Writing Wednesday - The Writing Process

A DM I got on Twitter asked me what my writing process was.  I had to think about that for a minute when I was asked because, honestly, I don't usually think about the writing process.  I just DO it.

I start with an idea.  Who knows where the idea comes from?  It could be a random snatch of conversation heard in the break room or the servery.  It could be a line from another book or a movie.  It could be a flock of birds, a cloud formation, or a sunset.  It could be a dream.  But wherever it comes from, I always have to start with an idea.

That idea could be a character, or it could be a setting.  Many times it's a little of both.  I sit down and I write.  I write as much of the story as I know.  Then, when I've written what I know, I let it sit for a few days while I work on something else.

Once I've let it sit, I go back and read through what I've written.  I decide what I like and what I don't, and I work with those parts that I like.  Sometimes I don't even wait a few days.  If the story catches fire in my mind I push through and get the whole story told.  It doesn't always have a lot of detail in places, but I can go back and add that detail later in revisions.

Now there are times when the idea I start with is a barely formed character.  I use that character to build up the world he or she inhabits. (As evidenced by my WW posts on world building with Ashe.)  Sometimes I have a setting and must create the characters to interact with the setting.  As long as I get my ideas down onto paper or word processor, that's what matters.

So my process is as follows:

• Get an idea.
• Write as much as I can on that idea.
• Revisit the idea after a short period of time and expand on what works.
• Revise again and again until I have a polished piece.
• Repeat as necessary.

So what's YOUR writing process?