John Baker coaxes Jenny Davidson to chart her writing process. And I find it very interesting. Because there are many things there that I can’t fathom (for me, the premise announces itself in the writing) and many things that I can (write something every day). But so long as all roads lead to creating work, I think it’s fantastic and that it doesn’t really matter what road takes you there. Perhaps personal temperament — and not some horrible seminar that tells a starry-eyed hopeful the absolute way to write — is the thing that determines how one goes about this discipline.
Great interview, thanks for pointing it out. The best part was discovering another writer who goes the longhand route for first drafts. It’s quick, dirty, and annoying, but I swear it works. I’m thinking about starting a club of first draft longhanders.
Thanks for the link. Jenny’s reply was very interesting for the reason you point out, but hers was only one reply among many. This is a particularly fruitful road to investigate, and perhaps more so for writers or would-be-writers who haven’t yet applied it to themselves.