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In writing these articles for my blog, I intentionally do not do any research on the Internet. I think about what I want to say for a week and then compose and edit it. These articles are my opinions, plus a little more. These articles are what I have done or thought that have produced good results in my writing. They are hardly sage advice, but merely chronicles of how my brain works. This week I am going to open the door, invite you in, and show you the process of what I have done to create the story I am writing, “Forbidden Descent.”
In my fiction writing class, many of the students seem to sit down and write sequentially. They come up with a premise and see where the story takes them. This can be good practice to develop ideas, but it seems to me this can only take you so far. I feel that planning, and organization is a key skill that can take your story to then next level.
My story for my fiction writing class started with an image of something trying to get out of a cellar. I spent a few weeks thinking about my story. I ran through different scenarios as to where the story could go. Each time I would make little changes to the story in my head and then I would logically think about what effect it might have on the rest of the story. I took some notes, but for the most part, when I sat down and described the sequence of events that take place in my story I had very little written down.
Next I wrote a rough draft of the story. I just pounded it out. I did not worry too much about grammar or colorful words. Then I realized that I had some issues with my character’s motivations and decided that I had to make even more changes. The third and fourth drafts I added details, better words, and increased the pacing to make the story more compelling. The fifth draft I worked on examining my character’s point of view.
I am now on the seventh draft, and the story is really starting to look nice. I am far from done though. I have more characterization to do. I need to streamline my point of view (that is I need to do more showing instead of telling). I plan to go through each line of my story and stylize each sentence to the best of my ability.
It’s a lot of work, but so far everyone I have shared the story with has really enjoyed it.
wr414andmycats 
I’ll bet your story is going to turn out awesome. Seven drafts is a ton of writing and it sounds like you’re puting a lot of effort into it. I think it’s interesting how diverse people’s writing processes are. Personally, I rarely write more than one draft. I don’t know why, but for me the act of revising makes me second guess myself and cut things that should be left. I usually edit for grammar and whatnot, but othewise I let it be.
If you ever do fiction, I totally recommend trying several drafts! I have found that trying different ideas at the beginning of your story can lead to amazing results! Changing my character from a destitute woman to a woman who is a sister of the church, in my story for instance, has forced me to make little changes throughout my story. Doing this is a great exercise in not only developing your character/setting, but can also lead to amazing changes in the plot. It makes you think critically about what makes your story work.
This is very interesting. Writing is such a process and it is interesting how different approaches work for different types of writing that someone does or how different people’s processes are from the next. I personally like to make a rough draft and then refine that one and then usually I am done. A lot of times I don’t have time for more drafts but I have noticed how much better my writing is when I do have time for more drafts. I took a fiction class as well and had to make so many drafts before it was satisfactory enough and still I could probably continue to rework those stories. Good luck with yours and good work!
It is apparent that you are very dedicated to your writing. Writing can be a very time consuming process, especially when you are passionate about your topic. I hope that you are enjoying the lengthy process and will be proud of the final product!