Writing process

The Importance of an SFD

Everyone needs an SFD (S***** First Draft.) If you’re going to write, this is a concept that you have to embrace. And it’s hard because the SFD is called that for a reason. They suck. They sound gross when you take the time to reread them. And sometimes they can make it hard to write. They make it hard for me to write. Why would I want to write when what I write sounds like an SFD?

But I’ve embraced that they’re important. SFD’s are how we get the story down on the page. We go back and fix it later. Without an SFD there would be no writing because no one would be able to write. I firmly believe that everyone has to write badly to write well because one is a stepping stone to the other.

So I’ve learned to keep writing when I’m in the SFD stage. (FYI I’m there right now.) I assure myself that the writing will get better so long as I stick with it. I make this assurance on a pretty regular basis. And I’m making it to you, all my fellow writers out there. The writing will get better. If you stick with it you will move past the SFD stage. And I can’t wait to see what we all come up with.

BrittanyM

Margin Notes

If you have no idea what my title refers to, that’s ok. Margin notes are what people write and doodle in the margins of their notes during lectures. Sometimes I try to avoid them because I like my notes to look neat. But sometimes I embrace them, like lately, and when I embrace them I’m always glad that I do.

Lately my margin notes have been a lot of lists. I like playing the word association game; you know, you write down a word or phrase and see what stems from it? And I type the lists up on my iPad and file them away for later use. The word associations make for really great writing inspiration which in turn leads to really great writing. And I really love when I have great writing moments.

BrittanyM

My Writing Process

I feel that I so often have to say this, so I’m sorry if you’re tired of hearing it. I might have already written about this topic. If I did, I’m sorry. If you already read about this and don’t want to read it again, that’s OK. But tonight I’ve chosen to write a little bit about my writing process.

Step 1: The truth of the matter is, there is no definite step one. Sometimes an idea magically comes to me. Sometimes I’m inspired by a picture. Sometimes I’m inspired by something that I’ve read or seen. Sometimes I play the word association game and see where that takes me.

Step 2: After having an idea there are two options. I can flesh it out a little bit so I have an idea of where I’m going. Or I can jump in and write and see where that takes me. Neither option is the wrong one. It depends on the idea, how strong it is, what I think the correct choice is.

Step 3: This part is easy. I write.

You might expect that I would have elaborated more on Step 3 or that more would follow after Step 3. The truth is that for me it’s easier to come up with an idea than to follow through on one. I get distracted and move onto another idea. And I’m awful at the revision process. I tend to write things and then just file them away. It’s a habit that I need to somehow move past, but that hasn’t happened yet.

The truth of the matter is, the writing process is different for me every time with every story. Sometimes I think an idea out in my head. Sometimes I really plan it out. Sometimes it’s based around a list of words. Sometimes it’s inspired by an image. There is no right or wrong way to write a story. My process is ever changing, and I don’t think the process is the crucial part. I think that what’s important is to write. To write every day if possible, and as often as possible when it isn’t.

BrittanyM

Sticking With an Idea

As I’ve already said, and therefore probably don’t need to say again, I write a lot. I write every day. It’s a very big part of who I am and what I do, and I can’t imagine my life being any other way. But today what I really want to focus on is the idea of sticking with a single idea when writing.

The fact of the matter is, I have a lot of ideas. I am always coming up with new ideas, drawing inspiration from other things, working with ideas new and old. But what I struggle with, and always have, is the idea of seeing one idea all the way through.

I do pretty well with flash fiction, stories that focus on a single moment. Anything bigger than that and I have a hard time seeing it through. It isn’t that I don’t want to see my ideas through. I think it’s more that I don’t plan my stories out because I like to see where the characters take me, and often we run into dead ends.

I could end the post there and it could be more than a little sad. But the fact of the matter is, I always circle back. It might take a long time, and it might not be the most productive writing session in the world every time, but I do circle back. I do hope to someday finish everything.

BrittanyM

What’s the Point of Writing?

For someone who talks about writing as much as I do (and I know that I do) this might seem like kind of a weird question to pose. But I think it’s a really legitimate one, especially in today’s day and age where there are so many forms of writing and so many people write.

