Who Loves You | ✓

writing process

WLY was my first and very inexperienced try at writing a short story. I tend to put myself in a reader's shoes and think from their perspective-would they understand this line? Would they remember this character? Would they be able to make sense of this plot point-so on and so forth. I also tend to add A LOT of detail into everything, describing little movements like looking up/down, and others that could easily be overlooked.

For WLY, however, I had to break down my original writing style into as simple as I could. I couldn't repeat specific details, I couldn't write paragraphs upon paragraphs of elaboration because I had to stay in a specific word count (x < 600, which I only exceeded in xliii and xliv). I needed to cut out the extra words and phrases I personally loved adding in because they were simply a vibe.

I started the story in the early days of November, and finished editing it all on the 28th of December. I was editing up until the very moment I published the epilogue.

I didn't have trouble with writer's block in between, because I consider myself blessed enough to never actually have any writer's blocks. I can sit down anywhere and write anytime about anything. I just always have the inspiration, so writing wasn't a tedious task at all. It was more about finding the time to write between university work.

Each chapter was roughly 275 words and it took a maximum of forty minutes just to type in the carcass of each, and a further ten minutes of editing (I'm very thorough with my editing). In one sitting, I could easily type out around four chapters, sometimes even six.

Brainstorming for impactful one-liners was the hardest task of all, because short stories didn't need details but something with a punch. Most of the lines I wrote came to me whilst writing, while others came during house chores.

I also have a diary I keep all plot points/story ideas in. Before I began the story, I wrote down a short summary of the plot points, then divided them into chapters, set specific days for writing and publishing, and just in general wrote in it when I couldn't make sense of a specific plot point.

If you've read through all this, you can very clearly see the plot I originally had in mind is NOT the one that made it to the final draft. I had to change a lot of things along the way as the story developed.

Through the entire writing process, I came to realise writing is not as objective as I've been told it is. There are absolutely no rules for writing. The story you have in mind may not look as good on paper, and the plot you've thought of might not make sense after you've executed it.

I don't know if I did a spectacular job-all that matters to me is I was able to write characters who touched the hearts of many, including my own. And I just hope that this story never dies, but keeps on living in them.