Welcome to a blog tour where writers and authors answer questions about
their writing process. My critique partner, the fabulously talented Evie
Owens, posted hers last week, where she gives you the inside scoop on her
journey and she tagged me to join the tour. Thanks, Evie Owens! And all I
can say to you is, where the heck is Psychic Detective II?
What am I working on?
I’m working on a book with a draft title of Kiss Me Twice from that great old song “It’s
Been a Long, Long time”. It’s a bit more suspenseful in the genre sense
than my past few books, all about a college reunion, our heroine’s doubt about
the identity of an old lover, and her mother’s struggles with Alzheimer’s
disease. So it’s thematically all about memory, faulty and otherwise.
How does my work
differ from others of its genre?
I would say broadly I write women’s fiction, stories about women and
those they love, their families, their triumphs and bumps in the road. But I am
unable to imagine a story without a little detour into some other genre, a
touch of mystery here, a paranormal occurrence there, even a visit to a past
time, a la the 1950’s. So I differ most in that I can’t do anything by the
book! HA! No surprise to anyone who knows me.
Why do I write what I
do?
I’m a firm believer that writers write because they must. And each
individual writer chews on issues that are important to them, even
subconsciously. I am always in some way writing about identity. And secrets. And
the 'why' of that is my personal life, and that’s all I’ll share about that. For
now.
How does your writing
process work?
An idea comes calling,
a little explosion of ‘what if’,
triggered by an image, or a sentence, or a thought about something I’ve read or
heard. The ending of the story leaps into my head. Always the ending first.
Title next. Main characters issues begin to materialize. First 3 chapters take
shape in a lump. Then I outline, plot, do structure overviews. Meet other
characters. Think about it. Decide to throw
the whole thing out. (HA, just kidding. But only a little.) Rewrite the
first 3 chapters about 10 times. Start slogging through the rest. Thank all the
good things in heaven that I have a wonderful, long term critique group that is
supportive and constructive and brilliant. Even when I disagree with one of
them, they school me every meeting on the good, bad and ugly of what I’m doing.
Then, write every day until the
sucker is done. Then rewrite it another 10 times. Not kidding.
And now it's my
turn to tag some people! I've chosen three wonderful writers. One is my
critique partner. The others are up and coming Soul Mate Publishing sister
authors. Be sure and go check them out next Monday at the addresses below to
find out their revelations of how they handle that “I have to write” thing.
Mary Blayney : A dear friend and critique partner
for over fifteen years, Mary is a New York Times best selling writer of the
Pennistan family series of Regencies from Bantam books, as well as wonderful and compelling Contemporary
romances. http://maryblayney.com/
Elizabeth Janette, author of Redemption For Liars , is a fellow Soul
Mate Publishing sister, who writes “Romantic suspense to die for”. http://www.elizabethjanette.com/
Patricia Patterson, a poet and writer, will see her
debut novel, Crushed Circle, published
by Soul Mate Publishing in the summer of
2014.
Is that actually your desk in the photo?
ReplyDeleteOnly in my head, Carol Y. I'd love to have it though, and write on paper, and correct in a different color. sigh. The old days! thanks for posting. XX Emelle
ReplyDeleteMy question was GOING to be, how do you keep your desk so neat? I am not doing any writing and my desk looks like a cyclone hit it but an organized cyclone, so I couldn't believe that anyone could have such a neat desk. :)
ReplyDeleteSo, then, my question would be, do you ever write some of your work on paper and then transfer it to the computer?? Like it you are somewhere that you have no access to a device, does paper and pen come into use, ever???
Thanks for the reply.
Cynthia Blain
Uxbridge, MA.
Hi dear Cynthia. Yes, I often write on paper, and transfer it later to my computer. I love writing that way, particularly in the early stages. Thanks for the question!
ReplyDelete"Decide to throw the whole thing out."
ReplyDelete--Hey, that's part of MY process, too! Problem is, I get stuck on that step. :-)
Love the glimpses into people's processes... Thanks for playing.
Good to see you here, Evie Owens. Yes, its an easy profession to hit a roadblock in. I guess the trick is 'go around it'...work on something else. But work! Thanks for the tag...XXX Emelle
ReplyDeleteHow long does it take you to write a book, from the beginning process til the end? And after you're finished how long does it take to be released? Hope that's a good question for you lol
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Brandi
Brandi these are great questions and totally unanswerable! HA! I just did a blog post to be published next Monday on another site that explains the idea for Molly Harper was planted in my brain 30 years ago...and I wrote in 25 years later. But realistically, if I have 25-30 hours a week, I can write a full novel in 6-9 months. As far as being released, Secret Sister was completed in December of 2012 (final edit) and published by Soul Mate in July 2013. On the other hand, the book I published with Posh Publishing was finished in December and published in January...due to having everything ready to go. Thanks for the great questions!
DeleteThank u for answering my questions. =)
DeleteHey Brandi! You're very welcome. And guess what! You won a free eBook. Send your email address to emellegamble@aol.com and I'll send it along. And thank you again for posting. XXX Emelle
DeleteHow do you come up with a idea for a book?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Tina
Tina Carlson...it's the best question, and the most asked I think of most writers, and the honest answer is 'by living'. You see something, remember something, do a 'what if' about something, something happens to a friend, all fodder for a new novel. If you get a chance to look at Molly Harper, its based on an idea I started mulling over 30 years ago! Thanks for posting. Are you thinking about writing a book?
DeleteHey Tina Carlson! You just won a FREE eBook for posting. Send your email address to me at emellegamble@aol.com and I'll send it along. Thanks again for your question. XXX Emelle
DeleteI find it interesting that the ending comes first to you and then the title. So many authors have said a character makes her or himself known to them and demands their own story. Has this ever happened to you or do you always come up with the situation and then go looking for characters to people it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your writing process with us.
Hi PAT! Great question...no, this hasn't happened to me. I'm always an idea or plot person, and then I find the characters out there, leaning against the light pole, waiting for me to come along and tell their story. HA! Thank you for the post.
Delete