My Writing Process

My writing process for creative writing can vary greatly depending on the content and the emotions attached to it, my mood, and the level of self-sponsorship of the piece (that is, whether I am writing the piece as an assignment or of my own volition). My creative writing process differs greatly from my academic writing process. My creative writing process is much more natural and organic, while my academic writing is deliberate and forced. I do not spend nearly as much time in the “prewriting” stage during my creative writing process; Rather, when I feel the need to write creatively about something, I am compelled spontaneously to do it (unless, of course, it is has been formally assigned to me). There is something antagonistic about an assignment, even if it is in creative writing. In her piece, Lamott eludes to this spark of inspiration that writers are constantly grappling with, urging to come out. As she explains, this motivation cannot be elicited on command. Creative writing is something that earth comes to me spontaneously, or I resort to as a means of therapeutic catharsis.

I then reread and reword and rearrange and reconstruct until I am satisfied, which normally means I could go on editing/rewriting indefinitely. I want every word choice to be perfect, but I become married to the words I have already put down on paper, and hate deleting or even rearranging them. Something I love to do in creative writing is to explore the facets of language. Toying with the parameters of the English language through word choice and unconventional literary techniques is often the driving force in my pieces, rather than the content. While I do explore topics of varying gravity, I strongly believe that through the deliberate use of language, the most mundane plotlines can become the most effective and beautiful. In some of my pieces a more formal voice is employed, but my elaborate sentence structures and careful diction is present regardless. I largely aim to pull greater meaning out of the most ordinary experiences, often by relating these seemingly insignificant happenings to larger concepts through metaphors and comparisons. Illuminating my idiosyncratic feelings and experiences through universal ideals that others can relate to is my goal. Although my creative fiction writing obviously does not follow this theme, my writing largely encompasses the most personal aspects of my life. I often cannot fully make sense of a feeling or experience till I write it down, so much of what I write is largely for my therapeutic benefit. I take the most pride in the work where I am able to express the inexplicable aspects of myself, and I find that I can do this most effectively through my application of language. Often the thoughts that trouble me the most, (and the ones I am therefore the most inclined to write about) are not the ones that can be conveyed through typical phrases or explanations, but rather through my confessional, wordy style. This can make editing very hard.