I’ve noticed lately that when I’m working on a piece of writing over the past couple of years, the process goes through distinct and recurring stages:
- The piece begins with a flash of inspiration. I think “I’m a writer with good ideas! I can do it!”
- I sit down to write. Words come tumbling out. I’m positive I’m onto something brilliant. This piece is gong to put me on the map.
- The work slows. I stop to use the thesaurus on MS Word. I am trying to move forward and rework the paragraphs as I write them. I also realize I have to look something up on the internet. And I ought to check the email message that just came in. Could be important.
- I’m back to my piece and re-read what I’ve got. Sounds pretty good. Well, except the one part. And the beginning. It really should begin somewhere else.
- I add another paragraph here and there. I feel like with a little reworking, and continuing a little farther, I’ll have a complete draft that I can work with.
- I realize that I don’t know why I’m telling the story in the first place. I don’t like the tone. Why am I so preachy and humorless? I definitely should start in a different scene, and refocus the whole narrative.
- I do another Save As. This is my seventh version. I’ve already created a folder for all the versions of this piece. I have created a document of outtakes, and another where I sketch out an outline of the structure. This piece will definitely take longer than I planned.
- The piece is utter crap. What made me think this was a good idea? It is twice as long as it was two days ago. Also, twice as incoherent and pointless.
- I give up.
- What the hell. It can’t get any worse. Save As version 8.
- There are actually pretty interesting details. I might be able to salvage this piece after all.
- Ready to be critiqued, and repeat steps 3-11 again.