Writing Process (Craft) (Patreon)

Someone asked me to write about my writing process. I pointed out that everyone has their own way of getting words down, so my process is probably of no use. But, since they insisted... here we go.

I've gone through three stages of writing thus far - hobby, part-time and professional. I'll discuss what happened in each, just so that maybe something can help.

Hobby

This lasted pretty much until two years ago. When I wrote for fun, without expectation that any (fiction) words I put down were going to make money.

I wrote my first story when I was... 15? Something like that. I have some vague recollections of it being some hackneyed, copied Tolkien ripoff. It got about a few thousand words in. I have no idea where it was.

I then started doing a ton of online roleplaying (SEAchat WOD for the win!) and wrote and wrote and wrote. Mostly character actions, but a bunch of short stories. I have some of those shorts left, I'll probably post them to Patrons. They're... not as horrendous as I expected them to be.

Somewhere in there, I wrote 2 different novels in the 3 years. Neither were that good, one (the first) significantly worse than the other. Again, I was writing for fun, not really expecting to sell it. There was, I think, a few other attempts that never caught.

Then... many years of writing for work. Press releases, some actual published newspaper articles, speeches, brochures and web copy. Then, the business blog for Starlit Citadel (my previous business). So many words. 

And I think it helped. A lot of the discipline I gained I think comes from there. When you have to get that brochure out, that press release, that speech; you learn to write. It's not 'art', it's work. You get the words out on time, right.

Or mostly wrong. As my old boss would tell you. Gods, the sheer amount of red she used to send back on my first press releases / speeches / etc. But, I learnt. It was a different type of writing, but it was good training to make some of my writing tighter.

But I didn't write fiction anymore. Occasionally, I'd think about it. Type a few words, but never get anywhere. No time, no desire, no passion. I stopped writing for fiction.

Then... I burnt out in the other job. Started reading, heavily. Finished everything there was of Konosuba, Grimgar and Is it Wrong... and somehow, stumbled onto Royal Road. Read everything that was there, and because I'd been reading the light novels; thought I'd write my own.

2-3 hours a day. Mostly after 9pm to midnight. Words down, just writing chapters. No expectation that I'd publish still. Just for fun. Getting comments and readers meant I kept writing, adding to 'A Healer's Gift'. Then, I read Randidly and Earth Tactics Advanced and because I was having fun, I wrote the System Apocalypse.

Again, process? 2-3 hours a day. Everyday. No TV, no movies, barely any time with wife (which btw, not suggested); I wrote. That's it. I did most days, not everyday. So long as I was having fun, I wrote.

Then, when I realised I had actual books there, I figured; why not. Publish. Got myself some nice covers, read through the books once more, threw them on Amazon.

No editing. No proofing. Because I was led to believe that most books earned less than $100 in their lifetime and while this was fun, I wasn't looking to lose money.

And this 'period' continued for another 9/10 months till the end of 2017. When I realised that I was earning a decent amount, just writing. I'd even started paying people for editing since, well, I had the money enough from the first books. 

Part-Time

This happened around early 2018 I'd say. Maybe late 2017. When I got serious and was earning enough money to justify dedicating time. I set aside 'work hours' during the day and started ignoring the business (again, not suggested!) to write.

I juggled both till I shut the company down in early 2019. I'd been looking for a buyer, but never did get one so I shuttered the majority of the business in Feb 2019. But in the meantime, I wrote.

2-3 hours a day, sometimes 4 or 5, putting words down. That's it. Nothing too groundbreaking - just words on the page.

Music? Sometimes. I shift, depending on my mood and needs. Mostly, I worked with either wordless music, or sometimes k-pop. Because I can't understand or get distracted. 

Creativity? I read. I still read. Tons of LitRPG back then, then I shifted to more Chinese web novels, still a bunch of manga and light novels and manga and anime and TV. History books, because those are always fun. Go digging into something like 'what kind of mythical monster comes from Africa' and get lost for 2-3 hours, reading about weird religions, monsters, etc.

Self-care? Not much. Painkillers, contrast baths, a little exercise to help keep the body running. But not as much as it should.

Just words on the page. I kept a mental note, of how many words I did a day, the schedule I wanted to keep and the number of words I needed. I tried to beat those words everyday, but didn't beat myself up if I missed a few days here or there. I knew I beat the words in general, so I was ahead. 

And I put words on the page.

See a trend here?

Professional

Then I went full-time. I went 'pro' in 2019. Again, I had a schedule of releases, figured out how many words I could write / should write a day (3,000 a day = 90k words = 1 book for SA / A Thousand Li). 

Put more words down. 

Worked the schedule to flex when I got bogged down (A Squire's Wish), added random projects (the comics, the anthology) and...

Kept putting words down.

I have no secret, unless it's discipline. I put words down, in one form or another. 

I tried / do Sprint in Discord (check out my channel) if you don't know what that means. It helps when I'm not motivated to put much words down. I find once you get started, it's easier. Having others working, being put on a timer, helps.

4thewords was fun for a bit, then I got bored. And stopped.

When my hands really started aching in December, I got Dragon and started dictating. That was fun.

But mostly, I got words down.

Today, I didn't write anything for First War.  I had a short to finish editing, but that isn't 'writing' to me, that's editing. Important, but not new words. Then I wrote this.

More words. 

And that's all folks

Some last things to note:

- I'm a discovery writer. I can write without an idea of the ending. But I find it easier when I know where the book, the arc and the series will end. My characters will change it on me, but at least I know where I'm driving. Even if occasionally John or Wu Ying or Lily will yank the steering wheel.

- I switch between series. Because I don't get bored then. Because I can let the next book simmer in my brain, building itself in small scenes that play out in my head, that I end up wanting to get down.

- The scenes in my head never look the same way they do on paper. Almost never. It's why I write - because I never know what my fingers will finally say.

- I read occasional craft blogs / books. Then find a new technique and try it out, try to make it work. I'm finding shorts to be very useful for that (my 2020 new thing). 

- I write one (mostly clean) draft. I try to leave it in a drawer for a month (while I write on a new series). Then I edit the first draft, cleaning up notes on foreshadowing, scenes that need adding, the like. Then I send it for copy-editing and proofing. And then it gets published.

Yeah, I tend towards Writing into the Dark.  Not entirely. I'm too messy to not get another set of eyes to look over my stuff. Copy-editors are paid learning, helping me pick out things I mess up on regularly and highlight other areas I miss. Proofers hopefully catch what else we miss.

- when I get stuck, I get moving. I clean, I walk to pick up my kid, I do the laundry or pushups. And I let the scene play itself out, the logic of what happens next dictate the next scene. Then I write.

-  I don't get bogged down if I didn't write for a day or for a week. I know I'll get to it. It pays my bills, but just as much, the twenty years of discipline I've built up means I'll get to it. And, really. The story wants to be told.

- occasionally, I find not having access to the Internet helps. While waiting, at a coffee shop that I don't ask the wifi password for. But mostly...

I write. I put words down, in some form or another. And I trust that I'll get the rest down in time.

Sorry. Told you. I don't have much wisdom to offer here, on my process.  

Now, get writing.