Back and Forth

I’ve spent the past week revising my current work-in-progress. I haven’t actually gotten to the end of the story. Many writers will write clear through to the end and then go back to edit. I go back and forth, several times. I’ll write for a while, and then go back and fix up what I’ve written. After I’m satisfied with that, I’ll move forward again until I am compelled to stop and edit once more.

It’s not that I don’t know what the end of the story will be. I do. But I have some perfectionist tendencies and I cannot let things slide when I know there are parts of my work that could be better.

Besides, sometimes I actually want to edit and sometimes I want to lose myself in the story progress. It all depends on what else is going on in my life--how busy or how crazy it is. And since I also have a job, elderly parents, one daughter still living at home, and a retired husband (who plays the accordion--a lot)--it does get a little insane around here at times. :^)

I’ve listened to many experienced fiction writers detail their methods of writing. I’ve read plenty of books about writing, too. Currently, I’m reading Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s an excellent book and he has some wonderful advice.

But Stephen King writes his way, and I write my way. Of course, Stephen King is way ahead of me.

My way is--perhaps--slower and less efficient, but it works for me.

The one thing I’ve learned after listening to many authors detail their methods is that everyone does things differently.

What process do you use for writing?