Writing in the Dark

I’m what’s called a discovery writer or pantser. Meaning that I don’t follow an outline when I write, but prefer to let the story come to me as I type.

Another way writers sometimes refer to this is “writing into the dark” where you can’t see where the story is going beyond what your headlights show you.

Lately, as I’ve returned to a regular writing routine, I’ve found myself literally writing in the dark. I turn off the lights, no matter the time of day. I put my Scrivener file into Composition Mode, which gives me the white background of my text editor against a background photo that I’ve uploaded.

This helps me focus on the words.

Sometimes, I need even less distraction than watching my words appear on the page. If I’m sitting down, I’ll close my eyes. If I’m at my standing desk, I’ll look down at the desk so I don’t see the words I’m typing.

Safe in the darkness, I’ve been able to sneak up on my muse like a trainer sidling up to a particularly skittish horse while keeping her gaze off to the side. I now have around 8,500 words, approximately 34 pages, on the next WAR book. And about 3,400 words on a weird little speculative fiction short story that I may or may not ever publish.

Having words flowing again is a huge milestone for me. So, for the foreseeable future, I’m going to literally be writing in the dark.