“But you can't make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can't last.”
What is your process when you write something like this? Do you craft an outline and then fill in the text? Do you just write whatever pops into your mind, then go back in and edit?
I know that everyone has a different way they go about their writing, but I'm trying to find some new ways that might work for me. I have been feeling this urge lately to write and get things out of my head. But then when I put fingers to keyboard everything gets kerfluffled (that is a technical term). The trash can is filled with half-baked thoughts that never got to see the light of day. I've come to realize that my brain likes to spin really fast and then throw a chain when I attempt to articulate in prose.
I’ve had bits of this piece since March and have been collecting thoughts for some time. At some point, the thing begins to take some shape. With this particular one, the Good murder last week was a catalytic moment that pulled things together for me.
Keep those half-baked pieces around. Throw them in drafts. You never know when they’ll fit into something, or serve as the base for a refined thought. Sitting down to write a whole piece puts a lot of pressure on you.
“But you can't make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can't last.”
Was unpacking books the other day, saw Fahrenheit 451, and thought I should read it again. I think you just pushed it to the top of the pile.
Seems particularly relevant...
What is your process when you write something like this? Do you craft an outline and then fill in the text? Do you just write whatever pops into your mind, then go back in and edit?
I know that everyone has a different way they go about their writing, but I'm trying to find some new ways that might work for me. I have been feeling this urge lately to write and get things out of my head. But then when I put fingers to keyboard everything gets kerfluffled (that is a technical term). The trash can is filled with half-baked thoughts that never got to see the light of day. I've come to realize that my brain likes to spin really fast and then throw a chain when I attempt to articulate in prose.
I’ve had bits of this piece since March and have been collecting thoughts for some time. At some point, the thing begins to take some shape. With this particular one, the Good murder last week was a catalytic moment that pulled things together for me.
Keep those half-baked pieces around. Throw them in drafts. You never know when they’ll fit into something, or serve as the base for a refined thought. Sitting down to write a whole piece puts a lot of pressure on you.
I do have a folder of some half-written thoughts I started several years ago. But I rarely ever revisit them.
Schedule time every month or every few weeks to review. I'm always surprised with what I find, both pleasantly and...not so pleasantly.