The Wilderness of Writing

Sitting down to write can be like taking a hike in the woods.  You can look for the designated trails - the upper loop, the lower valley, maybe the creekside path to see waterfalls - or you can just strike out into the trees and let your feet set the direction.  Writers have different ideas about the process of setting down words.  Whether it's fiction or non-fiction, there is no prescribed way to "put pen to paper" or fingers to keyboard.  Some like to construct elaborate outlines which detail characters and scenes; others simply sit before a blank page or screen and allow the story to take them on a journey.  I don't think there is any science to the writing process because it is so subjective.  After all, we're not dealing with an empirical construct here.

I like to write more from the seat-of-my-pants, so to speak - more in the vein of allowing the story to take the lead.  But I don't work from a completely blank slate.  I always let the idea for a story or book gestate awhile so I can consider every angle.  Therefore, by the time I sit down to write, I have a pretty good idea about a general direction.  Sometimes on the journey I will alter the direction a bit and find a new character or two, maybe a new plot point, but more often than not I just follow the lead of the story.

Both of my books - The Little Rock Messenger and Electric Highway - started out as long-consdiered ideas without any set path in mind for the stories to take.  The journey I discovered in each project happened through some mysterious alchemy called writing, and I've been happy with the results.  But the only way I will know for sure if my journeys are a success is to hear back from you.  Check out my books on Kindle Books at www.amazon.com/dp/B003YOSYHK and www.amazon.com/dp/B004RJ81LU  and let me know.