process
It feels more than a little ridiculous to be talking about my “process” of writing since i’m not anyone famous or special, and i’m not doing anything particularly novel. But, it’s a big deal to me.
For a long time now, i’ve been looking for ways to make this Writing thing a habit. Habit in the sense of compulsion. i can’t tell you how many ways i’ve tried to create this habit. i’ve always felt like the habit should include some kind of warmup, but i’ve tried so many different types of warmups and what not that i’ve very literally lost track. Some of them had to do with writing down lyrics to certain songs every time i sit down to write. Others involved special playlists of certain music. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Also, i have so many ideas for so many things. For the most part, i can split them into either short-form, essay-type things, and long-form fictional work. i have many ideas in both areas, and while working on only one large project at a time makes the most sense to me, trying to strike a balance between the shorter ideas (most of which become blog posts) and the bigger stuff has been hard for me to wrap my head around.
But then, a couple of things came together at nearly the same time to create a process that i might actually be able to turn into a habit. First, i saw a blurb on Lifehacker postulating that it takes the brain 15 minutes to adjust to the task at hand. Second, Script Frenzy: since i had committed myself to at least give SF a shot, i was going to have to come up with something to keep myself going.
Now here’s where all of these things come together. Based on the information in paragraph 4, i started with the idea that i needed to write for 15 minutes before i really started to get to the meat of my project, in this case the screenplay for Script Frenzy. But, what the hell was i going to write about for 15 minutes? For the answer, see paragraph 3: short subject posts. These include ideas about movies that i’ve seen, all the stuff that i ramble on about on this blog, plus other stuff even more random than that. i have several long lists of stuff like this.
So, step one: work on short subject idea for 15 minutes, and then move onto my main project.
This is a magical thing–not in the same way as an iPad or a trip to Disney World; we’re talking mind altering. Every time i’ve sat down to write and used this approach, a similar sequence of events takes place: first, i get my mise-en-place all setup and ready; then, i doubt whether i’m actually in the right mindset to write; then, i decide maybe i’ll check my email or my RSS reader; then, i realize that i just need to get started and actually write; THEN, i finally get started with my warmup. Usually after the first 30 seconds i begin to doubt again that i am actually in the right head space to write. But after five minutes of plodding, hen-picking, him-hawing, and assorted various types of staring off into space, i start to come around. my typing gets more fluid, my thoughts more refined. i find myself searching for words less and getting more onto the page. And, after my fifteen minutes, i am in the zone.
Again, to recap, FUCKING MAGICAL. (also, i like doing my warmups in something web-based, like google docs, because then i can easily access it later to post.)
Then, step two: i actually write. Really, once the warmup is done, this is just as simple as looking at where i left off the last time and getting started. I’ve found that i can work steadily for about 45 minutes before i start to lose my focus, which puts this whole process at about an hour. Not a bad amount of time for an activity that i’m trying to make a daily habit.
I did notice one thing: when i’m stuck, especially with something like the screenplay, i find it helpful to start this larger writing session with pen and paper. the nice thing about this is that i don’t really have to worry about format or word choice. i can add notes in margins to my heart’s content, scratch things out, and work closer to the speed of thought. HOWEVER, this cannot go on for more than one or two pages. Once i feel like i’ve gotten back into the groove of the story, i have to switch back to the computer. Otherwise, i have this handwritten thing which now requires translation into a digital format, which derails any forward progress. The short screenplay that i was talking about several months back is entirely handwritten, and still has not been typed because somewhere in my lizard brain, it’s just too freaking hard.
So there it is, for the few people who care. This is how i’m going to be working for the foreseeable future. If anyone else decides to try it, i would love to hear some feedback on how it worked or didn’t for you.
Have a productive day. Let’s relight those fires, eh?