Writing Process

[daughter]

Poets--

Do you have a particular approach or ritual to your writing? Discuss the writing process and your philosophy about writing verse.

A professor asked my class this once. You might think the answers were lame or boring. They were far from it. Some wrote everything in notebooks first and then typed them out. Others wrote in particular rooms with a particular setting and specific writing tools. Some even meditated before composing a work.

And their responses about the writing process from a technical standpoint were as diverse as their personalities.

So, how do you approach your writing?

Peace,

daughter

 

[perks]

the UNstructure of my writing

daughter,

loving the way you think....the questions you ask.

anyway,

the moment I'm not thinking specifically about something, my head is filled with words, luscious vocabulary and imagery. I find if I don't write down the fragments or at least store them in my to remember file in my head, I can't sleep later that night.

if I get a particular grouping of phrases that mean something to me, or spark some heat in me, I compose complete thoughts.

I write, so I can sleep.

wet thighs and white t-shirts,
perky

 

[tigerjen]

Nightowl writing......

daughter....

good question you present here!

I shall add in my 2 cents here......
The poems I have up here were written from
February thru June '01, the bulk of them written
between the hours of 1am-6am. I don't know
why that is, but I remember at times I would
write a blue streak poem-wise.....i still have poems
unfinished in my journal.....and of course the rest
are up here.

The stories that I have up on Literotica....."In The
White Room" was written in the space of an hour
early in the morning around 7am. I remember the
night before i wrote I was brainstorming and couldn't
come up with a damn thing, went to bed early and
read "Delta of Venus" (also had fun in bed..heehee),
then went right to sleep. Upon waking up, got onto
my computer, just started typing away, and 4 pages
later....the rest is history The trilogy I have up here
was originally written for my boyfriend back then in
college (he's now my ex) using my name, his name,
and in two of the stories, a friend of mine's name.
I ended up changing the names from real to ficticious
to "protect the innocent".

I write at the weirdest times....whenever the mood
strikes me or when I'm under pressure to turn out
something.

TJ

 

[T.H. Oughts]

I have a notebook for when I'm out and about for striking muse.

I find since I got my computer that I write more poetry. My hand writing is terrible to read the next day. With my poetry it just spills out and it ends up too messy.

Also with a computer I can change words easy and keep it looking neat without scribbled out words everwhere

 

[daughter]

Weird like that

perky--

I'm weird. Don't think too much of it. LOL

Ladies, you've said something of your habits, but nothing about how you complete the process. What is your perspective on the writing process from a technical view? Do you write in a frenzy and later revise? Do you edit at all? Do you use writing aids that help with vocabulary, grammar/syntax, elements of writing?

Where does your inspiration come from? Do you read published authors? If so whom, and how has their writing influenced your own?

If you had to identify one of your weakness, what would it be and how are you addressing it?

Lot of questions to contemplate. Answer one or many. Love to read your thoughts. You have been exposed to my approach to writing and the process all the time I've been here.

I constantly ask questions, the same ones I pose to you. I read incessantly. I am an ardent proponent of revision. I don't believe you are a serious writer if you don't edit and you don't have a support system to critique your work. Doesn't have to be a board of folks you don't know, but at least one person who will objectively evaluate your work.

I write in two phases. Phase I is capturing the essence of whatever is on my mind. An event, thought, or feeling usually overwhelms me and I feel compelled to write. It is different with my non-fiction writing. Phase II is about putting the pieces together. I focus on the technical aspects of writing: cohesion, clarity, structure. Phase II is significantly longer. Part of that is due to revision, and for me revision is always an option.

Galway Kinnell wrote that in compiling his last collection of previously published works that he found that while many of his works were solid pieces, his view and approach had changed over time. He felt his work needed to reflect those changes. Works that were already celebrated, appeared altered in his latest offering.

I believe the poem is a living thing. It is not static. We breathe life into it, but we do not own it, no more than we own our own lives. I'll stop here. I'm bordering my quirky metaphysical ideas here. LOL

Thanks for responding.

