In “The Departure of a Good Daemon,” Robert Herrick expresses a common problem of writers:

What can I do in poetry,
Now the good spirit’s gone from me?
Why nothing now, but lonely sit,
And over-read what I have writ.

I’m trying to acquire the historian’s skill of writing on demand. By “writing on demand,” I mean the ability to take any allotted time, whether half an hour or a whole evening, and write something substantial. Too often I set aside a few hours for writing only to squander the time arranging my notes, checking facts, reading another source, or doing unrelated tasks.

The difference is between waiting for inspiration and preparing for it. The historian who waits for Clio before writing can be sure she will be detained by someone more worthy. The deadline will be his only muse. But a historian who resolves that time appointed for writing shall be spent writing need not subsist on Clio’s dole.

Perhaps a brief sketch of my writing method will be helpful to my readers.

First, before each session I pick a manageable section to write. Its length depends on the time available. Three to five double-spaced pages per hour is not unreasonable.

Second, I scan all my relevant notes, with an eye towards synthesizing them.

Third, I make a rough outline. Throwing down topic sentences or phrases, at least one per paragraph, determines the structure of the section. Writing just the topics helps connect the thoughts between paragraphs. Writing just a sentence or a phrase helps my writing keep up with my thought; I can usually think thoughts coherently faster than I can write them completely.

Fourth, I copy from my notes the evidence or argumentation for each paragraph. I then have all the raw materials for each paragraph: the key thought and its support. I usually create footnotes at this stage, but without getting tangled in the details of documentation.

Finally, I write. After reading the topic sentence, evidence, and argumentation, I draft each paragraph. Writing paragraph by paragraph is more manageable than drafting an entire section. If a word or a sentence proves to be elusive, I write a placeholder describing what ought to be said, and move on.

The sentence is the smallest unit that I write. In my mind, I compose each sentence completely, and then type it out. The alternative is to type a clause or phrase, only to reconsider by the time I reach the end of a sentence. Unless one’s sentences rival Macaulay’s, mentally composing a sentence is not too taxing. Often times, I try to compose the entire paragraph before touching the keyboard.

My method, besides being idiosyncratic, has its flaws. Only unsparing revision can improve quickly written copy. Otherwise it’s easy to keep disjointed sentences as being “good enough.” I also tend to include too many quotations because of copying my notes.

What is your writing process, gentle readers?