The Adventure of Writing

By Bonnie Stanard

Recently I had reason to consider how I go about writing, that is, the process of writing. What comes after the initial inspiration? How does an idea get from my head to the computer screen? Do I mainline uncensored thought? Do I edit as I go? What if there is no inspiration?

In the beginning is an idea. I talk to myself much of the time, in my head, I mean. What I say to myself comes from whatever event, person, or feeling I encounter in the moment. If an idea comes and goes for several days, I’ll get around to writing it down. That doesn’t mean I’ve started a story. Some ideas that thrill my imagination (I’ve got a great idea for a story!) fizzle out when transcribed.

So here I am, using words to corral what I’ve been thinking. Do I search my brain for the best words before my fingers find them on the keyboard? Or does the story itself call out in words for me to use? We writers are often told to just get the story down without a thought about word choice or sentence structure. This advice seems to assume that you know what you want to say. Despite my familiarity with a story in my head, what I want to say often develops as I write, in which case the choice of words is a matter of deciding what I want to say.

I write whether or not it is drudgery, but there are times when I bore myself with what I’ve written. When that happens, I research background material or choose poems from my files and submit to literary journals.

OUTLINE?

In short, no. I can’t seem to discipline my writing. My stories lead and I follow. I’ve tried an outline (once) and the story seemed to deliberately disregard it. I do get a sense of where stories will end. Sometimes this is a revelation and sometimes it’s a hoax.

VERSIONS OF THE TELLING

If I were writing in the 19^th Century, deciding on a narrator would be a no-brainer. Authors described everything visible and commonly known that appertained to the plot. In other words, they wrote from the point of view (POV) known as omniscient.

But then James Joyce got inside the head of Leopold Bloom and wrote Ulysses. Authors have explored versions of narration ever since. We have four conventional POV options, but even those have developed subgroups, thanks to writers such as William Faulkner and, more recently, Hilary Mantel. I think third person limited POV allows more versatility.

When I finish a first draft, I feel like I’ve lost 20 pounds. Then come the revisions, and I feel heavier by 40 pounds.

I work alone in my office without a TV, but there’s no escaping the phone and email. The best way to get work done is to rent an apartment away from my friends and family.