Writing the Craig E. Higgins Way: Part 1 - “The Process”

A lot of people who don’t write often ask me, ‘Hey, what’s your process, man?’ It’s a perfectly reasonable question. And since I’m in the process (see what I did there?) hawking my upcoming novel, ‘Artichoke Stars and Chicken-Fried Shark’ I thought it a good idea to share with you, my humble reader, exactly what it takes to write a ‘Craig E. Higgins Novel’. Think it’s easy? Not even with ChatGPT, my friend. So, read on while I regale you with the basics of (drum roll) … My Process (Part 1)!

Step 1: Get up stupid-early in the morning - One thing ChatGPT can’t do is be your alarm clock - I’m usually awake by 3 AM or so. I know this sounds insane but that’s the time when the world’s asleep and nobody can bother you while you’re digging into the weird stuff in your brain.

Step 2: Hot Chocolate - The little AI gremlins can’t make you a go-beverage, either. And you totally need that. I make my own hot chocolate with baker’s chocolate, milk and a few other things (recipe later this week). Now, if you’re a coffee drinker, you can substitute your favorite cafe au lait or what have you, and that’s fine. But do yourself a favor and get tanked up before you start.

Step 3: Two Thousand Words or Bust - When you get to working be sure and set a goal or benchmark for how much you’re going to get typed out that session. I like two thousand words - cranking out at least that many gives me a sense of progress even if I don’t write anything anyone will see. That benchmark is a Stephen King canard (and I have no idea on how he came up with this particular number), and maybe your number will be smaller or greater. But set a bar and stick to it. And add to that benchmark as you go.

Don’t be wishy-washy about Step 3; I’m serious about this.

More on My Process next time!