Some thoughts on writing…

Free writing is the heart of any piece of literature. Without it no story would have ever made it to paper, forver trapped within minds of their would-be authors. It is a name given to what many great writers have described as a “possession” or a “witnessing”. Am I over stating it? Perhaps a little, but I truly believe it’s a signifigant tool towards producing well-crafted content. I by no means claim to be a professional, in fact I myself am only a student, but I thought I’d share what I recently discovered helped me when attempting this method.

Note: I write this as a solution to writer’s block, not as a do-only guide to writing, however I believe it helps in any attempt to become more prolific.

Rule : Forget all that you have learned about what should go in a final draft. This means any and all punctuation and grammar, save periods and paragraph breaks (this makes it easier to review what you have written afterwards). Tell instead of show as this does not require you to divide up brain power. Don't be afraid of repetitiveness: use the same adjectives to describe the same type of actions to increase the momentum of your writing. Resist any urges to revise and edit until your goal has been reached. I recommend a pace of five minute intervals worth of solid writing, pausing briefly to review what you wrote to ensure you aren’t taking the plot too far from your mark.*If you feel you can write in longer chunks, then write as long as you deem necessary. Write entire chapters or even short stories (or, dare I say, a novel?) in one sitting if you think you can!**

*This is only if your free writing has a task oriented goal, such as constructing a story. If you are doing it for pleasure or to just get thoughts out into words (including, but not limited to, story ideas, for example) then don’t stop until you can’t type no more!

** I personally prefer to write in chunks simply because I can revise as I go along, sort of creating a one and a half draft.

Step 1: Focus on an opening scene for your story. I know you all have at least one sitting in your brain, if you have any idea of what your story’s concept will be. You should have at least planned what you want your chapter or short story to contain, and how it will end.

Step2: To give meaning to the term, you must then write. Freely. Write however you see the story unfold in your mind for as long as you’ve chosen to write for. If you are writing in chunks then don’t forget to pause at your designated intervals and review your work. If you are going all out then force yourself to complete the piece you're working on (however if it is a novel I suggest stopping at the end of a chapter).

Step 3: After you have free written and performed minor revisions as much as you can, stop. Give your mind a chance to absorb outside information for a while and let the story percolate in your mind. Don’t wait too long, however, as you risk losing momentum. I recommend a day, two tops, but make sure you continue to write other stuff during this time frame. I once read somewhere that Stephen King has stated that he has a quota of at least two thousand words a day. What’s stopping you? Or me, for that matter!

Step 4: Reread what you wrote. Make any improvements you thought of during your story break, continue to fix any technical errors as you see them.

Step 5: Once you have completed second revisions, repeat steps until finished. *

Step 6: Once you have reached your third draft, have someone proof read it. The reason I say third is so that you have enough of the story established before allowing in outside input. Repeat step 4 and 6 until you feel satisfied with your work.

*I don’t count revisions here the same as drafts. You can perform a whole slew of revisions before you reach the conclusion but still only have the first draft. For my purposes, a draft is a complete revision of your story from start to finish.

So that’s it! Just a few thoughts of mine on my own writing process, what do you think?