Additions to your writing process you wish you would have tried sooner

[AWhoopsieDaisy]

Mess documents. Everything from loose idea fragments to dialogue snippets go here.

Additionally I've taken to writing a mess draft on my phone in red comic sans. Each line is a summary of a paragraph and it really helps plot out a story. When I write the story for real I write the paragraph in black underneath the red text.

The reason I do mess drafts on my phone in red comic sans is to get rid of the perfectionism and stress that comes with a blank white page. By telling my brain that "this isn't writing, this is bullshit on my phone!" I get to bypass the idea that it has to be good and just let loose the ideas. Even if the draft never sees the light of day, it gives me something to refine and rewrite when I'm finally back in front of a real keyboard.

 

[jsmiam]

I use a secure private chat app that has a web version available.

As an idea forms, unless it’s my new favorite thing, 750 word stories), It’s usually a too long process spread over several days or sometimes weeks. I’ll think of some random thing to add to the story, a line, a plot twist, and send myself a message. Later I go through them and incorporate

This isn’t that different to a paper or computer notebook, other than convenience of it being there anytime. I can send a one word thought and get back to it later.

And yes, grammarly.

And find ways to make the text look different when proofing. Change the window size. Change the font. Paste into a different program.