Peace,

daughter

 

[KillerMuffin]

I'm a pretty methodical writer, I simply need the ability to close off the rest of the world to prevent them from saying words that disrupt my flow of words and I generally write on a computer. I can't write prose longhand. I leave out too much because I'm used to my 110ish wpm typing speed as opposed to my 110ish word per day writing speed. Poetry, when I write it for poetry's sake, I do it longhand. It forces me to think about the words more thoroughly, not just their meanings and sounds, but their measure, rhythm and how they fit with every other word. Prose flows naturally from me. I can see whatever is happening in my head and the words just leak from it. Poetry doesn't leak from me, it takes more concentration.

 

[lovetoread]

When I write, it flows without thought. I just let it.

Then I go back and start the painful chore of taking something that to me is a personal thing and making it readable.

I type it out first,print it and carry it around with me as I re do the words. I use colored pens so that I know which parts I did and did not like.

Those are my stories. My poems are a different matter. They seem to come out quick and without much thought. But then again my poems arent in any of ya'lls league.

 

[Wanderer D]

When I get the urge to write, it tends to flow out. I'll write on either paper or computer, whichever is handy.

Of course, after it's all flowed out, it's usually a mess. I spend a lot of time rereading, editing, rereading, etc.

It's very hard for me to force my writing. I have to be inspired by emotion or an idea. After that, the story just writes itself.

 

[WriterDom]

I can't spell or read my handwriting, so I always write on the computer. I burn a candle and spend some time in meditation. I'll play something without words on the CD player. Classical, soft jazz, or new age. And wait till I hear the inner voice and follow it like a winding thread not knowing where it's going. The best ones usually flow about as fast as I can type. Other days it's a real struggle to get something out. But I feel I write better if I make an effort everyday. For erotic writing, I really need to be inspired.

 

[tigerjen]

daughter....to continue my answers.....

daughter wrote:
<<Ladies, you've said something of your habits, but nothing
about how you complete the process. What is your perspective
on the writing process from a technical view? Do you write in a
frenzy and later revise? Do you edit at all? Do you use writing
aids that help with vocabulary, grammar/syntax, elements of writing?
Where does your inspiration come from? Do you read published
authors? If so whom, and how has their writing influenced
your own? >>

About the writing process in general......its necessary to write,
revise, write, revise again, proofread, etc.

My poems came out of the blue for me......a lot of my thoughts/
daydreams/fantasies influenced them.....only a couple of my poems
reflected what happened to me in real life
Influences (for me ) include: Anais Nin.....Pablo Neruda ("20 Love
Poems and A Song of Despair")......elements found in different erotic
stories (in collections such as "The Pearl"...."The Best American Erotica"
series......for example).

I'm usually a perfect speller so I don't have to worry about that. I was
better in English than in Math in school I do have a copy of "Elements
of Style" from when I was in college but I don't need it because usually
I am good with grammar etc. I know its a good aid though if I do need
to refer to it.

That's it for me so far

TJ

 

[perks]

Re: Weird like that

What is your perspective on the writing process from a technical view? Do you write in a frenzy and later revise? Do you edit at all? Do you use writing aids that help with vocabulary, grammar/syntax, elements of writing?

Where does your inspiration come from? Do you read published authors? If so whom, and how has their writing influenced your own?

If you had to identify one of your weakness, what would it be and how are you addressing it?

okaaaaaay.let's see,
hell yes I edit. The tale of pleasing me had a different draft before the one I posted, a draft that I actually was going to submit...waited for a month or so, and then when I didn't have the poem handy I wrote it again, with what I remembered and the image I wanted to use. I then read that. I find that if I read things out loud I can measure their cadence, and the way the words trip over the tongue. If my tongue doesn't feel the way I want the poem to be heard, I change something, alliteration, meter, sometimes rhyme. Although rhyme, even though I write it can bug the hell out of me. I find so many images get lost in rhyme. I love reading a poem....and 3/4 of the way through it realizing that they've been rhyming. Rhyming should be unassuming and not harm the imagery, but I digress. As for tools, I rely on the dictionary, thesaurus, and reading the classics.

I read the dictionary all the time, like it is a novel<pronounced I am a dork>. I live for the Reader's Digest it pays to enrich your wordpower<been reading this since I was 10....so 20 years now....thanks mom> As for authors in particular, I'm in love with Goethe right now....puRRRRR.he's delicious.

As for my weakness,
I don't finish. I write snippets here and there...shoeboxes of scraps of paper with bits and pieces of imagery. That and being my pet peeve is rhyme, and I cant' seem to stop myself.

hope that was more of what interested you,
perks