PATTERNS

by Beth Bernobich
(c) January 2000

Recently, after five months of intense writing, I found myself tapped out. Oh, I had ideas, and I still loved my characters, but the mere thought of writing exhausted me. So, I did what any reasonable human being would do.

I panicked.

Luckily, a dear friend, far wiser and far more experienced, came to my rescue. She explained that I simply needed time to recover my writing strength. What about my momentum? I moaned. What about meeting those daily quotas?

It will come back, she said. Give it time.

In the succeeding days, I realized I had reached a new curve in the writing pattern. I had learned about daily patterns and those for writing novels, and I'm learning through dogged stubbornness the pattern of writing short stories. This non-writing was a new one for me. Now the panic is gone, and I'm discovering the spaces in between the writing.

General Patterns.

Different writing books advise the new writer to set a daily goal for word count and writing to that goal. That is good advice, and it works. Writers need to set goals, and they need to produce, whether that output is revised into later oblivion or whether it sees print in Fantasy & Science Fiction. However, good goals depend on the writer's individual patterns. Some do best with daily word counts, the slow (or fast) and steady progress. Some do better with spurts — one or three days of writing followed by six or four of none. Some write best in three-hour blocks, while others write in the spare snips and scraps left between job and children and household duties. Some writers work every other day. The point is that your pattern can and will differ from mine. That's okay. You are still a real writer.

Patterns For Novels.

The different stages of producing a finished work require different patterns. Longer works often start slowly, with mental doodling, false starts, research, and several stabs at chapter one. Your word count might look disheartening — that's okay (famous phrase) because you're listening to your characters. As the momentum builds, so does the urge to write. White fire writing, where the characters stand up and demand that you write, can consume days or weeks or even months, and at the end, you feel as though you've just pried a large squid from the top of your head. Rest and reflection follow: note taking, getting feedback, mulling over known weaknesses in the structure or characterization. Revision demands its own pace, and that too varies according to the writer.

If you write short stories, you might find peaks and interludes coming more rapidly than with novels. The build toward white fire (if that comes) might occur once a week and not once a year.

Interludes.

Also known as breaks from writing. These happen. These are necessary, as I've recently discovered. Again, different writers take breaks at different points and in different rhythms. One writer might have a regular pattern of writing and breaks throughout the week, thus keeping a steady pace for months or years. Another might write for months without any noticeable break and then take a three-month break. Yes, the danger of completely losing the work habit exists; however, we all need and find ways to renew our strength and creativity. Some need small daily doses; others need longer interludes. It's okay.

Finding Your Patterns.

Alas, there are no magical prescriptions, nor infallible rules for developing and keeping good writing habits. There are only guidelines and suggestions. If you're having difficulty maintaining any type of output, you need to assess your priorities. Find out where you spend time. Find out when you are most creative. Schedule your writing for those hours (or minutes), and set a modest goal that fits the time allotted. Try that for several weeks and see if output improves. Remember: you're discovering yourself. You're also testing yourself, and as with physical exercise, you will find the going is tough at first. It gets easier. Once you establish the work habit, you can play with variations. From there, you can explore the best approach for each stage in writing a complete piece, for revising, and for taking breaks, large and small.

Realize that patterns change, too. When Life changes around you, revise your writing schedule to fit.

Go ahead. Find out which patterns work best for you. §