Oh hey 👋🏽Happy Sunday! With that, let's get to it.
Every writer has a process. Even if that process is complete and utter chaos, its technically a process if they've used it more than once and have completed a work. Words of Ilia. Don't quote me.
My process is very much on par with the standard writing process. What does that look like? Well, let me show you.
Disclaimer: I found this diagram on google. There were many but I felt this one was the most accurate for how I flow.
This is the writing process!☝🏽It consists of five stages: PRE-WRITING, DRAFTING, REVISING, EDITING/PROOFREADING + PUBLISHING. Now I'll break down these stages into how they look for me.
PRE-WRITING 💡
Pre-writing for me is a combination of putting down story ideas in my designated story idea notebook, notes of specific things I fear I may forget about the idea and a detailed outline broken out by chapter (or how many chapters/sections I think the story/screenplay will be at the time). Sometimes my pre-writing also consists of swipe = photo images of inspiration for my story, especially when I need to describe something in detail. For example, some of my fantasy novel swipe included a map of Colorado, a old school house, an image of one of Alexander the Great's scabbards and a diagram of colors and their meanings. These things help my idea become an actual work of substance. By doing this, I know what things looks like when I am getting ready to describe them; I know how I want them portrayed in the story because I've landed on a vision in my head that can now be put on paper/explained without confusion. This part of the process is essentially the organization stage.
DRAFTING 💻
Good old drafting. Nothing much to explain here except that this is where I write the whole story - beginning to end. I will say that I prefer to write at a desk/table with a keyboard and monitor but I can write wherever I need to (as long as I'm not moving #motionsickness 🤢). I also prefer to write in silence or with very light background music; the music being classical or an instrumental. I like to dance so if the song is too good that will take my focus away from my task at hand. 🤦🏽♀️
REVISING/EDITING/PROOFREADING 🔍
These two-three stages are usually clumped together for me. As I revise, I proofread/edit simultaneously. As I am altering the story, I am also checking for grammatical errors, spelling, etc. The revision part is pretty fluid for me. Sometimes I will go into the first read knowing I want to add or change a part of the story. I will have written notes separately so I know exactly what I want to change. Other times, I won't realize I need to add something/change something until I re-read the story out loud and I see that the passage falls flat or I never described the character's hair color (literally happened in the romance novel I'm currently querying). After I have a few revised drafts under my belt, I will begin reaching out to my critique partners aka CP's. These critique partners are essential to get to the "publishing"/ready for submission part of the writing process. These CP's are unbiased to the story for the sole reason of them not having wrote it. It is important to find a CP who reads/writes/critiques your genre because they will ultimately connect with the story better. They will also have better experience with certain plots, the stakes in the story and overall enjoy the book because they are your targeted reader. This process is not only for the book or screenplay. I apply this process to all of my writing materials linked to the project:
Query Letter
Synopsis
Logline
Artistic Statement
I try to get other eyes on every single piece of writing attached so everything is vetted. Because once they let me know it's the best it's going to be, it's time for publishing. *Disclaimer (and I mentioned this in my IG post the other day): Your manuscript or screenplay will never be perfect. It could be perfect in your eyes but if and when it gets picked up, your agent or producer is probably going to want you to make even more changes. Some of these changes could be as small as adding another scene or as big as changing the entire beginning or ending of your book or movie. These changes could include the deeper development of a character or changing the location of the project to better relate to the reader. These changes could be endless and can be super defeating but the agent/producer is the expert in the business, so their changes are probably necessary to get your story to the next level. I know this from published author friends, people in the movie industry, etc. I personally have yet to be represented. FYI. #workingonit
PUBLISHING 📖🎥Last but not least, the publishing stage. This is the stage where you share your writing. This could be #querying to literary agents, submitting your work to contests, attending seminars or even self publishing. You get to this stage by completing the others before it.
The writing process is no joke. It is time consuming, requires patience and dedication.
Which process takes the longest for me?
I would say DRAFTING + REVISING/EDITING/PROOFREADING. Drafting because you have to make time to write. For me that's tough sometimes because I have to do this in the midst of being a wife, a mother, a listening friend, a full-time employee and needing time for myself. The first manuscript I finished took me a year. I did this while working full-time and going to school full-time. My romance novel took me almost three years to complete. Within those three years I'd started a new role, got puppies, got pregnant, had the baby and the list goes on. Life does get in the way so you have to make time. Another road block in drafting for me is writer's block or not being in the mood. Sometimes you can't think of how to begin and other times you just don't want to. This can definitely lengthen the drafting process. Revising/Editing/Proofreading is time consuming because you just don't know how much TLC your story will need after the initial write. What you came up with in your head could not translate well on paper or you could take some time finding a match in a CP. The biggest thing to remember and I've learned this firsthand, is to not be so hard on yourself. Not everyone is writer for a reason, just like not everyone is a basketball player or tech genius or doctor. You do what you want to do because you love it.
My passion is storytelling. The ideas living in my brain make me want to write and share those ideas with the world. For a long time, I wanted this to happen but I wasn't ready to put the time in. I wasn't serious enough about the work required to really make something happen. Now that I am, I am praying I will persevere, because there is nothing I want more than to make my ideas come to life everyday. That and the ability to teleport but we'll save that for another blog post.😜
Thank you for reading! Enjoy the rest of your day and have an amazing week.
Ilia out.🌙
Love. Magic. Passion. Possibilities.