I’m sure if you talk with any household-name author that they will tell you their writing process changed over time. I’ve been noticing my writing process change lately and wanted to speak to those writers who are going through this now or feel the need to go through growth.

Everyone Writes Differently

Even if two people have similar processes, each Author’s writing process remains unique. While one person may outline each chapter, scene, character, and series, another author might sit down at their desk and trust in the story. Neither way is right or wrong, but recognizing these differences will help your writing. Let me share a quote from George R.R. Martin:

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they’re going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there’s going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don’t know how many branches it’s going to have, they find out as it grows. And I’m much more a gardener than an architect.” 
― George R.R. Martin

Learning from Others

While many writers focus on reading other’s works to learn their writing style, some forget about the craft books designed to share different approaches to writing. The writing process is a dark and scary place for many of us authors. I used to sit down and write. I wouldn’t plan beyond my vague idea of a storyline. And years of reading one craft book a month, I finally started to implement what I’m reading. I’ve begun to outline storylines before working on them and have even dabbled in creating Character Arcs. I learned this from my most recent read, Creating Characters by Writer’s Digest Books, a collection of advice on developing characters from many famous Authors.

“Writing is a difficult trade which must be learned slowly by reading great authors; by trying at the outset to imitate them; by daring then to be original and by destroying one’s first productions.” -André Maurois

Conclusion

If you feel like you’re in a rut during your writing, editing, or planning process for stories, try to search for ideas from others. I claim no expertise in writing, but I want to share information as I learn it, so you might not need to waste as much time as I have when in my ruts. I’ve found the changes that I’ve made improved my writing experience. I’ll continue to share as I learn and grow. Don’t forget, your writing process is up to you, and that’s what makes all the difference.

As always, stay fresh, my nugs!