Delete the Delete Key – How I Write A Story

Today on Routines for Writers, Larry Brooks wrote a guest post called The Requisite Mindset Shift That Will Get You Published, discussing the writing process and how to write a publishable novel. I don’t know if I write publishable novels yet but after the second time around, I do feel like I know my writing process better. There are as many ways to write a story as there are writers and I always enjoy hearing others’ penning tales…so here’s mine.

The Beginning

It all starts out with an idea, of course, but I do a lot of filtering before I finally land on one. I let an idea simmer for a year or two before I finally decide I understand the premise enough to start taking it seriously. Of course I don’t mean I sit around for two years waiting to get started. What I mean is while I’m working on one novel, I write down ideas that come to me, adding on to them as they flush themselves out in my subconscious. Once a premise has taken seed, it’s hard not to see connections everywhere.

Once I finally decide on an idea, it’s time to outline. Yes, I’m an plotter. Actually, I’m somewhere in between a plotter and a pantser. I don’t kid myself that I know how the entire story will play out. The characters have a lot to say about that as I get to know them and what’s important to them. I have to lay down the five major milestones, though. Absolutely. And then usually I have a couple handfuls of scenes that have helped me get to know my characters before I even get started. I try to build on that if I can, weaving in some subplots and some character building scenes. Some people frown on subplotting on the first draft but I like to write even my first draft at the pace I’d like to see my final draft unfold.

The Middle

I’m not sure if it’s because my first novel was the product of National Novel Writing Month, but once I get started writing, it’s on. Some people edit as they go but I can’t. I think it’s more out of fear of what I might find there than any conscious decision to be smart about the whole thing. It isn’t only in November that I approach writing this way, it’s all the time. I’m a very results driven person so getting the first draft done in four months is the only way I can imagine doing it. If it took me twice as long to write because I was editing at the same time, I’d probably lose my motivation altogether and give up. I call this NaNo Syndrome. Thanks for that, Chris Baty.

Also, I have to write at the pace I want it to read and in chronological order. I’ll have to edit, of course, but I can’t just take notes and fill it in later. That’s not how my brain works. It’s the mood and feel of the novel that keeps me consistent and in the right frame of mind.

The Middle Again

It’s right around the halfway point of the novel that I finally start to “get” my story. No matter how much outlining I do beforehand, I never know enough about my characters and their story until I’ve gotten into the thick of it all. It’s right about then that I have to go back to my outline and rethink it. Sometimes it’s as simple as adding and rearranging the scenes to come. Other times, I have to rework everything. With my first novel, this happened twice. With my second novel, I’m happy to say I had a much better grasp of plot structure and was able to keep moving forward with only a few notes of changes to make in the first half. Either way, this is the part that gets exciting to me. This is where my characters become real, well-rounded people and my plot hooks me.

The Beginning Again

The best and worst part of reaching “The End” is it’s just the beginning. Now that I have something to work with, the entire process starts over again. And again. And again. And again. According to Larry Brooks, I’m on the right track but I still have a long way to go. I don’t know my editing process yet. I’ll have to get back to you on that.

What’s your writing process?

Jamie Raintree is the author of Perfectly Undone and Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard. She is a voracious student of life, which is why she became a writer, where she could put all that acquired information to good use. She is a mother of two, a wife, a businesswoman, a nature-lover, and a wannabe yogi. She also teaches writers about business and productivity. Since the setting is always an important part of her books, she is happy to call the Rocky Mountains of Northern Colorado her home and inspiration.

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Comments (6)

  1. So do you delete the backspace too?

    I’m not a writer. Nor do I want to ever write a novel. I’ve seen every step of this process twice and it definitely is something you have to take step by step. I think your process is the best… but I think I am being a little biased. 🙂

    1. Yes, the backspace key too! Metaphorically speaking, of course. You know how you get on a typing roll and you’re backspacing before you even know it? My sister thinks that’s hilarious!

      Lol! Thanks! Yes, it’s a very grueling process. That’s why I always say, make sure you love it! That’s why they design parenting that way–if you didn’t love it so much, you’d give up in the first week!

  2. I write exactly the same ~ not until I have the milestones and major scenes already plotted out. How I get there is a little fluid, and I lovelovelove when a character surprises me along the way. And Larry Brooks is the man!

    1. I agree–surprise twists YOU don’t even know about are the best! That’s why I don’t like to put my characters on too strict a path. That little extra wiggle room is where the best plot ideas come from!

  3. Hi Jamie! We have a similar process…I’m also a plotter. I have to have something to work toward, however, I’m often surprised by how the characters take me there! I also writer straight through, beginning to end. Stephen King says you should not kill your creativity with editing in a first draft. I believe everything he says, so that’s my mantra! Just a word doc of random notes that usually don’t make a ton of sense by the time I get back to them!

    1. I agree. Editing sort of kills the mood for me. I mean, it’s an entirely different side of the brain! And I want to ride that in-love-with-my-story wave for as long as possible!

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