Is There a Wrong Way to Write?

Happy Monday here at Write Side of Life!

I always hear so many questions about writing processes:

Is there a right or wrong way?

What type of writing processes are there?

Outlines? Do I need them?

Is it okay to just write with no plan?

So today, I will be giving you my take on all these questions and telling you about my own writing process.

First off, I’ll answer one of the most commonly asked questions.

Is there a right or wrong way?

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.

No!

There is no right or wrong writing process!

Writing processes are different for every single human being on Earth!

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase that people are like snowflakes. Well, the same goes for people’s writing processes.

Even if you are setting up an outline like many writers or going without one like so many others, you’re not going to go about it the exact same way.

It’s different for everyone.

You just have to find out what works best for you!

That’s all that matters.

Just because one writer makes a whole outline for the book and writes out all that happens in each chapter prior to writing it, does not mean that you need to as well!

Finding your writing process is your journey. It’s something you have to do for yourself.

But, if you’re stuck and need a few ideas on where to start, I got your back.

What type of writing processes are there?

Well, there are no “set in stone” types of writing processes since everyone does it differently. But the two types of stereotypical writing processes I’ve found are, “The outliner, planner, and organized wizard” and “The sit down at the computer—or notebook—and empty their brain onto the page” writer.

I, personally, am more of the sit down at the computer and empty my brain writer. I don’t outline or plan out my work except for in my head.

That does mean I daydream quite a bit……

But back to the point.

Those are the two basic stereotypical writing processes.

But, those are just the base.

You can add your spin on either one. Maybe even combine them!

It’s completely up to you.

It’s also okay to change your writing process.

I used to write my entire stories down in one or multiple notebooks, then transfer them to the computer in the editing process.

But, I found that writing so long with a pencil and paper made my hand cramp. It was also a boatload easier to edit on the computer where I could just backspace instead of scribbling out or erasing.

And don’t get me started on how much easier it is to add sentences or a whole other paragraph on a computer.

Basically, I found that the writing process I was using—writing it all in a notebook first and then transferring it to a computer,—was not working for me and that it would work better to do it all on the computer.

This happens.

And it’s no big deal at all.

It’s just a part on the journey of finding your writing voice.

Outlines? Do I need them?

Like I’ve already addressed, your writing process is up to you.

You don’t need to do anything besides write.

So outlines, do you need them?

No.

You absolutely do not.

But, for a lot of people, outlines do help them organize their thoughts.

This is something you get to figure out for yourself.

But how do I know if it works for me?

Try creating an outline for your book and see how it goes. If the process is painstaking and you can’t think of what comes next in your book without first writing it, that’s perfectly okay. It might not be for you.

If you’re like me and you just don’t want to take the time to write all of it down and probably lose inspiration, that’s perfectly okay too.

But you could also really like an outline. Maybe it could help you to get everything down so you know where you’re going with the story before hand?

Maybe you want an outline for one book but not for another?

This is something you get to discover.

With the most recent book I'm working on, I decided to make a rough outline for it. Basically, I just wrote down all the chapter numbers and wrote what I wanted to happen in each chapter.

It actually helped me a ton!

You may find that, like me, you like outlines for some books and others just work better without them.

Is it okay to just write with no plan?

My friends, that is 100% absolutely okay!

You are the writer.

Therefore, you are the one who gets to call the shots.

You don’t even have to listen to a word I’ve written on this page if you don’t want to.

You can write however you want to.

Sometimes the best pieces of literature are created when someone just decides to write.

No outline.

No plan.

Just write.

A lot of times that’s the best way to get whatever story is in your head out.

Overall, writing processes are unique to each person.

There is no wrong way to write just as there’s no right way.

There are only different ways to write.

However you write, I wish you all the best of luck! And if you had questions about this I hope I clarified the subject for you.

Feel free to contact me with any more questions you have regarding this or anything else. And if you have any subjects you want me to give my take on, just message me in the contact bar below.

Happy writing!

-Jocelyn