How My Writing Process Has Changed Over the Years

I’m currently writing my first draft of a new WIP, and couldn’t help but think back to my early drafting days when I was labouring over EVO Nation. My process is different today, but that is mainly because as a new writer I thought I had to work a certain way, but over the years, I have found my OWN way.

Here are some of the ways in which my writing process has changed:

I used to write every little detail about my narrative that popped in my head into a notebook. My EVO Nation series notebooks are bulging. As the years have progressed I only jot down things I really need to remember. I don’t keep a notebook of names I like anymore or music playlists. My Zombies and Budgie Smugglers notes filled just an A4 piece of paper.I don’t class myself solely as a pantser anymore. I used to think I had to stick to one way of writing like a religion. ‘I mean, how can I be taken seriously when my writing process changes like the wind?’ Now, I still regard myself as a pantser, but if I need to plot some chapters, I will. I used to think I had to know everything about my character before starting the draft. Now, I let them tell me who they are when I’m drafting. It is also perfectly fine to not describe your character in great detail. I used to want the reader to see my characters exactly how I do. It’s fine to give them some hints and let them use their imagination for the rest. Avoiding tropes like the plague used to be a huge deal for me. It was actually during writing EVO Nation that I finally told myself that genre tropes are fine, as long as you make them your own. I read certain genres for certain tropes, so why steer clear of them when I’m writing just because some people say ‘tropes are bad or lazy’.I used to guilt myself into writing daily. It’s not always possible for me to do that now, and word counts have become the devil’s work to me. I write when I get the chance and that’s perfectly fine. I write to relax and deadlines and word counts made it stressful.

Whether you agree with my process or not is a matter of style, but I hope this post goes to show that our processes will change as we grow as writers, and the best advice any writer can have is to write for yourself, how you want, when you want, and for whatever reason you want!

Content belongs to KJ Chapman

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