Writing Short Stories: 5 Stages In The Writing Process

The writing process is one that involves patience, planning, organization, structure, and creativity all rolled into one. It’s important for a writer to understand the dynamics of putting together an interesting story. Although there are many stages in the long course of writing, aspiring authors should grasp the fundamentals of creating a novel, short story, or any other genre of book.
1. Planning: The saying, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail” is one that can apply to many aspects of life in general, writing being one of them. In an ideal world, a writer would be able to jot down a full, detailed story from start to finish. However, planning is important and necessary in a writer’s world. This stage is one that you must focus on first, in order to make the rest of the process easier to manage. Set realistic goals for yourself to follow.
2. Brainstorming: Writers should go through several dozen brainstorming sessions to allow their imaginations to flourish. Use the many elements of inspiration to develop your plot, characters, and dialogue. Freewriting and word clusters are great tools to use during the brainstorming process. Use as many writing exercises as you possibly can.
3. Writing: At this stage, it is essential to focus closely on the story. Avoid thinking critically about your grammar unless it is completely necessary. Sometimes, being distracted by the small things can block great ideas. Let the ideas flow first, because the editing stage is going to happen.
4. Editing: There is nothing more heartbreaking to writers than having to rearrange, modify, or delete the content that you worked so hard to write. To you, the story or article is perfect and no one can convince you otherwise. However, editing can take your work from ‘so-so’ to great with a detailed edit. Have a few eyes look over and critique your work before doing a final edit and submitting the document. A professional editor’s dream is to have a well prepared edit to make their jobs less stressful.
5. Publishing: At this stage, you are ready for your manuscript to be submitted to a publishing house. While you are shaping up your story and have completed a substantial amount of chapters, begin shopping for an agent. Send the first three chapters off to be perused and follow-up with the department. When seeking an agent, find someone who will be fair and has the marketing skills to sell your book.