What is Your Writing Process?

There is no perfect way to write, unless you are a machine and even then, machines may glitch.

What is your writing process? Do you write quickly and then edit? Do you edit as you write? Somewhere in-between? What is your process and how do you feel it works for you as a writer?

I’ve always tended to write quickly and my ideas flow. I think so much faster than I can write or type most times. The mornings are usually the best time for me to write. The quiet house and a coffee buzz are both conducive to that. My editing is done after I write and sometimes much later. There are times when I go back to what I had written and try to edit, only to have the subject seem to unravel. Then there are times it falls almost perfectly into place. So much of it depends on my mood at the time.

Sometimes my process frustrates me. The errors I see after I push the publish button are a given. I’ve always loved to create, but struggle with editing. Yet, if I get too caught up in that while writing it stops my creative flow. So much is written in my head and bookmarked in my mind for another time. Then there are the ideas that disappear before I can type or write it down in a notebook.

My husband, Mike Deegs (who is also a writer here on Substack) and I were talking about the differences of our writing processes the other day. For myself, it is mostly in the creation process. My mind moves faster than I can write most days. Pure spontaneity. It means I can write and create quickly, but there are errors. Mike edits as he writes, but my editing process comes later. He waits for inspiration and ponders, writing lines or thoughts on a piece of scrap paper then shaping them, sometimes for days at a time. There’s no rush or urgency. It’ll happen when it happens. But me, I feel like I need to get my words out or I’ll forget them. I love putting pen to paper, he would rather use his “notes” app on his phone. So different, but it all works.

Do our personalities determine this?

My husband and I are similar in some ways, yet we are wired very differently. This shows up in how we write and in other areas. I could say it is our Myers Briggs Personality Types, as he is an is an INFJ and I am an INFP. He is more organized; I am more spontaneous. I can live with errors, and he spots them quicker (actually instantly) which amazes me. Maybe it’s my ADHD? Maybe it’s anxiety? Maybe it’s what makes me unique? Maybe it’s all of that. Neither process of writing is right or wrong, it’s how we are as people and writers. It’s our gifts that we can share. We can use those gifts to collaborate and balance each other.

He may edit my work, and I may encourage him to post that article or write that poem. To let go a little, put himself out there.

What makes our writing unique?

As humans and creators, we are all different. We all have our own gifts and weaknesses. Maybe it’s also how we are wired as humans and writers? I don’t know. I guess we can look at it as different ways we create as writers. Neither is right or wrong, and it is what sets us apart.

We can balance our strengths with another person and learn from them. Maybe we can read about a subject or a viewpoint that differs from ours. It’s so easy to stay stuck in our own views and our own ways sometimes. I think that’s when ego takes over.

I can hide my pride and have Mike edit my writing or have someone assist me with the more technical parts of my business. It doesn’t mean I’m a failure if I do. The other person’s insight may be just the missing piece I am looking for.

Questions:

Do you have a writing or creating process?

What has worked or hasn’t worked for you as a creator?