I can't follow the writing process.

[Guido]

When writing, you are supposed to invent your content, select and arrange your content, draft, revise, and edit, in that order. At some point during the first two steps, you are supposed to choose a purpose and theme. But I always want to edit for style, and thus I just start writing, editing as I go, or just form some metrical pattern, revise it, and fill it in with words. So I cannot write much, because of perfectionism, and because I keep obsessing about style, and procrastinating all day, and not writing anything. When trying to start writing, my working memory keeps getting clogged up with thoughts about syntax, meter, rhythm, etc. So I can't write.

Because of the process I am trying to use, my writing is never well-structured nor organized. I want to be a professional writer, but I will never be successful if I cannot learn to develop content prolifically. Right now I am far from that. It almost seems like I don't have the inborn capacity to accomplish it.

Please help. Thank you.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Advice: Don't fall in love with your first draft

Write out an idea/theme
Answer these questions in a few words/phrases (NOT full sentences)
What?
Why?
Where?
When?
Who
How?

You have now an "outline" of what to write. You can write sentences, paragraphs and begin "crafting".

 

[Salty]

Advice: Don't fall in love with your first draft

Write out an idea/theme
Answer these questions in a few words/phrases (NOT full sentences)
What?
Why?
Where?
When?
How?

You have now an "outline" of what to write. You can write sentences, paragraphs and begin "crafting".

Did you forget :WHO"

 

[Dr. Bob]

Did you forget :WHO"

Who me? Corrected
Thank you

 

[Salty]

I learned that in my 8th grade Social Studies class with Mrs. Waterman!

Who, What, when Where, How, Why

We had homework everything day, including the first day of school.
When we took our midterms - the following day she told us
"The first 15 questions were mine" you should not have missed any of them!
(there were at least 4 SS teachers and each teacher added 15 of their own questions)

At the time, we thought she was mean - but as I look back, she was one of the best teachers I ever had.

 

[Guido]

Dr. Bob, thank you for the advice. I had already thought of building a composition by answering questions, and even wrote a short one by doing so. But you confirmed that this writing process is the one that I ought to use, and also provided an extra step, which is helpful.

 

[Cathode]

What are you trying to write about? Fiction, Non Fiction, Informative, Creative.

How much life experience do you have?

Is it interesting?

Have you met a diverse range of people and shared in their lives?

Are you passionate about a subject.

How much do you read others in the area you would like to write on?

First thing I recommend is reading Hemingway, he will teach you economy with words. Every sentence he wrote could not be reduced to any less words.
Read his sentences and imitate.

Hemingway was also a trained journalist, and this where Dr. Bob’s advice steps in.

What?
Why?
Where?
When?
Who
How?

These are the questions drilled into every journalist to ask and report on.

For this you need a firm grasp of the things you a writing about. The technical things can assist the story and drama. Chapter 16 Grapes of Wrath is a good example.

A good writer is always an accomplished reader first, so read, read everything and critique everything.

If you are trying to be a professional writer, you need to treat it like a job. Start time in the morning and finishing time in the afternoon and stay at your desk.
Start writing, don’t wait for inspiration, inspirations happen whilst you write.

 

[Cathode]

Because of the process I am trying to use, my writing is never well-structured nor organized. I want to be a professional writer, but I will never be successful if I cannot learn to develop content prolifically.

Then write prolifically, stay at your desk, analyse, research. Always keep a notebook on you and write down your ideas as you ruminate on them.
Allow your mind to work on an idea in the off hours.

Write in a journalistic way like you are reporting information, and what do journalists call their work? “ I’m doing a story “

The iconic Journalistic structure of “ Who, What, when, where, why “ results in a story. Radiate out from that.

Right now I am far from that. It almost seems like I don't have the inborn capacity to accomplish it.

What do you want to write? Be specific and narrow your focus.

When you see yourself being a professional writer, what do you see yourself writing?

Hard news

Screenplays, scripts.

Novels

Short stories

Self help

Romance

Poetry

Each of these has a certain formula that can be learned.

The other the thing is not to let the perfect get in the way of the good, as the saying goes.

Many people are publishing things that aren’t perfect or even good, but expand, correct and enhance in second, third or fourth editions.

Get something out there, fix it later.

