Author Archives: phettehollins
My Writing Process @phettehollins | #3dchicks

Notebooks Galore
Creativity hits me several times a day. I can see something while I’m out and about, overhear a conversation, or be involved in a conversation, hear a funny line & say “I’ma put that in my script.” I say that a lot.
When this happens and if I’m away from home, I write a note in my Memo app or in Evernote. If I am home, I decide if the “idea” already has its own notebook. If it does, I write it in there. If not, I break the idea down even more. If the idea needs its own notebook, I designate one.
I have notebooks for everythang. I have one that’s primarily for my brand. I have one where I outline blog posts, jot down ideas in a hurry; it’s a catch all book, and also the book I used to outline this post. 🙂
Other than that, each project has its own notebook.
Once it’s in the notebook, then I brainstorm, free-write whatever comes to mind, organically & naturally, about the characters, the story, or whatever. I do this for as long as the creativity flows. And when it’s done, it’s done. I absolutely do not force it. I step away for a day or so and re-visit, if necessary.
Next, I look to see if there’s enough information for a story…which there usually is. To rephrase, the real question is: What type of story does the information yield? A short story, a novel, novella, a series? You can always add, takeaway, or do whatever your heart desires. That’s the beauty of writing and story telling. When there’s a will, there’s a medium. 🙂
A Beginning, Middle, and an End
This is an example of how I separate my story. This one is blank because, it just so happens that, this particular story came to me so quickly that I actually wrote the entire story in a day. No outline. No nothing.
From here, I just write the story to the end, without looking back until I’m ready to edit. I do not edit as I go. I repeat, DO NOT EDIT AS YOU GO! It drastically slows down the process. Took me 2 years to write my second book, because I was obsessing over stuff. Just write it. You’re welcome!
- Edit
- Proofread
- Edit summore
- Proofread
- Proofread summore
- Publish
HAPPY WRITING!!!