Well,
this little blog tag/hoptour from IC Publishing sounded like fun! I eagerly jumped
at the chance once I was contacted by the amazing and talented June M. Pace of Pressed
Leaf Publishing
to participate! She sent me four questions to answer, and the wheels started
spinning. (Click to check out June’s
answers)
Here’s how I write…
How do I start
my writing projects? (BRAINSTORMING/PREWRITING)
Most
of my writing projects start with a spark. Now, where that spark comes from is
anyone’s guess. It could be the music or endorphins of a run, a gift, a spoken
word, or something I encountered while walking my dogs. The spark can come from
anywhere, really, and once it happens, then the characters begin to form. I
have to hear their voices, see their clothing and understand their
personalities and mannerisms before I know how they will behave. The characters
always come before the plot. During the character development, there are
multiple notes in notebooks, on post-its, scribbled on a bar napkin or a store
receipt, and this handwritten ‘outline’ is labeled and kept safe until the
story reaches completion. After character development, I write. I sit at the
computer and write, regardless of how I feel.
How do you continue
your writing projects? (DRAFTING)
Continuing
my writing projects can prove tricky. From late August to early June, I am an
elementary school teacher and this MUST take priority. I find myself jotting
notes at school (I teach English Language Arts to very creative kiddos, so
there are constantly ideas flowing). Then I try to keep Saturdays as sacred
writing days; it’s important there is always time carved out for my writing. If
I’m lucky, I can sneak into my office in a few nights a week, allowing my fingers
to peck away…if I’m lucky.
Now,
once I start a story, it writes itself in stages. A story plays in my head and
I write what I see. Most of the time it’s a consecutive sequence, but there are
times I have bits and pieces of a story in a random clutter. It sorts itself
out at the story progresses. Every story has a ‘junk pile’. When I cut
something, I place it in the ‘junk pile’, just in case…
Sometimes,
the story won’t flow, so I write a lot of TELLING…’he was sad’…to remind myself
of my train of thought and to move the story forward. During the editing phase,
I will come back and SHOW the reader how/why he was sad.
The
rough draft can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on
the length and flow of the story. Every time I finish a rough draft my mind
flashes to Kathleen Turner’s character in “Romancing the Stone”. At the
beginning of the movie, she finishes her book and has a drink. It always makes
me giggle!
How do you
finish your writing projects? (REVISING/EDITING/PUBLISHING)
Once
the rough draft is completed a few different things happen. First there are
revisions. I reread it, checking for plot holes and making sure my timeline is
clear. I revise for content and fix as many mistakes as I can find. Then I edit
it. OK, I don’t actually edit my own work. I send it out to a professional
editor. Lately, I have been lucky enough to work with Carol von Raesfeld of The
Von Raesfeld Agency.
While the editor has my manuscript, I don’t touch it. I don’t open it. I don’t
read it. I don’t make changes to it. I let her fix my proofreading errors and I
wait for her feedback. During this time, I also send it to my creative advisor,
the talented Jennifer Paquette, and several beta readers. This
is a time when I rely heavily on feedback from others to check for plot holes
and to see if the story is any good. After a few more revisions on my part and
another pass through my editor, the story is ready for publication. I’ve been
self publishing lately. I tried one summer to write and send query letter to
solicit agents. With such a limited time (summer) to dedicate to writing, I
hate to spend hours poring over letters that barely get read, let alone a
response. Right now, self publishing suits my needs.
One final challenge
or tip…
Tip: WRITE! Even when you don’t feel
like it…WRITE! Even when your fingers are tripping over each other…WRITE! Even
if you think you have nothing to say…WRITE!
Challenge: Look at yourself critically, so
you can become better. Have an open mind when someone has constructive
criticism to offer. (This doesn’t mean take abuse. It means truly listen to
opinions of others. Yes, write for yourself, but remember the reader is an important
part of the equation.)
Next up:
Also check out some great responses from some
talented others!
Russell Phillips: non-fiction writer specializing
in military technology and history
