I wish that the process of writing a book was as serene, latte-filled, and creatively delightful as it seems like it should be! I’m pulling back the curtain today, reader friends, and giving you a glimpse at what’s truly happening in a writer’s mind and heart during the four stages of the process.
Stage 1: Pre-writing
“A new story! It’s so shiny. So sparkly.” “I love these characters!” “I have SO MANY ideas!” “This book’s going to be awesome.” “This hero is hunky!” “The possibilities are limitless!”
later… “Oh, dear. The possibilities really are limitless.
later… “How am I supposed to narrow down these possibilities?” “Jesus take the wheel!”
Stage 2: Writing the First Draft
“I found a great first line and I can’t stop thinking about this story! My fingers are flying across the keyboard. Watch me go!” “My setting is really working for me and I’m understanding who these characters are and why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
later… “Wait. Who are these people?” “Why don’t they just proclaim their love for each other?” “I’m filled with extreme uncertainty every odd moment and I’m cringing every even moment.”
later… “What’s supposed to be happening plot-wise? “Why are these characters doing what they’re doing?” “Just keep going. It’s okay if the first draft is bad.” “Stop hyperventilating.” “Just embrace that it’s bad and get the story down.”
[REACHES OUT TO WRITER FRIENDS TO ENSURE CURRENT STATE OF MENTAL TORTURE IS NORMAL] [RECEIVES CONFIRMATION THAT IT IS]
later… “What was the point of all that pre-writing if it’s no help to me now? Thanks for nothing, pre-writing.”
later… “This hero is not hunky.” “This book is really stupid.” “I’m a fraud! What was I thinking? I can’t write a novel!” “Jesus, take the wheel!”
Stage 3: Rewriting
“Uh oh. It’s no longer okay if this book is bad.” “What is the theme of this book?” “This is the sixteenth time I’ve used that phrase!” “What on earth was I thinking when I wrote this scene?” “Does this make sense?” “Is this believable?” “How can I make this hero hunky?”
later… [SELECT HUGE PORTION OF BOOK] [DELETE] [WRITE HUGE NEW PORTION]
later… “Why is my writing process so inefficient?!” “Every other writer’s process must be superior to my process.”
later… [SELECT HUGE PORTION OF BOOK] [DELETE] [WRITE HUGE NEW PORTION]
[REACHES OUT TO WRITER FRIENDS TO ENSURE CURRENT STATE OF MENTAL TORTURE IS NORMAL] [RECEIVES CONFIRMATION THAT IT IS]
later… “I think my editor is going to send this manuscript back accompanied by two words. START. OVER.”
later… [SELECT HUGE PORTION OF BOOK] [DELETE] [WRITE HUGE NEW PORTION]
later… “My career is over.” “Jesus, take the wheel!”
Stage 4: Publication
“I’m done! I have no idea how it happened, but I’m finally done and I… love this book.” “It’s beautiful, with it’s fancy cover, and formatted pages! I’m so proud!” “I’ve written a wonderful story! I think. Maybe it’s not wonderful. Who cares, because I’m DONE.” “Look, it’s on the shelf at my local Barnes & Noble!”
[TAKE SELFIE WITH BOOK AT BARNES & NOBLE]
later… “The contents of my book have become a traumatic smudge in my brain. Now that I’m firmly lodged in stage #2 of a new manuscript, I hardly remember writing my prior book.”
later… “A book club is asking me to answer the discussion questions at the back of my novel and I don’t know the answers. Which character is a metaphor of Jesus? I have no idea!”
later… “Are any real, live people actually going to buy and read this book?” “Jesus take the wheel!”
And there you have it — the real writing process! Writers, does any of the above ring especially true for you? Readers, we’re very glad that real, live people actually DO buy and read our books. Thank you!
Becky Wade
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Personally, I’m so glad you submit yourself to such torture because I love your books! Thank you!
🙂 Thank you, Sherri!!
Ditto!
