Musings On Writing

I wasn't sure what to write for my first piece in the brand-spanking new Writers community, which is odd because I am not known to be short of words.

I want to write something meaningful that might help someone at some point in their writing journey. Here goes.

Why I Write

I can tell you why I write.

I write because I have to, because I've always been a writer underneath the surface, that part of me has always been lurking and waiting to be unleashed.

I write because, for more than a decade, that's what I have done as a main source of income. It was never very lucrative, but often was enough to keep the wolves from the door. When I wasn't screwing it up. For more on that dark shadow of my life that follows me...well, there are at least a hundred pieces I could probably pick out.

I got tired of writing solely for other people without any credit. I've said this before, but it is woven into the fabric of my writer's journey story.

When I started writing on Vocal, it was a tester to see if the writer lurking deep within me that had been hidden had anything worthwhile to say.

I would love to make a success of this writing malarky. As I now consider poetry one of my main forms of writing, I plan on self-publishing some books and also considering submitting them to publications.

How I Write

I could tell you how I write, but that depends on what piece I am working on and how easy or difficult it is proving to be.

Some of my poems, including my most read and favourite pieces, took little time to write and edit. At the same time, some others took a lot of thinking, gestating, fermenting, writing, editing, resting, editing, blah blah blah, etc.

So there is not exactly a "Paul Stewart Method." Though if you are looking for genuinely great advice as a newbie writer, I recommend The Writer's Writing Guide. Sneaky little self-promotion thing.

I probably should have a more rigid process, but I have not yet found one that sticks.

If I were to describe the 'Paul Stewart Method' best, it would be...things come to my head, and then I try and bash them into existence. I rarely get full-on writer's block. Some pieces stump me, as I've said, but I usually have a good 4 or 5 I am seriously working on, and then at least 3 or 4 others that may have been in my WIP folder just sitting there.

How I Store and Manage What I Write

Maybe, I should tell you how I keep track of what I write for Vocal. I have folders on my computer with all my work for paying clients. They are all named after the client.

With my Vocal folder, towards the end of last year and the start of this year, I just had one folder, which was a mess. Then I decided to tidy things up. I don't have hard copies of anything I write for Vocal, other than on Vocal (something I will work on), because I often make edits and changes to pieces, even if it's just formatting, just before I publish.

For a few months now...I can't remember when I started doing it, but I have three folders.

One is named Vocal, which contains all pieces I am currently working on.

Another, called Vocal Fragments That Have Been Used, contains all the notes, rough copies, and finished parts of pieces that have been published.

There is also one called Not Just Now - Vocal - Writing Stuff, where I put anything I have decided not to work on but don't want to get rid of.

I have tried to be more ruthless with deleting stuff because it becomes a nightmare if I don't because I tend to be a hoarder.

I hold onto anything I think I might use in the future. My memory can be a bit rubbish, so I don't want to lose something that could be useful when the time is right.

For example, currently sitting in that folder since April 14th is a file called "One is the loneliest number acrostic," which is pretty self-explanatory and very empty. I look at that folder occasionally, especially if I am running out of ideas in my main Vocal folder (okay, so that's rare, but I still look).

How About You?

I don't really believe there is a right or wrong way to do things. You just need to find the method to the madness that works for you. Now, I know there are plenty of people whom I've spoken to and interacted with that I already have an idea of how you go about the writing process, why you do it, and how you store/manage your writing, but in the interest of starting a discussion/conversation, let me know, if you want, in the comments.

You may have some titbits and suggestions that I or someone else could put into practice.