Writing Process

I'm a complete amateur when it comes to writing. I haven't been paid *yet* for my writing. But if I'm writing to get paid, I think I'll likely wait a long time.

I love stories. I remember the moment in first grade when we received our readers. The book had a panda on the cover. I was so excited I was finally learning to read.

I got in trouble for reading over the years. I read anything and everything. One teacher deliberately set me up for failure. We were supposed to stop reading at page 41 and go no further. Of course, the story paused at a cliffhanger so I read on.

A quiz question asked about a moment past that point, and I, being an eager beaver student, answered the question correctly. I was publicly chastised for not following instructions.

Thanks, Fourth Grade Teacher, for encouraging kids to hate reading.

My teacher the following year sat me down and asked me, "What books on this list have you read?"

I put check marks beside them and for the remainder of the year, the class read the books I hadn't read. She probably asked the same questions of all the kids, but man, did I feel important. I loved her.

I turned to writing when business slowed for my consulting. I'd spent years imagining the stories in my head. I figured it was time to write them down.

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My goal is to talk about my writing process. I've discovered over the years that every writer's creation process is unique. I've recommended my favorite books on writing and gleaned from them the important elements that help me.

There are two main elements to being a writer:

1) Read a lot and widely - Read in your genre. Read outside your genre. Read authors you don't like to see what appeals to others. Read authors you love and analyze what works. Ask yourself questions as you're reading: Why does this scene work? How is this character developing? What makes this action scene so awesome? Make notes and try to use those notes in your writing.

2) Write a lot - I used to say everyday, but now I'd recommend regularly. Some people can only write on the weekends. Some only certain days. I try to write Monday through Friday, 4 AM to 6 AM. I'm a morning person and it's the only time my house is quiet so pre-dawn works for me. Find a weekly schedule and keep to it.

I group my writing process into five main buckets. I try to have a book in each bucket so I can regularly provide new works. I'll go into more detail for each stage as the weeks go by.

• Brainstorming
• Writing
• Resting
• Editing
• Marketing

Thoughts? Questions? Please share them below or send me an email at beth dot cross at bethccross dot com.

Thanks for reading!