My Writing Process Blog Tour

A Few Quick Announcements

1. I'll be at a Book Signings this evening.
2. Trusted is part of a Book Blast today.

Shout Out

Monique Bucheger tagged me in this blog tour that has been circulating among authors lately. What we do is share a bit of our writing process.

My Writing Process

I am to answer the following questions:

1) What am I working on?

I am actually working on several projects. My primary focus is book 2 of the Dragons' Trust series which I hope to release late October of this year. Next I'm working on getting a Middle Grade Science Fiction which is the first in a series ready to submit to publishers. And finally I'm working on a series of Novella's that are re-tellings of lesser known fairy tales.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Since I believe that all stories are just recombinations of things that have come before (as in putting new wine into old bottles). The things that set a writers work apart is their voice and their characters. So that is how my work is different. I take my spin and put it on dragons in the Dragons' Trust series. And my MG Sci-Fi has a very unique voice. The fairy tale re-tellings all have a little of my own flare to them.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I am an avid Science Fiction and Fantasy fan. And since it is what I love to read it is also what I love to write. I've had ideas for stories in other genres, but none of them have stuck around long enough to hold my interest. I always come back to science fiction and fantasy.

4) How does my writing process work?

I am a planner. Which means I use an outline. But I do a lot of discovering before I get to that point.

I get a spark for an idea and I let it stew for a while. Sometimes I will do some brain storming sessions and a little research. Then I sit down and make a rough outline. Sometimes I just start outlining with no specific structure in mind I just ask "What happens next." I am also very fond of using The Hero's Journey as a method for structuring my stories. Recently I was introduced to the beat sheet derived from a book called Save the Cat which I am trying out.

Once I have the rough outline then I start laying out what will happen chapter by chapter, scene by scene, I only need the highlights, the important things that happen in that scene. Then, and only then, do I start writing. This is because the thing that cause writers block the most for me is not knowing where I am going.

I write each scene/chapter in chronological order. Occasionally I skip a head if I am stuck on something but usually I just push ahead knowing that I will come back to fix when I am done. I do not edit during the first draft, I just keep moving forward.

Next I let it sit for a few days while I jump over and work on another project that is usually in an earlier or later stage of development. When I come back I do a read through, taking notes of changes that need to be made. Then it is time for the first revision. Again, I go in order start to finish and try not to skip unless I am stuck, and I don't look back.

Next come the readers. I call all my test readers "beta" readers because it is easier. They read through and tell me what is wrong, well what they think is wrong. If I agree with them I make corrections as needed.

I like to do a second round of "beta" readers when I have the chance and use their comments to do the third revision.

Finally it goes to the editor, which always results in more fixes. And then after a proof read (which usually involves either listening to the work or reading it out aloud) it's ready for the next step--whether it's indie publishing or submitting to agents and publishers.

Pass it On

The following amazing authors will be posting some time around June 9th with their writing process. So Don't forget to check it out :)

Shauna E. Black

C Michelle Jefferies