The writing process

In the beginning...

There wasn't one. I know. I started with a sentence fragment, unless you count the subheading in which case, you're very forgiving and we're good. But like I stated in my very first post here, a story doesn't always begin with the beginning.

Ideas sometimes come at me like lightning bolts. It might be something I said or heard someone say. I might get to the end of an experience and trace backwards to find my story. I never know when inspiration is going to strike. I also don't write my thoughts down when I should so I've lost some greatness over the years, I'm sure, for not having been carrying something with me to capture that moment. I'm trying to get better.

My process is simple

I don't have one. I realize that's hard to believe. I know I should have one. But I don't.  I sit down and write. Mostly, I've been talking to myself, collecting my thoughts internally, organizing phrases or imagining the scene to create a visual before the words come out so that other humans might read them. One could hardly call that a process.

I have written factual articles for newspapers, daily and monthly, and had a few editorials published. Those are not the norm, typically I write from emotion. Pain, loss, love, fear, confusion, anger are all fantastic motivators for getting the words flowing. If you're looking at that partial list and saying. "Jon. Five of the six on your list are pretty negative aren't they?" then you're reading too much into that (maybe) and you should find a nice psychology blog and self-diagnose. We're not digging that deep...yet.

My process fits my style. This isn't about researching poisons for a murder mystery, conducting a survey to identify the 3 critical aspects of great leaders or cataloging a historical event for posterity. I feel something, and then I work to make you feel it too. We laugh together. We cry together. (See, I put the positive one first.) We revel in me thumbing my nose at conventional grammar and the use of excessive commas, which I use very, very, very, very, much. ("100 words. Exactly. You can count 'em if you want.") My editor is cringing now, hoping that I use so many that I become comma-tose and stop, just stop. Such a mess.

Shut up and deal

Writing is passive. It was a way of getting out those things I couldn't say aloud or where I missed an opportunity. That girl I couldn't talk to in the 5th grade, that snappy comeback to a high school bully that never came from my lips, the time I was 500 miles from home and my father was taking his last breaths. Those are things that are difficult to deal with when you're 11, or 14, or 20 years old. So you take out your frustrations on an unsuspecting piece of loose leaf. You work your way through it. That's how you cope with love and anger and loss.

Notice how I start talking about me and I end up talking about you. We're not that different, you know. We all have a story to tell. And there are so many writers who will one day share their voice and be heard. I've talked to some of you. And you don't always see us coming. It could be the girl in the next cubicle, the guy on the forklift at the warehouse, or the 9-year-old next door. That's life. Anything can happen.

How did we get here again?

We've stumbled off the path. Plus we started in the middle. See, you only thought it was the beginning. Stop thinking. Read. Feel.

Ok. So now you're saying to yourself, "What the heck is he talking about? He started with ideas and then he got to writing." The ideas were the beginning. Or were they? Rarely does one get lightning from a clear blue sky. What's the trigger? For me it usually starts with an M.

Inspiration brought to you by the letter M

I felt like an episode of Sesame Street was going to break out here. Anyway...

Moments. Life experiences can bring the words out. First loves, family outings, funerals (The letter M just got F'd) are easy ways to tap into emotions and begin writing. Being a writer is a little like being an actor. Get into character, go back in time, relive that moment.
Movies.  There are some great movies that can get me energized. It also fuels my contention that there is nothing new out there. Everything has been done before. While Rat Race is a funny movie in it's own right, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World came long before that (I just like it for the commas) - feel free to repackage an old idea and make it your own.
Music. Maybe it sparks a Memory (lots of M's to go around.) Then of course, there's nothing like relaxing, getting pumped up or drowning out the world with some tunes while you get all the words out. Plus, it might provide the perfect addition to the soundtrack for your movie (after you finish writing the book first.)

Time for bed again

I was in bed earlier, but I couldn't sleep and felt compelled to write. It's 4 a.m. now and suddenly, I'm craving M&Ms...oh well, there's always something...when you're dealing with the Incomplete Writer.