Writing Blog Number 2

20231204 My Writing Technique

Summary Of ‘How I Write’

Over the course of 32 blog posts during the course of National Novel Writing Month, I have given an idea of How I Write. Note: How I, not How To. And because that seemed to be what people were most interested in, instead of making them churn through piles of crap, here is a summary.


Ideas
First and foremost, I let the characters take control of the story. They decide endings, they tell me what is going to happen, they even tell me who is going to die. Stories change a lot as I write, and the characters are a big part of that. As far as I am concerned, that is what a pantser sometimes has to do. We have to let our characters tell us where the story is going and not force it.
         Next, I really do need to have an idea of where the story is going. Stories that I do not have an idea of where it is going I find it harder to keep on track, so the ending or a vague concept of where the story is headed is vital for me to keep a story on track and keep invested in writing it.


Poems
I tend to write mostly rhyming poetry with a constant meter. This is how I do that:
         First, I get an idea about the topic I want to write about, and then decide if I want it to be humorous or semi-serious. Or even serious, but that tends to be more if I write autobiographically.
         Next, I write the lines that relate to the topic of the poem, telling a sort of story or vignette as I go. How I write it dictates the rhyming scheme – AABBCCDD etc, ABCB-DEFE etc., ABAB-CDCD etc. or whatever else. This first run-through I only focus on rhymes, so I go back and make sure they are as not forced as possible as well.
          Next, is meter. I count the syllables of each line, and work out either an average or modal value. Then I go through and add or subtract syllables to give it a more constant rhythm, based on this average/mode. I try to be consistent, but do allow myself a ±1 if I need to. I therefore have a hopefully constant rhythm.
          Finally, I go through to make sure that the emphasis and breathing fits and is as consistent as I can get it. I am not a strict iambic pentameter sort of writer – I’m not that good (not good at all, really) – but it does need to sound right when I read it out loud.
         And that’s it – exactly the sort of poetry modern poets and poetry critics (including here on WdC) hate.


Writing Technique
I need to say from the outset that I am not a touch-typist. I type with two fingers and a thumb. But, according to the sprint on Discord, I am averaging between 30 and 45 wpm, with around a 95% accuracy rate, so my typing is a moderate speed. This is 300-450 words in ten minutes, or around 1800-2700 words an hour if I go non-stop. It’s probably realistically closer to 800-1000 words in an hour, with the fact I edit as I go.
         Yes, I edit as I go. I don’t just write a thin outline and go back later once it’s all over and flesh it out; I write it with way too much detail, adding everything I think I might need. No sketches, but a full-on piece of work. Then at the end of each section (either split by a section break or a sub-chapter numeral), I go back and edit. I check for spelling, for grammar, for punctuation and delete a lot of extraneous stuff. The amount of crap I repeat is insane, but it is me getting every single idea down as I write, then going back while it is still fresh and making the most obvious changes. I then repeat this at the end of each chapter.
         For this reason, I am constantly stop-starting. Sometimes I really want to just get on with the next section, but the mini-editing I do at the end of the sections means the story sits better in my memory. I’m also not struggling to remember the details because I have done that first mini-edit.
         At the same time, I also make a list of the characters and the events as I go along. This does two things – makes sure I keep everything in order and keep everyone in order as well. No repeated names, no name changes mid-story (boy, was I bad for that!). I have also been known to have a calendar printed off (using MS Publisher!) and I hand write everything into that as well. Hand-written notes are the best. No scrolling back for the details – a calendar with 3 months on one page, and 1 or 2 pages of hand-written notes. So much easier to navigate! Computers are not the be-all and end-all, and anyone who tells you they are is plain wrong.
         One last thing, I cannot write in silence because my mind wanders. I tend to write to music or even with a video going. This is because if there is something external to me going on, then that part of my brain that tends to wander and drag the rest of my brain with it can focus on that noise, and so the writering part is not drawn away by anything.


Responses
Now, all of this works for me. Some people told me that I “write wrong” when I said I edit as I go, and that music/video means I can’t be writing properly.
         Well, this works for me.
         I even say that there are no RULES for writing. There are things that are strongly advised for writers, and in my opinion these are threefold: (1) read, and read a lot, and across all genres and styles of writing; (2) write, and write a lot; & (3) get your writing tools (spelling, grammar, punctuation) down as good as you are going to get. That’s it. Nothing else matters to me. And I have had people here on WdC tell me that reading is useless, that you should only write if you’re going to sell it, and (lately) we don’t need to know the fundamentals because AI does it for us, and that’s what editors are for. Fine. Your call. But don’t expect me to take you seriously as a writer.
         I take this further and say there is no such thing as a book everyone should read. No such thing; no such book. Read what you want, take what you want from each. And people who disagree are just being gatekeepers, inflicting their tastes and views on others. There are books I would recommend, but I know of no book that everyone should read. Not one.



Conclusion
So, in the end, I am not telling anyone how to write. Write your way! We are writers and no two writers are the same (except if by deliberate pastiche choice). This is me explaining myself, not me telling you how to write.
         In the end, pantsing means there is no real prep as such, and you will have to do a rewrite a lot of the time when you’ve finished, but it is how I write and it works for me.


If you have any further questions about how I write, please, let me know, and I will endeavour to answer them.