Writing isn't magic. When I sit down to create something, it doesn't just flow out of my finger tips and explode onto the page. It's meticulous and purposeful, a specific science that takes trial and error to complete. It's rarely ever easy, and if it is, I'm probably doing something wrong. A writer doesn't have as much control over the writing process as one may think.

We start with seeds of ideas. Those seeds are just that--they aren't flowers yet. We have to plant them, tend to them, and water them so they grow naturally. A good writer doesn't force a story into existence. They don't plant ideas in places they won't blossom. They follow their characters as if they were real, through the world they've created. We don't make many decisions about our plot; the characters make them for us. Sometimes, our plots surprise us by steering us in a direction we didn't plan on exploring. We don't always know what happens at the end of our own stories. That's why writing is so fun.

Underneath the characters and ideas in the story lie a writer's real decisions. Grammar and word choice are tools that direct the reader's experience. The nitty gritty details, the particular wording of certain phrases, it all plays a central part in captivating an audience. I may spend hours with one sentence, reworking it until it has the mood and cadence I want. I experiment with rhyme, connotation, and flow until I have a strong network of technical choices. I can then build upon that foundation, allowing it to support the weight of my ideas. Without an intentional, technical foundation, my great ideas may topple over. In other words, a writer must know how to get their ideas across effectively.

When the two halves of writing work together, I suppose that's where the magic comes in. When I've finished final edits, I can see all the details meshing together, point out the sentences I must have reworded a hundred times. I know the placement of every comma has a purpose, I know exactly why I chose each adjective. I recognize every stage the piece went through. I remember what the first draft looked like. The magic is that to the reader, it looks like it all poured out in one burst of inspiration. And now, we all know it didn't.