The Writer's Process Workbook

By Anne Janzer

If you want to be a better writer, stop focusing on the words and take a good look at your process using this interactive workbook.

 

Writing isn't a talent, it's a process with many phases. You may be skilled at some parts and weaker at the others.

 

Whether you're working on a novel or writing on the job, make the most of your writing time by tuning your process to fit your unique attributes and strengths.

 

Based on the widely-used book The Writer's Process, this workbook guides you through a deep dive into the inner game of writing, as it happens in your own head.

If you loved The Writer's Process, this workbook will help you internalize its practices with hands-on exercises, planning guides, and commitment sheets. However, the workbook also stands alone as a useful guide for writers at all stages, without the companion book.

 

Explore and refine your writing strengths

 

The Writer's Process Workbook is filled with simple exercises and self assessments for exploring your tendencies, as well as suggested practices that are easy to add to your writing life.

 

By the time you've finished the workbook, you'll know:

• Whether you favor the Muse (creativity and inspiration) or the Scribe (discipline and analytical thought), and how that balance affects your work.
• Incubation strategies for boosting your creativity
• Tactics for getting the work done and finding the time to write
• How to craft a process that leaves room for a state of flow

Working through this book is like getting personalized advice from a supportive and understanding writing coach. No matter where you are in your writing life, you'll find something to elevate your process or streamline your work.

 

Your most critical writing tool is your own brain. Spend some time with this workbook today and enjoy the benefits in all the writing you do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cuesta Park Consulting
• Release date: Mar 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781952284090

Book preview

part one

The Muse and the Scribe

Writing isn’t a single act. It’s a compound, multistep process that engages various parts of our brain in multiple types of attention and thought.

To simplify our approach to writing, let’s adopt a useful fiction. Let’s imagine that we have within us two distinct writing systems, characterized by the personas of the Muse and the Scribe. The Muse is responsible for creativity and the Scribe for disciplined productivity.

Most of us associate more with one or the other. Successful writing requires a balance of the two. Often, the Muse and Scribe collaborate. Both are essential to successful writing.

In this section, you’ll take a closer look at your own inner Muse and Scribe.

1

Defining the Muse

Creative insight springs from the Muse.

Writers like to think of the Muse as something outside of their direct control. (If you’ve ever been part of a team brainstorming session, you know how hard it is to force creativity on demand.) The Greeks worshipped the Muses as gods. Many writers do the same.

However you picture your Muse, it’s part of who you are, rather than a mystical entity from beyond. Your Muse lives in the following thought processes and activities:

Associative thinking

Intuition

Empathy

Brainstorming

Contemplation/mind wandering

We cannot force creative insights to happen, but we can invite the Muse into our lives. Part Two, Welcome the Muse, offers a range of ideas for enticing the Muse into your writing life.

First, take a good look at your own Muse.

How Does Your Muse Show Up?

Take a moment to think about the role of the Muse in your writing life. If you write in different formats and genres (reports at work, poetry at home), think about one specific type of writing that’s important to you.

Which of the following best characterizes your personal Muse?

Shy