Build a Better Writing Process

“Writing stopped being fun when I discovered the difference between good writing and bad and, even more terrifying, the difference between it and true art. After that, the whip came down.”-Truman Capote

Look, sometimes it works really well and sometimes it’s harder. That’s writing. Sometimes a new scene comes out of the ether. Sometimes the point where we last stopped tells us exactly what comes next. We’re in the same headspace or a different one each time we sit down to write. Like a lot of writers, sometimes we suffer under the delusion that we can just read through the whole thing from the beginning and keep going – which more than not means we rewrite the first act about 15 times and the last act maybe twice. Fortunately, we’re rational beings. For the most part. And we know how to plan. Usually. I’ve talked to students, teachers, professionals, and amateurs, and there is no good way to make a writing process that works. It has to come from you. That said, the more I’ve asked about this, the more people have told me some common denominators. So I’ve tried to put that down here in a way that makes some kind of sense. Your mileage may vary, but take what is useful. Mainly, it seems the writers who wrote most and fastest have a good plan. 

What’s a Good Writing Plan?

A good plan is a plan that works for you. But here are some things that people have told me about their plans that seem to be most helpful, it has to:
1. Have some form of prioritization, but with flexibility.
2. Be timed to have thinking and working.
3. Remain ambitious but not overwhelmingly difficult.
4. Teach you something every time.

When we talk about designing a plan for a project, here is a sample process that includes notes from students who’ve shared their own ways of getting into and out of the work efficiently. 

Go Big

First of all, start with the big swipes at this. You have to collect notes, you have to lay out the story in some kind of beat sheet, you have to outline, then write a draft, then revise, then get feedback. From a billion feet up, it’s helpful to jot down what are the steps YOU THINK you will take. That is, first: take one pass at writing a process you HOPE will work. Then write out the process you USUALLY take and be brutally honest. Aim for somewhere in the middle.

Real Quick: Stop and ask “why”

One of the most shocking things we can do to motivate ourselves into writing more (and actually a very quick fix for keeping motivated and to stop procrastinating) is to write out why you’ve chosen to write this particular project. This can be anything. “I have a character who needs their story told.” Or. “I’m afraid of dying alone, and a novel is all I have to leave behind.” Or. “This is the script I’d like to use as a sample one day.” At any rate, find a way to tell yourself why you’re doing this. And then, honor it. Be nice to yourself and decide that your reason is a good one. It is. It has to be. Why else would you drink all that coffee? Some people find it helpful to write out a bit about “what if I don’t get this done.” Some writers have said it frees them from the fear of not writing. From the fear of failure as well as the fear of success. Writing what failure and success look like can be a surprisingly motivating factor.

You may, at that point, be ready to start writing. And if you feel like you must, do. Get in there. But if you need a little help, come back and take that thing you wrote under “Go Big” and …

Start to Get Smaller

If you are someone who likes to cross things out – then start writing a long list about what you need to get done. Write as many things as you can think need doing. “Write Act One by Tuesday” is still pretty broad. So break that down into smaller bits: “write that scene where the main character knows what she wants.” For a lot of people, this may also have given you a bunch of ideas and you want to jump in and start writing.

And if that happens: By all means, yes, holy wow, yes, do! Do that! If you know you need to outline, but you’re hearing dialogue, get the dialogue down. See what it teaches you. Listen to your characters, they’ll tell you stuff. But once you’ve written some good stuff, (or some bad stuff, it honestly doesn’t matter… ) go back to the plan.

Ordering Your List

You have all these things you’ve started to come up with that you know you’ll need to figure out. Why the character is the way they are. As you keep updating the list of things you need to do, start putting them in order. Is it better to decide some back story? Or do you feel like that comes after you put plot elements together? It’s up to you honestly. But it’s important at some point to start looking at what’s going to be the most efficient way of getting the work out. The point is: many writers find it helpful to write ABOUT what they’re writing during the time they’re, well … writing. Some don’t. But this is a discussion of “plan of attack” and a lot of good projects die not for lack of talent or motivation, but lack of planning. The point here is to aim at reminding yourself to write the thing you intend to write. You’re allowed to let that change, but a solid note-taking process will keep your train on the tracks. Particularly when you have to quit for the day. Which leads us to arguably the most important part of a solid writing process…

