THE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN CREATIVE WRITING

From the previous classes, I'm sure we've come to know certain things about writing. So today, we'll step it up a bit.

The word process could mean procedures or series of event that take place to produce a result. Now the processes of creative writing could be referred to as events or procedures carried out to produce a writing.

Think about it, every thing has a process, whether in life, in education, in business and even cooking. I mean jollof rice doesn't just appear, there is process involved. From parboiling the rice, to frying the onion, and mixing the ingredients together, adding the rice later, and finally serving the plate of rice, it's all a process. Okay don't start salivating because we ain't cooking rice tonight but we'll cook some write ups. How about that?!

Step 1: Preparing!
This step involves conscious actions like active reading, imitation, research, reflecting and even playing. This is the time you decide on what exactly your project is going to be about*. What exactly do you want to accomplish? You must ask yourself before diving into it.

After deciding on what your project, piece of writing in this case, is going to be about, you begin to research ways of achieving it. You could search history and other factual data just to get some knowledge about what you are writing about. This process is usually needed for nonfiction write ups because they have to do with more facts than imaginations.

At this stage, your motivation, discipline and habit keeps you going in order to make the idea shine brighter.

You need to ask yourself, what am I preparing for? and how should I go about this?
Now before jumping at an answer, take a peep into your previous works and then think of ways to push yourself beyond anything you have ever done. That is, seek to improve yourself. Don't be comfortable with your previous accomplishments.

Literally, the basic idea about preparing is for you to become the project. It improves your capacity for endurance as a writer.

Step 2: Planning
I'm sure we've all heard the saying, "if you fail to plan, you've planned to fail".
This invariably means that planning about your writing is crucial. You've got to have a proper plan.
Planning also includes research and acts of premeditation. You have to think. You have to draw a plan or structure on how your write up should look like, or how the message will be passed.

For example, a creative nonfiction writer begins with the subject or topic he or she wants to write about. Then makes research on the subject, carries out interviews, surfs the internet and even goes through archives.

Basically, the writer tries to gather information, cluster ideas and images to be used later on when the writing begins.
But then, there are writers, especially fiction writers, who go on with their project with little planning.

They just start, unveiling every character or scene as it comes to their mind's imaginations. In this case, they create their own world without real facts. They don't even know how the story will end until they are done writing. At the end, even them are surprised as much as the reader is.

Also, there are other fiction writers who plan every page, chapter, character sequentially. They leave no space to chance, except chance itself.

Step 3: Incubation
The word Incubate means to brood or ponder on something, slowly and deliberately for a purpose. Just like eggs get incubated before hatching, ideas should also be incubated to get the best out of them.

This stage creates an incoming wave of the subconscious that actually washes over the pages you will write. That is, it makes realer to you. It involves you dwelling and wallowing on the idea, even when it feels like a form of depressive stagnation.

In as much as idleness isn't advisable, for as they say, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop,". This process requires some idleness. It is a time for disciplined idleness and not reading.

Importantly, it is not a time for talking about your project but for listening to it growing inside of you.
You might care to know that daydreaming (my God I do that a lot) dreams and unconsciousness all play a role in this stage.

Incubation, is part of fluency and flow. You will always find your fluency naturally slowing down in order to allow the reservoir of language and ideas within your unconscious mind replenish
I know, big big grammar! All what that meant was that incubation helps you flow better. That's simpler isn't it?

Step 4: Beginning
So finally you want to begin the write up. How do you do this? Do you just throw the idea at your readers? Or just offload all the information at them? No! No!! No!! mba
Write any sort of rubbish that covers the outlines of what you intend. You could start with the plot outline, character, sketches or descriptions

Begin by free writing ( I'll say free styling) and free associating sentences until the some patterns emerge that begin to intrigue you

Let me give you a sample. Let's say we want to write about a boy who is riding a bicycle and falls.

Don't begin with, A boy is riding a bicycle and suddenly he falls to the ground, This is too direct and plain. Going directly makes your writing lose some sort of atmosphere and spice.

It's a sunny day, today. The sun seems to be smiling down on earth and the clouds look like pillows for rest. A boy thinks it's a perfect day to go on biking. So he takes his bicycle and begins to ride. Suddenly, just when he is getting the hang on it, he falls

Now the same story but different beginnings. You tell me which captivated you more?

I know writing like this, is a lot more stressful. That's why you have to go through the previous stages so that when you begin, it will be a lot easier to be creative with words and language.

All was well as the sun smiles to illuminate the earth with a blue sky to comfort it but the day never ends well as  a little boy fall down from the bicycle.

Just dance around a lit before hitting the nail on the end. This works for both Fiction and nonfiction writing.

Step5: Flowing
Write freely and rapidly as possible, literally throw the whole thing down on paper. Just go with the flow. Forget about your mistakes and errors. Never try to correct them or rewrite until you're done writing, as this might slow down your flow. Go where the wind of ideas lead you to.

Step 6: The Silence Treatment
The value of silence, and the need for it as writers,can never be overemphasised.
Spend time alone. Stop writing at this stage. Go for a walk or something to keep your mind off the project.
Give yourself the time to recover your eloquence through silence.

Silence is itself a type of eloquence. Because you thinking about writing, is actually writing.

After this stage, you will discover that your reservoir of ideas fills quickly and words and phrases just come together.
P PREPARING
P PLANNING
I  INCUBATING
B BEGINNING
F  FLOWING
S  THE SILENCE TREATMENT

Concluding
One of the matters you should begin to apprehend or think about is "a sense of completion" when the form and structure of the project clicks together in your mind.
In this stage, you should begin to gauge where your work has reached in relation to the target you had set in the first place

Look at your journey so far, ask yourself if you were able to meet your target and if your write up is in line with "what you wanted to talk about or the reason you began the writing process in the first place. Were you able to pass your message? You know as they say, " the end determines the means" and the usual cliché, " it's not how you start but how you end".

Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi