Getting started with your writing process...
Hello fellow writers,
I thought it appropriate to begin our discussion by defining the writing process. The writing process is a simple three steps: pre-writing, writing, and revision. These steps are necessary for the creation of good writing. Now, our work together will focus, at least for the immediate future, on the first step of this process: pre-writing. Pre-writing is essentially brainstorming or coming up with ideas. This is a step in the writing process that people skip, going directly to the second step of writing. This is usually a mistake. Our brains are not wired to create good writing. Our brains are wired to take in stimuli from our environment, process it, analyze how it fits into everything we’ve ever learned, and projecting how this information can be used in our future. This happens at the speed of light. And, this is happening constantly as we sit in front of our notebooks or computer screens, trying to create. So, simply sitting down and beginning to write a piece without setting ourselves up beforehand can often produce incoherent, sloppy, unfocused work that is far from the quality we are capable of and requires a lot of revision. This process can work for some people, though. I don’t want to come off as saying my approach is the only correct way. In writing, there is often never one right answer. There are many avenues leading to the same destination. However, these avenues are often now clear or easy to find for beginner writers. I believe we can streamline the process for beginners by just brainstorming a little beforehand to focus the mind and funnel our creativity. We don’t want to put blinders on. We should allow ourselves to remain open to new ideas and directions since, as I mentioned, writing without any direction at all (especially for a beginner writer) can be like finding a light switch in a dark room you’ve never been in before. You might luck into finding the switch. But, more often than not, it will take a lot of wasted time and energy to do so.
So, how do we use this knowledge to our advantage? Well, we brainstorm. There is a great exercise that I sometimes do with my Freshman Comp. classes as we begin writing personal essays. Although, this exercise can apply to any kind of writing you are trying to do. I call the exercise Person, Place, Story. It is an exercise that came about from exercises I did years ago as an undergraduate beginner writer myself in a writing class, so I cannot take full credit for the idea. The first step of this pre-writing exercise will focus on the “Person” part and we will save the other two parts for subsequent posts. Remember, the point of my blog is quick, easy exercise designed to get the creative juices flowing and get you started with your writing process. You should give yourself no longer than five minutes for this first part. Forcing yourself to do this in such a short time period not only assures that you can find the time to do it, but also prevents you from doing something that can be detrimental to your process at this point: self-critiquing. During the pre-writing process, you SHOULD NOT be critiquing your work. You should be letting the creativity flow. Don’t worry about the thoughts and questions that will inevitably pop into your mind: is this any good; am I doing it right; my writing is complete garbage; I can’t believe I thought I could write. Self-doubt is part of this process. Don’t try to stop it as that would be a losing battle. Instead, acknowledge it and quickly continue on with the goal of the exercise. The time to critique yourself and analyze the quality of your writing will come, but it is not now. If you are not careful, this will slow your writing process, stifle you our creativity, and, if you’re not careful, completely derail your goal of writing. You might even think you have writer’s block, which, if you follow my advice, will never rear it’s atrocious head again into your creative process. It will become a thing of the past. A myth.
But, enough about that. Let’s get back to Person, Place, Story. I want you to begin the brainstorming process by envisioning a character. If you are interested in fiction, then this character can be of your own creation. Let your thoughts go wild. Don't censor yourself. Push to the side those thoughts that say your idea for a character is the dumbest idea anyone has ever had about a character creation. Push forward and allow your mind to wrap itself around this character. Now, if you are more interested in non-fiction writing, then think of an actual person that exists: a person in your life that is important to you, a celebrity that you look up to, an athlete you enjoy watching, or perhaps even your favorite animal (it doesn’t have to actually be a person). Whatever you choose to do, write as much as you can for ten minutes describing this person. I want to emphasize description. Avoid telling a story about them — that will come later. Avoid adding details about their personality for now as well. Avoid doing anything but the task at hand and focus only sensory description: sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound. (Although, I admit doing this will be nearly impossible and other things will slip into your writing no matter how hard you try to keep them out. Try your best to keep these things out, but don't obsess about them). The more senses you can get in there, the better. Try to create a complete portrait of this character as it might become the basis for more writing later on. And, remember, do your best to NOT allow yourself to question the quality of your work at this point. This is NOT the time. That time will come later.
With all that being said, shortly I will post my own ten-minute character development. I have left it in its original form, unedited, so that you can see my brainstorming in its authentic form and not polished up. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will do my best to respond in a timely fashion. Let's get to work!
