For The One In Wales (Ode To A Lady)

[FlickerOfLight]

I wondered if this was the same for most writers. In your process you don't know the whole story until your writing it, right? You can see the story in its entirety until you're finished with it?

I had heard of people not knowing how they're story is going to end as they're writing it. That always seemed so nerve wrenching to me. Having built up this long tale and tapestry of words and ideas, and yet have no clue where you're going with it.

I've written several novels and, usually the way I do it is to have the idea of what it will be in my head, then I find a place to start it.  As I start writing it, one things leads to another naturally, and I can picture it in my mind.  Almost like a movie I'm watching in my head.  For me, it's as simple as one character says or does something and then that just gets a natural and normal response from the other characters, and this seems like the way normal life happens.  Then I just keep responding and keep the book going, or in the case of action, letting one event follow another in a natural, motion picture-type process.  It's so easy to do it that way for me because it just seems like it's writing itself.

Sometimes it surprises me when something happens in one of my books.  It seems like it's the kind of thing that would naturally happen, but I just didn't see it coming.  It's almost like free association.

I've heard that a lot of writers have to diagram each chapter so that they know exactly what's going to happen, and when it's going to take place, in the course of their story.  Me, I just have a general idea for the book and the rest just happens when it happens.  I never know how I'm going to get to the end, I just happen to get there at the appropriate time.  (Luckily enough for me!)

Thanks for reading my poem!

What you've described sounds almost exactly like my own process and the way I approach art.

My first grade teacher picked up on my artistic abilities. Basically I was drawing all over my school work papers, and she suggested art classes. That's how I came to learn I had an ability stored within me. 
I'm wondering if you knew early on that you possessed this talent, and it is you came to discover it.

An artist's process is always interesting to me. We all have such different but similar methodologies. 

It was a pleasure reading. 
Cheers