A Step Back (In Hopes to Move Forward)

 
Time seems to be increasingly precious these days -- especially time in which I am not fretting over logistical life stuff. The months and days have sped up, and I realize that if I am ever to seriously release my research and writing beyond the confines of my desk (and blog), then I need to step up my game. So, what do washi tape and Moleskine notebooks have to do with any of this you ask? Well, besides being gorgeous and aesthetically soothing to my stress-riddled brain, I plan to use these babies to visually lay out all the thoughts I've got going on concerning my current writing project.

It isn't that I am having trouble filling up the gleaming white space that is the Word document. I did that -- almost 50 pages worth on one little section. As of late, using just Word isn't cutting it. It feels too restrictive. And naturally, it is showing in my writing. After a round of editing (and yes, some tears) I realized that my approach was all wrong. Wrong for me, wrong for my subject. I took a step back and I have now decided that I need to tackle this just like I would when writing an exhibit -- visually. Once it is all laid out, I think I will be better equipped to dive back in and fill in the nooks and crannies with the actual written content. 

What about you? What is your writing process like? Are you an outliner and a planner, or do you just dive in?