Driven
By Ramona
Richards
I am not
normally a creature of habit. I can barely remember to put my toothbrush in the
same place every day. I don’t get up at the same time. While I do have set work
hours for the day job, the routine within those hours isn’t always the same.

One major
pro is that you tend to be flexible and can shift things around quickly should
the need arise. This pro showed up quickly when the need arose to stay at home
during a pandemic. I already worked from home anyway, so removing outings such
as choir practice and church was an easy shift. I did become a little more
organized about going to the grocery store and combining errands.
But this
flexibility also allowed for something unusual to occur: inspiration.
As a writer,
I know I need to write something every day, just to keep my skills sharp and my
writer brain engaged. My writing time is usually just after work but before
supper, and right after supper. And I’ve been able to finish books with that
schedule.
But lately,
I’ve had a book gnawing at me. It’s been fermenting in my head, slowly
plotting, the characters growing, changing names, developing bad habits and
some new ones, their speech patterns evolving. If you’re a writer, you’ve known
that period of development I call the “fermentation pot,” that mental location
you store ideas, where all the elements needed for a complete story hang out,
bubble, and morph.
If you’re a
plotter, the next step is usually the first outline. If you’re a more organic
writer (aka pantser), you may sketch a quick synopsis or just dive into the
opening scene. I’m more organic, so I usually write the opening scene or two,
then add those to the fermentation process. My next step is usually about a
sketch of the book, about 500-1,000 words. Then a touch more fermentation.
Then I sit
down to write. Usually 500 to 1,000 words a day is a good output for me. If I
stick to that, in two months I can have a category length book (50-60,000
words).
The current
book, however, had been in the pot for a while. I had lots of scenes, a plot, a
dark moment, a romance, two motifs. And on May 10, 2020, it blew the lid off
the pot. I became driven to write it, so I added more time into my writing
schedule, two hours before work. Essentially six to eight a.m.
Now … anyone
who knows me knows I feel about mornings the same way I do root canals. I even
have a t-shirt that reads, “I don’t like morning people … or mornings … or
people.” I wear it to writers’ conferences so that no one will pitch ideas to
me before caffeine.

So … what’s
my point?
One: there is no right way to write. Find what works for you, and accept that it may vary from book to
book. Don’t hobble your creativity with labels, adages, and truisms about
writing.
Two: you need discipline as well as
flexibility. Writing is hard work. It’s also
a lot like learning a language: if you don’t use it, you lose it. Try to
practice it in some way every day. Keep those hard-learned skills sharp.
Three: accept that, as a writer, you’re a
little odd. The rest of the planet doesn’t
think like you do, and not all writers think the same. But we are all a little
odd. And that’s okay. There’s no need for you to fit in everywhere else. Even
nonfiction writers are off from other people. Think about it: everyone goes
through hard times. Not everyone has the ability to take those hard times, see
spiritual application to the journey, and have the gift to share that insight
with the world through well-crafted words.
Four: writers are driven to write. It’s our make-up and our mindset. We get even odder if we don’t
have that outlet. Understand that, and open a valve. Even a trickle is better
than none at all.
Too many
people think there’s a formula that will guarantee success as a writer, but the
hard truth is—there’s isn’t. At some level, we’re all feeling our way through.
Find what works for you and don’t give up.
Just. Keep.
Writing.
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TWEETABLE

Website: Ramonarichards.com
Facebook: ramona.richards
Twitter: @RamonaRichards
Instagram: ramonapoperichards
Great message. Yes, find what works for you and don't give up. Some writers plot and some don't. I find that each story calls for different methods. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa! Absolutely--it's staying open to what works best for you and each project that's key.
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