A Quick Lesson in the Writing Process
Do you ever wonder if you’re writing right?
As you’re writing, are you striving for just the right word, just the right phrase?
Do you fear that pros have discovered some secret approach you may never know?
I’m often asked what goes through my mind as I write—besides the story itself for a novel or the message for a nonfiction book.
In other words, new writers want to know:
What should I be thinking while writing each sentence?
Does this all just come naturally and you don’t think about it?
Is there something specific I should be doing?
Well, Yes and Yes
Yes, this eventually becomes second nature, but recently I was forced to think about it. And, sure enough, there definitely is a specific ritual I go through for every line I write.
This was brought to light when a teenage writer wrote recently and asked:
How many of theses are clichés?
Pangs of hunger
Close call
Close shave
Close encounter with death
I responded to her that all of them were, though that doesn’t mean they’re egregious. They won’t in themselves likely get her manuscript rejected.
Recognizing the Process
But, I said, “…the fact that you recognized they might be clichés tells me you can do better. That’s the fun, and the job, of being a writer.”
And as I thought about how I work to eliminate clichés, I was reminded of my standard operating procedure—which I confess I haven’t been conscious of for years.
I took the first of her examples, invented a character, and wrote the clichéd version:
Jack suffered the pangs of hunger.
Then I forced myself to become aware of my process.
As I sat there, I realized I was silently talking to myself and that the following is the type of inner monologue I engage in constantly while at the keyboard:
You’ve been hungry. What did it feel like? Did it stab? Ache? Give you a headache? Make you lethargic? Or make you manic?
Deciding Is What We Do
In that instant, seven variations on the hunger cliché seemed to hit me at once. I didn’t write these; I just considered them:
Hunger stabbed Jack’s gut.
Hunger poked at Jack.
Jack ached with hunger.
A ravenous ache made Jack squirm.
Jack’s head ached, but it was his stomach that sought attention.
Jack felt as if he were climbing a hill in slow motion, realizing he hadn’t eaten since dawn.
He needed to finish the task, but suddenly getting something into his stomach became Jack’s sole focus.
Believe in Yourself
I told the teenage writer that that’s what I do for every sentence I write. I silently run through all the options I can think of, then trust my instincts, pick my favorite, and keyboard it.
If it doesn’t fit or look right, I’ll try one of the others. My mantra is reader-first, and while that grueling part of writing makes me feel more like a ditch digger than an artist, I’m trying to create art.
How do you settle on the words that wind up on the page? Tell me in the comments below.
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