When and How to Take a Break

We’ve all heard or read a story about how someone “wrote a movie in three days.” And sure, yeah, if that happens, great. But for people that this DOES happen to, they get maybe one or two of those in a career. Everyone else has to take a moment. And YOU have a way you like to take a break. First, really think about it. Is that process working for you? If so, great. Keep it.  But if you feel like you could use a tune-up in this area, my suggestion is to come up with a formalized process for taking a break. Because your brain does need rest from this; sometimes active rest and sometimes passive rest. I have a friend who takes breaks by doing math. That’s active rest. Keeps the brain moving but relaxing the parts that are dealing with the story. Personally, I do the dishes, I clean. There are some people who need to go for a walk, watch something on TV, completely change the scenery and move away from what they’re writing. I find that nearly impossible. In fact, I’ve learned that my threshold is 15 minutes. Any longer than that, and I lose motivation. So…experiment.

“Park It Downhill”

My sister says this. In order to get up from the desk, she has to sit with the work she’s just done, come to an agreement with herself about what must come next and write that down. There’s this feeling when the flow is there that we couldn’t possible forget where we were headed. But…then we sit down and we feel like we’ve lost it. So, sit down, write down where you are leaving off. Do not forget, however, that writing is primarily an act of making an audience feel something. Be careful that you don’t just write down the plot points or the actions your characters need to take. Remember to make a note about the emotional headspace you will need to come back to.

Breaks Have Sizes!

Small: Say you have three hours to write today. How many times are you going to stop and how long will those pauses be in order for you to recharge without losing inspiration? A dude named Francesco Cirillo gave us the notion of the Pomodoro: work for 35 minutes, break for 5, work for 35, break for 5. Every fourth cycle, break for 15 minutes. Start over. You can work for an hour and break for 15 if you’d like. The Pomodoro has revolutionized writing processes, just with a simple little timing device.

Medium: Look, at some point you have to eat lunch. Medium breaks can be very tricky because we can lose steam entirely and derail a days worth of work this way. And yet, sometimes, they can also be a little inspiring. So, if you have to stop working for an hour and a half, how do you make sure you can pick it back up? The hard part about a medium break is getting back in there. If you’re good at that…tell the world how. A student suggested before you get up, you write down three things: what just happened, what happens next, where are you ultimately headed today?

Large: You can take a full day away from a writing project, and it might help you to do so. Some people need to cleanse the brain entirely. The good news is, this can be fun. In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron talks about the Artist Date, taking yourself somewhere alone. Creativity can be boundless, but not unless you’re also taking things in. Whatever you’re writing about, there’s probably information or PLACE out there that conjure whatever it is you’re trying to write. Consider getting out of your writing space. A museum or a walk to get into the head of a character or time period can be the very best long break. You’ll be surprised at the new things that pop into your head.

Come Back to the Work

Then, when you come back from that break, however long you’ve chosen to take them, get back in. And here’s where this level of organization (which…this is page three…) can be helpful. Each time you sit down to write, rather than jumping in, take ten minutes and write out what is the work that needs to be done from here, the point you are sitting in this room, until when you have to turn it in. Get as specific as possible. (I.e. I need to fix that story about this; I need to make sure the resolution happens here; I need to make sure this and this happens.)

• A writer friend handed me a list of the questions she sits down with every time she comes back I offer them here:
• What’s the last thing you did on this?
• What are your goals for today?
• What are you expressly NOT working on during this writing session?
• Why is it important that you get this portion of work done?
• What would make you feel accomplished in today’s writing?
• What’s the reward if you do?

Be Open to Change.
One day, something that you have relied on in your writing process is going to fail you. That’s fine. Really. It means you don’t need it anymore and you can try a different thing. One day, you will undoubtedly remember something that worked for you. And someone will give you a tip as to something that works for them. The point is, nobody has the same writing process, and no project need have the same process each time. It is in our considering what the process is, that allows us to get better each time we do it.

Above all, Be Kind

Think of your favorite writer, your favorite television show, the tweet you loved: all of those people sat down and figured out how they’d do that. Just like you. You’re participating in the same process. Having an organized writing process doesn’t make anyone better looking or more talented. And all of the things I’ve suggested here might sound like absolute nonsense to you because your process works for you. The point is, what you’re doing requires a fair amount of courage.

You’ve already signed up to do a thing that’s larger than every day life. Be kind to yourself in that process, be smart about your physical and emotional wellbeing. You’re bringing something into the world for people to take seriously, to make them feel less alone, to provide hope, or point something out. By writing, you’re hoping to ease the burden for the world at large. Dear heavens, extend yourself the same courtesy.