Creating and distilling

This week I’m working on multiple projects including a novel, a nonfiction book, at least two how two projects, and helping one of my team edit a story he’s writing for school. Amid all this, I find myself thinking about two of the most important steps in any writing project.

This week, in the novel, I wrote what will hopefully be the last two new chapters (until book two at least…). On the other side of the house (in nonfiction land) I have yet to write more than a paragraph or two; and yet, I’m making good progress on the project.

Next week I hope to create a full chapter in the nonfiction book and do relatively little new writing on the novel. The two projects will have flipped between phases. This week I’m creating on the novel and distilling information on the nonfiction book. Next week the nonfiction will finally be at the writing (creating) phase and I will distill information on the novel.

Creating and distilling are both very necessary phases in writing. You need to do both.

Creating may look different depending on what you’re working on. And distilling may be an early step and a late step depending on your project. But they both need to happen.

In writing, creating includes writing text and outlines of what you want to say. It may also include world building and other tasks where you’re creating elements of story. It’s vital, but just doing the creating doesn’t get you a readable book. The distilling makes your creation readable, understandable, and compelling.

Distilling comes in two flavors, editing (can’t succeed without it) and shaking out your pile of information and deciding what goes into the writing you create. But distilling won’t get you anywhere if you don’t create something to edit.

If you’re writing fiction, you might go directly to the creating part. I have a stack of story ideas and a world I’ve already , so it’s just a case of “grabbing parts and getting to the building”.

If you’re writing nonfiction, you’ll probably want to start with some distilling before you put words on paper. For the chapter I’ll write next week I started this week with 160 pages of information to work from, and I’m hoping for a 15-25-page chapter. So… I have seven to ten or twelve times the amount of material that I really want. And that’s before I add my own words! I have to shake that data pile down a bit. By spending this week reading and making notes, I’ve been able to isolate what I really need from my source material and figure out where my own words come in.

Next week I will write that nonfiction chapter and the following week I’ll be editing it, the same process I’m doing with the novel.

Editing isn’t just about finding typos. Good editing also includes working on your writing to make best use of your words. Your writing needs to be clear. You need the finished product to create a chosen effect and accomplish particular goals. Distilling your writing is part of that.

The editing/distillation process is where we cut out the extraneous material. We refine the work so it is readable and creates the picture we want it to. We may occasionally find a part that needs more words, but if you’re still adding words, you’re not done editing (99% of the time…).

Writing isn’t just putting words on paper. Yeah, we have to write words (creating), but we also need to make sure the words we’ve written are the ones that need to be there (distilling). It is only by applying both processes that our words really gain power and the ability to do what we want them to.

That’s it for this one, dear reader. There’s editing to be done and I still have to get down to the basement to do the other kind of “makin’ stuff” (the projects never stop). Good luck with your writing dear reader. And I’ll see you next post.