The Process or The Journey?

Which do you prefer?

I admit it, I love the written word! When it comes to writing, I’m there, getting that story down, surprised by the snippets of conversation that arises…

“Excuse me, Miss. What kind of computer is that?”

“It’s not a computer. It’s a wordprocessor called Dana made by Alphasmart.”

*screeching halt* Wait! That’s the “real life” conversation interjecting and stalling my characters’ witty, snarky, conflict-ridden conversations. Man, I could be a walking, talking advertisement for Alphasmart (wonder how much they’d pay me? I’ll take it in lattes, please). Hear that computer gurus? If you make a laptop as small and compact as Alphasmart’s Dana, you’d make a mint! I have at least three people a day tapping me on the shoulder as I write. “Excuse me, Miss…”

But I digress…back to the subject at hand. As a writer, which do you prefer? The process or the journey?

I love the journey of creating a story. The unknown twists and turns, the new characters that pop up, day-dreaming how a scene will play out and finding out an entirely different scene unfolds as I write. I LOVE IT! I’m there every day, pounding away at the keys, getting the story down, excited and uplifted by the story. My momentum seems to fly as I get to the last third of a story. I want to finish it, to get to those two wonderful little words…THE END. It’s done. The whole saga is finally out of my head and told to my satisfaction.

Until my critique partners get a hold of it!

Ah, here comes the process…edits! I have a respectful relationship with edits. They are a necessary evil that takes my “wonderful masterpiece” and whips it into shape…ie, where free-flowing creativity takes a back seat to logical thought processes.

Yes, I bow to the necessity of a firm editing hand. Even though I live and breathe the creative journey, as in everything, life always has a way of balancing you…even from yourself. If I was constantly on a “creativity high” without a break via logical thinking (re: editing), I’d never have the build up of getting back to “The Journey”.

So, for all you writers out there, like me, who love “the journey”, think of editing as an educational process that also helps you recharge your batteries for the next creative stint!