On Writing: From Paper to Blog

You’ve heard me discuss the merits of pens and paper. I keep a list of possible blog topics in a notebook (pink, of course) and lately I have been writing full posts in the notebook as well (mostly in pink ink).

So now I have 5-6 blog posts in a pink notebook in pink ink…and now I have to move them from paper to blog.

It’s an interesting process because there is unintentional editing that takes place as I transcribe the words.  All of a sudden, what made sense before makes no sense now, or the insertion (or deletion) of a word or two makes all the difference in the world.

At present, I’m not moving the posts from my notebook to my blog because I am instead blogging about the process.  However, I’m certain I’m not the only one who does this.

Do you have a process for writing, either for your blog or other projects?

On Writing: From Page to Screen

I think I’ve mentioned here that in writing my book I haven’t been able to really focus on writing when writing on my laptop.  I’ve had far greater success writing things out by hand in my pink notebook with my pink pen.  (Pink is very important!)

I’ve blown through more than one pen and I just finished filling a notebook, so now it’s time for the transcription to begin.  I’m sure some editing will take place during the transcription, which is good.  I’m still figuring out a system to get things into order given that I didn’t write anything chronologically in my pink notebook.  However, I’m sure that system will come organically as we undertake this…ah…undertaking.

On a Roll…The Words Are Pouring Forth

It’s funny how much writing I’ve done today.  I laugh only because I am writing a little bit of everything.  I have a solid outline that is my backbone, so I find myself writing a little bit here and a little bit there.  I suppose that after a while, I’ll have everything done and none of it will have been done chronologically.

Is there any harm in this?  I’m going to say no.  

While it’s true that I eventually have to transfer all of these random pieces into the computer in some semblance of order, I’ll consider that part of the editing process.  Indeed, I think that this will allow me to tighten up certain areas because I’ll throw some of it out and add new material into it as I go along.

Again, this is all part of the process.  My process.  As long as it’s working, why would I change anything? (That’s rhetorical…there are tons of things I could change about this nonsensical process of mine…I’m just not going to do it!)

Tales From Writing My Book: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I’m still distracted.  I sit down to write and manage to send a few emails, write a blog entry, and have a conversation.

I’ve realized that I can’t work on my book on my laptop.  This book is non-fiction, and writing it requires a different part of my brain. Normally I can bang out pages upon pages of fiction on my computer, but this new book is a different kind of beast.  Now I’m using notebooks-pink of course-with pink pens. (Everything must be pink.  That’s just me)  I can write much easier with pen and paper, and then I do the editing when I transfer the work in the notebook to the computer.

I suppose this is just another writing quirk that I didn’t know I had.  I used to write with pen and paper all the time, but eventually my little netbook became my best friend.  Now we’re like a big family.  Every piece has its place, and while it will take longer to write this book with pen and paper and multiple revisions as it moves from page to screen, I’m confident that the quality will be that much greater because of the process.