Daily Writing Process Tips/Tricks?

[zephyrtrillian]

I'm a newbie writing full-time and trying to get my daily process down. Every day currently blesses me with little surprises that I didn't think of. Last week, I realized I had a bad habit of inserting repetitive actions and overusing some particular adverbs and adjectives. Today, I realized I had never run my work through a spelling and grammar checker, so I had to review every chapter and fix all the errors on three platforms.

It's a bit of a headache and I feel like if I ask what the process is like for other writers, well, you'll have some hard-won wisdom to share, or some of the ways in which you've refined your process that I might adopt too.

My current schedule looks like this:

1. Edit any outstanding chapters from the day before (left overnight to gain some distance from the work)

• Spelling&grammar check
• Reading pass
• Then posting is OK

2. Make sure all platforms are up to date on posting

3. Write the next chapter using the outline written yesterday

4. Detailed outline of the chapter you will be writing the next day

5. Meaningful engagement:

• 3-5 authentic comments daily on active platforms
• Respond to any comments

I've tried putting community involvement at the beginning of my day, but then I find I get sucked into the community outreach, so I've learned to put that at the end of the day or to use it as a brief break, with a defined start and end point. I also have an extensive worldbuilding document and basic chapter outlines already, so I work off of those when I make my detailed outlines--it's not starting from zero.

What do you guys do? What's your process look like? Any tips or tricks for a newbie?

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Find what time I can to type out the rough draft on my phone. If I'm writing for PocketFM, make a second pass in their app before posting (still on the phone), otherwise on my laptop in Google Docs and then a third in the site's editor.

 

[Deleted member 166465]

I tried no to use spell checkers for a long time, but you just cant see the mistakes, is like you are bling to your errors, is weird.
I try to stablish a writing schedule and try to write every day, even when there is no "inspiration". If I cant write in the story I am writing i write a short summary of any idea I have or I write a short story (just a page or two), had come up with very interesting shorts that way.

 

[GreenLemonShark]

I really like how meticulous your process is, it’s super organized! I’m definitely more on the spontaneous side with my writing style. It’s interesting because even though our approaches are pretty different, it sounds like we have a similar way of thinking when it comes to planning the bigger picture.

For me, when I already have a story going, I usually keep a solid idea in my head for what the chapter will focus on:

- What the characters are doing?
- What the setting is?
- What tone and theme I want to convey?

If it’s more complicated or I think I might forget something, I’ll jot it down somewhere in bullet points or sometimes I’ll even organize it in ChatGPT to keep all my scattered notes in one place.

My writing sessions tend to be driven by when inspiration strikes. Some days I’ll sit and write for hours straight, other days nothing at all... I’ve learned to just lean into it when the motivation hits. Music also plays a huge part for me, if I’ve got the right song or playlist going, it really helps shape the tone and theme of the chapter.

But when I’m working on something brand new, it’s a completely different process. Before I even start writing chapters, I’ll sit down and methodically write out every detail:

Characters — their flaws, goals, appearance, and relationships
The world — the year, theme, location, and major events
The big picture — major power struggles, key figures, and the dominant forces shaping the world

It usually ends up being pages of information before I even write a single chapter. I guess I’m a mix of spontaneous and methodical depending on where I am in the process.

My editing style is pretty simple, I edit as I go. But then I’ll reread everything a few days later to try and catch any lingering mistakes before publishing. I’ve been thinking about running my work through Grammarly too, since someone pointed out a couple of small misspellings in one of my earlier chapters. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to have that extra safety net. ?

 

[R_S_Avery]

Hmm, I am a plantser, so I have a general idea of where each chapter is going to go, but no concrete notes or synopsis to follow. I found a long time ago, when I tried to plot everything out, I had no desire to actually fill in the gaps. That's just me, though.

My usual day looks something like this:

-Handle non-writing related responsibilities first thing in the morning (exercise, food, getting my small kids up and rounded around, that kind of stuff).
-By mid-morning, I have the kiddos settled with an art project or quiet play and I take an hour, give or take, to check email, follow up with editorial clients (if I have any scheduled), do any research I've stickied on my board that I need to handle.
-Late morning/early afternoon, I tackle more domestic/family related tasks.
-Mid-afternoon, I have a three-hour block for writing. Sometimes that'll be me brainstorming or sussing out details for the chapter I'm working on, sometimes it's actual productive writing. I've been freelance editing for a long time, so my drafts are really clean. I'll have some trusted readers look over the 'final' because as we all know, lol, we often don't see the small mistakes/missed words/etc.
-Evening is work time, so the writing goes away.

