Originally Published: June 2, 2015

When I wrote this post seven years ago, I began by stating that most of my writing happens on the computer. That’s the way it was when I first started. Word processors have remained a vital tool ever since.

Do I still think that the majority of my writing happens on the computer? If you had asked me that question in January 2022, I would’ve confidently said no. I had gotten into the habit of writing first drafts by hand — either on scrap paper or a journal I always keep on my desk. Occasionally, I would use the memo app on my phone to quickly capture ideas when I’m out of the house. I primarily used word processors as an editing tool. It’s where I compiled all of the pieces of my draft and kneaded them into a cohesive whole.

Today, though, I can’t confidently say where the majority of my writing happens. My muse seems to be shifting toward a hybrid approach. My first instinct is still to take out pen and paper whenever motivation is low and/or I need focus to get this section right. Yet, this past summer, I started using my tablet’s memo app at night to write in bed. I normally curl up with my tablet to watch some YouTube before falling asleep, so it wasn’t a huge leap to put on some calm ambient tunes and spend an hour or two finishing up a scene, brainstorming the next one, or recording some miscellaneous scraps of inspiration to save for later. And just last month, I started drafting scenes directly into the word processor again. The words wouldn’t come when I held a pen in my hand, but they flew out as soon as my fingers touched the keyboard. Maybe I’m circling back around to where I began?

That’s the problem with a post titled “My Process.” It’s not something I can write once, and it stay true forever. Parts of it will gradually shift over time to fit how life changes for me. Yet there are some things that haven’t changed in seven years — things I’m certain won’t shift any time soon.

I am a planner. I like to know where the story is going before I start writing. Depending on length, these notes can be extremely detailed. Sometimes, I go so far as to write out scenes in script form to nail down the dialogue before I start adding in the narration.

However, I plan with the full knowledge that my notes aren’t rules. They’re guidelines. I intentionally leave holes where I can insert new characters and new scenes as I write the first draft. For instance, I outlined the major beats of Reclaiming the City months ago. Yet as I began drafting “Dinner in Silver Arches”, I felt that Cara and Mia were due for some more characterization. I also wanted to hint at the class differences between these sisters and the novel’s other sibling duo: Bern and Rianne. Thus, part 3 of that chapter emerged to accomplish both of these goals.

I’m a plot-oriented writer, meaning that is the aspect of the story I address first and spend the most time perfecting. It’s what I consider the most important ingredient. In its basest, simplest form, a story is an account of a sequence of events — a plot. To neglect your plot is to neglect what makes your story a story. I firmly believe that characters are the most interesting when they’re doing something, and a location is the most interesting when something happens within or to it.

Because of those last two points, all I absolutely need to write is a plot sketch and a cast list. For novels and series, a gazetteer and other world-building notes become necessary. The last three are really just so I don’t lose track of people and places to keep things consistent.

I used to make outlines, either in a Word document or in a PowerPoint presentation. But then I realized that my bullet points were never a phrase or one sentence. They were entire paragraphs — paragraphs so long that they should have been broken up into multiple paragraphs.

After college, I stopped making outlines and instead “thought on paper”, describing the plot in sentences and paragraphs. Now I could spend a page or so going into detail on that one pivotal scene without my notes looking awkward. Coincidentally, the sentence-paragraph form has forced me to come up with ideas on how to fill up otherwise dead space. For example, a bullet point that might have read…

Heroes hike up mountain to find giants

…now reads more like this:

The three heroes get up bright and early to begin their hike up the mountain. Along the way, they trade bits of stories about giants. All of them paint the race in a bad light.

Every writer has their own process. What’s yours? Are you a planner? Or do you write by the seat of your pants? What do you need before you write that first draft? Let me know in the comments below.