How do you call the non-writing parts of creating a text?
When I sit down and put words on paper or type into my computer, that aspect of creating a text (like a novel or software manual) is called "writing": I store the content of my text in letters.
But when I plan what I want to write, develop my "story", construct the plot, or research the facts, I'm not yet actually writing my novel or news article.
What is the superordinate term for that non-writing aspect of a writer's work?
The best term I found is "narrative", but that denotes what you create, not the process of creating it. I need a term not for the object that you work on, but for the work you do.
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I'd call that development. It covers everything in Dale's excellent list and dmm's couch time.
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I beg to differ with you. For lack of a better all-inclusive word, I call all of that "writing." The actual setting-down of the words is just one part of writing. And even once that is done, you still have to edit the words, which is more writing.
Really, we should have a proper word for the whole process. Maybe, "writering." That way, when I'm laying on the couch composing a scene in my imagination, my wife could say to my kids, "Leave Daddy alone. He's writering." Sounds so much better than "napping."
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/10535. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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