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Before you continue reading, take a closer look at the title of this blog: Understanding Your Writing Process. Notice how it says your, not the? That’s because there is no single writing process. There isn’t a best or worst process, either.
Every writer works in their own way. The key to improving your work (and your work ethic) is to explore your unique process and learn how to optimize it for you. Understanding your writing process will help you achieve your writing goals, whether you wish to write faster, write more, or (we hope) get your work published.
Let’s begin dissecting your writing process by looking to an obvious (albeit surface-level) source.
The Writing Process (according to a quick Internet search)
Curious, I decided to look up “the writing process” to see what Google would spit out. Most of the first hits break down the writing process into these five components:
Prewriting – Also known as the brainstorming phase, this is when you generate ideas for what you want to write. Prewriting takes many unique shapes and forms. You might word vomit into an open notebook, conduct doctorate-worthy research, bounce ideas off a fellow writer (or unsuspecting friend), ask yourself questions—whatever gets those gears turning.
Drafting – This is the actual writing part of the writing process. Drafting is when you put your ideas from the prewriting phase into slightly more coherent sentences. The way you draft may differ from other writers. Perhaps you write strictly in chronological order, or you prefer to save the best scenes for last. Or maybe you create a skeleton draft before filling it in with all the juicy meat and bones. (Gross image, but an effective strategy for some!)
Revising – Once you’ve written The End on your draft, it’s time to look at the work as a whole, then dive back in to revise. I wrote a blog post a while back about revisions. Revising differs from editing: It involves large, structural changes. You might reorder scenes, cut entire characters, or add a completely new beginning.
Editing – After you’re satisfied with refining the broad strokes of your work (revisions), you can add in the highlights by editing. Editing, in this case, encompasses smaller yet important changes to your work: line edits for tone, diction, description, and flow, followed by copy editing for grammar, tense, and punctuation.
Publishing – For many writers, the writing process culminates in submitting your work for publishing. Each stage has prepared your work for publication. With confidence in your story, you can research publications, draft submission cover letters, and hit submit. All that’s left to do is wait. Patiently, we hope.
Some writers follow this process—to an extent, at least. But there are so many other ways to write that don’t fall neatly within this structure.
You might flit between each stage, prewriting, drafting, and revising each section as you go. You might work with an editor to help you revise or line edit. You may even decide that you don’t want to pursue publication for a certain piece.
Additionally, there are so many aspects of a comprehensive writing process that this structure simply doesn’t support. Let’s consider them now.
Finding your process
Every writer follows a different writing process—just look at the vast number of writing help books out there.
If you’re new to thinking deeply about your writing, you may not know how to articulate your writing process—or how to improve it. Let’s start by looking at the factors that may impact your process. (And to continue to think deeply about your writing, consider reading my other blog posts in this series, Understanding Your Writing.)
To begin to understand your writing process, ask yourself a few questions of the who, what, when, where, why variety:
When you write – Some writers follow a rigid schedule, while others only pull out their pen when the mood hits. Regardless, I think all writers can agree on the importance of finding time to write to improve your process. After all, if you don’t make time to write, you won’t have much of a process to develop. Consider your normal work schedule and other commitments as well as the times you feel most creatively charged. Just make sure the writing time you carve out is sustainable—no late nights before a sunrise shift!
Where you write – Your ideal writing locations can impact what you write, how much, and how well. Your favorite coffee shop might insight reflective poetry, while your bedroom may inspire surreal short stories. Wherever you feel you do your best writing, get yourself there—even if it’s simply a mindset.
How you write – The writing process outlined above partially covers this factor. However, there’s much more to think about when considering how you work. First, you have the classic plotter vs. pantser debate: Do you create a fully plotted outline before writing, or do you write by the seat of your pants?
Who you write with – Many writers’ processes involve other people. One helpful writing productivity technique is called body doubling: You may feel more motivated with a writing buddy working next to you, by writing in a public place, or even by throwing a video of someone working on your TV. You might also enlist beta readers or editors to help you shape your work further along in your process.
Consider each of these factors from different angles: How do you use them in your current process? How do you want to use them? What methods would benefit your process most?
Other factors to consider include:
Editing – Do you edit once you have a completed draft, or periodically while writing?
Research – Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you have to do it? Does it help you?
Submitting work – Are you always writing with the intention of submitting?
As you develop and perfect your process, you’ll likely find that you use a combination of different techniques. Perhaps writing at night helps you during the winter more than in the summer. Or plotting makes sense for one story, but your gut tells you to pants it for your next.
If you’re itching for more writing process advice, watch these insightful (and free!) presentations from The Writer’s Workout Writing Conference this year:
In this blog, I tried to steer clear of biased opinions about “the writing process.” What works best for me may actually hinder you. Your ideal process should motivate you to write, facilitate your work, and help you produce writing you love—writing that excites you every time you return to the page.
About the author:
Lindsey is almost always writing, whether it’s a short story, copywriting project, Writer’s Workout blog post, or carefully crafted Instagram comment. With the spare time she digs out of the couch cushions, she’s usually crocheting, adventuring with her friends, or thinking about how she should be reading more. She splits her time between Upstate New York, where she grew up, and Boston, where she'll continue to grow.