Sips of Jen and Tonic

Some people have asked me how I go about writing a post. Seriously, there are people who are curious as to what my creative process is. Why? Who knows. Perhaps to figure out what not to do when constructing what you hope to be a successful blog.

The life cycle of a post is different for each author. Some people type furiously, and click publish. Other people are more methodical, and choose to start with an outline and work from there. My process begins with with my undiagnosed case of ADD, and ends in random phrases jotted down in a notebook.

A notebook is a writer’s best friend, and you should have one with you at all times. My mind races a mile a minute, and I get posts for ideas all the times. Sometimes it’s just the title, other times it’s one sentence that will fuel an entire 800 word rant. Everything needs to be written down somewhere, and my thoughts always end up in my trusty notebook, on post-it notes, or on my arm.

Here’s a “behind the scenes” look at what happens before I submit my posts to the WordPress gods for public consumption. If you’re curious as to the finished piece which came from the scribblings on the notebook picture, you can click here.

All I need is a copy of Catcher of Rye in my backpack, and I’m a criminal profiler’s prime suspect

My initiation tats for the WordPress gang I joined

When I’m ready to write a post I take my ideas, and turn phrases into sentences into paragraphs. I write the meat of the post first, then the beginning, then the end. I don’t understand how you can write an intro without knowing where the story goes; conversely, how you write a closing paragraph without knowing where you’ve been? That’s my method anyway…

I want to give a shout-out to two dear friends who inspired this post in full by giving their readers glimpses into the work which goes into their crafts.

TJ Lubrano is…well, she’s a pirate and an artist and a lover of cupcakes. She likes to do the ZOING dance (don’t ask me, I think it’s a thing from The Netherlands) and watches Disney movies. She’s loves to participate in all forms of mirth and merriment. She’s absolutely adorable in every way possible, and her art is a whimsical explosion of color. Her blog A Look in a Creative Mind is devoted to showing you her artistic process, and trust me when I say that there is no way you can look at her doodles and not smile.

Bill Friday is one of my favorite people in the world. He likes breaded meat (how has our friendship lasted this long?) and loves watching horror films. He’s a coffee addict, and sucks at putting Ikea furniture together. He is a phenomenal writer, and an even better friend. His blog It’s Always Friday is a collection of angsty goodness, poetry, life reflections and the occasional look into the screenplay he’s writing. This is his “man behind the curtain” post, and I think you’ll love his  sentiments just as much as I did.

It was fun writing this because I’ve never actually thought about my process for making a post happen. I just sort of do it, and never give it a second thought. I encourage any of you to examine this on your own blogs, but if you do, I demand that you give me credit, and use the phrase “earth-shatteringly sexy” somewhere in your description of me.

Oh, and lastly, I want to apologize for any of you who thought this post might be about that movie starring Rachel McWhatsherface and Ryan Whythehellisheeverywherethesedays. I’m not sorry I mislead you, but I am sorry you were interested in reading about that film.

Tags: A look in a creative mind, bill friday, chicken fried steak is the devil, cupcakes make my mouth orgasm, it's always friday, jen and tonic, my friend is a pirate, my notebook makes me look like a serial killer, ryan gosling is a stud despite me making fun of him, sips of jen and tonic, Speaker7 are you reading these tags right now?, the notebook, tj lubrano