This is exactly why we’re such good writing friends. <3
Fun post!
This is why! LOL!
So funny and so 100% true. I’m in the revision stage and wondering what on earth I was thinking. Ack!
I’m nodding sympathetically, Robin!
Yep. Entirely true.
So cute! Self doubt must be common in many fields, but as a reader, I really appreciate your persevering since I love the finished products!
I appreciate you, Suzanne!
Becky, you’ve captured the angst we all go through as we produce our books. The thought that goes through my head most often is, “Is this when we learn that the other ones were simply accidents, and there’s no talent there?” Thanks for telling others what we go through.
“Is this when we learn that the other ones were simply accidents, and there’s no talent there?” YES!!! Thanks for adding this one, Richard. You’re so right! I think a lot of us wrestle with this thought.
You nailed it, Becky! I’m so glad I’m not alone.
Me, too! 🙂
As an avid reader, I’m glad authors continue to endure this process!
Despite the angst involved, we love what we do. Thanks for reading, Ellie!
It’s 6:21 a.m. in Seattle where I currently am and everyone else is asleep, but I am LOL! SO true! SO hilarious!
With writing, the choice is oftentimes: laugh or cry. I try to opt for laugh. 😉
This is why I’m not a writer! Thanks for explaing the process it takes to get wonderful books published. Keep on charging through for us very fortunate readers.
By the way, I appreciate that you, Deb, and Tamera always respond to you readers!
Thank you.
We’ll keep on charging, Betty! Encouragement from readers like you makes a world of difference.
Oh my goodness! I laughed out loud about the discussion questions 😀 Thanks for the glimpse inside your process. You just spared me one extra time of reaching out to writer friends to see if my process is normal [receives confirmation that it is]. 🙂
Glad to provide confirmation, Emily! It’s always so needed, comforting, and slightly surprising to hear, “what you’re going through is normal” from fellow writers. 😉
I’m not laughing AT you, I’m laughing WITH you. 🙂 So glad you push through all these self-doubts and keep on writing. I mean seriously what would the (read: MY) world be like without Corbin Stewart, Ty Porter or John Lawson?!? Empty. Sadly, woefully, wretchedly empty.
Thanks, Amy! My life would be emptier without my heroes, too. I love them so!
OUTSTANDING!!!!! Not only do you write wonderful novels, you write great blog posts!!!!
Thank you! 🙂 I had a lot of help on this post from Courtney Walsh and Katie Ganshert.
Yes!! What made me think I could ever write a book? Ahhh!! (She runs off wildly, waving her flag, like a crazed something or other) 😂
LOL! Exactly.
We’ve all got to be a little bit crazy to think we can write a book. But if no one was crazy enough to think that, we wouldn’t have books!
Oh, Becky, you nailed it! So so thankful for writer friends who get our angst. I’m at the ‘speaking to two book clubs about books I wrote 15+ years ago (what were they about?) and trying to write a speech for the launch party of the new novel while getting the characters in the soon-to-launched novel confused with the characters in the novel that is due to two weeks. Help! And amen and amen. Jesus take the wheel! Merci!
I, too, am so thankful for writer friends who get our angst! They make all the difference. 🙂
Love this, Becky! Happy to hear I’m not the only one who goes through angst in this endeavor called writing. Appreciate the giggles too : )
You’re not the only one!!
Thanks Becky for sharing this. I’m revising trying to sort out the threads of two novels from what was one elephant-sized manuscript. I’m definitely in the “are you sure I’m not crazy” stage. Thanks for the confirmation that I’m not crazy – I’m a writer.
Exactly! Not crazy. Just a writer. 😉
So funny and true!
Thanks, Kelly!
Lol this is hilarious. Just embrace that it’s bad lol. I totally relate to deleting and rewriting way too many portions lol. For me though it’s a matter of cutting and pasting and rearranging.
I haven’t experienced a book being put yet, but the stuff before that is definitely accurate. 🙂