I was recently asked by an old friend about my writing process as I develop my book, so I figured I would share some of what I have been doing in order to see the project through.
I first want to say that I am not an author by trade, nor by craftsmanship. Writing is a challenging process for me. I would much rather talk to a group than write. But writing is good for me since it helps me articulate in a finer way, which inherently will improve my speaking. Which some would question why am I writing a book in the first place? That answer will be for a later time.
Another thing that I need to say upfront is that most of the research for this book has been done in the past since I have taught on these themes. So I was already ahead in the development of the book long before I decided to write the book.
So with that being stated, here goes my process.
My process is a little unconventional and could be hard for some to grasp or follow. I remember sitting down with a guy once to go over a sermon that I was preparing to preach and I handed him my outline with some notes and when he saw it he was slightly bewildered.
The first thing that I do is to make sure that I understand the purpose and point of what I am writing. If I don’t have that understood, then I can’t get past it because I feel like I am aimlessly wandering. I have in the past start writing, read what I wrote, delete it, and write it again because I didn’t really have direction.
But once the main point and purpose is understood I then develop my outline that will flesh out the main point, and sometimes the outline will change mid process, depending on what I have written already. Changes such as added or removed points. Sometimes points are combined due to certain reasons as well. And sometimes doubt creeps in and I trash the whole thing and start over.
But once I have my outline, I have to start with my introduction and then build the writing point by point since I process very linear. I usually will have my points thought out in regards to the direction that I want the point to go in but I can’t write it until the point before it is complete, hence the bewilderment of the guy. I sometimes will write and rewrite a point before getting past it, and then there are other times that I just have to move on so I force myself to start writing the next point. But it is almost like I have to trick my brain to believe it. I have always had a hard time with the “rough draft” approach. Complete is my aim (not saying that its the best).
With the current book that I am writing, I usually get to sit down and write about two times a week because I don’t want the writing project to dominate my time. I enjoy time with my wife and my kids, so I strive to protect that time with them. Also, my wife and I try to make sure that we have time with those from our local church. That means we are either hosting or being hosted at least twice a week so that we have an effective life in the body, and we also host a community group one night a week for our and others edification.
When it is time for me to write, I will sit down at my computer around 9 or 10 pm and will write until 1 or 2 am. Those times work well for me since the kids are in bed and my mind is usually working the best. Its not the most desirable, but it is what I have to work with in order to navigate the limited time that is given to us by God.
The first thing that I do is review where I left off and then I look at my notes on the direction that I am going. I make sure that I have my references in front of me as well as the Scriptures so that it maximizes the time.
I will write until I complete a section, run out of thoughts, or fall asleep on my keyboard.
Some of the challenges for me while writing is being distracted. Many times I will need to reference something, so I jump out of writing and looking into my reference, but then something else comes to mind or I remember something that I didn’t do or …. fill in the blank. So staying focused really matters when writing or else it just prolongs the process.
Another challenge for me is when I am tired, either by stress or busyness, so that puts the writing off for a few days. And if it goes long enough, getting motivated again can be a challenge. So I can’t let too much time go by before I sit down to write again.
Let me know some of the things that you do in order to stay focus while writing.