Make sure you grab your ax before you write.

I’ve been trying to put together a series of writing-craft articles and I finally threw up my hands and gave up.

Why?

Because after picking apart my process, trying to write down starting points, plotting tips, character how-to’s, etc., I came to a realization. (Actually, my friend supplied one for me.)

I write like a sloppy 16th-century executioner. If a book were a body, I’d just start hacking.

Stop planning everything. Just stop.

1) Characters: Naturally Born or Completely Lifeless

Do I write character charts? Bios? Histories? Traits? Birthdays? Zodiacs?

No, not really. Well, never. At most, I’ll write down possible names for a certain character, trying to figure out what “fits.”

But honestly, I don’t know who a character is until he shows up on the page and starts talking. And then he just sort of…becomes. Yes, there are important things like habits, phrases, manners of dress, emotions, back-stories, etc. But I don’t make big charts about these things. I let them bloom gradually as the story progresses. I discover my characters as the reader discovers them. The process is highly intuitive, and completely authentic.

These are tears of happiness. Choke on them!

2) Research Everything, Always

Of course, I spend a substantial time researching my stories. Do I research before I start the book? During? After? Yes, actually–all three. I research when I need to. I research to overcome writer’s block, to solidify the plot (oh yes, I have one somewhere in that brain), to flesh out the world, to add detail. I’ll research anything from the history of feudal China to the exact methods of 17th century shoe-making if it makes the story stronger. I love researching. 4 years in an English program broke my mind and imbued me with a love of knowledge. So when I feel the itch to add more details…I google the subject and I add them.

But surely only while editing, right?

Oh no, not really. First draft, second draft, third draft–if it feels right, I do it.

If you write like this, you’ll go in circles. What you want is a forward moving spiral: write, then think, then write, then edit, then think, then write, then finish, then edit, then think, then polish.

3) Edit, like, Whenever

And there’s another thing–editing. I don’t write one draft and then edit in a linear way. I go about six chapters, then change something in the first chapter, then write through chapter 10, then go back and change or add something else. My whole process is like a bowl of spaghetti noodles (or a pile of intestines on the floor, if we want to keep with the sloppy 16th executioner theme.) I suppose it’s hard for me to describe my writing method because literally, I have none. I do what feels right in the moment.

Once that sloppy first draft is finished, I go back and streamline the story. I add in scenes, at times entire chapters, to flesh out the storyline. Sometimes I’ll delete dozens of pages. I input feedback from my trusty beta-reader, polish up the manuscript and send it to the copyeditors.

I love editing and I don’t mind spending hours making a single chapter perfect. Despite the chaotic gory mess of my writing process, I find the editing process pretty quick and smooth.

4) Plot, But Don’t Plot

Stop plotting and start stirring. Stir harder! Stirrrr!

I have to beg the question–how can you possibly plot a book if you haven’t written it yet?

That’s right. How can you?

I can already imagine a lot of people rebuking this idea. Most writing gurus insist on plotting everything out before you start, and doing so in a linear fashion. But personally, I’d rather tell a story, and a story is a “gut thing.” A story is fluid–it changes as you go. Challenges arise that you didn’t think about when you drew out your plot. Or you gradually find yourself not liking the direction of your own story–something feels “flat” or “predictable” or “untrue” (stories, at all times, must feel “true” to the writer.) You won’t know the nature of the beast until you’re working through your manuscript scene by scene, word by word. Good writing happens spontaneously. Plots are a nice safety blanket but I tend to change them 100x before finishing a first draft. I hardly ever use the ideas I wrote down originally. I find the best ideas seem to spontaneously combust in the moment.

People ask me if this takes a long time, and I say–no, not really. And yes, it does. Procrastination takes a long time. Writing? I actually write faster when I don’t know exactly where I’m going, because I’m “chasing down” the story. I want to know what happens next! Take that curiosity away from me, and the story dies. The magic disappears. I feel…bored. And nothing will make you write slower than boredom!

I don’t know the answer, but this brain is yellow.

My Point?

I’ve been doing this writing thing for 14 years and let me tell you, there’s no “one way” to write a book. Use what works for you. If you’re just starting out on your writing journey, you might feel very comfortable using rigid plot-lines and sticking to them. They’re also very useful if you have strict deadlines with a publishing company. However, I’m a bit more touchy-feely. When I write, the story has to feel authentic, even if I’m forcing myself to finish a chapter. It has to feel true and right and good. For whatever reason, planning out a lot of charts and notes makes me feel bogged down by limitations and boundaries, rather than creative freedom. I love feeling free and limitless. I love not knowing what will happen next. I love discovering something new and unforeseen about my characters, my story, or the world I travel through. My writing process is the most non-linear process you can imagine, but I’ve tried different methods and this works best for me. The mystery of what’s going to happen next keeps me racing forward, breathless in anticipation, excited to reach the end. That’s when I fall in love with a story. That’s when it feels right.

Got a Writing Question? Feel free to ask in a comment below. I’ll do my best to answer coherently.