Step 1
	I always start my writing day by reading. It's the best way I know to get myself into the right 'head space' for writing.
Step 2
	I pick up my pen and let it rip! My first drafts are always handwritten and I start by writing notes. Those notes soon turn into scenes and I write whatever comes. I don't try to make the ideas hang together and I don't worry if they don't makes sense. I just write, covering reams and reams of paper — enough to sink a ship.
Step 3
	Only after I’ve got the first 'rush' of a story down on paper do I start to plan it. I read over what I’ve got, and with a ruler I divide the story into the different events I've created. These events give me an idea of the story's 'shape'. They also show me the 'gaps' still left to fill.
Step 4
	I pick up my pen and let it rip again! I flesh out the scenes that I wrote last time, and fill in some of the gaps, and usually create some more scenes, covering yet more reams of paper.
Step 5
	Once again I read over what I've written and use a ruler to rule off each separate event.
Step 6 onward
	I take a story through this process many times before it's done. It's a long and unpredictable way of working, and not always successful. Some stories work out, some don’t. Writing's always a risk. At some point, I key the work into my computer and print out a clean copy. And move onto the next stage, in which I rewrite the scenes, and rewrite them, and rewrite them — anywhere from four to fifty times. I keep reading the story over and ruling a line under each separate event, to make sure everything advances as it should.
Last Step
	The final step is editing. Instead of adding words, I start taking them away. I try to make sure I have only those words I need and no more!

To find out about my housesitting, please click here.