Welcome to the Writing Process Blog Tour! My writer-friend Gerry Wilson invited me to participate. If you haven’t already, you should check out Gerry’s blog stop.
The topic for this blog tour is The Writing Process. The challenge is to answer three questions about my work:
What Am I Working On?
Several things at once, unfortunately. I say unfortunately, because I'm a linear person, I like to go all out on one project, finish it, then race on to the next. Life seldom works that way, however.
So currently I am in the final editing stage of a YA science fiction novel called The Malemese Diamond. I'm hoping it'll be up on Amazon by October 1st.
I'm also researching my next historical fiction novel. It will take place in Italy in the 14th C, and my deadline to finish research and start writing is September. For the sake of brevity, the working title is simply Queen, and that's all I can tell you now, because telling the story before writing it is a sure way to make my muse dry up.
Why Do I Write What I Do?
That's a funny question for me to answer, because I write in many genres - historical fiction, science fiction, YA, memoir, short story, women's fiction. I read all those genres, too, and when a great tale comes to me, I write it in whatever genre is best suited to tell that story. In the past, I've written the same concept in two or even three genres before I found the right one for it. That's a bit time-consuming, to say the least, so I prefer to let the story gel awhile until I know what form will best tell it.
How Does My Writing Process Work?
I let an idea simmer while I do research. If it's historical fiction or science fiction, there's a lot of research. Even if it's straight fiction, and little research is needed, I find it's necessary to ponder the idea awhile before I start.
I do some plotting - get an idea of the beginning, the theme and rising action, some set-backs, and how it'll end. Usually I write the beginning and the ending before working on the body. But before I write a word, the main character, or narrator, has to speak to me. This conversational scene comes to me, with all the character's quirks and humour and fears in subtext, and when he or she has spoken, I'm ready to start writing. The rest flows outward, before and after that dialogue. I need that direct contact that makes him/her real to me, to draw me into his/her story.
Thanks for stopping by - I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.
The topic for this blog tour is The Writing Process. The challenge is to answer three questions about my work:
What Am I Working On?
Several things at once, unfortunately. I say unfortunately, because I'm a linear person, I like to go all out on one project, finish it, then race on to the next. Life seldom works that way, however.
So currently I am in the final editing stage of a YA science fiction novel called The Malemese Diamond. I'm hoping it'll be up on Amazon by October 1st.
I'm also researching my next historical fiction novel. It will take place in Italy in the 14th C, and my deadline to finish research and start writing is September. For the sake of brevity, the working title is simply Queen, and that's all I can tell you now, because telling the story before writing it is a sure way to make my muse dry up.
Why Do I Write What I Do?
That's a funny question for me to answer, because I write in many genres - historical fiction, science fiction, YA, memoir, short story, women's fiction. I read all those genres, too, and when a great tale comes to me, I write it in whatever genre is best suited to tell that story. In the past, I've written the same concept in two or even three genres before I found the right one for it. That's a bit time-consuming, to say the least, so I prefer to let the story gel awhile until I know what form will best tell it.
How Does My Writing Process Work?
I let an idea simmer while I do research. If it's historical fiction or science fiction, there's a lot of research. Even if it's straight fiction, and little research is needed, I find it's necessary to ponder the idea awhile before I start.
I do some plotting - get an idea of the beginning, the theme and rising action, some set-backs, and how it'll end. Usually I write the beginning and the ending before working on the body. But before I write a word, the main character, or narrator, has to speak to me. This conversational scene comes to me, with all the character's quirks and humour and fears in subtext, and when he or she has spoken, I'm ready to start writing. The rest flows outward, before and after that dialogue. I need that direct contact that makes him/her real to me, to draw me into his/her story.
Thanks for stopping by - I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.
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