i think there is a common misconception about how the writing process happens. i’m not going to give you the definitive version of writing-for-the-masses. but i shall give you mine. and i believe that the first part, at least, is common to most good writers.

i was told recently that i didn’t know how to write. by someone who has never written a book, no less. i was not offended. it’s like being told that you don’t know how to drive by someone without a car or a driver’s license. there’s no frame of reference. i’ve seen this person’s writing. it’s a shoddy mess of anachronistic words mingled without systematic attention to grammar and without content of any imaginable sort. oops.

so how do i go about writing?

lately, as you can see, i have written very little. but i can still remember how it’s done.

the first step is, curiously enough, sentimentality. mood. feeling. you cannot write in a vacuum. it would be nice, to be sure, but that’s not how these things work. you simply must feel like writing or it is a waste of time to even try the exercise.

after that, the real work begins.

there are two paths that can be taken, then. and yes, this is a step-by-step instruction on the method of writing.

the first path is that you have a topic in mind. the second is the search for topics. if you take the second path, the easiest way to go about the procedure is this – lie down, close your eyes, think of something that you like but don’t really care about, then follow the pathway from there until you have something to say. don’t pick political thoughts or current issues. pick something trivial. it’s the best starting point. try potatoes. or cranberry sauce. or blueberries. or leaves. you’ll get from there to the siege of jericho in no time, i assure you. and you will have something more worthwhile to say for the journey.

now that you have a topic, the hard part is here. the beginning.

don’t skip this step. people will tell you to write the middle and then the end and then the beginning. or the middle and then the beginning and the end. it’s a worthless and time-wasting suggestion. write the beginning. if it takes you an hour to get started, that’s perfectly fine. a title might help. it might not. if you need a title, start there. if you don’t need one, don’t waste the time. start with your first sentence, then the next. the first sentence is not supposed to explain your argument. or introduce your argument. it’s supposed to say something. make sure that it does. and that your reader is not bored. boredom is bad.

then continue until you have finished.

simple, right?

more later.