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ashvayr · 5 years

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MY WRITING PROCESS ―

i’ve found that there is a rather small amount of stuff out there for writers wherein they can actually see the step by step process of creating a piece of written work. you don’t really get to see the behind the scenes stuff or the eventually deleted stuff. i am by no means an expert and i still have a lot to learn (a lot a lot), but i still think this might be interesting to those looking for something similar. enjoy!

the following excerpt is from a conversation between lukas tkachov and miko dvorak from my current wip ‘blood and bones.’

- proof i make everything up the first time. - i never expect very much from myself on this first run and a lot of times i’ll delete whole paragraphs. even if something is really good, i may have to take it out because it doesn’t fit the scene. - i keep all of these bits and bobs though (as should you!! never throw away any writing ever, even if it’s bad!!) just in case i might need them later or find a way for them to work. - i do not recommend writing your first drafts in apps like wattpad, because you risk losing them there. not to mention the writing ui is complete horse shit.

- i always just write just the dialogue first, that way when i want to write in the style of the story, i don’t have to switch between tones. - its also a really great way to make sure the people talking sound like people and the conversation is consistent. - if you’re doing this with multiple people you can color code or put an initial in front of the words. i tend to just do extra lines in between because i’m lazy - highly recommend!!! you do this!!!

- some brainstorming where i fought myself for a little bit in the comment section. essentially i had differed from the planned personality of miko in my outline and needed someone more outgoing than what i had originally decided. - this happens a lot when i first write characters because ultimately i change their personalities to fit the scene. i have a feeling that is bad and you should probably do the exact opposite, but hey do as i say, not as i do. - a good time to note: i put all my first draft content in that dark teal color, it helps to remove the illusion of permanence. sort of like i’m typing in pencil and can always erase. i basically trick my brain into realizing that we want any and all content, even if it sucks. (writing in a stupid font can also help!)

- ignoring some very obvious grammatical errors dtrfyghuj - i write the actual writing above or below the previously written dialogue so i can see it as i do. - i also look at notes constantly and edit those notes while i write. - i make sure to read back some finished writing from earlier in my draft, if i have any. this way i know what the hell is going on and can keep writing in the same style. this is why i won’t read other things/multitask while i write because it can throw me off. you do you though. - in actuality, this is what i would call a base layer, its the bones of this operation. for the editing process, this smoking hot pile of garbage is what i’m going to be working with. revel in all its awfulness. then shed a tear for me. - note that this is not all the dialogue i just showed you. - i then rewrite the entire thing from scratch, right above or below and still referencing the previous writing. i will keep some stuff, change some stuff, and expand most of it. - this beefing up of descriptions when i edit is probably not super great because then i have paragraphs between dialogue. that being said this is the first draft and i don’t care very much. i will care later, but definitely not now.

- here is a more detailed look into my thought process in this section, why i changed what i changed essentially. 1. i was splitting up the thought of lada between two paragraphs, ideally, I would keep them in one, like the paragraph before when i mentioned her first. this is really only a me thing i don’t think that generally it's a rule that would be applied to anyone else's writing. 2. i put this here due to what i’m going to call......mh...writer’s fatigue. that sounds real. basically, i was lazy and didn’t feel like thinking about lukas’ character. he’s adaptable, curious, and driven, so laughing hysterically is probably something he wouldn’t do. i’ll replace that text with something else or get rid of the line entirely. 3. more of a stylistic change. saying ‘anything’ sounds a bit out of place and somewhat elementary in comparison to the rest of this piece. it doesn’t match, essentially. i’ll probably want to tie this back in with the point i made in the sentence previous. 4. this is what a comment to a specific word looks like in docs. this is when i have removed a line or thought of one that might fit, but am not really certain about, so i put it in a comment, that way i have it save for later. 5. a line i may or may not remove. 6. here is something i will definitely keep, this is characterization. yes it’s sort of rudimentary, but i can work out the kinks in a minute.

- i personally think that their conversation seems to be a bit impersonal, sort of like they don’t really know each other, but i’ll fix that in my draft edits because i’ll have a much better idea of the relationship after i’m done writing. - as you can see though, this is a lot less of the conversation on one page as i’ve made some changes and extended descriptions. (what you see is one and like a quarter page.) - it’s also not perfect, but it is a better version of what was before. - the most important thing to note here is how i’ve moved stuff around and made small tweaks and adjustments. the moving around bit helps it sound a bit more cohesive and that's a really big thing when i move on to final final editing, so the thoughts and actions don’t sound so all over the place. - this is when i put it through grammarly (use grammarly, love grammarly, marry grammarly, in that order) (no seriously) and let a friend, or sometimes my mom, ilu mom, listen to me read it. - reading your writing out loud is important!!!!!!!!!! i do it all the time, it makes stuff sound less wonky and you spot more spelling mistakes. - most stories were originally told orally, too, so if you can say it out loud and it sounds pretty decent you’re probably on the right track. - now for some Thought Processes (with just the first page lol.)

- we love inconsistant color and font size because i was too lazy to save the other file Anyway (also gross i said ‘issues’ twice?) 1. in descriptions of characters, i find its always really good to ground them to the world. with just a couple of words, you have learned quite a bit about the nobility of vysena. yay learning. 2. nicknames are a good way to establish the previous existence of a relationship or something specific about both or one characters, respectively. 3. when i end parts and then start a next scene that takes place hours or days later, i like to make sure that my readers still sort of know what they’re doing or going through. it can also be interesting to see that character from the point of view of another! 4. for this particular book, supernatural beings and elements are very much real things and things i want people to know about. if it's not a major secret to the characters, i find that the reader should also pretty much be aware of the same things. like pop culture but for magic and also centuries ago. 5. this paragraph is also something i’m considering removing and putting in a different chapter, but for the sake of this Whole Thing i kept it in. it doesn’t really fit the mood, its a lot more....i dunno...awe-inspiring and less my-dad-just-got-stabbed. 6. when briefly introducing a character, i like to give the readers something to associate them with. this is done so when you actually meet this person later, it is more like you were told a rumor and then can confirm it (if i’ve done my job right.) you also get a sort of negative feeling from the get-go with this character. 7. self-explanatory.

- my next step, after grammar and reading, is to keep writing. wild i know. - but really i don’t want to dwell too much on one part or i’ll never get anything done. not to mention this is draft one!! i don’t care if its bad, as long as its written. it being bad is a future me problem. - one of the greatest writing tips i’ve ever been given when writing chapters, is to leave the readers feeling a different way when it ends from when it had begun. like this chapter sort of starts of sad, but it ends leaving you with a sense of mystery and suspicion. this can be more drastic too like...sensual to disgusted. obviously, this doesn’t have to apply to every chapter, but the best stories are the ones that make you feel things. - i started with 287 words for the dialogue. - then went on with 1,169 words for the bones. - and finished with 2,126 words total for that scene.

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taglist: @montevena @evervicious @meegeewrites @the-ichor-of-ruination @starrywritingg @zmlorenz @the-real-rg @noloumna @norawritess @gorelips let me know if you want to be added or removed!

#i think it has a lot to do with the fact that everyone writes differently no two people outline write and edit in the same manner and that’s #that’s a really good thing tbh because it allows for a lot of diversity. that being said to new writers there is often this notion that the #first draft is always perfect that someone who is a good writer is always good.#bab #mine #that was Really long lmao #hope u guys found it useful though????#not like my best writing but u know

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