Of course, Fowles is pointing out that this degree of navel-gazing
is deeply unhealthy, even disabling for his field. Thankfully,
creative non-fiction is a more prosaic area than novel writing,
an area where well-primed authors generally find it easier (more
routine) to do writing. But most of us encounter some similar
problems in handling the self-exposure involved in authoring,
facing up to our own limited ideas and contribution, and coping
with the inevitable separation between our planned piece of
work and the one that actually materializes on screen or paper.
Three key strategies can help ease the myths and difficulties
surrounding the writing process. One step is to rethink the
writing process not as a single creative act but instead as a
multi-stage process, where each stage is as important for your
progress as any other. Authoring does not just involve pro-
ducing a first draft. It is just as much about how you reflect on
what you have done, try out the arguments on other people,
replan your text in the light of comments, and implement revi-
sions. Second, where a piece of writing is not working in its
current form, it is useful to have in reserve a specific and reli-
able method for radically remodelling problematic text. A third
strategy is to plan your writing sessions carefully and to review
some detailed suggestions which may help you maintain
progress and avoid running into potential road blocks.
Drafting, upgrading and going public
Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.
The Emperor, in The Return of the Jedi^3Writing up a chapter plan into the very first joined-up version
of your text will produce literally dozens of changes in what
you expected to do. All of them will be disappointing. What
seemed feasible, concise, coherent or original on your plan will
turn out weaker, lengthier, less accessible or more familiar in
practice. Howard Becker notes that many PhD students adhere
to the illusion that there is some ‘one best way’ of authoring
any given piece, sitting out there in a landscape of potentiali-
ties, just waiting to be discovered.^4 The writer’s task then is to
hunt high and low for this optimal path. Taking this view, you
DEVELOPING YOUR TEXT◆ 135