Some individuals have emailed recently that they were confused as to what I meant by describing these stages as not being successive. If they don’t come one after the other, then how can they be stages?
Well the problem centres around how people view stages. A stage does not have to be separate in order to exist. The problem with using nouns in language is that we often then believe the object described to be a static entity. However, in this case “stages” spoken of are less nouns and more processes. For example, the process of “pre-writing” the process of “editing,” or the process of “promotion.”
A process is both individual, to the particular writer, and inclusive of other processes, so that you can be simultaneously involved in “pre-writing” and “writing.” Or in “writing-revising-editing.” Similarly “publishing” and “promotion” go hand-in-hand. I am unsure of other combination of writing processes. Interestingly this category is named “Writing Process” not “Writing Stages,” since the emphasis is on the overall progression not the particular phases.
Different authors work in different ways depending on their subject, cognition or vagaries of personality. This is why processes can be individual. A more methodical writer will move from one process to another in a clear linear progression, which may again reflect left-hemisphere dominance. Another writer may combine stages in quick succession and without clear delineation between them. This is why the writing process is also individual. We can’t have a one-size-fits-all model to explain how people write, since each person writes with their own perception and thinking.
I wonder what other writers experience as they go through writing their project from start to finish.
Holistic Circle Linear Stairs
I write but only for me and my friends. My style different. I go between stages like I write and edit at the same time. What is the difference between revising and editing? Are they not the same thing?
Lyuda
Very thoughtful piece. I am Secondary School English teacher and I attest to the growth that my student find through literature, especially superb fiction from both the classics and contemporary writers.
Your “Nexus” novel sounds interesting. It sounds different than what I would normally read. Then again I like to learn about new ideas while reading.