Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

My Writing Process

30 Day Blogging Challenge

The Wildcard Round! Today's winner, drawn by Virtual Dice from all eligible entries, will receive the Work In Progress Merit Badge!
Tell us a little about your writing process (for blog entries, stories, poems, anything...your choice). Is it all digital, done on a computer, laptop, tablet, or even your phone? Do you start by jotting a few notes or lines on paper, or draw up an outline of some kind first, or use a voice recording app when you're on the go, and then switch over to a computer to formulate your ideas into words as you're typing? Or are you still completely old school, writing everything out first completely by hand and then entering it into a word processing program? What works/doesn't work for you?

I used to be a write by hand kind of person, but I have found that I enjoy creating on my laptop or my Surface. It is much easier to make edits and see your thoughts in black and white.

For my daily writing, I just sit down at the keyboard and let things fly... this is how I write my blog and even how some poetry and some of my short stories are written. Edits happen after I let the initial spark of creativity fly from my fingers. I find if I let my head get in the way too soon, I stump up myself and then have to plod through a piece. If I let it happen and edit later, I am better able to have something to work with than nothing at all.
I often find myself amazed at what materializes on the screen before me. Little poetic gems gift themselves to me and only need a bit of tweaking - if anything. I find some short pieces will do the same, like "Dunluce Castle Finds His Lady"  - I did a little research first to get a feel for what I would write, but then the writing just flowed out. I did edit a bit after I got it down on the screen. One review made a good point of changing the jackhammer to a chisel and stone - more with the times of the piece - I may change that after the contest is over - "Invalid Item" 

It is good to go back to a piece after it has had time to just be - fresh eyes find the flaws easier than when you first go through it. With some contests I often don't give myself that time, though.

With NaNoWriMo, I spend time planning and getting my orientation set up before November starts. It is Nano I have to thank in many ways for getting me creating directly onto my computer - before 2012 I hand wrote everything. I also have learned to 'put the inner editor away' while I write the first draft - creating and editing are two different hats... they cannot be worn at the same time. Not only does it look odd, but it makes the writing stutter and peeter out.

I do some planning at the beginning of NaNo, but I also let the story take me as it will, incorporating a pantser mentality. When I begin to flounder, I return to planning and adjust, then once I find my way again, I shift back to pantser. I find being flexible with my plans opens me up to the wonders that may come from letting the story tell itself. I guess I would be a plantser - planting the seeds then watching what comes up....