bucketsiler: Just a friendly reminder that writing is not always a linear process. That is, it...

bucketsiler:

Just a friendly reminder that writing is not always a linear process.

That is, it rarely works out that you have an idea, then do a first draft, then edit that draft, then celebrate. The writing process itself is often an act of discovery, and can be messy and “inefficient.”

• You may write your first draft and realize it has major holes, causing you to need to return to your outline, correct the issue, and re-approach your draft.
• You may discover that the character you thought was your main character is not your main character. It’s actually her sister, and now you need to rewrite your story.
• You may change your point of view character several times before landing on the right one.
• You may write 9 drafts of your story only to realize the fundamental concept is flawed, bringing you back to the drawing board.
• You might throw away hundreds of pages.
• If you’re writing a novel, you might outline, then draft, then re-outline, then re-draft several times before you even get a solid handle on where you’re going with your story.
• You might write four different endings before you decide which one works best for your story.
• You might remove characters, combine characters, add characters.

…all of this is normal. If this is happening to you, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re a writer, and this is what writing is like sometimes. Sure, some writers seem to be able (or claim to be able) to write more quickly and efficiently. But there’s no sense in comparing yourself to them, and most of them are lying anyway. Instead of criticizing yourself, try to become curious about and embrace your process. There’s something awesome about how mysterious and unpredictable writing can be!