The more things change, the more they stay the same

          As I mentioned previously, I’ve changed my focus from creating fiction to finishing several non-fiction projects. As I’ve reviewed the projects and decided on completion dates for each of them, I’ve noticed something interesting. I create and revise non-fiction exactly the same way as fiction. I’m not sure why I was so surprised. After all, I’m the same person. It stands to reason I would work the same way on one project as another. (I think there might be a lesson in this that will make revising and completing my fiction easier. I just need to find it. )

          The first step in the creation process is to get all my thoughts onto the page, usually in the order (chaos!) I think them. Just as I think more clearly as I talk through an issue, so I can write more clearly when I spew my thoughts through my fingers, uncensored and unedited. Of course the subject matter is different. Instead of creating characters and moving them through a story, I am compiling facts or anecdotes and presenting them in an ordered (or not-so-ordered) way. But basically, I’m getting down the raw inspiration, mining the rough gems, positioning the uncut marble. In fiction or non, this first step is crucial.

          At some point I know it is time to stop spewing and start stewing. (Sorry! I couldn’t help myself. I love word play. ) When writing fiction, this time comes when the story gels in my mind and I can actually create a sequence of events for the characters that takes them from beginning to resolution. (We’ll ignore, for now, my penchant for perpetually changing that storyline.) For non-fiction, it is when I get at least a glimmer of the one main point I want to make and how I want to make it.

          Once I have that focus, be it storyline or main point or writing style, I start revising. My goal at this step is to get rid of the excess and bring into sharp focus the essence of the story or article. I add scenes, facts or anecdotes to make my point. I take away scenes, characters, extraneous information, anything that detracts from that main focus. I rearrange and change scenes, words and phrases, sharpening and refining that focus. Once that is done, it’s time to edit and polish. (Usually after a break of at least an hour.) The editing and polishing step is when I verify that every word, every phrase, every nuance, conveys what I want to say in exactly the way I want to say it.

          A short project, like these blog entries, is easily done in a couple of hours over a day or two. (Especially now that I’ve accumulated 60+ weeks of practice. ) As I tackle some of my larger projects, I’m using these steps to see them through to completion. Eventually, I expect to segue back into using them with my fiction.

          Just proves the point that the more things change, the more they stay the same.