the craft. we talking bout process?

“What’s your writing process?” This is a question I feel like I’ve been asked often since becoming an author that I never considered as much when blogging and freelancing. But writing a book is indeed a process, but until you’ve done it, honestly, more than once, it’s hard to really pinpoint a process per say. It took drafting my most recent manuscripts for me to understand that I do have a process, and the reality is, we all do.

If we’re starting from the beginning, I tend to come up with a story idea first for fiction. Typically it’s like a question. What if this happened? Or why do we do this? So I guess that means I tend to start with a plot.

Then, of course, a plot needs people. There’s always a main character in the situation, so I place that person in the story. Who they are starts to develop and then I just write and see where it goes. Normally it’s like a couple of chapters. Often handwritten. And then once I’ve gone as far as I can, I start to plot out beats. Like what else happens in this story? That becomes a bit of a loose outline.

Then my draft starts to take shape. I can fill in the details essentially of those beats and get myself to a very bare bones draft.

Now, there seems to always be this pattern where I have to come back to those side characters. Maybe even my protagonist and just get to know them a little better. Maybe do a profile. Write a scene that won’t make it. But I’ve noticed that it always takes a little bit more digging for me to make them fully realized people you can relate to. And especially for secondary characters, people that don’t just feel like props for the protagonist.

However many rounds happen on the computer before I print, which I’ve mentioned before. I take a good read without changing anything. Another read where I make handwritten notes. And then do some revision again from there.

After that, it’s time to get some feedback! I have an agent now, so of course, I send things over to her. But I also like to enlist the help of some beta readers, my mother included. I incorporate some of their feedback and more of my own and then at that point, it’s like, maybe this thing is in good enough shape to call a book.

Somewhere in this later stage, I’m going to find a way to read out loud as well. I think this can get skipped over especially because books are long. But this can really help with dialogue. If it sounds awkward or unrealistic saying it aloud, it’s also going to sound that way when people read it. Also, there are small typos that you catch when hearing you’re writing back. So, what I’ve learned to do to help is sometimes I have Word read aloud for a few chapters and then I pick up where they left off. Daunting task, for sure, but necessary.

One of the great things I didn’t expect after my trip to Austin for the Torch Literary Arts retreat was how much it would feed my process. It reminded me of the importance of research which can go much further than Google. I was so content to sit in the library and pick up books relevant to the cities that are important to one of my works in progress. I plan to do that more for sure back in LA as well.

It also reminded me of how important it is to have time to think. To let the story coagulate a bit. That’s one of the advantages to taking time away from a manuscript as well. When you come back to it after some time, it’s like you see it with such fresh eyes. Things start to click that may have otherwise challenged you.

I don’t anticipate that my process will be the exact same every time. I mean, this thing here is what we call creativity. But I do think I’ve found a nice rhythm for myself which I hope helps to produce the best product possible.

Your process doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. But it can be helpful to ask yourself, what do I need to produce my art? That’s all the idea of process is about.

Writing/Job Opportunities

Adam Clark Estes is looking for freelancers to write about tech at Vox. That includes a contract position to cover a writer on parental leave as well as one off assignments. Email him ace@vox.com.

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