Writing

Mama Kat Prompt: Share your writing process. How long does it take an idea in your head to get published on your blog?

Following on the heels of my previous post about writing, I thought this would be interesting.  I've broken it down into how I write for a blog and how I write for fiction/formal writing.

Blog
1. Get an idea--Mama Kat helps, but most of the time I write as ideas come to me.  I do a lot of expressing what God has shown me. For this blog, I also often share what I have learned from the parenting books I read.

2. Writing Process: I sit down and write.  I don't usually outline for a blog because I consider it relaxed writing.  I read over what I write a couple times and revise as well.

3. How long does it take the idea to get out?  Fifteen to forty-five minutes.

Fiction/Formal Writing
1. Ideas fly at me all the time because of my constantly imagining brain.  The chore here is to pick through them and find the gems.

2. Outlining: I pretty much always outline for these.  I actually keep a little notebook where I write down ideas for chapters and dialogue that comes to me.  Ideas can come to me at anytime, so I keep my notebook with me so I can write the ideas down as they come.

3. Writing: I sit and just write, not worrying about how it sounds or if I am using the right words.  I just go for it.

4. Revising: I go back and work through what I wrote with a fine toothed comb.  I keep an online thesaurus up at all times so when I hit a word I don't think expresses what I want it to, I can find one that better fits what I am trying to say.  I fix grammar and make the writing flow smoothly.  After reading it through critically once, I go back again.  This time it's easier to read as most issues have been fixed, but I read it through a third time to catch those little details I may have missed during the first revision.

5. How long does this take?  Depends on the length of what I am writing.  For an average length fiction chapter (7-10 pages), it takes about four hours.

#1 Piece of Writing Advice: REVISE!  It's usually easy to tell when someone has just written and pushed the publish button.  Taking the time to revise helps you truly communicate what you want with your audience.  If you are a person who has a difficult time with grammar or writing concepts, get someone else to read over what you write before publishing it.  Trust me.  People will be more drawn to your writing if it is well thought out and polished.