I'm always interested in how people do things, the same things I do, differently from me. I recently asked a few other bloggers how they write. It was interesting.
So I thought I'd share my process.
I keep a running list of ideas in my planner. If I don't have that handy, I text the idea to myself and write it down later. Once I get an idea, it kind of just stews in my brain until I'm ready to write about it. Right now I have about 40 ideas for future posts. I guess that means the every weekday thing isn't running me dry.
Sometimes a particular idea will become clear, complete itself in my head. That's probably the one I'll write about that day.
Or I'll come up with what I think is a good opener. That's enough to get me started so I go for it.
Other times something happens in my life and I blow off all my earlier ideas and go with the flavor of the day. And even if I go to my list, I still go with my mood. I'll read through a few until I find one that strikes my fancy that day. Serious. Playful. Snotty. It really just depends on the day.
I am very much a stream-of-consciousness writer. I have an idea and I just write. Whatever comes. So sometimes the idea may be complete, sometimes it's lacking. Sometimes I finish and my post ended up no where near where I intended it to go. But it's a flow thing. I feel like I am following the thought, letting it lead me.
I'm a pretty good speller and grammarian, so I edit as I go. That said, I usually post and then find at least one mistake to fix. Sometimes I fix a mistake, repost. Find another one and fix it. Repost. I like to have it as perfect as possible. C'mon. It's in writing. No one wants their mistakes in writing.
Once in a while I'm unsure on spelling or usage, so I open another tab and go to dictionary.com and check it out. Does that word really mean what I think it means? (Yes, I have to look things up, too.)
I get the whole thing written in about fifteen minutes, more or less, depending on length. I preview it. I fix mistakes. I post it. I fix more mistakes. Repost.
Then I set it as my facebook status and wait for comments to come rolling in. I usually have a long wait, because I tend to post after everyone has gone to bed. But it's okay, I need to be more patient. And I need to fight the hunger for positive feedback.
Actually, I'm still waiting for my first negative comment. The one that tells me I'm an idiot. What could I be thinking? I guess I'm not controversial enough. Give me time.
And I have liked posting more often. Instead of just waiting until the mood strikes, I try to make myself post once a day during the week. It's kind of like being in school, except with a lot more freedom and usually in my pajamas.
Sometimes I really like what I wrote. I'll go back and read it over and over because I learned so much in the writing. I'm not really sure where it came from, but I'm sure it wasn't from me -- it was for me.
Other times it falls flat. Or wanders. But other than flat out mistakes (or too many uses of the same word) I try not to edit the way it came out. For me it's all about letting the thought take the lead.
I never know where we'll end up.
And, yes, I found my ink well.