I see people ask what the “correct” way is to write. As with any creative endeavor, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Sure, there is a plethora of “guidelines” but none are set in stone, proverbial or otherwise. There are as many different approaches as there are people in the world (and perhaps even beyond). Everybody’s different. Some start with a theme; some with only a character or characters; some work backward from an ending; some will take a seed of an idea and fill in using the classic Hero’s Journey template; some go in with no direction at all and let the characters take them on their journey (this is the most fun for me). I’ve heard about writers who could not start fleshing out their story without a firm outline while others cannot work within that constraint despite the fact that it can certainly be changed along the way.
And that’s only the activity itself, saying nothing about the environment. A dark room, a cabin in the woods, at the kitchen table, on a laptop, desktop, tablet (though I really cannot envision that as being efficient at all), pencils, typewriter, index cards; whatever’s most comfortable. Time of day is often a factor, so find that special sweet spot when you can be most creative. Before breakfast, after dinner, midnight, whenever. The one rule, albeit in my own not-so-humble opinion, is that wherever you write, it should be free of distractions which is not always easy.
Try as many methods as you can and go with what works best, preferably that which is the most enjoyable. If you try to write using a method you can’t stand, it will show through in the work. Write in marathons, write in twenty-minute bursts, whichever is most comfortable.
Writing should be a joy, not a chore.
If you want to write, then I’ll stop here so you can get on with it. There’s an alien creature climbing up the drainpipe. Try writing about what happens with that.
R.B. Ray 