#anyways raylan's boyd obsession is really something

[willowmckinley]

For the ask game... 22

Thank you, Justie.

22. describe your writing process from scratch to finish.

Oh, what a doozy! But a fun one, haha. Typically it starts with an image in my head, usually a concept or a scene. Take, for example, "The Opposite Of." That started as the idea "RaylanxBoyd" if Boyd had left Harlan with Raylan.

I open a word document and take as many notes for the idea as I can, problem solving/working out plot as I can. I jot down some scenes I want to write or might fit well with the story.

Then I start with one scene and take it as far as I can. For "The Opposite Of" the first scene, I think, was their stupid little wedding in front of that stupid little gazebo that I'm obsessed with. So I write as much of that scene as I can, then go back and write what kind of scenarios or events would lead up to it.

After, I write out the next scene. I like to write in chronological order, because often I don't know what will happen until I know what causes it to happen, trying to focus on "if, then" for a lot of my plotting. I try to write transitions as they come up, because they help me figure out what flow and pacing I want, and I've discovered transitions really help with that.

I edit as I write, meaning I like to really craft sentences as I put them to page, saving less editing for later. If a sentence or word or detail is really catching me, I'll make a note of it to come back to, but I prefer to instead work on another fic if I really get caught by a scene or a character motivation.

When I do get caught, I set it aside, and usually go over the scene or character motivation before bed. I have really bad insomnia anyway, so it helps me to have something to focus on so I don't drive myself crazy, haha. Plus, without the pressure of turning ideas into sentences, I usually figure it out, even if it takes me a few nights of this, working on other stories in the meantime.

I will switch between scenes if one catches my attention, but I try to finish whole thoughts before moving on, making notes of other ideas and plots and themes to put in my fic.

By now, the fic is really shaping up to be something. At this point, I'm reviewing for themes and continuity. I go back to earlier paragraphs and see if I can add any good foreshadowing or narrative through-lines. I see if anything I wrote by now has answered a question posed in another scene, whether for me or for the reader.

Finally, I do my last edits. Now is the time to catch typos, missing words, incomplete sentences, and awkwardness. If I'm lucky, I'll have a chance to myself to read it aloud to see if it sounds natural. If I don't, I usually post without it, haha.

Then, I read my fic on AO3, and catch even more mistakes, haha.

I think that's it? I really am happy to have found a writing system that works for me, haha.

[preacherboyd]

Justified | 1x10 The Hammer