here, i'm going to give you an in-depth look at the process i currently use while writing my stories! this is just stuff that works for me and you definitely don't have to do.
WHAT I USE:
ever since i had a scare last year where wattpad started "deleting" stories and i thought Havoc was lost forever, i began using google docs to keep my stories from being completely gone in case of an error. it's free and offers pretty much everything that microsoft word does, plus it automatically saves as you write! i use both the app and the desktop version depending on if i'm just writing the chapter itself or editing. when i'm writing for Fireheart, i typically use the app because i watch the show on my laptop as i work.
i also use grammarly to catch the grammar/spelling mistakes i make. it comes as both a chrome extension and an app, so you can use it both on your computer and phone/tablet! right now, i'm not sure if it's available for android since i don't have one. although it isn't perfect and sometimes gives me incorrect suggestions about the tense i want to use (and gives me hell about my excessive comma usage), it's still extremely useful. i'd highly recommend using it!
THE PROCESS:
i separate my process into drafts. usually, i have 3 or more before a chapter is published, depending on if the story is published or not (if it's the first chapter for a new story, i usually spend longer writing it and go back to change things more frequently).
the first draft is usually pure crap. i write and write without going back to change anything— it's full of typos, incorrect grammar, and spelling errors. this draft is basically just a brain dump so i can get everything out of my head that i want in the chapter. for this, i turn grammarly off.
one helpful tip i learned is, when you can't think of a particular word, type ELEPHANT in its place so you can go back to it later. that way your flow isn't disrupted and you don't stare at your screen blankly for 5 minutes. if you write on a computer, you can use cntrl/command + F to type ELEPHANT in and find all of the times you used it. if you write on your phone, it's still a pretty eye-catching thing so you'll remember to change it. if you're still worried about missing it, change the color of the text to bright green or something else you won't miss when you edit.
if i have to stop writing midway through but still have some ideas that i don't want to forget for when i pick it back up, i will add them at the bottom of the document in blue. i delete them as i incorporate them into the chapter.
after a chapter is all written-out, i read through it and add any corrections i want to make in red. most of the time, it's telling myself that something could have been worded better, sentence structure is off, or details are missing. i correct the mistakes i made in the first draft with grammarly and find the words i was looking for when i typed ELEPHANT. this is why i like to use google docs— it's easy to make notes for myself and make sure they're noticeable enough that i won't accidentally leave them in the chapter when i publish it.
this is what a typical second draft will look like:
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the third draft is where i review the notes i made in red and catch any mistakes i missed the first time. at this point, i'm mostly happy with the chapter itself; i'm just messing with syntax (sentence structure) and diction (word usage) in certain areas.
the final step is where i review the chapter as a whole and make sure i'm satisfied with it.
usually, i like to space this out over the span of a few days. you are more likely to catch mistakes/things you don't like in your writing if you've put some time between reading it over and over. for example, i was too excited to publish the avengers: endgame chapter in my peter parker fic, and even though i followed all of these steps, i failed to notice a typo in one of the most iconic lines. i only caught it after i re-read it a few weeks later. rip. i still haven't changed it because of the hilarious comments on the paragraph.
if this all seems like a lot, rest assured that i have been writing for eight years and wasn't always this vigorous with my writing. i used to just proofread a chapter once and then publish it. now, though, i find myself much more satisfied with my writing in the long-term. it also makes the editing process so much easier after i finish a story— i have less to change.
i hope this provided some valuable insight and helped you in any way! let me know if you have decided to try any of the things i mentioned (:
