How I write

I used to handwrite everything until I was given my first pc - an applemac. Now, alas, budget contraints mean I have to use Microsoft - yick! But I can now type my novels straight onto the pc. 

Interestingly, lyrics and poems still have to be handwritten as ideas for them strike whenever I am away from the pc. (So is that the pc or Microsoft that stilts creativity?!) Sometimes short stories will also be drafted using pen and paper. 

Novel writing however has become quicker and better for me when I type straight onto the keyboard. I plan meticulously before I start typing though. My current novel had 6 hours of planning with pages and pages of handwritten notes, most of which probably won't be used. But I have to know the backgrounds of my characters before I start writing. A lot of that time was also taken up with finding the right names for my characters - this too helps me visualise them more clearly. 

As for actual writing, well, I set aside a certain amount of time twice a week and just sit down and type. Sometimes it's rubbish, sometimes it's brilliant. I don't mind how the first draft turns out. If I've got something on paper, then I can work on it. The more I practise, the better I'm becoming at distilling the real story. No more endless drafts for me now as I did when I first started writing. I go through 3 drafts maybe 4 to get the story "right". 

It is an exhausting process, the act of writing. I have to live on two levels. At one level I'm just going about my ordinary everyday businss of working, looking after the house and garden, cooking etc. On another level I'm living every second of my book. At the back of my mind the ideas are jabbering away at me, jumping up and down, competing for my attention. It's almost a love-hate relationship. It's such a relief to get rid of the voices in my head once the first draft is complete. But at the same time, I miss my characters when I've finished the story. 

Creativity hey? It's both a blessing and a curse. But I wouldn't be without it.