Writing: Before, During, After, and What I Have Been Writing Recently

Today I wanted to talk about writing, each component of writing, and how I have been working and improving on my own.   When writing, three different components come to mind.  Researching, also called outlining or preparing, writing, and editing or revising.  

R e s e a r c h

Non-writers don't realize how much of writing is not really writing but instead researching.  Even for fiction writers,  research is important.  A few weeks ago I researched types of doors and the layout of a mansion in the span of two minutes.  This part of writing is especially true, though, when writing historical fiction.  I haven't shared any of my historical fiction short stories because I am quite nervous about just missing the mark and getting the history wrong.      

W r i t e

Just write!  Sometimes I find that I have more motivation to research and edit then to actually write.  I love learning about certain historical events and going deeper by writing a story about it in the end.  I don't forget those events easily after I have constructed a story around them.  

E d i t i n g 

You will hear writers say that they think editing, or researching, is a hassle and that they much prefer just writing.  I actually really enjoy writing.  I like reworking sentences and making my stories and poems the most impactful they can be.  I think the reason some people dislike editing so much is that by the time they get to editing they are tired of their story, they have spent so much time writing and they are not excited to rework sections to make it the best story it can be.  By staying excited about one's story I think people will enjoy their stories more.  How do you do that?   I think there are multiple ways to re-excite yourself about the story you have already spent so much time on.  

• Inspiration board
• Character development
• Let it rest
• Write something silly

I think making inspiration boards on Pinterest and finding pictures of how the characters and locations in the story look are wonderful even if I am motivated to write or edit.   Character work and development always helps me in my stories as well.  When novel writing I believe the writer should always let their first draft sit for a couple months.  Just walk away and work on something else.  This helps the revision process immensely.  When coming back it gives the writer a different perspective on the work.  Since so much time has passed it almost seems like the writer is a reader or an editor and not the writer.   Once the first draft of a story is complete it helps to try something different before coming back to it.  Write something silly!  I love this tip, if you are stumped or unmotivated write something silly with no pressure at all.  

W h a t  I  h a v e  b e e n  d o i n g 

For the past couple of months, I have been writing lots of short stories and exploring all types of writing and literature through my writing and reading.  One of my goals is to explore as many different genres as I can.  Short stories are one of my favorite things to write, they are quick and easy to get down all in one day and then spend a couple days revising and editing.  They are free and flexible and give writers a place to explore.  I have been able to do so by writing about ghosts, from the point of view of an animal, from the point of view of a fairy, in many different decades, and more.  

If you have any suggestions for times, locations, or concepts I could try in a short story please let me know.  I will try and experiment with anything! 

Thank you for reading! 

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