Once I was in sixth grade, I wrote my first time period paper. It was a research paper (I wrote mine on ghosts, in case you have been wondering), and my class spent a number of months on it.

This wasn’t like the e-book reports and other, shorter papers we had written. The necessities included a number of short assignments that led to the massive climax: a lengthy, absolutely researched and annotated essay.

We needed to learn The Components of Style. Then, we performed research on our subject and turned in a bibliography (checklist of works to be cited). We wrote notes from our analysis materials on index cards. Next, we had to write outlines. After that got here the tough drafts. Finally, we turned in the last, polished copy.

This was earlier than every household had a pc and before any family had the Internet. So it was all done by hand. I’m certain some of my classmates found it tedious or boring but I enjoyed this explicit task, though it wasn’t till years later that I absolutely appreciated the reward (and it was just one of many) that my sixth grade lecturers had given me: a writing process.


Better Writing

Better writing doesn’t occur spontaneously. We have to work at it. Years after I wrote that paper in sixth grade, in another class, I had to do the same assignment. There weren’t as many steps, but I did have to write down an annotated bibliography, an overview, a tough draft, and a final draft. I noticed that each of those steps made the complete strategy of writing smoother and easier.

Since that first term paper, I had attacked most of my writing assignments haphazardly, in a disorganized manner, and often a day or two before they had been due. After I was required, as soon as again, to undergo all the steps and after I realized how much better my writing experience and finished paper were, I decided to pay a bit more consideration to my writing process.

By then, I used to be old enough to know that I was becoming a writer. I didn’t know where my writing path would lead (I actually couldn’t have imagined I'd turn into a blogger), however I knew that I needed to write down, to at all times write. That meant I needed to begin applying what I was learning about writing and utilizing it to make my writing better. That meant I wanted to think about my writing course of and figure out how I could enhance it.
Discovering Your Greatest Writing Process

Based mostly on the whole lot I’ve heard from all of the writers I’ve encountered, we each have our personal writing process. A few of us use word cards and outlines. Others use mind maps and storyboards. Some want an in depth plan whereas others favor discovery writing. Some edit as they go; others polish after they’ve unscrambled all their ideas.

One thing does seem to be constant - profitable writers are acutely aware of their writing processes.

I only made this discovery within the last couple of years. One among my favorite podcasts, which is aptly known as Writers on Writing, features interviews with printed authors (there are additionally tons of nice interviews with agents, editors, and different professionals within the literary world). One of the widespread questions that the authors are requested is what is your writing course of? Interestingly, they all have stable answers. Different, but solid.
What’s Your Writing Course of?

From every little thing I’ve learned by watching and listening to different writers and from my own experiences, I’ve learned that understanding and honing your own course of is instrumental to creating higher writing. Before I ask you tell me about your writing course of, I believed I’d tell you a bit about my own.

As it turns out, I don’t have one writing process. I've completely different processes for different types of initiatives:

    * After I’m writing blog posts, I type out a simple outline with the details I want to cover. I edit each paragraph as I write, until I’m on a fast roll. I proofread several times.
    * For fiction, I wish to sketch the characters and develop the setting. Then, I use discovery writing to let the story unfold organically.
    * For copywriting tasks, I create a file of research notes, compile an outline and fill it with details, flesh out a rough draft, rewrite, edit several instances, then proofread several times.
    * I’m engaged on my first nonfiction guide, which might be out there on Writing Ahead later this year. For this mission, I did a simple define, then I used notecards to outline every chapter. Now, I’m working through the primary draft. I draft a chapter, then edit it. Once I’m all performed, I’ll do more detailed edits and several proofs, plus a proof and duplicate edit of the galley.
    * With poems (oh how I love writing poems), I simply write. When I’m ready (or rather, when the poem is ready), I revise and polish.

Now inform us about your writing process. Do you have got one? Have you ever ever thought about it? Do you suppose that a clear, coherent process would allow you to produce better writing? Leave a remark and let’s talk about it.