Welcome to the Writer’s Corner! Now that I’m a full-time writer, I feel it is appropriate to dedicate a portion of my blog to discussing my adventures as a creative. Today, I wanted to share my answer to a question I have asked several pros in the field: “What’s your approach to writing?”
After detailing their personal experiences, most pros settled on, “You’ve got to find what works best for you.” When I started out, I thought this meant reading references and manuals on stylistic writing and learning proper grammar and punctuation. I did everything except actually sit down and write. It has taken me quite some time, but I think I’ve finally figured out my response as a writer to the very same question.
Writing IS a subjective affair. The whole shebang of “you’ve got to find out what works best for you” feels like a cop-out, but it is true. How you take that advice and put it into action is what really matters. I’ve been writing since I was 12 years old. I still have copies of my first stories from middle school and high school. From teenage rom-coms to extremely misguided novels in the gangster genre, these stories were a window into my protected worldview at that point in my life. Things seemed comedically simpler and less chaotic. On the flip side, there was also the sheer embarrassment that accompanied the content’s juvenile quality, like when I had members of the mafia naming their cars with “cool” names like “Cherry.” Let’s leave it there for now. Best not to open Pandora’s box.
Despite the questionable quality of the writing, I got one thing right back then. I was fearless. I wrote whatever came to mind and however I liked it. There was a freedom to my voice, which, as I grew older, diminished. This is partly a natural consequence of life. As adults, we become more responsible and thoughtful (or at least hope to), a little slower, and a tiny bit more cautious about everything we do. Writing is anything but that. It is about being free and voicing whatever is in your mind. It is about bringing worlds in your imagination to reality without restraint.
At the end of the day, how one approaches all of this is a highly personal and emotional part of their creative process. Most of all, it is not up for comparison.
Sounds simple enough? Yeah, it took me nearly 15 years to figure this out. I realized that for much of my journey as a writer, I had been a comparative creative. What does that mean? Well, I always compared myself to others. The result: I lost track of what worked for me. I spent years reading the works of different authors, following their styles, referencing writing guides, and whatnot. Somewhere along the way, writing became a chore and not a passion. Where there was freedom, there was now a system. A system that convinced me that only by setting myself against a pedestal of sorts (usually someone else whose work was better than mine) that I could accomplish my goals as a writer. I was imprisoned within the walls of this system, and as a result, lost my own touch and flair.
I don’t deny the importance of learning the elements of style and grammar. It is also beneficial to reach out to pros in the field and learn from their experiences. But most of all, it is necessary to recognize that what works for others may not always work for you, and it is okay if that is the case. What truly matters is that you work with what works best for you and refine it by strengthening your skills and expanding your toolkit. The latter part involves the stylization, grammar, punctuation, etc.
In my case, the breakthrough was becoming a father. Things get quite busy as a parent, and time becomes a privilege. For four years, I had to hold back on my writing. This allowed me to really introspect and reevaluate my approach, and now, I have regained my creative voice. How does this translate on paper?
Well, I’m the brainstorming type. That means I end up creating an entire story in my mind in one go. Much of it is patchwork at this stage, but I focus it with a directive. I use a narrative compass that follows my protagonist and guides me along the way. The beginning and end of the story are the easiest portions for me. Everything else in the middle I build out later. I don’t think too much about world-building or whatnot. My focus is on having a clear narrative structure with a definitive beginning and an end. That’s pretty much it! I grind away at this process until I’m confident enough to put pen to paper and begin writing the actual story. Along the way, I do take any opportunity to note down sentences or phrases that I find inspiring or suitable for the story. In most cases, I spend maybe a month or two doing this before sitting down to write the story.
This is my approach. Of course, it has slight variations depending on the genre I’m working on, but it is an approach I’ve honed over several years. On a slightly unrelated note, I’ve realized my approach is very similar to storyboarding in the animation/comic-book industry. So, for aspiring writers out there, take some time out and think about your writing. Use this introspective period not to rebuke your writing but to reflect healthily on what works best for you. Much of it can be trial and error, which can be very annoying. Be patient! Writing has no right or wrong; it is an art of improvement. So, even if you make mistakes, you are still learning!
“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” — Julia Cameron.
The Pensive Reverie 