Here's what every writer goes through from the spark of an idea to the finished product, whether you're a student or professional.
1. Wow, I have a GREAT idea!
When you have a breakthrough, an epiphany, the most insightful idea. It just might change the world. You have to get the word out. You’re going to send it out to get published. Journals and newspapers will be fighting over the rights to your writing. You’re shooting for the New York Times, the Boston Globe, hell, you’re shooting for the Pulitzer.
2. Hmmm, I swear I thought this through…
You start writing, and you’re on a roll. You’re using big words. You’re throwing in clichés and sophisticated phrases. Then, suddenly, you hit a giant, red, brick wall. You forget what it was you were talking about. You start on China's increasing world power and somehow end up talking about the panda that died at the zoo. What the hell was your point again?
3. Wow, I really thought I had more to say.
Somehow, you’ve written absolutely everything you could possibly have to say on this subject. You go back and try to elaborate and expand, parse out unclear bits into multiple parts. You might start to repeat yourself, like these newscasters:
4. This is absolute shit.
You’re agonizing over your piece and seriously, seriously considering deleting every word. There are bits and pieces of sentences/paragraphs everywhere, and you just can’t seem to stream them together into anything worthwhile. You need a glass of wine at this point.
5. I am absolute shit.
You start to seriously question your talent and self-worth. You seriously consider giving up on writing and quitting life forever. You want to throw things. You want to be anywhere but here, doing anything but writing. Doing linear algebra seems easier and more pleasant than this.
6. Wait, that’s better.
After agonizing over your piece, possibly crying, possibly stress-eating, and most definitely banging your head on the computer, you finally catch a break. Something finally clicks, and you get your groove back. You start to see the words you wrote in a different light. Life starts to make sense again.
7. Cool, that’s what I was going for.
Reading over your writing one last time before turning it in, you feel a distinct sense of pride for pushing through the pain. Maybe it's not Pulitzer material yet, but you're pretty satisfied nonetheless.
Yes, I went through every one of these steps writing this very article.
