Writing Long-Haul

Endurance. That’s what I feel at times when it comes to writing.

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When I am asked about writing books, questioners often don’t want to hear the grit. Writing isn’t just writing and magically its ready for print. Writing is planning, crystalizing ideas, writing and rewriting, and editing…always editing. Writing is a long-haul endeavor. It requires a willingness for being your own worst critic.

Editing reminds me of the techniques in writing that have proved valuable over the years. From my published books to curriculum, my effort is the same.

1.  Collect and organize all the materials from the beginning. I learned this through unfortunate experiences. At first, I just wrote and organized along the way. The outcome was not having what I needed, then spending considerable time researching when I should be writing. Organization is also key. I lay out materials for each chapter so I can sequentially use it in the writing process. That’s a task in itself, but it makes the flow better. As a side, if you cite sources, make sure you get all the information during research. I have agony stories about failure here.
2.  Putting it in an outline. This, I learned, is part of effective writing. I outline in detail before I start writing. Here I sense the collected material’s flow and how it will unfold in a chapter. Never fails to guide my thinking.
3. Pen and paper. I often begin writing pen and paper before I move to the computer. That may seem old school, but it allows me to see and edit as I write. I am an advocate of using word variety. Writers get locked into word patterns. Putting it on paper helps me see it and remind myself of the 250,000 words in the English language available for saying the same thing without redundancy.
4. Just start. I find it’s sometimes hard starting. I don’t worry about what the first five chapters say, but that’s where constant editing helps. I edit as I write. I revisit the material almost daily to determine if there is flow and consistency. Past chapter five, writing starts getting clearer and patterns begin emerging.
5. Edit as I write. It’s been stated look for word economy. Yes. I try using action words, less prepositional phrases, fewer conjunctions. Editing while writing helps me see I have connected two sentences into one. Split them for easier reading.
6. Editing endurance. Here is the heart for me. Being my own worst critic. It’s often hard, but necessary. I ask if I could state things better. I watch for redundant words. Paragraphs too long? Then, the brutal use of Flesch-Kincaid for readability. I check this with each chapter. It requires knowing the potential audience. I often find inconsistency between chapters, thus these stats help me view where my efforts must be brutally applied to give full manuscript consistency.

Well, these are just a few items to my habits. I write and edit nearly every day. I am a morning person, so that’s prime time for me. I also know my point of mental fatigue. It’s there I stop for the day.

Writing is a long-haul enterprise. It’s rewarding in the end.