I’ve been reading various blogs and posts recently about how different people approach their writing, there is a cornucopia of different styles and systems – just as there is a wide range of different finished books and stories in the world.

Nobody has asked me how I write, but here goes anyway:

I write longhand, I use a black Bic biro and plain white paper. Phew, that’s that out of the way then.

Of course, nothing is that simple. When a book first sets out it is several pages of scribbled notes, a vague outline of the plot, some similarly vague descriptions of the characters that might – or might not – end up in the book and any other little gems or nuggets that I think are going to help me along.

What happens next? I start to write. I let the story unfold itself and follow its lead, it sometimes takes me to unexpected places – but I usually manage to tame it and get it back to where I wanted it to be. The longhand notes then get typed up into a word document, being edited, altered, amended, discarded, rewritten as necessary. I enjoy the physical act of writing more than typing and will settle down with my paper and pen whenever and wherever I get a chance, sometimes accruing many, many pages of first draft that I have to painstakingly turn into the second draft.

So, I think that covers the first four questions in the title. Of course, it doesn’t show the hours of rewriting, editing, formatting, revising and reworking that take up the next six months or more. It’s worth it for the satisfaction of knowing that I have made the thing that I wanted to make though.

Why? Because I enjoy it. It’s challenging, keeps me out of trouble and, as mentioned above, satisfying, and fun. I am new to this; I don’t need to carve a career or make a living from it – knowing that I’ve put something out in the world that other people have enjoyed is a good enough start for me.

So, now you know. How do you write? What routines or habits make or break your writing style? Let me know in the comments.