Develop A Writing Process That Works For You
Copyright ® 2004 by Angela Booth
We're experiencing a building boom in the little Sydney suburb I
live in. Every second street contains a building site. Stroll
down a street one day, and there's an old house surrounded by
mature trees. The next week the house, most of the trees and all
the fences are gone, and an ultra-high, barb-wire-topped chain-
link fence surrounds a vacant block. A few weeks later, a
bulldozer levels the block and digs trenches. Then ten
fashionable town houses appear, brick by brick, where the
original house once stood.
Once the bricks and the sun-tanned builders arrive, the entire
construction is a done deal. They've got plans, and a process.
The framework goes up. Every day the walls get a little higher.
It's messy and confusing to an outsider, but the process works.
Like the builders, you need a way to construct your writing. With
a writing process, you donÆt get stuck. You build your writing
brick by brick, tile by tile. Here's a process which works for
almost any piece of writing:
=> 1. WhatÆs the task?
Ask yourself what you want your writing to do.
If you procrastinate on your writing, it's because you havenÆt
laid the foundation. You haven't created a brief for yourself.
Ask yourself: What job does the writing have to do?
Then create a working title which defines the job: "A Summary Of
Three Popular Diets"; "A Sales Flyer For Smother's Garden Center
For A One-Day Sale"; "A Whodunit Featuring An Aboriginal
Detective".
I paste Post-Its with working-titles around my computer monitor.
They're mini-briefs, and provide a compass for a writing project.
=> 2. Create the framework
All writing needs structure, and you must put the structure in
place before you begin your first draft. This doesnÆt mean that
you can't free-write, and pre-write. But once you start the major
work, you work to a structure.
The easiest way to do this is to look at your working title, and
make a list of points and ideas. For example, for "A Summary Of
Three Popular Diets", you could list three major headings: (1)
high protein (2) low-fat (3) calorie-counting. Then list sub-
headings under these initial headings.
If you're creating the framework for a novel: "A Whodunit
Featuring An Aboriginal Detective", you could list headings too.
They might include: (1) the crime (2) the detective/ main
character (3) conflict (4) red herrings (5) suspects.
Your framework gives you a map for the writing.
Each piece of writing must be logical. Your reader will be
asking: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Answer the questions.
=> 3. Write right now, research later
Write first, as soon as you've completed a framework. You can
research later. It's vital that you get your basic draft on paper
first, otherwise you'll get lost in the byways of research. Once
you have a basic draft, you'll know what information you're
looking for when you research.
=> 4. Write (the/ an) introduction
Write your intro when you've completed the first draft. Your
intro is your hook, and you may change it half a dozen times
before you complete your article/ book.
Many embryo novelists struggle with the first chapter. They
rewrite Chapter One until all the juice is wrung out of the story
idea, and never get beyond Chapter Three.
DonÆt worry about the introduction, whether it's a couple of
paragraphs or an entire chapter. You'll rarely use it, it's
simply a way for you to get comfortable with the voice and the
tone of the piece of writing. Think of it as clearing your throat
before you speak.
=> 5. WhatÆs the takeaway for the reader?
What will your reader get out of what you're writing?
Information? Entertainment?
Once you've worked out what the takeaway is, highlight it. Add
more conflict and excitement (or romance or humor) to your novel.
Make a list of "how to" items for your article.
Editors buy because of the takeaway.
=> 6. Cut
Cut your work by 50 per cent.
Yes, you heard right. Cut by HALF. This is because your work
contains fluff and filler, like adverbs and adjectives.
You wonÆt see where you can cut until you've removed yourself
from the writing. So leave it for at least a day, preferably a
week, or in the case of a novel, at least a month.
After you've slashed and burned, you can revise and rewrite.
=> 7. Have you covered everything?
This is where you ask yourself questions about the writing,
trying to approach it the way a reader would.
Fill in any missing bits. You will want to fact-check here. Check
names and dates.
=> 8. The final polish
This is where you can pretty it up. Focus on style. Use a
dictionary. Work on the title.
There you have it, a writing process that works. To get the
process to work for YOU, tinker with it. You'll develop your own
process over time. Have fun with it.
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