My Writing Process

I was tagged by my lovely #nerdherd pal Tabitha Martin in the Writing Process Blog Hop. The quote that started it all: "We writers share these things, but informally during workshops and at conferences (and, for a handful of established writers, in printed interviews), but not so much through our open-forum blogs. With the hashtag #MyWritingProcess, you can learn how writers all over the world answer the same four questions. How long it takes one to write a novel, why romance is a fitting genre for another, how one's playlist grows as the draft grows, why one's poems are often sparked by distress over news headlines or oddball facts learned on Facebook..."

So here are my answers

What am I working on?

As of last night I'm between two projects. I just finished up a major revision on WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (a YA contemporary). I'm waiting on notes for a few chapters from my CP and have entered it into a contest. I'm going to see how that goes and then query from there. EEP. Next up is another YA contemporary, WHAT IF I WAS NOTHING. I have a few chapters written and some plot points jotted down.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I wrote it. I mean, there are only so many different story lines out there. It's all in the way it's presented. My stories are my spin/take on an story line. Everyone sees the world in a different light and only we can tell the story from that point of view. I also like to think I have a unique voice.

Why do I write what I do?

Because I love contemporary. Simple as that. I wanted to write YA science fiction (my first MS was YA SF) but I'm not sure it's for me. I have another idea for one, but we'll see how it goes. For some reason contemporary is what fills my head. And I'm okay with that.

How does my writing process work?

Strangely enough it starts with a song. I'll have an idea or a character and then I'll hear this song and BAM! A book idea is born. It can be a song I've known for years or a song I've never heard before...either way in that moment it hits me and makes sense. I wish I was a plotter. I'm trying to be because I know it'll be so much easier but for the most part I plot as I go. I know how the book with go one to two chapters ahead of where I am with only a general idea of where the book is going to go. I am a huge fan of making a book map after I've written a rough draft to see where the book is and where it's going.

And this all happens slowly. I am a horribly slow writer. I pushed myself this summer and finished my novel within two months, writing at least 1K a day. But it drained me. I tried to pick right up into a new MS but couldn't do it. Now that WTWBs is pretty much done I can focus on WIIWN. I may not crank out 1K a day but I'll take what I get while I'm querying. I wish I were a faster writer but I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not. And that's okay because it's me.

So that's a look into my crazy writer brain. I'm tagging two of my incredibly talented CPS! Jessica Leake and Joy N. Hensley. Both have amazing books out this fall! Check out their posts next Monday!