The Joy of the Writing Process

In the opposite spirit of my last post, I must admit I have also deeply enjoyed the writing process of the last 14 years. It’s definitely been an off and on journey, and I’ve enjoyed it more in the last several years, I think.

I love days when I’m in what I call “idea mode” for writing and things are just falling into place in my mind and/or on the page.

So much of this process has been and still is about learning how I work best. Early on, I tried the idea of just writing the scenes I wanted to when I felt like it and then kind of piecing it all together. That didn’t work for me because I ended up writing the same handful of scenes a gazillion times.

Then there were the different obstacles I put in front of myself to box myself in on what I would or would not do—my rule about it just being one book, then my book about it just being two books, etc. I may have more self-imposed rules or things I’m holding onto that I eventually need to let go, but we’ll get there when we get there.

Also, if I had finished the one book or even the two books when I wanted to, I wouldn’t have the life experience I now have. These life experiences are helping to create a more in depth world and more in depth characters, etc. And I’m having so much fun now!

As I’m typing this, I’m realizing how my writing process has been so like the sanctification process in the heart/life of a Christian. Letting go of the things put on me or that I put on myself that isn’t supposed to be there and making room for the good things that are supposed to be there.

September Storrie