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After research and outlining, when it's time to start a draft what is your writing process?

When I actually sit down to write, I write a section, and then reread it making adjustments. Then I do this until I am happy with the section and move on, repeating this process. I usually only have the urge to reread and adjust when I reach a block of sorts. For example, when I can't think of the word I want to use, or how something should be phrased.

This is my process. Though timely, it works well enough for me. How do you write?

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    Hi compugirl! Welcome to Writers.SE! You'll find a good intro to our site at writers.stackexchange.com . I'd like to point out that "poll questions," such as asking everybody what their personal writing process is, can be problematic here - we're a Q&A site, so we're more about answerable questions than about polling everybody's personal preferences. See blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/01/real-questions-have-answers for more detail.
    – Standback
    Sep 21, 2013 at 20:32
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    compugurl, as Standback noted, polling questions don't work well here. In addition, this is very broad; a writer's process may well vary by type of writing, level of formality, length, and other factors. I'm going to put this on hold; I invite you to edit to bring it into line with site guidelines, e.g. by asking what process is best for {speed, accuracy, something else} for such-and-such type of writing under such-and-such circumstances. Thanks for your understanding. Sep 22, 2013 at 2:31
  • Monica, This is my first post here so I apologize for my following question if there is another place I should have found the answer. I purposefully left the question open, because my writing process does not change depending on other factors and I am curious to see how others do. I could definitely expand upon my question, but I feel that narrowing down a question about method, which is based on personal preference, would not produce the desired responses.
    – compugurl
    Sep 22, 2013 at 16:46

2 Answers 2

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Our novel is my first attempt at writing so I am probably not best placed to answer this question, however it seems broad enough for me to muck in. Also I am co-writing my novel so this should hopefully be a unique answer.

  1. After formulating some sort of outline to the plot (which was a whole different process in itself) I sat down with my co-author and worked on thickening the plot for the first two chapters, adding all the depth and detail.

  2. Then I would add the narrative on my own, COMPLETELY alone (how anyone can write whilst coping with the distraction of others is beyond me).

  3. Next, like yourself, I revise what I have done (with my co-author) plugging in the gaps and restructuring to perfection, if there is such a thing.

  4. Now that we are a third of the way through the book we are getting together to revise the whole of the start of the book and the plot to make sure the whole thing flows.

I don't think there are any right or wrong ways to write, and our way may also take a little longer than others, but we know our process works for us.

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  • Thanks, I enjoyed reading both of your answers. It's interesting to see the differences between individual processes.
    – compugurl
    Sep 22, 2013 at 16:39
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My writing process:

  1. A random idea pops into my mind (I only keep those that don't let me sleep.)
  2. Screw outlines.
  3. I think about the hooking sentence.
  4. I write in order to find out what will come out from the hooking sentence (I don't stop to edit. Editing while writing can block your best ideas.)
  5. I keep writing because I want to know what will happens in the next scene (the characters develop themselves at this point, because I'm too eager to know what they will do next. I do some Wikipedia research if necessary.)
  6. I keep writing because I want to know what kind of crazy, ridiculous ending I will come up with.
  7. I take a break. I get drunk for a couple of days.
  8. I work on the second draft (my editing brain turns on at this point.)
  9. I think about another idea/project.
  10. At this point I already know whether the story is worth the pain or not.
  11. I get dru...I mean I take a break again.
  12. I do the third draft.
  13. I upload my manuscript to www.scribophile.com (and of course I ask questions at www.writers.stackexchange.com)
  14. Once receiving the feedback from those sites, I edit my manuscript again (forth draft).
  15. I upload it to Amazon (and pray that there aren't any grammatical mistakes.)
  16. I repeat the process with the idea I thought about in step 9.

Hope this helps (it had worked for me so far).

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