Best,
NL
I thought it appropriate to begin our discussion by defining the writing process. The writing process is a simple three steps: pre-writing, writing, and revision. These steps are necessary for the creation of good writing. Now, our work together will focus, at least for the immediate future, on the first step of this process: pre-writing. Pre-writing is essentially brainstorming or coming up with ideas. This is a step in the writing process that people skip, going directly to the second step of writing. This is usually a mistake. Our brains are not wired to create good writing. Our brains are wired to take in stimuli from our environment, process it, analyze how it fits into everything we’ve ever learned, and projecting how this information can be used in our future. This happens at the speed of light. And, this is happening constantly as we sit in front of our notebooks or computer screens, trying to create. So, simply sitting down and beginning to write a piece without setting ourselves up beforehand can often produce incoherent, sloppy, unfocused work that is far from the quality we are capable of and requires a lot of revision. This process can work for some people, though. I don’t want to come off as saying my approach is the only correct way. In writing, there is often never one right answer. There are many avenues leading to the same destination. However, these avenues are often now clear or easy to find for beginner writers. I believe we can streamline the process for beginners by just brainstorming a little beforehand to focus the mind and funnel our creativity. We don’t want to put blinders on. We should allow ourselves to remain open to new ideas and directions since, as I mentioned, writing without any direction at all (especially for a beginner writer) can be like finding a light switch in a dark room you’ve never been in before. You might luck into finding the switch. But, more often than not, it will take a lot of wasted time and energy to do so.
So, how do we use this knowledge to our advantage? Well, we brainstorm. There is a great exercise that I sometimes do with my Freshman Comp. classes as we begin writing personal essays. Although, this exercise can apply to any kind of writing you are trying to do. I call the exercise Person, Place, Story. It is an exercise that came about from exercises I did years ago as an undergraduate beginner writer myself in a writing class, so I cannot take full credit for the idea. The first step of this pre-writing exercise will focus on the “Person” part and we will save the other two parts for subsequent posts. Remember, the point of my blog is quick, easy exercise designed to get the creative juices flowing and get you started with your writing process. You should give yourself no longer than five minutes for this first part. Forcing yourself to do this in such a short time period not only assures that you can find the time to do it, but also prevents you from doing something that can be detrimental to your process at this point: self-critiquing. During the pre-writing process, you SHOULD NOT be critiquing your work. You should be letting the creativity flow. Don’t worry about the thoughts and questions that will inevitably pop into your mind: is this any good; am I doing it right; my writing is complete garbage; I can’t believe I thought I could write. Self-doubt is part of this process. Don’t try to stop it as that would be a losing battle. Instead, acknowledge it and quickly continue on with the goal of the exercise. The time to critique yourself and analyze the quality of your writing will come, but it is not now. If you are not careful, this will slow your writing process, stifle you our creativity, and, if you’re not careful, completely derail your goal of writing. You might even think you have writer’s block, which, if you follow my advice, will never rear it’s atrocious head again into your creative process. It will become a thing of the past. A myth.
But, enough about that. Let’s get back to Person, Place, Story. I want you to begin the brainstorming process by envisioning a character. If you are interested in fiction, then this character can be of your own creation. Let your thoughts go wild. Don't censor yourself. Push to the side those thoughts that say your idea for a character is the dumbest idea anyone has ever had about a character creation. Push forward and allow your mind to wrap itself around this character. Now, if you are more interested in non-fiction writing, then think of an actual person that exists: a person in your life that is important to you, a celebrity that you look up to, an athlete you enjoy watching, or perhaps even your favorite animal (it doesn’t have to actually be a person). Whatever you choose to do, write as much as you can for ten minutes describing this person. I want to emphasize description. Avoid telling a story about them — that will come later. Avoid adding details about their personality for now as well. Avoid doing anything but the task at hand and focus only sensory description: sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound. (Although, I admit doing this will be nearly impossible and other things will slip into your writing no matter how hard you try to keep them out. Try your best to keep these things out, but don't obsess about them). The more senses you can get in there, the better. Try to create a complete portrait of this character as it might become the basis for more writing later on. And, remember, do your best to NOT allow yourself to question the quality of your work at this point. This is NOT the time. That time will come later.
With all that being said, shortly I will post my own ten-minute character development. I have left it in its original form, unedited, so that you can see my brainstorming in its authentic form and not polished up. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will do my best to respond in a timely fashion. Let's get to work!
Best,
NL
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