The Writer's Process: Getting Your Brain in Gear (The Writer's Process Series)

by Anne H. Janzer

Writing is intensely personal. Productive writers develop strategies that suit their individual personalities and environments. When things go well, the words seem to pour from us, and we access thoughts and phrases from the mysterious depths of our minds. Our methods for reaching this state vary; some people prefer scrawling on paper in a crowded café, others type on a computer keyboard in total isolation, disconnected from the Internet. Beyond the act of getting the words down on paper, we apply different strategies for exploring and researching, revising, and publishing. Sometimes the work is slow and laborious. We struggle to find the right opening sentence, or beat our heads against the wall to jar loose unwilling words. Partway through a long endeavor, we question our ability to complete it. Or we end up spending hours on social media, neglecting the work that is so fulfilling for our spirits or essential to our incomes. I blame it all on our brains.