As far as 'process', play with different stuff and find what works for you. I find it does help to outline a bit -- but only in the most informal way. I edit better on paper. Hunter Thompson actually typed The Great Gatsby to get a feel for Fitzgerald's rhythms. Fuck around until something fits.
Edit your copy ruthlessly. I will routinely change 90% of my copy between first and final drafts.
Keep your audience in mind: who you're writing for should affect every word.
I set up postfix + dovecot (with Squirrel Mail front end) on my own VPS just to see if I could do it, and it worked fine. It was a huge PITA to set up, but I knew that going in. The only problems I ever had was with Craigslist bouncing my email, and I fixed that. BUT this is just a personal email.
As far as 'process', play with different stuff and find what works for you. I find it does help to outline a bit -- but only in the most informal way. I edit better on paper. Hunter Thompson actually typed The Great Gatsby to get a feel for Fitzgerald's rhythms. Fuck around until something fits.
Edit your copy ruthlessly. I will routinely change 90% of my copy between first and final drafts.
Keep your audience in mind: who you're writing for should affect every word.
Write as tight as possible.