On the process of writing

ON THE PROCESS OF WRITING By: Gunn Iren Kleppe As a writer, you might think things would become mechanical over time. Not quite so—I tend to get inspired. When I write, the story (long or short) tends to take on a life of its own and starts writing itself. I am merely the facilitator, helping the story enter into the world—a midwife of sorts.

As a freelance writer I have—ironically—found the greatest challenge to be hunting down sources.

Sources may already have committed, but for some reason, many become near impossible to get a hold of. This is often the most time-consuming part of an assignment. But once I get a hold of them, the rewards can be great. For one thing, I find it a privilege to be able to talk to subject matter experts and to learn something new all the time.

One of the greatest joys of the process, however, is listening to sources who are experts at and passionate about what they do. It leaves me with a feeling that there is hope for humanity—after all.

The world is not as bad as the media will have it. My challenge, then, becomes to honor this information so that it is conveyed in an inspiring, truthful and meaningful way to the reader.

Having talked to sources and done the necessary research, a period of percolation is normally needed. Although deadlines can be inspiring and provide the needed kick and motivation, they are not a friend to the necessary “rest period” between input and output. The percolation allows for synthesis; the various elements of the story simmer together before they are ready to come out as a whole, new creation.

Once the story has been helped onto paper, the wordsmithing part of the process begins. I liken this to woodcarving. This is where words and sentences are polished and shaped so the story flows in the best possible way. This is also a fun part of the process. Then comes the challenge of fitting the story into the number of keystrokes ordered. Thankfully, I have found this to get easier over time. It can actually be as fun as it is frustrating to go over the text repeatedly, weeding out unnecessary words and trying to provide the same meaning in an equally eloquent way.

This, of course, means that more time and effort is being spent on assignments than what one is paid for. I have thought about it, but I cannot allow myself to do sloppy and hasty work just because there isn’t enough time. So I may take on a little less work in order to produce better content. It’s just how I have to do it—a conclusion reached after years of practice. There may be some OCD in this, but I can’t sacrifice quality. I have to give it my best.