pantsers will need to outline their novel. My editor (and every agent I’ve queried) has asked for my novel’s synopsis, which is basically an outline!

My writing process has evolved over many years, and a key part of my process is learning how to write. I daresay a course might have shortened my learning curve but there’s so many free resources out there all you need is a willingness to learn - and there’s always something new to learn.

Hope you found this insight into my writing life helpful 😊 I’m working on a ‘Novel Magic Kit’ that expands on all of the above, which I’ll share details of soon! ✨