#BlogLife275 - My process of writing fiction

I'm not sure if anyone would find this interesting from an amatuer perspective but for a budding writer or anyone curious, these steps are what I follow..

Not all the time and they may not be essential to you but I personally find them useful and it might be the same for you.

1) A thesaurus is my best friend. I use it constantly. It's amazing the amount of favourite words that get used over and over and it's a bit repetitive so google the word, followed by thesaurus and you'll have alternatives to pick from.

2) A website with boy/girl names. You won't believe how the mind just goes blank when trying to pick a name. Have I used it before?

When I was growing up and getting engrossed in all these books, I mostly saw English names. There was nothing like my family names contained so I decided if I ever wrote anything I would always use non-English names.

As a tribute to my heritage. I'm using mostly names from that country in my stories. That's why you'll see a lot of unusual names. Although a few have just popped into my head.

3) A notepad or email because you'll constantly jot notes down, play around with titles or just scribble future plot lines and you do not want to forget these nuggets.

4) A basic idea. It doesn't have to be fleshed out yet, you just need a starting point to build on.

5) Knowledge, even if it's fiction you need a basis of where to begin and there will be lots of details you'll need to add in order for it to make sense.

If you are constantly googling for insights, you'll never write anything or finish it. There could be snippets, where you can Google but not for the whole thing.

6) It's much easier to write when you're passionate about the subject, characters, plotlines.... Whatever it is, it will make it go much smoother if you are heavily invested.

7) I can't speak for anyone else but I find it easiest when the characters come to life in my head as though they are having real conversations.

I might not be copying it word for word but at least I have an idea of what sounds more authentic, than just guessing.

8) Push through the self-doubt that will come up and try to derail your confidence. It's natural to feel that way.

Your story might need work or it might be perfect but you'll never know unless you write and finish it.

9) Don't do what I do. Focus on one story at a time. I switch between Lethal Curves Ahead and two stories I'm working on for the blog.

It makes my head explode but I manage it but when I come up with the plot and finish it, while it's fresh in my head, it's a better flow.

10) Lastly it's tempting to skip ahead to compose the scenes that you're really excited about. However I would strongly advise against this, as I tend to change direction every single time I write.

Which means a scene I think has significant relevance doesn't make it to the final draft and that may or may not happen to you also.

Just stay on the current chapter and give that all your attention. You can still jot down notes, but keep it brief.

I hope this helps you :)