Some days.....

[DSWaltenburg]

I feel like I belong in a Remedial Writing room. Today has just boxed me about the ears!! Does anyone else ever get stumped and stuck and stirred into a stupor? I know lots of you are Monsters of Writing, and can whip out articles right and left....and I know that this isn't a competition to see who can write the fastest....but my competitive edge is waning because I...

A. Suffer from a thorough case of ADD, and thusly have the attention span of a flea..
B. Worry that I'll miss some important factoidy if I don't research thoroughly enough

Any ideas on improving my speed, short of cutting off electricity to my home, which then would prevent me from submitting my slowly forged articles? :)

Here's what I've been doing in a given day:

Get up, get daughter off to school.
Get coffee, sit outside and read, write in my journal, brainstorm
Come inside and do housework
Sit down at computer and start researching for my articles.....
An hour later, I'm still researching.....
An hour later, I might have a paragraph written betwixt letting the dog out, putting wet clothes in the dryer, stopping at the fridge for a niblet, paying a bill or five....
Once in a while, I'll get on a roll, and sit still for several hours, and just write, and rewrite and reread, and then submit....
But that's not often enough.

Clearly I lack FOCUS!! And I feel stupid because I can't just zip these puppies out and get them submitted.....
Or is this just my self-deprecating features acting up again?

Can someone please explain how you write several articles in one day? Do they not contain oodles of research? Do you have the internet/local library stored in your brain? Do you have a semi-paranoic good luck-rain dance-ritual that you perform before sitting down at your keyboard? WHAT? What is the secret to your machine-like writing speed? :)

Also clear is the fact that I am babbling. Off I go.

Deborah

[Ed]

Deborah,

I'm typically a slow writer, because I backspace more than I write and over-analyze every element (sometimes to my detriment). However, one thing that I do to speed up the writing process for myself if I have to write an article on a topic is break my writing into steps.

1. Read the information you have on the topic.
2. Using the information you've read, write your title, and then choose some subtitles that will fit under that title.
3. Expound upon those subheadings.
4. Write introduction and conclusion.

5. If you think the article needs more information, go back and do some more research. If you come up with a better title and subtitles along the way, change as you go. The process is organic, but giving yourself some structure can guide your ideas.

6. Go away from your article and come back and proofread.
7. Proofread again.

Maybe this will help you or someone else.
Ed

[DSWaltenburg]

Thanks, Ed!

I think my process was WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more organic......as I don't outline first :) I just start writing and then stare blankly at the screen. About 4 or 5 more monitors might help to, so I don't spend so much time clicking from one window to the next, and back and forth.....

I will definitely give this a shot though. I appreciate the input!


Deborah

[cgardener]

I write and research at the same time. I open up Google Docs on one tab, and my research sites on other tabs, then I read and make notes and read and make notes. When I get tired of researching, I put a paragraph together from what I have, then go do it some more.

The worst part for me is when I come upon something that I want to include, but can't for the life of me figure out how to rewrite to make it original. Sometimes I just stick it on the bottom of the page until I finish, then go back to it, and 9 times out of 10, I can rewrite it then, because the context of the article gives me ideas.

The hardest part for me is rewriting. When I'm trying to keep an article to between say 400 and 500 words, and I just can't pare it down anymore, and it's still over 500, I get very frustrated. There is only so much moving around and snipping you can do and still have all the major points covered. Rewriting takes me twice as long as actually writing the article, but I hear that's how it's supposed to be. Write once, rewrite thrice, isn't it? Or is that measure twice, cut once? I don't know, but it's a pain.

So this is my haphazard "method". If I had to sit down and research on paper, I'd go insane! I finished doing that in college with papers, and I will never do that again.

[Celeste Stewart]

I'm not an outliner either but I do like to have a basic structure in mind. For fiction, it's the Hero's Journey but that's a whole different topic. For non-fiction articles, my structure might be:
Intro
Definition
Pros
Cons
Conclusion

Shorter articles, it's all in my head and I just write. Longer ones, I need a loose outline. For example:
If I have a 1200 word assignment on something like "Energy Efficient Lightbulbs" my structure might look like this:
Intro
Brief history and evolution of the lightbulb
Types of light bulbs
Energy comparison incandescent vs florescent
Cost considerations
Expected lifetime
Disposal considerations
"warmth" of the light cast (color temperature)
Conclusion

Some of these ideas may end up being moved around or even done away with as I begin writing but at least I know what I want to cover and have a place to start. I also think about how many words I can devote to each topic. For a 1200 word article, I figure that I have 200 or so words for the intro/conclusion and about 1000 for the body of the article. I can then break that down - maybe do three 330-ish main topics or five 200 word topics.

OK, free outline on lightbulbs! I just made that up as an example with no intentions of writing an article about lightbulbs.

BTW, the house is a mess! LOL

[DSWaltenburg]

Celeste,

I have seen the Lightbulb (and now I need to shut it off, so I can't see my messy house!! :D)

I know what you mean about the rough outlining.....with the AZ articles, it's been:

Intro
History
Geography-ishness
What to do, where to go
Conclusion

However.....I guess maybe I'm freaking out because several of these places I've never seen in person, and I'm horrified that I won't paint the proper picture, having only research and some truly amazing pictures to look out. I even download maps.....so I don't place the locations in the wrong spot.....

