Getting ready to shove off for ALA, but before I do . . .
I've been tagged by Alyson Noel!
Alyson is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of not one, but three amazing series—The Immortals, Soul Seekers, and Riley Bloom-- plus several standalones, plus a spanking new series she's working on, Unrivaled, (yes, I am in awe of her talents) and she's tagged me in a Blog Roll where writers share a little about their work and writing process. I always love to hear how other writers approach writing. Here are my responses:
I've been tagged by Alyson Noel!
Alyson is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of not one, but three amazing series—The Immortals, Soul Seekers, and Riley Bloom-- plus several standalones, plus a spanking new series she's working on, Unrivaled, (yes, I am in awe of her talents) and she's tagged me in a Blog Roll where writers share a little about their work and writing process. I always love to hear how other writers approach writing. Here are my responses:
1. WHAT AM I WORKING ON –
I’m currently being torn in fifty different directions, which is the usual state when you have one book coming out, and another you’re trying to put to bed. I’ve been doing quite a bit of blog writing and interviews for the imminent pub day of The Kiss of Deception. At the same time, my revisions for the second book, The Heart of Betrayal are almost due. Throw in a little travel and I am working on juggling! It's a tricky part of the process. I haven’t dropped a ball—yet.
Oh wait, what's that rolling away . . .
2. HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?
Well to say too much would be spoilerish, but I had one reviewer call The Kiss of Deception, genre-bending, which I think is an accurate way of saying, my work doesn’t necessarily fit into one category of fiction. I write the story I want to write, without regard to genre. Really though, I think every writer’s work stands out in one way or another, because they tell the story the way only they can. Every voice and perspective is different even within a genre.
3. WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?
A character, an idea, a voice, a premise—something grabs hold of me and doesn’t let go. I have to write about it. Writing is a journey for me, as much as it is for the reader. It makes me think, wonder, ponder, and explore all kinds of things. I answer questions for myself, and I discover new ones I didn't even know existed. While I stick to a teen perspective, the books I write have been all over the map--from contemporary realism, magical realism, romance, and science fiction, to fantasy. It's the character and premise that decides the genre, not me.
I’m currently being torn in fifty different directions, which is the usual state when you have one book coming out, and another you’re trying to put to bed. I’ve been doing quite a bit of blog writing and interviews for the imminent pub day of The Kiss of Deception. At the same time, my revisions for the second book, The Heart of Betrayal are almost due. Throw in a little travel and I am working on juggling! It's a tricky part of the process. I haven’t dropped a ball—yet.
Oh wait, what's that rolling away . . .
2. HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?
Well to say too much would be spoilerish, but I had one reviewer call The Kiss of Deception, genre-bending, which I think is an accurate way of saying, my work doesn’t necessarily fit into one category of fiction. I write the story I want to write, without regard to genre. Really though, I think every writer’s work stands out in one way or another, because they tell the story the way only they can. Every voice and perspective is different even within a genre.
3. WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?
A character, an idea, a voice, a premise—something grabs hold of me and doesn’t let go. I have to write about it. Writing is a journey for me, as much as it is for the reader. It makes me think, wonder, ponder, and explore all kinds of things. I answer questions for myself, and I discover new ones I didn't even know existed. While I stick to a teen perspective, the books I write have been all over the map--from contemporary realism, magical realism, romance, and science fiction, to fantasy. It's the character and premise that decides the genre, not me.
4. HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?
My process is always evolving. I’m a writing craft junky and I can never resist hearing how another writer does it. I usually have at least half a dozen “scenes” in my head when I begin, but I’m not always sure how they will fit together or if they will even all make it into the story. I will kind of sketch out a beginning, middlish, and an end, and other scenes fall into place as I write, but sometimes a character or idea throws me a curve and scenes get thrown out and new ones develop. Post it notes for scenes on a big board are very helpful for me. No matter what my process though, the time-honored BIC, butt-in-chair, is what saves the day. I live and die by daily word counts. To the left you can see a chart I keep. It is like clocking in for me. If I didn’t have goals, I would set aside my writing every time I hit the Writing Valley of Doubt. Worth saying again: Butt-in-chair. Keep going. For me, that’s the most important thing to remember.
5. HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS NOT WORK?
One thing I’ve learned is that writing begets writing. Sometimes I am forced to step away, or I play hooky for a few days. It is like pulling teeth for me to get back into my writing brain. Hence, a daily word count chart helps to keep me going and avoid that pitfall--even if I only write a few words.
Now it’s my turn to tag!
Lynne Matson – Lynne is a debut author and her first book NIL, came out in March. I loved it. Besides the characters being trapped on a mysterious island, the romance was so—. I don’t want to spoil it, but trust me, you need to read this one! Let's hear what Lynne has to say . . .
My process is always evolving. I’m a writing craft junky and I can never resist hearing how another writer does it. I usually have at least half a dozen “scenes” in my head when I begin, but I’m not always sure how they will fit together or if they will even all make it into the story. I will kind of sketch out a beginning, middlish, and an end, and other scenes fall into place as I write, but sometimes a character or idea throws me a curve and scenes get thrown out and new ones develop. Post it notes for scenes on a big board are very helpful for me. No matter what my process though, the time-honored BIC, butt-in-chair, is what saves the day. I live and die by daily word counts. To the left you can see a chart I keep. It is like clocking in for me. If I didn’t have goals, I would set aside my writing every time I hit the Writing Valley of Doubt. Worth saying again: Butt-in-chair. Keep going. For me, that’s the most important thing to remember.
5. HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS NOT WORK?
One thing I’ve learned is that writing begets writing. Sometimes I am forced to step away, or I play hooky for a few days. It is like pulling teeth for me to get back into my writing brain. Hence, a daily word count chart helps to keep me going and avoid that pitfall--even if I only write a few words.
Now it’s my turn to tag!
Lynne Matson – Lynne is a debut author and her first book NIL, came out in March. I loved it. Besides the characters being trapped on a mysterious island, the romance was so—. I don’t want to spoil it, but trust me, you need to read this one! Let's hear what Lynne has to say . . .
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