Thank you so much for your lovely message! I’m glad you enjoy my writing and happy to share a bit about my writing process, though I haven’t figured out a cookbook recipe for a good story yet (let me know if you ever do).
I believe there are different kinds of writers: some have a clear storyline in mind and write straight from start to finish (definitely not me!). I usually start with a collection of random chapters or even just bits of dialogue that end up scattered all over the story. That helps me get a feel for the characters — their personalities, traits, and motivations. From there, I think about the plot, potential conflicts, situations to put them into, how they’d react and how a character develops. Once I have that, I make a rough plan of where I want to end up and what needs to happen to get there. Then comes the messy part: writing according to the plan, rearranging scenes, changing things, fitting in the existing chapters, filling the gaps, and building everything into something cohesive... And of course, not every idea turns out to fit into the story. And some pieces, like "Stumbled", felt like the beginning of something, but I haven’t found the right direction yet. So for now, they just stay one-shots... or remain buried on my computer.
Writing stories this way is definitely not efficient. Therefore, I wouldn't call it advice, just my experience. So don't be discouraged!
