In “The Accidental Novelist: How Stolen Moments Can Make a Book,” I wrote about an unorthodox writing technique I discovered — and the novel I’ve been “accidentally” creating as a result.
That process includes thumb-typing chunks of text on my phone whenever and wherever I have a minute and an idea, and building my story piecemeal. One reader, Anonymole, commented that if writers create this way, they will need to step back at some point and consolidate their written fragments, no matter how inspired, into a cohesive and consistent story. I recently hit such a point, with roughly 64,000 words written.
Writing that much prose is one thing, but weaving it all together into a story with a strong arc, purpose, and impact is another entirely. Here are some lessons I’m learning along the way that might help you in your writing process — whether your own writing is an “accident” or not.
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