By Julia Allegro
Have you ever wondered what it is like to create an article with the team of students at the Jaguar Jungle? When I began writing, the process was unfamiliar and slightly intimidating to me, as new experiences can be. But, after writing my fair share of articles I can assure you there is nothing to be afraid of and it might be more straightforward than you think! I’m going to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of my process of brainstorming, writing, drafting, and publishing, which might be the encouragement you need to write a piece of your own!
Sometimes the initial spark of inspiration is the hardest part for me to achieve while writing, other times it comes to me plain as day. Usually, no matter my level of creative motivation, I start an article off with brainstorming. This will look different for everyone, but for me, I open up an empty document on my laptop and start writing whatever comes to my head (literally). This could involve recent trends, books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, etc. I love going to Pinterest for ideas (as cliché as that sounds). Especially if I’m thinking of writing a short story or something with creative liberty, making a vision board before I start writing is a driving factor to my success. Even a simple Google search such as “creative blog topics” may be enough to guide me to a topic. Once I’ve selected a topic suitable to me and relevant to CtK’s student body, I begin planning. This is especially important to me if I am writing a narrative; I will plan out general plot points and characters. But, if I am writing a more analytical article (like this one), I will probably start by planning paragraphs and researching if I don’t have enough insight on a specific topic.
Once I have a cutout of what my article will look like, I take the jump and start writing it. The reason I plan extensively before actually putting pen to paper (or hand to keyboard) is because once I’ve done all my planning and research and I have sat with an idea for a while, it is much less intimidating to start filling a blank page than it is when I just begin writing spontaneously. As I start getting a few sentences into my first paragraph, words usually start flowing more easily and I gain confidence in my writing. When I am writing my first draft, I ensure I’m getting ideas in order and sentences together, but I don't focus too hard on things like grammar and word choices just yet. I tend to let it all out in one splurge of creativity and worry about the fine-tuning afterwards. So, needless to say, my first draft of anything is usually chaotic and disorganized. Which is completely okay! Once I have my first draft down, I begin to get picky reading through my words again and again, rearranging sentences, finding synonyms, and making sure everything flows well. Sometimes this is frustrating and sometimes it feels natural. But, I usually don't fret too much about it because before getting published, I know my work will be reviewed by our wonderful group of editors who will surely catch any of my big mistakes!
After over-analyzing my now-forming article for a bit, I begin assembling it in full and polishing off everything before I submit it to get edited. This includes ensuring any and all sources of information I used are cited correctly, that my general set up of the piece is in proper format, and that I have titled my work! Titles are sometimes difficult for me because I need to summarize my ideas in a few words while ensuring it is intriguing to an audience. I don’t have a preference in terms of creating a title before or after I’ve written an article, but usually when I begin, I’ll create a working title that can be changed throughout my writing process. Only after all of this is done and I have read my work once more through, will I submit my work electronically to be reviewed and edited. During this period, there is not too much to do on my end but wait. After a given amount of time, I will receive word back from one of our talented editors with suggestions and/or corrections to use to fix up my work. Typically, none of these changes are mandatory, but I take them into high account while finishing up my article.
Finally, after these corrections are reviewed, I’ll likely get the green light that the article is ready and in a couple of weeks I’ll see it in the monthly issue! This is of course the most exciting part and always feels rewarding. All of the work put into my project pays off and it's satisfying to see what was once only an idea come to life and take up space on a page. With this all being said, I’d like to further emphasize that this is my writing process. I am not saying this in a possessive manner at all, as I greatly hope you can take inspiration from my system. But, I’d like to highlight the fact that writing often looks very different for everybody. Maybe you're the kind of person who can open up a blank document and begin writing paragraphs straight away, with only an idea as your guide, or you like to organize yourself in a completely different manner than I have described. That is normal! I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, the more you write the more you’ll get a feel for your likes and dislikes in terms of the entire writing process!
With all this in mind, I hope to have inspired you to write about your own ideas. Whether you have been writing for years and are only in a creative block, or you have never written outside of an English class. The Jaguar Jungle always welcomes new writers and I’d love to see you in the next issue!
“The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt.”
Sylvia Plath
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