Learning some great things in the Creative Writing course. Not new, perhaps, but maybe I’m just listening better now, changing the process a bit. I should probably have posted this in the class journal, but I’ve been spending so much time in there and away from Spinning lately…besides most of you are writers as well, and I’ve known you a lot longer!
Just noticed something interesting that came of just a slight change in writing style. Working on two stories at once–or at the least, overlapping them timewise–I find that the editing mode at the tale end of one has helped me develop the second one as I go along, spotting poor word use, chopping simultaneously as I go into the story.
It helps in many ways. As I’ve mentioned, it fills in the lull between brainstorms, and by the end of the story, much of the editing work has already been done. In further editing, I feel more focused, not lost in a forest of words. It’s become easier to find weak points, and even as I write, I highlight them in red if I’ve needed to work beyond that, avoiding a certain stall.
I’m not sure whether this is to become part of my writing method or not; I’ve already noticed that I haven’t just sat down and spilled out a whole story lately, but take it in layers, clothes to try on. There’s a lot of fun in saying, "what if?" when the furious typing’s calmed down, and take it from there. Sometimes, you’ll consider what’s logical. And if feeling frisky, take the opposite path.
There’s nothing more satisfying than to be typing out story and giggling to yourself at the same time.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology