Lynn Lovegreen, one of my awesome writer pals, invited me to participate in a Global Blog Hop. Today it’s my turn to tell you about my writing process and introduce you to other writers.. Please visit Lynn’s original blog at:http://www.lynnlovegreen.com/…/writing-process-global-blog-…
What am I working on?
What am I working on? Yikes! I have six unfinished and four finished works that need revisions and edits, on my laptop computer. Unfortunately I write at a glacial pace, and right now feels like slowest rotation ever. Ugh !
I have two stories I’ve been bouncing between. Circumstances put Min, a Celtic heroine, in the wrong place at the wrong time – she is taken captive by a Norse warrior fleeing the murderous reach of a political take over in his homeland. I enjoy writing, and crafting this story has been quite fun even thought it’s a dark tale with a lot of suffering. There is also a lot of magic and promise. As much as Min’s life completely sucks there is hope and it continues to grow.
The other work in progress is also a joy to write. It’s a time travel story about a modern day scientist studying the Aurora Borealis. Through a freak accident she gets transported back to a time when Alaska was predominantly composed of several indigenous tribes and the first handful of western men making contact with these tribes.
I have two stories I’ve been bouncing between. Circumstances put Min, a Celtic heroine, in the wrong place at the wrong time – she is taken captive by a Norse warrior fleeing the murderous reach of a political take over in his homeland. I enjoy writing, and crafting this story has been quite fun even thought it’s a dark tale with a lot of suffering. There is also a lot of magic and promise. As much as Min’s life completely sucks there is hope and it continues to grow.
The other work in progress is also a joy to write. It’s a time travel story about a modern day scientist studying the Aurora Borealis. Through a freak accident she gets transported back to a time when Alaska was predominantly composed of several indigenous tribes and the first handful of western men making contact with these tribes.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I have a strange and goofy mind and I think it’s reflected in my work, so my writing doesn’t fit precisely in any genre. This makes it difficult to market. I have strong romantic elements in my work, but I do not write dyed in the wool romance. I have or am writing about Vampires, time travelers, people from the 7th century, aliens and Amazon warriors. At some point in my works the characters have life changing love affairs, but it is not pretty and rosy, and often my work might be ultra violent, gritty or perhaps everyone dies at the end.
Why do I write/create what I do?
I will see a scene or a moment in my head and I want to continue it, see where it goes and what happens. I let my imagination lead me when I write and I adore the journeys my writing has taken me on. I have learned to fence, studied planetary sciences, read ancient literature, history, and more. All of this has been cultivated in order to serve my writing and define who my characters are. It has enriched my world and given me much happiness. I have learned so much from my writing about myself, and who I want to be.
Why do I write/create what I do?
I will see a scene or a moment in my head and I want to continue it, see where it goes and what happens. I let my imagination lead me when I write and I adore the journeys my writing has taken me on. I have learned to fence, studied planetary sciences, read ancient literature, history, and more. All of this has been cultivated in order to serve my writing and define who my characters are. It has enriched my world and given me much happiness. I have learned so much from my writing about myself, and who I want to be.
4. How does my writing process work?
So a scene may come to me from hearing a song, watching a movie or a conversation with a friend. Min’s story came from a song. The imagery in the song created a scene in my head, it rolled around for a few days and at some point I started the central casting session. What do they look like? What are they saying? The particular scene that inspired the story doesn’t happen until chapter twenty in the current draft. My time travel story was inspired by attending the Emerald City Writers conference in Seattle where I had a fun conversation with one of my dearest friends whom I stayed with during the conference.
The drafting process begins with writing down the basic idea and a vague plot in two or three pages. Then I start fleshing out scenes, the story changes a lot in this process.
Another thing I started doing once the story grows beyond several chapters is to keep track of my chapters in a separate document, kind of like a spreadsheet. Each chapter has a brief description so I can watch for repetition and see what part of the day the action is happening. I really need to keep track of sunrises and sunsets in some stories, or if I am revisiting the same scene too often. After about two revisions I take it to one of my awesome critique buddies.
The drafting process begins with writing down the basic idea and a vague plot in two or three pages. Then I start fleshing out scenes, the story changes a lot in this process.
Another thing I started doing once the story grows beyond several chapters is to keep track of my chapters in a separate document, kind of like a spreadsheet. Each chapter has a brief description so I can watch for repetition and see what part of the day the action is happening. I really need to keep track of sunrises and sunsets in some stories, or if I am revisiting the same scene too often. After about two revisions I take it to one of my awesome critique buddies.
I love to listen to music while I write. I usually listen to film soundtracks and instrumentals during writing time. This helps me. I actually have a playlists titled “Terse Action Scenes”, and I also have ones for each of the titles I am writing.
It will be a while before my current works in progress are available for public reading. However, the first installment of my three novella trilogy -The Wrath of Aphrodite is available for free at:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wrath-of-ap…/1117316624…
Please allow me to introduce you to another author. I encourage you to check out Connie’s blogs to discover more about her work!
Connie Vines: http://connievines.blogspot.com/…/the-writing-process-blog-…
Connie Vines: http://connievines.blogspot.com/…/the-writing-process-blog-…
