What's your routine? Assignment 3b:

Strange kinds of question as far as the assignments go. I had to read and reread several times to make sure I actually got what Kai was asking, but I think I have a handle on it now.

When I sit down to write it all depends on what I'm writing. For these ten minute spots I tend to just get a glass of water, or a coffee, or ask one of my teens to make one for me, come to the computer, pick a topic and start tapping on the keyboard. I don't go into a lot of deep thought. I let the tips of my fingers connect to the thoughts flowing from my brain. This became a habit when I started keeping a journal on my computer. I'd tap out ten minutes, or more if the mood struck me, as an aid to getting my typing speed up. But it helped me just run loose with my thoughts.

For the most part I simply wrote about my family, every day boring stuff. There was nothing in it to excite or thrill anyone. As I continued to peck away and let my mind go, the process became easier and easier. As my speed improved so did the connection delay between my fingertips and thoughts.

At some point I pushed myself to put this whole process before a live audience. I started keeping this computer generated journal online. When I go back and look at early entries I see the raw edges of my thinking just hanging out there for the world to see. Over time my style, or voice developed and I felt more at ease with the reader, having an awareness of them. Yet, I no longer felt so shy about them and started opening up, revealing more and more of myself. The more I actually revealed the sharper my writing became. Writing personal stuff is easy. It requires less thought than actual fiction or articles. But that's how I approach something like this.

Aftward I reread the entire piece and look for ways to improve what I've written, but nothing heavy. For fiction I tend to just leave things as they are until the big edit later. If I'm about to submit it to a blog site or to an editor, I do a spell check and read over for better ways to express what I'm really trying to say. Other than that I'll let it go and hope for the best.

With articles I tend to make a short outline beforehand, either the day before or just prior to sitting down to write. I make the outline short shots of info. Each line might be little more than a couple of words, a thought I want to express. When I come to writing the article I then flesh out and elaborate on what is already down on the page, a sentence at a time. I don't really do much more than that. I sit and I write.

When I set out to write a session of fiction I do much the same thing. I’ve already spent some journal sessions in my specific journal, the one I have marked out for that project and outline the entire story, chapter by chapter, write up character descriptions and behaviours, and so on. This can take any length of time, but I seem to work best when it becomes the focus of everything I’m doing for that week.

Before the actual writing session I spend some time, five minutes usually, just writing where I am with the story, the characters, any troubles or questions I want to pursue, etc. By the time I sit down to write I’m ready. I know where I’m up to, what’s happening, or not happening, and I can just go for it. I find putting on the timer an excellent way of pushing myself to write hard and fast, so I feel I don't have time to ponder the details or worry over what is what. If I don't know something I write xxxx. That will do until later when I go through and edit.

The actual process of writing is the same, though. I sit on my bum and start writing. I don't stop until the timer goes off. It matters little if I never use what I wrote. The point is I grew into the story more. I discovered something about the characters. I showed up and let the writing have a place in my day. When the timer goes off, and I’m finished for the day, I again sit and write in my specific journal. I just write about how I’m feeling. Did I achieve what I set out to? Add my word count and that kind of thing.

I tend to write in short bursts of time for fiction. I set the timer for two forty minute sessions and write like blazes until the timer beeps. I use the microwave oven timer, because it requires me to get up from the writing and go turn it off. I use this break to hang out washing, make phone calls or whatever else is a priority for the day. These tasks never take up a long time. Then I set the timer again and go at the story.

I find using outlines for novels so much better than just free-writing, which I did once for an entire first draft of a novel. I get great ideas and can use the free-writing I do, but outlining makes me more productive. I used to think it was too hard and resisted outlining for ages. The day I did it I was ever so grateful for the skeleton to work off. I can still change things, the outline isn’t written in stone. There’s just a sense of knowing what to do next that removes any hesitation or need to sit there for ages and wonder what to write.

I hope this answers the question. I'm out of time now and have to go collect my big boy from work experience.