WARNING: This is a no-edit zone…
Writing is never easy. It’s an author’s sweat and skill and effort (and an editor’s and a line and copyeditors, too) that makes it appear easy.
Actually, writing a book is a lot like eating a bear. You can do it, yes, but it’ll try you on every level unless you eat the rascal one bite at a time.
I hesitate to say write this way or that way. We writers have a lot in common, but we have a lot of differences, too, and a major difference in each and every one of us is the way we think. Some would say, how our muse works, but it’s really more than the muse that inspires us, it’s how we perceive and process and function.
For some, the process is linear. I do this and then that and then that and then that.
For others, the process is, non-linear. I get an idea, I develop it–interject this and then that element and then mesh them together and see what I’ve got. Then I write.
For still others, the process is random. I get an idea, a plot, or a character. I sit down and write and see where it goes and what happens.
Whatever way works for you is right. The process doesn’t make a bit of difference to anyone else. You’re the only one who sees it or experiences it, and in the end, every process (followed through to fruition) ends with the same thing in the same place: a completed book.
So my point is to write in the way that is natural to you. Explore others’ methods and processes, adopt what works for you and ditch the rest.
Your way is the right way for you to eat YOUR bear.
I’ve tried many methods, and I have taken tidbits from this and that method and experimented with ones I’ve developed–the hybrid methods. Over time, I’ve developed a way to eat my bears that works well for me–and gives me a lot more writing time and a lot less revising time. I like that ratio. 🙂
The important snippet of wisdom I can pass on here is to always be open to new methods and try them. Failing to do so might cost you an important bite, or even prevent you from ever finding your own best way to eat your bear. Up with that, we should not put!
Blessings,
Vicki
C2008