On a personal level, I write for me. I don’t write for the whole world (except when I’m writing in this blog or for the paper.) But even when I write in this blog it’s for me, because I don’t know who reads my blog or which posts they’re reading. I hope that whoever reads this blog likes it and wants to read more, but I don’t really know that for a fact. And at the end of the day, most of my writing is for me. I write in my journal for me. I write my lists for me. I write my story plans and stories for me. Generally speaking people never see those things. I write them to help me sort things out, to work through a bad day, just because I want to. I write for me.

But what about the rest of the world? What about the reporters, the bloggers, the tweeters? What about the authors of books, fiction and nonfiction? Why do they write? As a journalism student I’ve learned that journalists write to tell the truth, because people have a right to know what’s going on in the world. As a blogger, I know that I write to make my presence known, and to share my thoughts with people who have the same types of thoughts. And as for those who write books, I can’t speak on behalf of those who write nonfiction. I write fiction because I love to escape into other worlds, worlds that I get to create and mold. I can make anything happen in my stories, and that has always been something I’ve felt is awesome.

So at the end of the day there are many reasons for writing, and many forms of writing. And everyone has their own reasons for writing, reasons that are so different from my own. All I can do is share my thoughts with you, and wonder about all the rest.

BrittanyM

Writing is Hard

I think that people sometimes forget how hard writing can be. Writing sounds glamorous and like it’s lots of fun, and sometimes it is. Actually, a lot of the time writing is fun, and it should be. As an author writing should be fun. Authors should love their characters and want to spend time every day with them. If you don’t want to spend time with them then something definitely needs to change.

But as fun as writing is and should be, sometimes it’s really hard. Sometimes I don’t know what to write, where the story should go, or how to write the scene that’s in my head. I spend a lot of time staring at a blank screen wondering what to do next, wondering if what I’ve written is any good.

I spend an equal amount of time flitting between ideas, because I don’t know where an idea should be going so I move onto something else. There are a lot of ideas floating around, and someday I hope to finish the all.

End of the day lessons? Writing is hard and writing is fun.

BrittanyM

Another Day of Nothing to Say

I have no idea what to write about today. When I started this blog I had no idea how hard it would be to come up with something to write about every day. It seemed pretty easy to me, someone who writes and always has more than enough to say. But the fact of the matter is, it’s hard. I want to talk about something new and original every day, and I want to sound reasonably intelligent and pulled together when I write. And that’s hard. Which is why sometimes there are blog posts like this, which talk about how hard it is to write a blog. The plan is to not have a lot of posts like this as I continue on in the blog, but I have a feeling there are going to be more of them. But I’ll try to keep the blog posts coming and original.

BrittanyM

Writing Isn’t Always Easy

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I write for school, I write stories, I keep a journal, I have this blog. There is a lot of writing in my life and it’s something that I’m definitely comfortable with. I understand how to weave a story and how to put words together so that they make sense. For me that’s not hard. Actually putting it into practice sometimes is.

You would think that after all this time it would be easy. Get an idea, sit down and write. It certainly sounds simple enough. But I often find it isn’t that easy. I find that I spend a lot of time staring at a blank page wondering what word to put on the paper first. Because the fact of the matter is, the blank page is still a scary thing. (Not as scary as the seagull that stole my hotdog yesterday though.)

But even though the blank page is a scary thing, I continue to write. It’s something that I love to do and something I can’t imagine my life without. So I continue to write and I continue to struggle with the blank page. Chances are, for as long as I write the blank page will continue to scare me just a little. But so long as I don’t ever let it stop me permanently, I think everything will be OK.

BrittanyM

Writing Inspiration

I don’t know how it works for everyone else, but I get my writing inspiration from everywhere. I get it from photos and from quotes. I get it from movies and tv. I get it from quotes and books I read and conversactions I hear. I get inspiration from everywhere.

The hope is that one day all the inspiration gets put to good use. Right now a lot of it is just hanging out and waiting for the right moment. And the right moment will come.

And of course, I will continue to gather more inspiration.

BrittanyM