Usually, the first thing I do before I begin any creative work is to engage in some type of warm-up activity as inspiration. Reading, looking at, or listening to something beautiful often puts me in a more creative frame of mind. Sometimes I will listen to music or play a song or two on the piano, especially if I’m planning to write poetry. I find that music often helps me be more attuned to the sounds and rhythms of poetry when I begin to write. If I’m planning to write fiction, I often start by reading a few pages of a novel or by reading a bit of whatever I wrote the previous day. If I’m working on a period piece, as I often do, researching historical facts and details usually helps to spark my creativity.
Different methods seem to work best for me depending on what I’m writing. If I’m writing fiction, I prefer to work on my computer, enjoying the convenience and speed of editing and revising with a word processor. If I’m writing poetry, though, I prefer to use pencil and paper, covering each sheet with scribbles of lines and phrases and endless lists of words and rhymes.
Once I have completed my initial draft of a piece of writing, I usually do a quick surface edit of minor changes that I would like to make. Then, I put the piece aside for at least a day, longer if possible. I find that the more time I allow to elapse before I re-read something I’ve written, the more objectively I’m able to read my writing and the more I am able to notice errors and sentences that are not working as well as they could work. Before I consider a piece finished, I also like to read my work aloud to myself. This process allows me to catch more mistakes and typos and helps me to evaluate the sound, rhythm, and pacing of my writing.
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