Writing practice is not just writing your story. It’s a different writing process, although this skill can support your story’s evolution.
In Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer’s Craft, Natalie Goldberg emphasizes that writing practice isn’t just for warming up or getting your creative brain flowing.
When used intentionally, writing practice is a useful revision tool and a means by which you can uncover deeper layers within your narrative.
And, for those who despise planning their story, the discovery process of writing your way through your narrative may be just what you need!
Writing as the Discovery Process
We can spend days, weeks or even months planning out our story. Yet, we all know that there is much about our plot which we won’t discover until we are deep within the writing process.
Your scene cards are a plan.
They provide structure to get you started and parameters to follow so that you don’t veer so far off course that you’ll never reach your destination.
The core of storytelling, however, reveals itself through your writing.
First drafts aren’t the place for perfection. They are the place for exploration. They are where you find the heart of your story.
Writing practice is a tool by which you can use your notes and your vision to clarify what you need to reveal through your writing.
All the questions and blank spaces you have waiting to be presented on the page are crafted through the writing process.
What is Writing Practice?
In her book, Goldberg explains writing practice as a place to start when you notice that something in your story isn’t working.
You have a descriptive detail that falls flat. It’s a snooze to read, and nothing inspiring is coming to mind.
What do you do about it?
Instead of staring that scene down, wrestling with your need to edit it, grab a new sheet of paper and rewrite the scene again from scratch.
Let yourself go. You’re feeling it out, seeing what else you’ll come up with until you land on what feels right.
Through this process, you aren’t forcing yourself to fix anything, and you’re not worried about finding the perfect words.
You are allowing yourself the freedom to explore your plot point, character or scene element further.
Why Does Writing Practice Work?
Similar to stream of consciousness writing, writing practice’s freedom stops you from freezing when you look at that blank page.
You simply keep moving forward – hand to pen, pen to paper.
Write what comes to mind first. Go!
When in this writing flow, you may land upon unexpected insights that you wouldn’t have discovered when forcing a “fix” right into the manuscript itself.
We’ve all heard of creative shower thoughts.
This technique is like a guided process in which to capture those moments of inspiration immediately, while not forcing them when under pressure.
Writing Practice Still Has Structure
Writing practice is the time to discover new insights and let your writing flow without worrying that you’ll find the perfect words or vision.
However, Goldberg still recommends allowing yourself to play within a loose structure so that you aren’t overwhelmed by the endless array of options or lose track of your narrative goal.
That structure can be as simple as a beginning and an end.
Where is your character at the start of this scene (physically and psychologically), and where do they need to be by the end of it?
With those parameters set, you’ve left yourself plenty of room to explore and play out numerous options while remaining set upon your goal.
Your writing practice session is working for you, not whisking you away on an unfulfilling side quest.
Write Your Story Back to Life
Writing practice can revive a dull narrative or help clarify fuzzy details within your plot.
It’s another creative strategy to add to your writer’s toolkit.
When stuck for where to go next or how to revise a shaky piece, try writing it out until something falls into place.
Writing practice can help you breathe life into stale scenes, revise more intuitively and ward off writer’s block by keeping you moving forward.
Have a scene or description in your current work in progress that falls flat?
Try rewriting it today.
Grab a new sheet of paper. Determine your beginning and end, and just see what happens in between!
Over to you!
How will you use writing practice? Share your thoughts below.
Want to learn more about Goldberg’s thoughts on the writing process?
Click here to read this blog post sharing 4 insights from her book.
Talk soon!
Julia
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