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My Writing Process Blog Tour
Friend and fellow author Joan Leacott has invited me to speak about my process on the My Writing Process Blog Tour.
1) What am I working on?
I am currently working on Tangled Redemption, book 4 in the Celestial Surrender series. Sydney, a Naema we first meet in Tangled Hunger, gets into a spot of trouble with the Spaniard, a character I have mentioned a number of times in all three books. And then Jayden appears on the scene and makes both of them pay attention.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My universe is ruled by Vampires, Naemas and Humans. I have Vampires in space;). They are just another species that follows some of the Vampire myths, but I also bring new twists to the genre. Naemas are part angel, part demon, who have to face their own challenges. And then there are Humans, who have to live in a universe where they are physically weaker, but stand out through sheer numbers and by being savvy.
3) Why do I write what I do?
I like to make s*** up and not be limited. Although I try to stick to reality, I love that if I want it to rain gum balls, I can make it rain gum balls. I am the Queen of my very own Galaxy;).
4) How does your writing process work?
I usually start with either a situation or a character. For example Rescue by Ruin started with Beatrice climbing aboard a dirigible of ill-repute to ruin her reputation. Then Things Happen.
After that I discover my character’s back story. Why? Why? Why? Goal, motivation and conflict are key. The next step is an outline. I just need to know the key steps. What happens between them the characters tell me. For my last project, Sexy Steampunk 2, the sequel to Rescue by Ruin, I put each scene on a post-it note and lined them up on the wall. That way I could remove one every time I finished a scene. I haven’t yet done this yet for Tangled Redemption, but I may do so next;).
This is me in my somewhat chaotic and still evolving nutshell.
Next Monday discover the process of two of my friends.
Lexi Post lives with her husband and cat in the Caribbean where gorgeous sunsets, warm weather, and driving on the left are the norm.
Cristal Ryder is a multi-published author, lives in a small Canadian town and is a single mom of two college aged sons.
Writer Wednesday: Process
I call myself a plantser, meaning I outline in broad strokes like a planner and then make it up as I go along within those lines like a pantser. This has worked well for me. When I get a little lost I just drill down deeper and give myself more keywords to keep me on track.
My goal is to finish the first draft of Sexy Steampunk 2 by December 1st. Fellow writer Karla Doyle shared with me how she kept herself on track when she had a deadline for her last book. She would write every scene onto a post-it note and not leave her desk until that scene was done. So I went along and made this
This happened a week ago. Now I am here
You can see that I have only taken down 2 post-its. However for the second post-it I wrote nearly 6k from three different points of view. This tells me that I have to be more specific and not just transfer my plantser outline that says “have sex” or “Big Black Moment”;).
Still, I like this new process. It is visual and gives you a good idea as to where you are. It is very satisfying to tear down one of those notes, so I will probably continue doing this, just flesh it out a little bit more.
What about you? Do you keep track of progress through word count or do you have a visual component?
BTW, the notes look I’ve crumpled them up, but that is just the style the manufacturer made.
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