My Writing Process

  While many writers like to map out their plan for any given piece beforehand, I have found that my best pieces tend to take the form of stream of consciousness style writing. Of course, this style comes with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. Writing freeform can grant greater versatility, and I have personally found that being able to write large passages by instinct provides a more fluid and less stilted vision for my final products. When I start hitting a writer’s block however, this lack of advanced planning can have the exact opposite effect, limiting my ability to overcome obstacles and move forward. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, a fluid final product is not inherently a cohesive one. Stream of consciousness writing is much more liable to result in tangential passages that stray unnecessarily far from the original theme or intention. A lack of cohesive vision at the starting point can lead to a rambling, confusing, or thematically messy piece of writing.

  To counteract these drawbacks, I have attempted to implement two main changes to my writing technique. First, while I still do not find extensive storyboarding or planning particularly useful, I have learnt that even writing a single sentence for each topic I want to explore can go a long way. Often, rather than a sentence to summarize my topic beforehand, I actually find it more useful to write a single sentence of prose that I actually want to use in my writing. I take this sentence, often a particularly powerful or evocative one, and build upon it to create a greater whole. This also helps me remember particularly impactful sentences that I want to use later in a piece of writing that I might otherwise lose track of when writing in a linear fashion.

  Secondly, I have been working on trimming the fat off my writing, something I still struggle with, but have grown much more comfortable with. Editing your own work is always a painful process, as it is easy to develop a sentimental attachment to your own writing. Looking over your writing with a dispassionate eye is never easy, but I have found success in examining which pieces contribute most to the broader whole, rather than simply checking for which parts I like the most. Taking a step back and focusing on the themes and ideas I am trying to convey has been an effective strategy for minimizing tangents and creating a more concise final product. In the future, I will continue to hone my editing skills to create writing with well developed ideas, direct and concise narration, and artful prose.