The Writing Process

I remember learning about the writing process in school. The steps were clearly laid out: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. I loved how neat and tidy it all was.

But over time, I realized the five-step process is an ideal. In reality, the writing process is a bit messier. Putting together academic papers and client presentations often required quick thinking -- and even quicker writing. And then I started my own freelance writing business, where I was in charge of what got done, when it got done, and how.

What I've learned: those five steps don't always happen in that exact order -- or they all simply blend together in one big writing burst.

Organization, time management, process. All these aspects of writing -- or any type of work -- are pretty personal. But coming out of our newsletter reader survey, it sounds like some of you are looking for a bit of direction. And we also discovered that you'd love a little behind-the-scenes peek at how Sarah and I write and work.

So this month, we'll be doling out some helpful hints and delving into our personal processes in our Create.Compose.Communicate newsletters. If you want access to these tips and tricks, plus an inside look at managing a writing business (from two different perspectives!), make sure you're signed up!

Check out Sarah's blog, Inspiration-Driven Life, for her take on this month's theme.