Writing Process (Part 2)

   I'm sure we all remember being in school and being taught the steps to the writing process. In case you've forgotten they are: Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Proofreading and Publishing. Now depending on how your brain works, you don't need to do them in that exact order. Of course, you can't publish (that is show off your work) until you've actually written something. But other than that, the order can change a little bit.
   Sometimes I start on a draft and do a little revising and proofing before I prewrite. How is that possible? Well, maybe I have what seems like a great idea in my head, but once I start reading it, it sounds crazy. Maybe crazy isn't the right word. Let's just say there are some serious holes in the story. I fix these holes by doing a post-draft prewrite.
   I put the title at the top of the page and then I summarize what I have written so far. I try to break the story down into parts. The setup/the beginning, the middle/climax, and the end. The setup is all about the characters and who they are. I try to decide what each character's history and motivation is. What are their skills. This is also where I finalize what I want them to look like. It's also a good reference for if I forget how to spell a name or who is related to whom.
    Next I skip to the end. I think about how I want the story to end. I think about how I want the characters to change and what I want them to have learned. I think about what objects I want them to find and how these things help them defeat the villain or grow as people, etc. Then I go back to the middle and try to write what needs to happen to get the characters from the start-up to the end. This doesn't have to be some long, drawn out thing that takes up 10 pages. For me, it's usually 3 pages or less of sentence fragments. It's basically a reminder for what I want to have happen, in case I get stuck or forget. Even though it's my own outline, I don't use everything I've put on it. I treat the ideas like suggestions. I still love to have a little bit of spontaneity when I sit down in front of my computer.
    Now if you prefer to have a 10 page outline of exactly what you want to say before you start writing, that's perfectly fine. Everyone works at their own pace and in his or her own unique way. The most important thing I learned after attending my first writers conference, is that there is no single perfect way to write. Because writing came easy for me I just assumed that it also came easy to everyone else. But writing isn't science. It's art. People like different kinds of art just like they prefer different kinds of books. Some artists adhere strictly to technique while others push the boundaries of convention. Writing is the same. It allows each of us to approach the art in our own way.