I was thinking earlier, perhaps I need to actually sit and go through the research and just chop out everything but the relevant points that I want to use, so I don't spend so much time re-reading, and obsessing.

I do know, indubitably, that I would need a fast truck to the Funny Farm if I even attempted to place word count estimates on a per paragraph basis, as you do, Celeste! I kind of just eyeball it, and hope for the best when I get to the conclusion. Then go back and whittle it down, and keep checking the word count :)

CGardener (I think I recall your name is Deborah too, but I may be wrong), It's definitely measure twice, cut once.......Ha....that's one of the many loverly sayings I learned from working at JoAnne Fabrics. ugh.

I think my methods are probably closer to yours....research, write, read, go find more research, on and on.

Regardless, I really appreciate the feedback. It's good to get other perspectives on writing approaches.

Thanks!!

Deborah

[audrabianca]

I've said in other forums. I just type and do one or two proofreads and submit. Celeste said it is all in her head for short ones. Not sure how to explain but it is all in my head for short and long ones. I find the research as I go. When I need a fact or supporting detail, I go find it. My process is truly organic.

The one thing I do opposite of Ed is that I tend to write the intro and conclusion first. The conclusion is really supposed to be a restatement of the intro.

I think one of the things about working a day job which has nothing to do with writing is that when I come home my head is full of so many ideas that I could never type them all.

[DSWaltenburg]

:)

My problem is getting all the stuff in my head to travel down through my fingertippies and onto the screen!!

I know with more time and writing different types of articles, I'll eke out a better organized process.....just had a bumpy day today, I guess!

Thanks, Aud!

Deborah

[cgardener]

Deborah,
Yes, I'm a Deborah too, but you can call me Deb to keep us straight. :-)

[audrabianca]

It's Angela, by the way. You are welcome.

[Celeste Stewart]

My "loose outline" is sometimes in my head as well. I'm like Audra, er Angela, and can fire off articles one word after another with a decent first draft that is presentable with minimal editing. Some writers write without worrying about grammar, punctuation, etc. on the first draft with intentions of cleaning it up on the second or third draft. They would never let anyone see their first drafts. That's totally fine and many of my writing idols use this approach. I've always been an excellent first draft writer - most of my first drafts are pretty darned clean. This doesn't mean I'm any better than those who need a second or third draft, it just means that I edit as I go. I'm definitely not a stream of consciousness type. At the same time, I'm not a strict outline follower either. In fact, my outlines are just vague stepping stones so I know I'm headed somewhere. I like the freedom of being able to go with the flow yet know where I'm headed at the same time. If I see an uncharted stepping stone, I can go check it out, see where it takes me and then go from there.

So, try giving yourself a basic plan with permission to deviate from it as needed.

[Ed]

If you're worried about describing a place accurately, you can always include in your research reviews that visitors have given on sites like tripadvisor.com.

[CRDonovan]

Jeez, I'm jealous of those of you who can put together a competent first draft. My approach is this: choose a topic. Research. I love research and can easily get sucked into hours, while I take copious notes - multiple pages of handwritten notes. I always feel that you cannot have too much background information, but clearly this is not true. I'm working on something now for which I already have spent three hours in research. I've cut myself off, except for any last minute fact checking, and one small aspect that I will allow myself to go back online for.

Then, from research, a very loose outline, literally some bulleted list of points in rough order on the back of an envelope.

Then rough draft. A very rough draft. Since it is torture to sit down and actually start writing, I allow myself a horrific first draft. Only goal: get information down. Awkward phrasing, repetitive use of language, poor transitions, weak opening, the works. Then I get to walk away from it for a bit.

Then 2nd go over. I usually can clean it up fairly well in this round. Change the order of entire paragraphs, lots of deletions of things that don't work, improve language use, and work on clarity. Final fact checking. Basic grammar and spelling overhaul.

Then, after a break, come back and reread again for grammar, typos, usage, stupid errors.

And again. Rinse and repeat.

Which is why, once I upload something, if I look back and see some error still remaining, it's a case for head banging.

Method works for me and is satisfying, but clearly if I could work more quickly that would be good. Probably won't happen.

[cgardener]

There is nothing wrong with the way you do things. Many people do it the same way. I wish I had the patience to do it, and I think sometimes that I should let things sit overnight, then go back and reread them before I submit. I may try doing that, because it seems I'm always going back and editing, and having to resubmit, which ties things up a lot longer.

[DSWaltenburg]

I think I'm just to perfectionistic to even attempt to do a rough, rough, rough draft. The thought gives me hives. I can't even leave a note for my husband without editing as I write :)

Like Ed, I spend alot of time backspacing. And cutting. And pasting. And undoing. Thank heavens for that lil blue arrow on my toolbar!!!

All the input has been uberhelpful for me, and I think the most important thing I realize is that we all have our own styles, and whatever works best for each is the way it should be. No rhyme or reason required. I was just really getting down the other day about the article I was working on. Needed a mental jumpstart.

Besides it's cool to get a glimpse inside the minds of all these successful CC authors......gives me TONS of inspiration to keep going, and not give up......