That's it. I try to be active on forums, discords, and the like. Sadly, there is only so much time in the day and that is one of the places I fall short. I do, however, make time to read daily, if possible, but several days a week in general. So, I read other work on various platforms, as well as library and KU books and I make it a point to leave ratings and reviews.

 

[zephyrtrillian]

Thank you for your responses everyone. It's really interesting to see how different everyone's process is so far and, actually, how writing fits into everyone's lives.

I do think I'm a planner at this point, yeah. That's pretty evident. Pantser writing creates anxiety in me.

"Plantser"...that's fun. I have all the best-laid plans but I find I have to rework them, again and again, like I'm sculpting something and refining it more and more as I go along. I don't know if that lands in "plantser" or not.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Thank you for your responses everyone. It's really interesting to see how different everyone's process is so far and, actually, how writing fits into everyone's lives.

I do think I'm a planner at this point, yeah. That's pretty evident. Pantser writing creates anxiety in me.

"Plantser"...that's fun. I have all the best-laid plans but I find I have to rework them, again and again, like I'm sculpting something and refining it more and more as I go along. I don't know if that lands in "plantser" or not.

I have one story that time constraints are forcing me to pants. Twice now, I'd planned to have arcs go in specific directions , only to have them twist around and become something different halfway through(one a "have to earn the rancher's respect to move on" became a "rancher wants daughters married off" to ... I'm not sure what it became but I wound up shuffling some characters around; another was supposed to move into a "12 Angry Men" situation but instead wound up more a "Ten Little Indians" riff).

 

[Rookieqw]

One thing that I learned is that you can't edit a blank page. Ok, you have an awesome story moment in your head. But you don't know the exact way how to portray it. So you put it off for later and later, and eventually the details become murky. Nah, screw it. Write it down from the start. You can always change the scene later; don't wait for inspiration, write what you can now and edit later.

Day after day you fill up that file (or a sheet if you write by hand). And one day a story becomes complete. Then another. Then on the third, you learn how to edit properly. And it will go on.

 

[R_S_Avery]

Thank you for your responses everyone. It's really interesting to see how different everyone's process is so far and, actually, how writing fits into everyone's lives.

I do think I'm a planner at this point, yeah. That's pretty evident. Pantser writing creates anxiety in me.

"Plantser"...that's fun. I have all the best-laid plans but I find I have to rework them, again and again, like I'm sculpting something and refining it more and more as I go along. I don't know if that lands in "plantser" or not.

Yeah, actually, kind of sounds like a 'plantser', lol. So I do plan the overarching story, major plot points. I know all the major players, their motivations, etc. When I start the story, I have a clear plan of what I need to layout from the get go. With each chapter, I have an idea of where I want it to go, but the characters, setting, etc kind of have free reign. That's how a planned to do x by chapter y ends up becoming did x in chapter z, lol.

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

This is the type of thread I like.

I don't think I'll ever have a routine. It's okay if you do, but for me, writing is about getting better at English and explaining things clearer—so I don't think I'll ever have a set routine.

Also, you said that you're a full-time newbie writer. I used to believe that was a myth, but now I'm actually seeing it (just kidding).

I have one more question: do you have a backup plan? I know this is a personal question, but I'm curious.

Anyway, I wish you good luck with your dreams. Happy writing! By the way, I was attempting to be humorous, but if I didn't present that way, I really do apologize.

 

[zephyrtrillian]

This is the type of thread I like.

I don't think I'll ever have a routine. It's okay if you do, but for me, writing is about getting better at English and explaining things clearer—so I don't think I'll ever have a set routine.

Also, you said that you're a full-time newbie writer. I used to believe that was a myth, but now I'm actually seeing it (just kidding).

I have one more question: do you have a backup plan? I know this is a personal question, but I'm curious.

Anyway, I wish you good luck with your dreams. Happy writing! By the way, I was attempting to be humorous, but if I didn't present that way, I really do apologize.

I have many backup plans. ? I'm just being a bit wild. I moved to the Netherlands from the US three months ago. The DAFT visa makes you make a business. I figured I'd do this one.

Yay savings...

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Story planned up to the finale and all major turning points? Yes. Rough character archetypes? Also yes. Chapter outline? Never. Mostly I write in flow, so planning doesn’t work for me. No routine except one: one scene a day minimum, even if there’s no time.