Notes on productivity

No posts for a while and this one isn’t even a story. What a ripoff.

Do not fear, I’ve been writing, but mostly on the novel. I haven’t been able to polish any of the short fiction I plan on putting up here next. Today I have a piece about my general process and purpose as a writer. My approach to this blog has been to just post my stories without context, and I think that’s generally for the best. Lately, though, I’ve had an itch to write something like this and listening to that itch is part of the process. It might even be helpful to people who want to write, or write more, or turn their incomplete stories and ideas into something more ambitious, so read on if that interests you.

When I tell someone about my book, I often hear, "I've had an idea for a story for a long time and one day I want to write it down." It’s a daunting step. How do you get started? One thing I want you to know is that I love writing. I’m a little obsessive. It has mostly crowded out my other hobbies. Sometimes I lose sleep to make sure I get the day’s writing done. I hope some of that shows in my work, but I mention it to make another point. I didn’t always dream of being a writer, nor did I get a sudden flash of inspiration one day. I just kind of wanted to do it, then I got into it like you would any other hobby or craft. Just to be clear I’m not trying to give writing advice, other than that you need to both read and write to get better. Nothing will spring forth from your head fully formed. 

I think of having a separate creative process and a productive process, even though they aren’t always exclusive. Reading and other mental work becomes productive when it leads to writing. My main focus from day to day is on producing the words. Things like prose quality, connection to your audience, even coherence of plot can be much more easily dealt with after I have a critical mass of words. When I get my words done, I feel like a successful writer that day. Writing leads to more writing. Those frustrating periods where I am unable to write are only made worse by the lack of writing.

I made a lot of false starts writing over the years, where I would get the bug to make words and then fizzle and so on. I finally broke through this block by writing flash fiction in the format of threaded social media posts. I started having a lot of fun spinning weird little stories within the character limit and attention span of the platform. I wrote these stories on the fly with cursory editing and I found that the constraints of the platform actually helped me find a personal style. The format also helped me overcome the constraints of limited time. I usually have an hour or so a day to write. Sometimes I don’t have that much, and then I type into a document on my phone as I fall asleep. Not meeting the goal that day isn’t a huge deal, but I need to consistently pick up the tools of my craft. 

Over time, projects in different stages have piled up around me. I’m not discouraged, because it means I always have something I can work on. I can make the words if I have the time. It’s often easier to work on something in progress, where I have that critical mass of words, than to write something new. It depends. There are times when I can only write something new. If I’m excited about an idea or a scene I’ll write it even if it doesn’t have anything to do with anything and doesn’t seem like it will lead anywhere. The editing and tinkering will still be there but I want to capture whatever it is that has inspired me while it’s burning. 

The creative process is any other mental work that’s not making the words. My biggest inspiration is usually whatever I’m reading. This is where creative and productive processes blur. Sometimes it takes me forever to read something because it just makes me want to put it down and write. I write a lot of pastiche. I will read something and the styling or the voice strikes me in such a way I actually have to put down what I’m reading and do my own riff on that style. I don’t do other performing arts but I like to treat writing the way I imagine musicians practice and perform. Each writing session is a performance. Sometimes rather than edit I find it easier and more productive to rewrite entire scenes, because I feel there is a better way to perform them. Each performance is a little different and has its merits.

In the end I have to get the words done. Sometimes the words are good and sometimes they are not good. It is always better to make the words than to not make them, especially if I want to make more words tomorrow. I don’t have a lot of time, but knowing I only have so much time keeps me thinking about how I will pursue my next writing block. I aim for a thousand words a day and probably average that many. That has come with consistency, and I achieved consistency by pursuing a style of short form that complemented my strengths and created a positive feedback loop. Eventually I found a way to begin cobbling the products of the shorter writing sessions, “performances” of particular scenes, into more expansive projects. My first science fiction novel was a product of that approach and I believe it came together in something weirder and bigger than the sum of hundreds of short frenzied writing sessions.

My next novel demands longer blocks of time to immerse myself in the deeper work of editing, which makes it slow going, especially when I decide that I need to rewrite several chapters. Maybe I will discuss that challenge another time, when I again feel like writing about writing. There’s plenty about my process that I don’t touch on here at all, most glaringly all the time and input from my readers, especially my readers who are also fellow writers. You have to make the words first, though. As always, thank you for reading and being a part of these projects.