The Writing Process

[IrishCanadian]

I know that many of you on this forum write. Whether you write poems or essays or stories etc. I think that it would be spiffy to share what we usually do. In the morning? Late at night? When really depressed? Do you plan it far in advance? ...

[rachel]

what a thoughtful thread Irish.
For me writing never stops. On paper, on computer,in my mind when waking or falling asleep. A bird flying by the window, snow falling, rain pelting upon the grass, a baby crying.
I believe that everything that exists is a "ONCE UPON A TIME.'

[Petrarch's Love]

For me writing never stops. On paper, on computer,in my mind when waking or falling asleep. A bird flying by the window, snow falling, rain pelting upon the grass, a baby crying.
I believe that everything that exists is a "ONCE UPON A TIME.'

Rachel, I love the way you describe this. "Everything that exists is a "ONCE UPON A TIME": you could almost use that as the first line of a poem. I feel the same way. I'm constantly writing either literally or mentally. I think my writing is probably best when it's coming out of either some very powerful emotion (great joy, or grief) or from someone or something I know well (a sketch of a good friend or the description of a place I visit often). I know that if I really wanted to make a profession out of writing I'd probably have to set aside a fixed amount of time each day and really work at the craft, but as it is I write purely for my own amusement or emotional release and occasionally to amuse or comfort a friend, so I write whenever a line or an idea happens along.

I always have to have pen and paper handy--the number of paper napkins I've scribbled poems and story ideas on is staggering, and I recently found a pen with a light in it which is fantastic for those late night ideas. I don't plan things in advance to begin with. I scribble out whatever comes along and let the emotion carry me. Then I'll sometimes take that seed and develop it and sketch out a plan for it from there--not so much for poems but for stories. Either stories or poems I'll usually let sit for awhile and then go back over again later when I can be more objective about the style and so on.

So, I'm curious Irish Canadian. Do you have a certain writing approach.

[RobinHood3000]

I almost always have a full-size notebook handy, and definitely always have a spiral book of index cards for note-jotting whenever inspiration strikes. One can never be too prepared (usually...), and I absolutely LOVE to write.

[lavendar1]

This is an interesting thread. Since I'm a student, a teacher, and a "just me" writer, I need to keep switching between various styles of writing -- something that always perplexes me. Also, I'm "mom" to several young children, and trying to find time to write, especially creatively, is always a challenge.

I suppose I'm most prolific (as a creative writer) on the weekends, when I don't have to get up at 4 or 4:30 a.m. as I almost always do during the week. Nothing's better than writing and relaxing with a cup of hot coffee on a Saturday morning before the demands of the day (running the kids to basketball games, doing laundry, buying groceries...just getting 'stuff' done) weary me.

Yes, I keep a notebook around at all times to record various "revelations," but I'm rather wierd about my writing: I'm always worried that someone I don't want to pick up my journal will. That's a real concern in a public high school-- and even at home. I regard my writing as a private thing; I share it only if I choose to do so. The thought of ever reading anything I write in public pretty much scares me to death!

[IrishCanadian]

I scribble out whatever comes along and let the emotion carry me. Then I'll sometimes take that seed and develop it and sketch out a plan for it from there.
That is more or less precisely what i do. In my room I have tissues and scrap pieces of paper of all sor5ts with untidy ideas all over them, I keep them in a shoebox. Then when something reminds me of one or when i feel the need to write (mostly poems) I visit the shoebox and begin to work on the meter and style ... how to develope those ideas in a presentable artistic form.
This almost always happens in the middle of the night. I find I'm less distracted when I'm tired so i can concentrate on the poem.

[Pensive]

I never writes on paper. (bad habbit) Now I have been used to of writing in MS Word. I usually writes in the day, most of the time when I am sad or gloomy.

I don't plan usually. I start writing something and then things keep on coming in my mind so I just type it all.

[rachel]

Rachel, I love the way you describe this. "Everything that exists is a "ONCE UPON A TIME": you could almost use that as the first line of a poem. I feel the same way. I'm constantly writing either literally or mentally. I think my writing is probably best when it's coming out of either some very powerful emotion (great joy, or grief) or from someone or something I know well (a sketch of a good friend or the description of a place I visit often). I know that if I really wanted to make a profession out of writing I'd probably have to set aside a fixed amount of time each day and really work at the craft, but as it is I write purely for my own amusement or emotional release and occasionally to amuse or comfort a friend, so I write whenever a line or an idea happens along.

