on Fiction University:
Writing in quick steps can help you knock out a scene fast.
I may have wound up an author, but I started out as an artist. I drew (and wrote) since I was a little kid, and later, I went to school for design. Because if this background, I approach writing the same way I approach drawing or designing a layout.
First, I sketch it out.
Then, I fill in the sketch.
Finally, I add the detail and polish.
This simple three-step process has served me well for longer than I’d like to admit in public (grin). I write a minimum of three drafts of every novel—the sketch, the filling it out, and the detail and polish. It’s a layered approach that captures an idea and gets the story down so I know what I have before I really dig into it.
For now, let’s just talk about step one—the sketch.
