How to sort the chaos of your ideas - my writing process

Another blog entry I have written in German quite some time ago and forgot to translate (here is the German version).

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Because I have been asked many times  for advice by now, I thought it would be best to just write a blog post about how I write. This way it is available for everyone and I do not have to type it again and again (yes, I am lazy ^_~) - still, feel free to message me any time if there are still questions you would like to ask me. I will always answer ^_^

Well, what does my writing process look like?

Part of my messy notes for "The tears of the unicorns" XD

First, I collect notes to an idea weeks, sometimes even years, in advance (In case I have some new ideas while still working on something else - happens quite often and I do not want get confused or forget something) - with what is it combinable (which often brings new ideas with it) or I just do some research about places, creatures or certain objects I might want to use in my story. As an example (because I have researched these objects) I will now name the Holy Grail, Pandora's Box, aso.

Research is especially important if your story plays in a country that really exists, because the customs there are normally different from that of your own! (school, behaviour, aso.)

Before I go to the step of creating a character, I decide the central theme of the story, no details yet, just the framework what this story should be about.

In hindsight, everything will change again anyway, at least it is like that with me. I commit to something, but the further the story and new ideas go, the more it changes and deviates from the original idea. Do not let yourself be discouraged by that.

Some say you need to stay with your central theme, but I am of the opinion why should you not change it, if that modification makes the story even more interesting? The central theme is only a guideline, something that can change, nothing conclusive. In my case, through this, my story has become much more complex and marvellous. I am much happier with that outcome ^_~

Because of that, I write the synopsis only when the story is finished (but maybe that is just because I hate to write these synopsis things >__<'''). I always get the feeling through this "only to summarize the most importan things" that the story itself gets a raw deal and everytime when I lay my hands on a synopsis I ask myself how much of the story fell by the wayside ...

Tutorials about how to write a synopsis are to be found on the internet in great numbers ^_~

At the beginning, I also make some notes for the characters, about his/her nature, positive and negative characteristics, maybe even some ideas about the character's past - these ideas often come to me in the progression of the story.

It is said that the author is the God of this world he/she creates. He/She has control over the characters.

I have never really felt that "being a God", because my characters consistently begin to have a life of their own and do things that are characteristic and okay for them to do, but not on my project - freewill that is ^_~

All in all: A good story needs lots of time! It will not be written overnight (the idea to it might ^_^).

People who think they have to write 100 A4 Word pages in 2 or 3 weeks and call that story complete and done, ready to be published without any corrections, are wrong. (It might be possible that there are one or two exceptions, but I have not come across one so far)

You will never be able to eleminate all typos, but it is essential to work through your work multiple times. Now and then an logical error slips in and that way you are able to filter them out and correct (hoping that the continuing story does not need to be changed due to that - yes, I also had that problem, but luckily the changes only covered a few pages because I consistently start to read from the beginning and luckily noticed that mistake in time)

Eventually I stopped counting how many times I worked through my story from its beginning (correcting typos, changing sentences because they sounded weird), but it has been many, many times XD

This is only an insight how I approach things. Everyone needs to - it is the same with drawing - find their own way to get to the wished outcome ^_^