I always have to have pen and paper handy--the number of paper napkins I've scribbled poems and story ideas on is staggering, and I recently found a pen with a light in it which is fantastic for those late night ideas. I don't plan things in advance to begin with. I scribble out whatever comes along and let the emotion carry me. Then I'll sometimes take that seed and develop it and sketch out a plan for it from there--not so much for poems but for stories. Either stories or poems I'll usually let sit for awhile and then go back over again later when I can be more objective about the style and so on.

So, I'm curious Irish Canadian. Do you have a certain writing approach.




Dear Petrarch's love

you are well on your way to becoming a fine writer. I read once a couple of paragraphs once by a big time editor in New York I believe and he said the truly great writers don't come by formal education, proper use of language and form is important but....he said a truly great writer comes from inside and is naturally gifted and that one reads, and reads and reads the sort of book he or she wants to write.
Agatha Christie used to jot down a word here or there or a phrase she overheard someone use when she was out and about and once in a while she would dig them all out, throw them upon the table and after arranging and and rearranging t hem often the beginnings of a great mystery came to light.
The setting aside some time each day like any other job will come in time.
For now I bless you to enjoy just letting your mind soar like an eagle and land where soever it will.

[rachel]

Well,
I would love the privelege of meeting with all of you for coffee at the Bean Scene on an evening(hard for moms) and just relax and write and drink and share our thoughts.
I do that with one of my children when we can. We used to take long walks from one of our beaches two plus miles back home, the others would take the car.
And one of us would start a story and then bit by bit we would create it together as we enjoyed one another's company and the beautiful scenery. We came up with some truly awesome short stories. My favorite we name Peace Street, a murder mystery.
I could not live very well if I could not write even if just in my head. I wrote my first book and illustrated it, not to mention sewed it together with a huge darning needle at the age of three. I had no friends except my puppies, was terribly shy. I gave the book the next year to my school teacher(for some horrific reason I was put in grade one at four and sucked my thumb until grade two).
This was at a British school where boys and girls were segregated. The teacher read thru it , told me we weren't allowed to use pens until grade three, then told me to go back to my seat. I think she threw the book out. I wish I would have kept it. It was probably horribly done but it was my 'first'book. sigh....

[IrishCanadian]

Wow ... talk about the thread where we share something that we didn't know wbaout each other. Thats truely interesting Rachel.

[Petrarch's Love]

For now I bless you to enjoy just letting your mind soar like an eagle and land where soever it will.

Rachel--Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement. All my blessings to you in return, and I hope that you will always find joy and satisfaction in your own writing. (Have you posted anything of your fiction here that we could read?)

I like the thought of you making up stories with your kids. What a great way of sharing time together. I wonder if we could do a similar thing in these forums. One person would start a story and the next person could continue it and so on until we felt like stopping. It might be a fun substitute for meeting at the Bean Scene. :) Or does such a thread already exist?

Thanks for sharing about your first book. Three years old, wow! I don't think I was even reading then. What a horrid, dull, yahooish teacher, to throw out your first literary effort. Your story did remind me of my own first "book," though. In the second grade we were all given composition books and told we could write anything in them during writing time each day in class. When I realised that anything meant we could make things up too, it was a total revelation. I started seeing that I could make up worlds just like the authors of the books I loved to read. I quickly filled three composition books with a series of inter-related stories which I collectively titled the Fairy Queen stories (all about a group of little fairies and their adventures with their queen and her court). I still have them tucked away in a box under my bed. What was most important was that I started seeing how I could draw upon my own experiences for my writing, and I started taking notes about the goings on at recess and incorporating characteristics of my own friends and all the little childhood intrigues (who's best friends with who, the fierce competition for the double dutch jumping record, and what little boy is chasing what little girl around the playground) into my stories. I started really observing people then, and trying to understand them--a habit which has never let up. :) I wonder if anyone else has a story about their earliest fiction writing experience? It would be interesting to hear how we all got started.

[RobinHood3000]

My first venture into the world of fiction writing was when I had the weird idea to write a short story about a boy with premonitions in his dreams. Alas, it was of poor quality, but I like to think that I've improved since then.

[IrishCanadian]

I think I started poetry when I started homeschooling ... I wasnlonely and math was boring so I wrote cliche emotional poems. I was about ten years old. I still ahve most of them in an old red duo-tang.