How My Writing Process Has Evolved

Writing and Editing Methods That Work (And Some That Don't)

As you continue to write, your writing and editing processes will change. To be honest, this is something I wish I knew when I started—it really freaked me out when my whole process changed for Night Fury.

I've discovered that being flexible with your writing approach can make a huge difference in both productivity and enjoyment. What works for one manuscript might not work for another, and that's perfectly normal.

What I've Let Go Of

These are methods I've tried in the past few years that I wouldn't do again:

• Write, edit immediately, then post
• Write everyday (not feasible for me right now)
• Edit while writing before the entire story or chapter was done
• Adding the outline to the same draft I'm writing the story in
• Creating and using an editing checklist based on English "rules"
• Making multiple drafts just for editing
• Sending chapters to critique partners/alpha readers and editing with their feedback while still writing the manuscript
• Annotation/red-lining
• Using Pro-Writing Aid for a gentle grammar edit—I feel like everything it found was what my editor would have caught anyway

What Actually Worked

These approaches proved helpful and I've incorporated them into my process:

• Save any online articles, posts, short stories, or poetry in drafts for at least a day before editing—to edit effectively means first taking a step away
• Making note of things I struggle with in manuscripts so that when I'm ready to edit, I know what to check for (character descriptions, etc.)
• Reviewing the novel two to three times for edits and breaking it down chapter by chapter
• Outlining with detailed descriptions at the beginning, shorter action sentences in the middle, and general ending notes—this allows characters to shine within the structure
• Taking two-day breaks from writing—this keeps me writing well, often using less time to produce the same word count I would have achieved writing daily

My Current Approach

For my current manuscript, I've developed a process that feels right for this particular story:

I have a very free-form outline—over four thousand words comprising the actual outline, dialogue snippets, scenes, details, and other elements. Interestingly, I'm almost 20k words into this manuscript and have yet to look at my outline. I also keep it in a separate document from where I'm writing. When I tried keeping the outline in the same document, it caused anxiety because I could see that portion of the outline and felt pressured to reach it faster.

One of the most important things I do now is to make sure I relieve any pressure I feel about writing or the story before I actually sit down to write. I've learned that pressure is a huge block to creative flow, and eliminating it helps me write 1,000 words in 15 minutes, or 2,000 words in 30 minutes.

If I get a gut feeling that something's off about a section, I highlight it in Google Docs with a note to review later, and I avoid true edits unless an entire chapter is bothering me and I need to get the details right before moving forward. My plan is to finish the work, do a full review pass, perform my complete edit and rewrite, send it to beta readers for feedback, incorporate changes if necessary, and then send it to my editor.

Finding Your Own Process

What I've learned most is that there's no single "correct" writing process—only what works for you and your current project. Being adaptable and listening to what your creative mind needs has been far more valuable than sticking to any rigid system.

What about you? Have you found certain writing or editing methods that work particularly well for your projects? Or have you abandoned techniques that seemed promising but actually hindered your progress?

Want to see the results of my evolving writing process? Check out my Chronicles of The Otherworld series here.