What Kind of Writer Are You?

I get a lot of questions about my writing process. Probably the two most common questions I get are, "What kind of writer are you?" and "How do you make time for all your writing endeavors?" The second question I will answer in another post, but for today, I'd like to explore the first question.

When I was just starting out as a writer, still in college, still finding my voice, still in the process of drafting my first and second novels; I read a lot of books on writing. At the time, most books suggested that structure was key. There were a few I read that addressed people with the "write by the seat of your pants" writing style, but due to the nature of the writing style, I never really found any information there that I found particularly helpful. Mostly, everyone gave their advice and then said, "Do what works best for you."

When I get that question, "What kind of writer are you?" I have to think about my answer for a minute. Do I outline everything first? Do I write the first draft by the seat of my pants? Do I write from beginning to end? Do I jump around?

The answer to all of these questions is YES. 

I do all of these things, but it's situational. That's not to say that I don't have a process. In fact, I would say that I have a very specific process that I follow for each of my books. However, I've found that taking pieces of each of these approaches works best for me. 

Do I work from an outline? Yes. I always start with an outline of some of the major points I want to hit in my book. Now, I don't always strictly follow that outline, and I'd say it's pretty common for me to come back and fill in or change my outline three or four times in the process of writing my first draft. I very much value having an outline, though, because it allows me something to come back to and brainstorm on where I can see the whole picture, and how the piece I'm working on (or stuck on) fits into the larger whole.

Do I write the first draft by the seat of my pants? Do I just put my fingers on the keyboard and see what comes out? Yes. It's very typical for me to not even look at my outline when I sit down to write each day, unless I'm at a big turning point in the book and I want to go in a specific direction. I typically start and end each writing session with a few minutes of word vomit. I just start writing. I write a quick reminder of where I left off next time, and where I want to go today. When I finish, I write what I think should happen next. But the moments in between where I'm putting content on the page, I just write what comes to me. 

Do I write the story start to finish? Do I jump around? Yes, and yes. I would say that 90% of my work happens in chronological order. Occasionally, though, I find myself extremely inspired, and I have to jump ahead, or go back to add something in. In this case, I always leave a note for myself about where I am and what my intentions are for the current scene before I jump scenes. 

I've always heard people say it's important to find what process works for you, and I completely agree. It took me a long time to realize that I don't have to fit in any one category, as long as I'm telling the story I need to tell. 

What kind of writer are you? Comment below - I'd love to know! For more writing related things, check back next weekend.