Episode 007 | The 5 Stages of Writing

When people think of writing, they often think of something like a scene from the movies or television. You know the one: a writer sits alone, oftentimes with just their computer, typewriter, or notepad and their brilliant, brilliant genius words, which either flow out of them or won’t come at all. When the burst of brilliance is over, they are left happily typing “The End” onto a masterpiece, which their agent and/or publisher awaits with bated breath.



Like usual, TV and movies are presenting the phony baloney version.



Come peek behind the curtain, new and aspiring writers, and get to know the five stages of writing. More experienced writers, remind yourself which stage your current project is in and proceed appropriately. It’s so easy to slip back into old habits. Reminding yourself which stage you’re in and which draft you’re working on will save you a lot of time and trouble. For instance, when that siren’s song urges you to polish your first chapter until it’s “right” or “ready” before you move onto chapter two, you will safely stop your ears from hearing any such nonsense. Let’s get to it!







1PREWRITING – It’s at this stage that you ruminate, research, sketch, start a vision board, write a sloppy, galloping synopsis, or even (Dare I say? Dare! Dare!) outline. Whatever helps you start putting this story together! Do whatever makes sense to you. Author Gwen Hayes does something called a “Spark Sheet” where she writes down everything she knows about the story before she starts to write it. This stage can last for a little while or a long while. There is no one-size-fits-all with this or any other stage of writing. It will look different if you’re a “pantser” (someone who prefers to follow the muse and “write by the seat of their pants”) or more of a “plotter.” At one end of the spectrum, an extreme pantser may have as little as a single object or picture that sits on their desk to remind them of how they came up with the original story idea. At the other end of the spectrum, an extreme plotter may have a detailed synopsis that goes on for fifty pages or an elaborate spreadsheet with a scene-by-scene outline, along with notebooks full of notes and research on characters and settings, timelines, and the like. Most people live somewhere in between these two extremes. There is no right way to prewrite. There is simply your way to prewrite. BUT, no matter how you approach it: PLEASE 1) take a minute to look at your calendar and start thinking about how you’re going to make space for this project and 2) designate one place that you’re going to keep all of your notes and materials on this project. No writing project can thrive without enough resources (time, space, etc.) to keep it moving forward.



Prewriting Tips and Tools:



* My Favorite Software/App: I love the