How I Write

On little pieces of paper, left on the kitchen table, the dining room table, the computer table, the hallway, the breakfast bar: bits of paper which sometimes remind me of that crucial idea and sometimes are stolen and gobbled by the dog.

In segmented choices, so the flow of words is not stopped/interrupted/halted/faltering/xxxxx. It’s much easier to go back / change the words in the editing phase than it is to figure out/attempt to figure out/decide/evaluate which words are the best/most inspiring/clearest/best communicate while I am writing. Editing while creating does not work.

Stealing time. Dishes clean up better after they soak for half an hour (when I sit down at the computer to record an idea mid-way through the pots and pans). I don’t mind getting up half an hour earlier (before the rest of the house needs me) to have composing time. Accepting help from others. (Thank you for taking that burned food off the stove: who would have thought that the one minute I needed to write something down would turn into twenty, as the scene in the story grew and the rice in that pot boiled over in revenge).

Searching for inspiration, that idea which will make the writing incandescent. I want to be caught up in the ideas. I want the words to flow. I want people to “get” what I mean. I want them to feel and see the scenes I create.

In awe of what others have done. James filled notebooks with his ideas for writing; Leonardo wrote his famous notebooks; writers keep journals. Ransome wrote that he needed to write the Swallows and Amazons story. His note was, “It wrote itself.” So many words, so many ideas. So much raw material.

With editing. Judy said, “I can’t see the stairway,” when I wrote about the library of TerraeAndrae. I could – but then I can conduct complete conversations in my mind. I rewrote the stairway scene, and Judy reread: she could see the grey stone steps, lit through stained glass windows.

With humor. With attention to detail. Thinking of my audience. Being true to my vision.

With others. Researching new fields is one of the joys of writing. When I write about the cop’s experiences, I work with a cop. The story is not only more realistic, it’s better because I see the characters through his eyes. When I write about medical situations, I ask a doctor, “What do you call this injury?” or “How would you diagnose?” When my characters are insane, I go to a psychiatrist for help in diagnosing. I hunt for books and people: Tiffany lamps; guides to the stars; Calculus made Easy (it wasn’t); The Writer’s Guide to Character Traits; Will’s methods on burying a body; Greg’s science; Kent’s theories on magic.

As much as I can. The more I write, the better I am able to write. I can look at what I wrote yesterday or last year and think, ‘I can do better.’ I could not do better if I did not practice.