Writing as an Organic Process (in other words, it’s Art)

I have a background in physics with a little chemistry on the side. So I know all about the scientific method and how you employ it when approaching a problem. And the scientific method works when you are doing science.

But we have no common method when it comes to writing. It’s extremely organic and most of it is shifting sand. If we are not careful we can get swallowed up with minute detail and lose sight of the big picture: THE STORY WE ARE TRYING TO TELL.

So there is an inherent difficulty built into writing (and I would argue most artistic endeavors) we must overcome if we want our story to be successful. I have maintained in recent posts I do not believe this is an easy thing to do. I merely argue it is necessary. If that is the case, how can we be successful?

By recognizing that writing is, at its core, organic. There is no crystalline structure to writing. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to writing. What works for me will almost certainly not work for you, and vice versa. Heart surgery is difficult, but the surgeon has a process he follows. He does each step in turn, omitting nothing, taking no shortcuts. Same thing in science. You start taking shortcuts, you are almost certainly going to achieve at an error-filled result.

Writing is way different. It’s organic nature demands that each one of us must find the path that works for him. You can share your results with other writers, but don’t take it as an affront if they decline to follow your footsteps.  They have to find a process to write the story in their own way. They have to find a method that works for them.

I know a writer who writes everyday. He literally writes everyday, even if it’s nothing but a paragraph. I could never do that. You sit me down when a story is not ready to be written and I can promise you all you will get in return is garbage. I never write until the story is ready to be written. I’ve tried the Write Everyday recipe. It doesn’t work for me. But that’s just me. It works for a lot of other people. My method is no better than theirs. It’s just my method.

Because of the orgainic nature of writing you are going to have to find your own road in this regard. I, and other professional writers, can show you signposts and give you guidance and support, but bottom line you have to write the story yourself. And that is hard. But I know you can do it because I did it and so did tens of thousands of other writers.

Keep writing!