Do Writers Need a Process?

I have been writing for nearly 50 years, and during that time I eschewed having a writing “process”; I felt that this would -in some way- stifle my creativity. Imagine my thoughts when my approach to writing was (accurately) described as a cartoon, a joke, in a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip.

I returned to McMaster University as an older student in 2019; not only did I have to complete academic requirements, but I had family and business responsibilities. The only path to success was to finally organize how and when I wrote. For the first time, I admitted to myself that I did need a process to be successful.

The first step of the process was to acknowledge some ground rules. No matter what I write, I have to admit that:

• I write best when I can control the environment and minimize interruptions; therefore, my “effective writing time” is 11pm – 1am. This is the period when I do outline, rapidly write key points in short form, and am most creative. I can write at other times when interruptions are more common, but those times usually build on what I wrote during the midnight hours
• If you’re going to be writing during the wee hours of the morning, you don’t have to be alone (try some classic Clapton – After Midnight, the 1988 version)
• I want to be the dominant voice in what I am writing – I see myself as a creator, not an innovator. This appears to be a common theme of other graduate students at McMaster (see Paige’s blog for a good description)
• I’m very focused on improving the quality of what I write – I will re-write the same piece before submitting it; however, I will frequently re-visit material that I have previously submitted (for grading or publication) and assess what I would have done differently, or even continue to re-write it. I argue with myself as to whether this is a “good thing”, or a “bad thing”.

Once I understood these rules, I developed a process to ensure that I can consistently write well. Like all processes, especially those intended to guide one that is largely creative, it undergoes frequent updates as I understand writing, and myself, better.

This is my process:

1. Choose a subject. Sometimes the subject is assigned, but other times I can choose. I frequently take a contrarian perspective; for example, I will write an academic paper about something that does not immediately interest me (such as the children of Neanderthals) or take a perspective than is unusual for me (Marxist, or feminist). My goal in studying anthropology is to push myself to examine new perspectives, including personal ones.
2. Write the skeleton of the essay. I know that there will be an introduction, a thesis statement, a body with evidence, and a discussion / conclusion. So, I write those words on separate pieces of paper.
3. I look for a dominant paper, or a review paper, associated with the subject. After reading it, I create a strawman thesis statement to guide my reading.
4. I rapidly review the literature, placing papers or relevant quotes in place in the skeleton, and capturing references that will be relevant.
5. Once the skeleton is complete, I re-write the thesis statement to capture the flow of the papers. I look at the points I have captured. If I have done a good job at organizing the literature, there should be a workable thesis statement, a “body” that contains three or more points that support my thesis, and sufficient points to guide a discussion.
6. Now the hardest part – all I have done by this point is capture and organize some or all of the literature that exists. What can I do to add myself to the essay? Can I re-interpret the evidence, and create a new argument, or one that gives a new perspective? Can I compare the evidence to other knowledge (maybe in another academic discipline), and create a new lens?
7. Assuming that I have found a way to take the essay beyond recapitulating the existing literature, I write. I take all of the point form notes, random observations, SWAGs (silly wild-assed guesses), and write. It is common at this stage that the thesis will change, the skeleton structure will be altered, and I will need to re-focus my sources to support the changes that I have made. It can take a couple of days to make it through this stage – I write, and then put it aside, and try to return to it when my brain and its thoughts are somewhat fresh.
8. Finally, the editing. I make sure that each citation is properly referenced. I ensure that I comply with word and page counts. If possible, I ask a friend to re-read the essay, and make sure that it makes logical sense, is well supported, and that the words support the idea.

Is this the best approach? I have found it helpful, but I also have to agree with JK Rowling, who stated: “Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It’s a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have noticed.”

The process, as outlined, is optimal; however, “optimal” rarely happens – especially when you have ADHD, and there are additional challenges to overcome. I will discuss how I overcome some of these challenges in the next blog entry.