Process

Everything we write starts with an idea. Sometimes we may need to go hunting for that idea, but that's okay. I've had some ideas come to me from lines in a movie, words in a song, an event that happened, and even some the just appeared as if osmosis.

Once we get an idea, we need to decide what to do with it. We start to put together pieces of the puzzle, if you will. I use the puzzle analogy quite often because I like it so much and because it fits so many situations. If we need to support our idea, this is where we do it. In other words, research must be performed. This step is so much easier to do today because we have so many more resources with computers and internet.

Now, take everything you've put together and figure out what you're really going to write about. Find the focal point of your story. The focal point doesn't have to be a huge thing. It can actually just be one point you want to make. You know how some author's will always have a moral of the story? This would be a good focus.

Then we actually get the the writing part of our assignment. We put all of our ideas with our focus into words and see where we go. Remember, this never needs to be perfect. This is just a draft. Often, we'll find our focus shifts a bit during this process. Reevaluate and decide where your focus should actually be.

Many of us know the last phase as revising. It can actually be renamed as clarifying. We take a good hard look at what we've written and change what we need to in order to achieve the focus we've decided on. Be very careful in this stage. Revision has gotten many a writer in trouble by not checking the final copy twice. Pay particular attention to the sections you change. Do the subjects and verbs still agree? Did you leave more behind than you intended?

Follow this simple plan and you should have no problem producing stories, poems, articles, or blog entries. The hardest part is coming up with the idea in the first place.

Thanks to the Writing Process for the inspiration for this piece.