How I Write

As an aspiring author, I eagerly read the author’s notes every time I finish a book. Yes, I like to see the recognitions of the team of people who make publishing great work possible. However, I always am on the lookout for the process of other writers. 

Some authors write chapter by chapter; others discuss the months it takes to complete a first draft. The precision in which their stories develop certainly gives credibility to this approach. Other authors develop their first draft quickly, often overwriting on the first draft, then cutting back. I find myself in this second group. I’m a big believer in the brain dump. 

My best ideas come when I can’t sleep. Often, it’s an idea for a scene, or a character who begins to develop and take shape in my mind. When another character joins and a dialogue develops, I know I’ve got something I can work with. For my first manuscript, Perfectly Imperfect, Remy and Florence came to me as I lay awake in the middle of the night on a random Tuesday on a trip to New Orleans (the story has nothing to do with New Orleans). The characters took hold in my mind, and, knowing attempts to return to slumber would be meaningless, I picked up my phone, opened a new notes page (which I titled YA novel idea) and began to write my ideas. Scenes began to develop, some of which became fully flushed out with dialogue, actions, and transitions. This happened every day over the course of the short trip. It was at this point, one in which I’d never attempted to write a novel before, that I knew I’d have to write it down and attempt to share their story or these characters would torment me forever (slight hyperbole, but you get the point). 

Upon returning to Seattle, and with the benefit of a few days remaining of our Mid-Winter Break (it’s a thing we do in schools here and I don’t really support it, but that’s another topic for another time), I found myself waking early, trudging over to my computer, opening a Google Doc and writing. My partner was sick thanks a very ill couple seated nearby on our flight back :( and I found myself with a lot of time to write (at times to my partner’s chagrin. I was a pretty bad husband for a while as I simply couldn’t stop writing). 

Four days later, I had a draft. I wrote the story in one shot; it was around 100,000 words (I’d need to cut this back), but I was proud of the story. I felt it spoke to the issues I was aiming to highlight, anchored by two complex characters who became unlikely friends and allies, and filled with heart and personal growth. My partner read it and loved it (she reads over 50 books a year, and I don’t think she was humoring me… she’s the type of person who would say if it wasn’t good), gave me some points to focus on with editing, and not knowing what I was doing, I started querying before I was ready. That also is another story, but I’ve learned a lot and still believe in Perfectly Imperfect, and before all is said and done, I believe it will be one of my best. 

In trying to find some traction and figure out where to go from here - one manuscript nobody wanted (for what I know now are obvious reasons), I met with a writing coach and when I told her my writing process, she replied “I’ve never heard of anything like that.” I just shrugged because I didn’t know any different at the time. 

When it came time for me to decide to write something else, the story which became Sabbatical, I followed a similar process. I accessed my notes (by this point, I’d outlined four different stories completely and written down ideas for six more, including two screenplays). I selected Sabbatical as the next story I wanted to write, opened Scrivener (see, learning the process ;)), and did so when I had time. While I have no doubt I could have written the first draft of this one in a week as well, I ended up going a chapter or two at a time. I finished the first draft in a little less than three weeks. I’ve since had it alpha read by my partner multiple times, and after revising a second draft, it’s now in the hands of a developmental editor (see, I learned from my naive first attempt here, too). Once I gather her feedback, and complete another round of editing and/or a re-write, I’ll begin the querying process for this one. Hopefully sometime in March. 

I’ve reflected often on why I am able to get these stories out so quickly, and I keep coming back to the characters and their relationships. Those are what speak to me in the middle of the night as I lie awake, brain spinning as the ideas spill out. They’re communicating with one another and I’m hearing it all. This is because, for me, everything starts with the relationship. Once I have the relationship and combine it with a topic that I know well, the story develops on it’s own. In a sense, it writes itself, and I’m simply the scribe. 

What about you? As I mentioned at this start of this post, I’m incredibly interested in the process of writers. I also don’t really have many ‘writing friends’ due to my introverted nature and late arrival to the practice, so I benefit greatly from hearing and discussing how others approach their work. So, if interested, please reach out. Send me an email through the contacts page or at adamdesautels@gmail.com and let me know about your process. Thanks so much for reading!