Answering FAQ's About My Writing Process

As I continue working to put my writing out into the world, I'm often asked a number of questions: What is your process like? How do you keep writing when you get stuck? How do you finish your projects? And so on. I thought I'd take a moment to answer some of these frequently asked questions.

What does your process look like?
I'm a mom who works full time, so time is not a luxury I can afford when it comes to passion projects. Before I was a mom, before I had the job I have now, I was a secondary English teacher, with grades to keep up on and planning to get done. Before that, I was working full time and going to school full time. However, writing has always been important to me, and I'm highly motivated to get my work out there, so I've always had to find a way to make time for it. Nowadays, this process begins after I put my son to bed for the night. I try to write for at least 30 minutes, 7 days a week. 

When you sit down to write, how do you get started?
It's not always easy to just sit down and have words magically fly onto the page. In fact, when you're sitting down at the end of the day, and you're tired, and your brain is foggy, and you have a million other things on your mind, it can feel nearly impossible. This is how I get past all that to get words on the page: I sit down, set a timer for five minutes, and just type. Sometimes, I write nonsense for five whole minutes. It usually looks something like this: Okay, Brey. You need to write. You have no idea what to write, but you're writing anyway in case something comes up. Blah. Blah. Blah. This is where you're at right now, what's going to happen next? This is what you want to write, but how... and so on. I make these notes in all caps, so when I come back to edit, I know what still needs to be written, and what details I need to work on. Eventually, the words begin to flow, and the actual content writing can begin.

What do you do if you get stuck while you're writing?
Well, I shift gears, and alter my expectations. I do the same thing I just mentioned. I just... start writing things, thinking through what I want to say and where I want my story to go, but here's the kicker - here's where everyone I talk to get's hung up - I have to do my thinking on the page. I have to keep my fingers moving. If I don't I remain stuck in my head, and the words never get to the page. 

Do you plan your story first, or do you develop your story as you go?
My answer to this question is yes, to both parts. I usually start my stories by outlining an idea. I give it a basic skeletal structure, write down major conflicts I'd like to include and directions the story can go. Once I get writing, though, the plan only really helps me when I'm stuck. The characters within drive the story, and often things I had in my outline never make it into the story at all. The same is true with my character development. I always start with a guide for my characters - an outline of their basic nature, their likes and their dislikes, their motivations - but the story also highly impacts the characters, and their development is made deeper and more specific by the events that take place throughout my writing and editing process.

Do your characters ever surprise you?
Oh, all the time. Once I get writing, my characters often take over.

Do you edit as you go?
In writing my first book,. I would edit as I went, and it took me forever. There were times where I would go months at a time without writing a single word because I was so caught up in trying to make it perfect on the first go. Now, I try not to edit anything as I write if I can help it. This is tough, because I really do like to edit, and I'm kind of a perfectionist. BUT! I have found that I'm better able to develop the story if I write my first draft more quickly, if I can keep the flow going rather than stopping and starting again for longer periods of time. I have also found that writing like this allows me to finish my first draft much more quickly. 

HOW DO YOU FINISH YOUR BOOKS?
Many people who talk to me about my books tell me that they are interested in writing a book, or that they have even started writing a book, but they have no idea how to finish it, and they can't seem to get very far into their draft before they lose their drive. I totally understand that. My first book took me five years to finish. I completely understand the imposter syndrome that comes along with putting your work into the world, the fear that what you have to offer isn't good enough. These thoughts are ones I have often, ones that I'm always working to combat. The best answer I have in regard to how I get past those thoughts to finish my books, the best advice I can give, is this: Get the words on the page. Keep writing. Make a habit of it. Set a timer. Even if the words you write are complete nonsense, keep writing. You can fix any errors, develop any piece of your story, cut things out, add things in, and rewrite, but you can't do much if you don't have words to to work with. 

Writing books - writing anything, really - can be tricky, but it can also be so freeing. And holding a copy of your published book in your hands for the first time is incredible. Check back next week to read about my editing process. Have a great week!