martinlivings | On writing - the birth of a story... (Reply)

Saturday morning - receive email asking to submit to an anthology with a (VERY) specific theme
Saturday afternoon - ideas beginning to coalesce
Saturday night - quick discussion with Izz about basic idea for plot
Sunday morning - sit down and type out detailed notes for story
Monday - work distractions
Tuesday afternoon - write 3000 word first draft

It's a shame not all stories come out that easily. For example, the one I'm supposed to be writing for

jennifer_brozek (waves!) hasn't even reached the ideas phase yet (I'm so stumped on this one! Aargh!). Others, like "Blessed Are The Dead That The Rain Falls Upon", just come out all at once, from initial idea to completed (very long!) draft in a matter of an hour or two. But this one's pretty typical for me; get an idea, think on it for a while, maybe a few days, then write a first draft. And then, down the track, the last draft is unnervingly similar to the first one. That's because I actually write the first twenty or so drafts in my head [1] before I even put pen to paper [2].

And fast is good, at least for me. Fast eliminates that tiny internal editor and grumpypants that tells you something is a bad idea. That schmuck has no idea, trust me.

[1] And be grateful no-one ever gets to read those drafts, trust me...
[2] Figuratively, of course. I rarely even use pen and paper for notes, let alone actually writing!