I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me. I do bible study, find a scripture, research if needed, write, send out to my email list, post to the blog and go spend time with the Lord in prayer. The Holy Spirit guides me and teaches me what is needed. I am by far perfect and the least of all people to be writing, but God chose me for a reason, and I will certainly allow Him to write through me.
It starts sometimes with the most minute thing that'll catch my attention while I'm talking to my kids, watching tv, reading or listening to the radio. I like to gather my resources then I start writing.
Usually ideas come to me while I am either zoning out, walking some where, or listening to music. Usually I keep either a small notebook, or sticky notes with me so I can jot ideas down so that I don't forget them. Later when I have spare time, I sit down and just start writing, usually after the first or second chapter I have the entire plot arranged on a notebook I keep with my laptop at all times.
Usually I get story ideas from something I read or saw on TV, or I come up with a situation or a setting. Then, I create the characters and daydream the story. Once I get to a certain point, I rush to the PC and write like fury, hoping to get it all down before I forget parts. Sometimes I finish all of it in one sitting, and sometimes, I daydream about it for days before I start writing it. About half of my stories [almost 600 so far since 1993] are finished, and half are in various stages to 1st draft. I go through and re-edit them occasionally. Sometimes, I just read, most times I correct spelling and grammar, and when I add to it, I'll add a scene or two, or rarely, finish the story right then. I also check my finished stories for spelling/grammar, and I don't trust the spellchecker completely. I'll run it, but especially when I run the grammar checker, it tries to correct things I think are right. Rarely, I come up with the story blurb first, but it never fits the blurb and I end up rewriting that at the end. I'm not prone to do an outline first, but this year, for the 2009 National Novel Writing Month [my first shot at this], I did an outline. I have no idea whether I'll stick to it or not.   | | |
Sometimes it's like constipation. Sometimes it's like everything's turned loose. Sorry for the analogies, but that's how it is. Sometimes the idea stays with you for days, and you can only sit down on it after so much "idle" time. Or when you get down to write, the idea that comes is something you've almost forgotten, not the one you wanted so much to pursue. Sometimes everything just seems to come together without much effort.
My writing has always been inspired by random things - gossips I overhear, personal experience, horrific incidents reported on the newspaper, just being quiet and observing other people.
Sometimes, before sitting down and write, I'll read some Stephen King for some inspiration on how to get my story on paper.
Ideas rush through my head this jolts me into grabbing a pen and paper to scribble the inspirations as it flows.
It all depends on whether or not I'm facing a deadline, how much research is involved and, on occasion, other factors. When it comes to implementing a freestyle form (as opposed to a specified/narrow one), I find it difficult to stop once I have:
a) an idea that is taking shape as I continue turning it over and over in my mind.
b) once the cogitation reaches the point of genuine excitement in the fleshing out process, I hit the keyboard and watch what happens, often in amazement. For, what began as a minor kernel of thought has begun to take on a life of its own. From there on in, it's like sitting in a rowboat, paddling furiously to keep up with the creative process.
Creative process? I have children! I write anywhere and everywhere from the kitchen table to my desk and every room between. I've been caught donning a pen and notebook while my oldest plays in the bath and receive strange looks as I stop mid-aisle to scribble pages of thoughts while shopping.
If I'm actually at my laptop and looking to type, I keep a notebook close and utilize writing with pen to get the juices flowing. Writing by pen is my connection with words.
I don't have much time to write. I do most of my stories during lunch in my work van. Things just pop into my head.
I see a story - article - subject start to unfold in my mind kind of like watching a show. Often, I'll have run through a complete story or article - "watching and re-watching" in my minds eye before I start to write. After I 'see' what I like I think about how I feel about it - and then re-do it again.
For articles - the 'sceen' in my minds eye unfolds during research and interviews.
I have a theory that I use with my writing. When a problem presents itself that my conscious mind does not know the answer to, I move on to something else knowing that a portion of my subconscious will continue to work that problem until the answer just pops into my head. When you read my writing you will see me jump abruptly from one subject to another but always coming back to tie the ideas together. That is my mind, that process, in action. I know that my mind will make sense out of whatever ideas I choose to throw together. I guess I just have faith in my process and it doesn't let me down very often. Try it; if nothing else it's a fun way to write.
Before sitting down to write, I usually choose a subject and then ride my mountain bike while I think about it. I find the increased blood flow to the brain condusive to thought formation. Writing is largely downloading those thoughts. I pace, drink coffee and smoke while downloading.
i usually start it with a cup of coffee. it can make me feel more relax, and when i relax, my creativity just flow. and i can make a great writing
I just pick up my pen and dive in. Sometimes its a keeper, more often not. But if I do it everyday I accumulate enough to send out every spring. The setting is often important. If I'm out of my element, my imagination is automatically more open and ready for new ideas.
I pray about what I write. Really! And many times ideas come during my prayer time in the morning. I always have a pad of paper next to me and jot down ideas as they come. |
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