 

[atpollard]

As others have mentioned, what sort of writing you want to do MATTERS. The advice for FICTION and POETRY and TECHNICAL WRITING are all very different from one another. I do Technical Writing professionally (I get paid money to write reports). I know people that write Fiction and Non-Fiction books. So I can offer some advice and point you to resources (If you want to write poetry for a living, that is outside my expertise)

 

[John of Japan]

Advice received from a professional writer to a young man I knew who wanted to write: Write everything you want to until you are 30. Then throw it all away and start writing for publication. (Actually, this was from my famous author grandfather to me. He had over 100 books and pamphlets published.)

I repeat this advice in my first book:

Dr. John R. Rice: "You know, it is important to get some of these things settled now. It is more important to conquer self than to conquer nations. You'll forgive me for talking about myself for a moment. I remember that people used to say to me, 'You have so much talent, Brother Rice. You sing, you write songs, you publish a newspaper, you write books.' I would say to them, ‘No, not really. I have just one talent, and that is the talent of hard work.’ You can do just about anything if you put your mind to it and are willing to work hard at it.

"Son, now is the time for you to be learning how to work, and to get the right habits, the times to study settled, and the days planned. You remember that dear Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., used to say, 'The greatest ability is dependability.' You need to get that settled now.

"Many preachers say, 'Oh, I couldn't learn to write; I have no talent in that area.' But the truth is, they are lazy. They are not willing to take the time to practice, to work hard at learning to write, at developing a style. A famous columnist once said, 'Do you want to learn to get things published? Work at it! Every day, for ten years, write down everything you can think of. Everywhere you go, write. At the end of the ten years, burn it all and then start writing to be published.'

"Remember Dr. H. A. Ironside and Dr. W. B. Riley? You could write down their sermons word for word the way they preached them, and you would have well-written messages. They had practiced on their speaking, and paid attention to their words, so that when they preached it came out clearly and plainly."

The Making of a Soul Winner, by John R. Himes, 1979

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Advice: Don't fall in love with your first draft

Write out an idea/theme
Answer these questions in a few words/phrases (NOT full sentences)
What?
Why?
Where?
When?
Who
How?

You have now an "outline" of what to write. You can write sentences, paragraphs and begin "crafting".

"I have six honest serving men;
They taught me all I knew.
Their names are What? and Why? and Where?
And When? and How? and Who?"

Rudyard Kipling

 

[Charlie24]

Advice received from a professional writer to a young man I knew who wanted to write: Write everything you want to until you are 30. Then throw it all away and start writing for publication. (Actually, this was from my famous author grandfather to me. He had over 100 books and pamphlets published.)

I repeat this advice in my first book:

Dr. John R. Rice: "You know, it is important to get some of these things settled now. It is more important to conquer self than to conquer nations. You'll forgive me for talking about myself for a moment. I remember that people used to say to me, 'You have so much talent, Brother Rice. You sing, you write songs, you publish a newspaper, you write books.' I would say to them, ‘No, not really. I have just one talent, and that is the talent of hard work.’ You can do just about anything if you put your mind to it and are willing to work hard at it.

"Son, now is the time for you to be learning how to work, and to get the right habits, the times to study settled, and the days planned. You remember that dear Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., used to say, 'The greatest ability is dependability.' You need to get that settled now.

"Many preachers say, 'Oh, I couldn't learn to write; I have no talent in that area.' But the truth is, they are lazy. They are not willing to take the time to practice, to work hard at learning to write, at developing a style. A famous columnist once said, 'Do you want to learn to get things published? Work at it! Every day, for ten years, write down everything you can think of. Everywhere you go, write. At the end of the ten years, burn it all and then start writing to be published.'

"Remember Dr. H. A. Ironside and Dr. W. B. Riley? You could write down their sermons word for word the way they preached them, and you would have well-written messages. They had practiced on their speaking, and paid attention to their words, so that when they preached it came out clearly and plainly."

The Making of a Soul Winner, by John R. Himes, 1979

This post takes me back to when I was a young man raised up in that small IFB Church.

 

[Charlie24]

This post takes me back to when I was a young man raised up in that small IFB Church.

@John of Japan I remember as a young teenager our SS class would go out on the weekends to the shopping centers (before the malls) and pass out your grandfathers tracts from the Sword of the Lord, inviting them to Church.

 

[John of Japan]

@John of Japan I remember as a young teenager our SS class would go out on the weekends to the shopping centers (before the malls) and pass out your grandfathers tracts from the Sword of the Lord, inviting them to Church.

Amen! I've passed out hundreds of those in English and Japanese both!