Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Writing is my Superpower!

I didn't post last week...already slacking apparently, eek!

Honestly, there wasn't much to share last week (or this week even), unless you guys like to hear me ramble.  You do??? Well, alright then...

Who wants to hear about my writing process?!?!?!


It's actually pretty simple, but in case you were ever curious...

   First comes the general story idea - my sister actually comes up with the idea most of the time.  Well, it's more like she comes up with an idea, and tells me I have to write the story for it.  There have even been a few times she made me stop writing the story I'd come up with to write hers. Lol.  Can you tell she's older and in charge?
   From there, we actually walk through the major plot points together, and I write them all down (because I'll totally forget them otherwise).
   Then, I just sit down and start writing.  I write a chapter at a time, and after each one, I send it to my sister.  She comes back with a "yay" or "nay."  If it's good, I go onto the next chapter.  If she doesn't like it, I re-write it until she does like it.  She also sends me grammar/spelling issues she catches along the way (even though it gets professionally edited at the end).
   Most of the time, I know I need to get from major plot point 1 to major plot point 2 to major plot point 3, and so on before I even start writing.  The stuff in between is what just comes to me as I'm writing the chapter.
   Example: If I know major plot point 1 is that the couple meets and major plot point 2 is that they get engaged, I have to figure out the courting chapters.  I do those on the fly.  The words just magically appear on paper as I write.
   If I ever get stuck, I go to my sister and ask for advice.  Sometimes, she gives me an idea, sometimes her idea sucks lol, but it gives me an idea, sometimes just talking to her helps me figure it out.
   At some point while I'm in the middle of writing, usually about 1/4 or 1/3 of the way in, I'll stop and write the blurb.  Of course, I run that by my sister too.

   I'm a big fan of prologues (although not all my stories have one), I love HEA's, and I always include an epilogue that's down the line in the future so you get to see how things turned out.
   The difficulty is finding time to write.  I wish I could quit my day job and focus solely on writing, but alas, that's not in the cards for me, at least not yet.  I also have a toddler and a 6 month old.  I used to write a chapter a day, either during a break at work or after my first baby girl went to sleep.  But now, it's harder, and I find myself writing only a few chapters a week.  But hey, that's better than nothing!

   After the story is complete, I send it over to my editor and some of my trusted friends.  They give me their feedback, and if I need to change something, I do.  Same goes for my editor.  I've added in parts, removed parts, even re-wrote parts based on her critique. We do 2 rounds of edits, and then voila!  The story is complete! ☺

   And that, folks, is my writing process.  Thanks!

No comments: