The Writing Process aka Sitting Down and Doing It
I used to work at a bookstore. I was the events coordinator. This meant I saw a lot of authors read. A lot. Like three a week. And I am also an author. I’ve done a ton of readings. Not three a week — my books aren’t that long. But I’ve done my share.
I will tell you this: all authors are asked the same question: what’s your writing process?
I think the question comes from a desire to know the magic formula to produce words on a page.
How does it happen?
Sit Down and Write
Because I’ve seen hundreds of authors answer this question, I’ll boil it down for you.
The answer is: sit down and write. It’s not glamorous, is it? I’m sorry that I can share no magic. You just have to sit down and write.
Where’s The Magic?
What’s worse is when you’re sitting there, this tiny voice in your head says, “Okay, I’m sitting here. Magic? I’m waiting for you!” And guess what. The magic doesn’t come. And then you’re sitting there saying, “Gee magic, I’d love to see you. Maybe if I just look at celebrity gossip blogs or reload my email or do a google search for myself or clean my earrings or vacuum the floor or make a cup of tea, the magic will arrive.” And it doesn’t. No matter how much earring cleaning you do! I do a lot of earring cleaning and it never arrives.
The only time the magic comes is when you’re actually there writing words. When you don’t actually need the magic, then it comes. GOD, WHY IS WRITING LIKE THAT?!? (Scuse me, that was my own inner voice.)
You must just write words. They are not the best words to ever come out of your fingers, but they’re words. You can revise them later. But you must write words. A writing teacher called this priming the pump, this whole idea of writing just to make words. Because if the words are coming out, soon enough the right words will flow too. But you’ve got to get words flowing.
Some suggestions for writing words instead of waiting for the magic to arrive.
1) If you have a mac, download the application Freedom. It shuts off your internet for a predetermined amount of time. You can’t turn it back on without shutting down your computer.
2) Use a blogging platform to write. Staring at a blank document is hard. Writing it in your blog template is so much easier. It’s just a blog!
3) Write the worst sentence you can write, then write the next worse sentence, and the next and the next until those words are flowing.
Now, sit down and write. Trust me, your earrings are clean enough.
