I start putting a story together by getting a wicked idea (usually at 2am) and must make sure to write it down or I will have the devil of a time going back to sleep. Of course, if I do manage to fall asleep without having done so, I will be tormented for the next several days about how the perfect story got away.

From my hastily scrawled notes, I create a Word file for the new idea and roughly draw out the main characters--they won't get names yet but I might already start to hear their voices in my head. I'll put down those conversations and any other brilliant ideas and then put it away to marinate for a few days.

When I come back to it, I usually have a better idea of what kind of story it will be--a short story or a novel, erotica or mainstream, or maybe it is something that isn't ready to be written yet. If it is clamoring to be written, I then write a basic outline of the plot arc. By this, I mean I figure out the set-up, the action, and the resolution.

I have really found that an outline is very helpful as a starting point, especially for the longer stories to make sure that I tie up any loose ends. However, I find I get more use out of a pack of yellow stickies (aka post-it notes) than the outline process I was taught in school. I basically create a storyboard for each of stories I may be working on at any one time.

On my stickies, I put character descriptions down as I write them in the story (hair and eye color, background info like job or parent’s names, their particular kinks, etc) and stick 'em up on the bulletin board. I also put down the main plot points to make sure that I'm keeping the tension high. I can quickly and easily rearrange things as I write and reference back (were her pubes shaved?) as I work.

I try to write something everyday. If the muse isn’t cooperating, I end up hopping around from one story to the next. Instead of having to reread everything I’ve written so far before I can start the days work, I can glance up on the board and see the stickies for each project.

When writing the story itself, I rarely work in a linear fashion. Mainly because I am easily bored, I jump around and write the fun stuff and then have to buckle down and write the nitty gritty transitions and explain how we got from point A to point D and why they don’t have any clothes on.

As I get close to finishing, I start rereading the story, making obvious corrections as I go. These read throughs help me to fine tune the story and resolve any plot holes. Once I finish, I usually put the thing down for a week or better before I start editing. I have to get some distance and perspective first. If I start editing too soon, I might catch the grammar errors but I won’t see the extraneous paragraphs that don’t do anything to move the story forward.