On Writing...

This quote was sent in by my writer-friend Glenda Schoonmaker

"We all ended up just the tiniest bit resentful when we found the one fly in the ointment: that at some point we had to actually sit down and write."

--Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Tricia's Thoughts:
Today I was asked by a fellow writer how I write. Since we all have to actually put words on paper, I try to make it as painless as possible.

When I sit down to write, I don't let doubts get in the way. For non-fiction, I start by just opening up a blank page and typing in everything I know about the subject. I then type everything I still want to know. Next, I figure out if I need to interview an expert or look up something for research. The form of the piece builds from there as I add quotes, fill in holes, break the piece into sub-headings and add a dynamite ending. It's like putting together a puzzle. I never worry about the complete piece when I first start writing, instead I just connect pieces until the whole forms!