My Process

A while ago I read a post entry on my idol Kateness's blog about her writing process and how she imagines things before putting it down on paper. It was really interesting to read, because how she does it is completely different than how I do it.

I am a very visual person. I love watching movies and TV shows as much as I love reading and writing. My parents try to get me to stop because they think I watch too much, but in my mind it's the same as reading a good book. And because I'm such a visual person, it translates into how I think.

When I write it's sometimes hard to get the words down on paper because in my head, I see everything like I was watching a movie. So instead of being able to just think up the words to put down, I have to translate what I see in my head into words first, and it doesn't always come out right. And sometimes what I watch or read or see or hear can change what I see in my head.

I'll give you an example of this process: when I'm writing I'll see a scene in my head. It'll be very specific choreography and setting. The only thing I have to come up with on my own is dialogue. So I'll try to write what I see. The first time, it'll usually come out a little wrong, like a character turns left when she should have turned right, or I describe the walls slightly wrong. When I re-read it, I'll notice the differences, because I'll have the original playing in the back of my head and the visual of what I'm reading playing in the front of my head, and I'll compare the two. Then I'll go back and change what needs to be changed.

So that's how I write. In a way it's harder than just visualizing the words that need to be on the paper, because I have to act as translator, and sometimes my writing comes out rushed because I'm trying to describe everything I see without delving into what the characters or feeling. But it works for me.