Eating up the world, then writing it down

When Daniel tagged me in a blog hop with the subject of ‘My Writing Process’ I was excited to jump in and discuss.  Except, when I took a close look at my writing process, it looked on first glance like I don’t have one.

After all, I’ve had books that I sat down and grilled through in a matter of weeks–start to finish–and required very little rewrites beyond the cosmetic.  And I’ve had books that bear less resemblance to their original form than a squigly brown dragonfly larvae to the dragonfly it will one day become.

pink-dragonfly-dancing-on-the-stick

And while sometimes I’m firmly obedient to the age old writing advice that a writer must write, and that means every day…other times I stop writing for days at a time while I bang my head against a plot point or simply sit in the sun and breathe.  So, then, what is my process?

A good question–and here’s my answer: My process is one of discovering stories by absorbing life as it sifts through my soul, and writing it down.

Isn’t that a lovely bit of imagery?  In practical terms, the kind that can actually be useful to another writer, there are a few things consistent from book to book in how I work.

  1. I must have a sense for the story heart.  This usually starts for me when a combination of two or three things inexplicably come together–a boy who leaves his body behind in order to search out ancient relics in the ether, then hunts them down back on the physical plane and recovers them for a fee–and around the woven mass of this story kernel, I also have a sense for people I can care about.  That’s how my short story ‘Watcher in the Dark‘ got its start, and my other stories began in much the same way.
  2. I spend time exploring the plot of the story, the way these elements can spin together.  As pieces and bits, they have potential to go in several different directions, and I try to choose the direction which makes for the most conflict, emotional growth, and wry humor.  When I think I’ve got it (loosely) figured out, I write it all down on 3×5 cards in a great big plot on the wall, and start writing.
  3. I discover that my plot won’t work, because it’s missing some crucial bit or because a new character has shown up and changed everything.  This usually occurs somewhere between chapters three and six, and always before I reach the one quarter mark in the book.  I throw out almost everything on my previously written up 3×5 cards, and incorporate all the new stuff.  Nowadays this often involves very loose plotting because I know where I”m going and can trust the plot ahead of me.  In my first few novels, though, that tricky step between 2 and 3 in which I carefully plotted the cards, then threw them out again, was repeated over and over.
  4. I finish the novel, set it aside, and on coming back to it find I have to rewrite (sometimes a tweak, sometimes an overhaul) the beginning, the end, or both.

13 DD Final Board

That’s my process as it stands now–and it’s a thing of beauty!  Except when it’s uglier than a traffic jam on Halloween night with sleet and slush falling steadily and the little kids crying as they sit, sweating, in their costumes.  I also kind of expect that process to change, as I continue to write and mature as a writer.  Because I really do believe that stuff I said–that stories and writing are what come when I’ve sifted life through my soul.  And how could that be something which stays the same?

But, maybe it’s different for you.  Maybe your process is something steady, and reliable.  I know some writers even have rituals which stay with them no matter where they write or what kind of story they’re putting together.  Tell me, what’s your secret to success?  I’d love to hear what sparks your writing, and how you capture that spark and nurture it into flame!

To that end, I’m tagging several of my writing friends to join in the blog hop and tell us about their process.  Here’s looking at you, Ginger, Pat, Laura, and Rebecca!

fire

 

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13 Comments

  1. Reply

    Suzanne, this is so revealing. I’m impressed, in part that you actually keep a bare wall to work from. That shows commitment of a serious nature, and I can now add that to the things I admire about you.
    Well done. I’m going to digest that and see if some of it filters into my own work- which consists of piles and piles of notes, notebooks, tagged pages in books, etc. I’m a piper, not a filer, and certainly don’t have enough wall space to stick it all up there. Maybe someday. helpful ideas, and I love the consume life, digest, let it become something of value.

  2. Reply

    Thanks, Sandy! I confess…it’s on my kitchen wall (I don’t have a dedicated office, so I take a little from every room) and sometimes wonder what stories guests will tell one day of me and my obsessions! lol But, it helps me to see it all up in one place, where I can back up and ponder the whole.

    Pics if you decide to make one like it!

  3. Reply

    C Michelle thanks! That one was for 13 Demon Days, the most complicated (plot wise) of the books I’ve written. Not every book gets to be so colorful!

  4. Reply

    I know what you mean! I got the bones of how I do mine from Save the Cat, but I know there are other method out there and would love to sit us all down in a room sometime and compare notes.

  5. Reply

    Oh I totally agree, I’d love to learn more little tricks to make mine more effective. I use a board and then transfer it into my bible. (I’d love to eventually teach a class on plot boards.)

  6. Reply

    Great post–and I’m thinking your plot board is a lot less messy than mine which kind of overflows across the wall and down to the floor.

  7. Reply

    Somehow that doesn’t surprise me, Pat! You are an expert plotter, so I’m sure your board is a thing or wonder and one I’d love to see!

  8. Reply

    Lists are good, too! Can’t say I’m too familiar with them…but I’ll go introduce myself to yours. Who knows? Maybe we’ll hit it off. 😉

  9. Reply

    This is fascinating! Thanks for giving us a peek into your writing process. I love the touch of whimsy you use while plotting! I’m still figuring out exactly what to say about mine, but I will.

    I’ve heard about the seven act structure, I believe by Dan Wells, but it’s on podcast and I generally prefer to read articles instead of hear them.

  10. Reply

    I’m looking forward to reading what you come up with, Rebecca! And my plot structure only has four ‘acts’ as anything more would I think start to feel too binding for me. 🙂

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