blog hop

Oh the things we find in our drafts folders. About a year ago, I was tagged by the lovely Bonnie J. James, Bonnie gave some interesting questions, and I was delighted to answer them, but then domestic tornado chains ripped through and the draft got buried. Since I am not currently at RWA Nationals, where I can blabber about the writing process with any random person within my line of sight, I can do the next best thing and post my answers here.

1) What am I working on/writing right now?

Totally different answers on this question, one year later, which is as it should be. Currently, I am working on three projects.

For Her Last First Kiss, K.A. Mitchell suggested the tag line, “My Best Friend’s Mistress,” which really does fit. When a neglected and misunderstood second son of the aristocracy with a talent for pleasing older women finds his soulmate in a practical minded mistress who is more than she seems, he must choose between the love of a lifetime and the respect of his only true friend. This Georgian historical is taking me on quite the wild ride, and I think I like it.

I am co-writing a novella with longtime critique partner and perpetual conference roommate, Melva Michaelian, which I can best describe as historical romance adjacent. It’s been a long time since I’ve collaborated with another writer, but it’s a whole lot of fun. Details coming soon.

Third project is something I’ve been debating for quite some time: an ebook version of my From Fan Fiction to Fantastic Fiction and On Beyond Fanfic workshops. Early days on that one, but I love presenting the workshop, both online and in person, so this feels like a natural extension

2) What have I learned about my writing process over the years?

Oh so very much, and it keeps on going. Most importantly, that it’s going to change from time to time, and that’s okay. I’ve learned that there are some constants, though, and that’s okay, too. I compose best in longhand. Sitting alone in an empty room is not for me. I’m a talker, so if I’m stuck, blabbering about the stuckness to some obliging soul, writer or not, will usually loosen the clog. Focusing on hitting a word count is sure to give me a muscle cramp, but if I focus on telling the story, hey, look at all those pages with squiggly lines on them. I’m learning to trust my own voice, and that writing from the heart works a lot better for me than writing from the head. I’m more of a puzzler than plotter or pantser, though I do like to puzzle my way to a detailed outline that turns into a first draft. I go scene by scene, and if one doesn’t flow into the next one, time to go back and figure out where somebody made a wrong turn. Finding and correcting that wrong turn can be the difference between a finished novel and a partial one.

I love having sensory input when I write, so I usually have music playing, or sometimes white noise, and I like to make Pinterest boards for various projects so I can refer to visuals. I’ve found that it works best when I keep the board private, so that’s a new thing I’ve learned as well. Mixing images and videos that all relate to the story at hand gives me a boost and keeps things fresh.

Now that I am moving files over to a new computer, I’m pretty much one hundred percent converted from Word to Scrivener, which I once thought I would never understand.

Ask me again next week, and there may be a different answer. Change is a constant.

3) What is my writing schedule like?

I like to write uninterrupted by domestic tornadoes, so I like to get out of the house for at least two hours a day for concentrated writing time, usually in early afternoon, at a local coffee house or park. I’m a morning person, so getting up before the rest of the household works very well, but if I’m the last one up, I can squeeze in some time there, too. I’m a writing nomad; in a given day, I may work in my office, at the kitchen counter, in the living room, park, coffee house, whatever feels right for the day.

4) What is my favorite book about writing?

The Care and Feeding of the Girls in the Basement by Barbara Samuel. I cannot say enough good things about this book. Warm, wise and challenging, the prolific Barbara Samuel asks us to examine the facets of our individual voices and make sure the girls in the basement have what they need to keep sending up the great story stuff. This book is equally good for a pick-me-up or swift kick in the pants. I love, love, love her idea of Sunday Books, secret projects for our own pleasure, and found that extremely helpful.

For those keeping up with my Not at Nationals whines, here’s day number three:

In case you missed day two, it’s here:

Putting books I already own on my own chair doesn’t quite have the same effect as finding a new book on my seat at conference meals, but on the other hand, it might be time for a reread….

At my most recent CRRWA meeting, the lovely and talented Jeanette Grey asked if I’d like to participate in a blog hop. My first answer was “yes,” followed by “what did I agree to here?” Thankfully, she answered that it was a few questions about writing process, to which I replied something like “sure, that sounds like fun,” but soon afterwards, reality sank in. Tender subject there, and as recently as a couple of months back, my honest answer would likely have been something along the lines of “:unintelligible whimper: I have no idea. I can tell you how I do laundry, though. That’s easier.”

Let’s start with a bit about Jeanette:

Jeanette Grey started out with degrees in physics and painting, which she dutifully applied to stunted careers in teaching, technical support, and advertising. When none of that panned out, she started writing. In her spare time, Jeanette enjoys making pottery, playing board games, and spending time with her husband and her pet frog.

Her novella, Take What You Want is a 2014 RITA finalist. Her next releases is a male/male new adult contemporary romance called Get What You Need, and it releases July 15, 2014from Samhain.

Read more about Jeannette’s process here and visit her website, Twitter, Facebook or blog.

:Deep breath: Now it’s my turn:

What am I working on?

Currently, a historical romance set in Georgian England, where a blacksmith’s daughter with theatrical aspirations and a jaded soldier with familial obligations find adventure, angst and the love of a lifetime.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I love big, sprawling stories, where the history and romance are intricately intertwined. My characters may take the rocky road to their HEA, but they always get there, promise, vow and pinky swear. For me, the HEA is all the sweeter if my people have to work hard for it, even if it is happily-ever-after-at-a-cost.

Why do I write what I do?

Because I can’t not, and believe me, I’ve tried. Bad things happen to good people, sometimes a lot of bad things, but love always outlasts whatever life can throw at it. I’ve always loved big, meaty stories that span years and even continents, all centered around two people who are by no means perfect, but, in the end, are perfect for each other. I write historical because I find history a fascinating backdrop that provides specific challenges toward reaching universal goals.

How does my writing process work?

I’ve defined myself at various times as a plotter, a puzzler and a pantiliner (plotter/pantser hybrid) and what I’ve found is that process can change as the writer changes, so this may not be where I’ve permanently landed, but it is where I am now.

I do my best new work in longhand, which is good because that means I can work anywhere, and I can usually be found with more than one notebook on my person at any given time.

Character comes to me first, usually the heroine, with the hero close behind (though sometimes it’s the other way around) and I follow them around my head for a while, furiously scribbling down stream of consciousness notes and accumulating images, soundtracks, scents, etc. Basically, anything that fits the world of the story. At some point, I’ll need to stop and figure out, drawing from what I know for certain about my characters and their journey, in what historical setting their story takes place. If I’m not paying attention to the right details, I may take a couple of tries.

That’s usually a short pause for research, and then it’s time to lay out the plot. I know where my hero and heroine started, and where they need to end up, so it’s a matter of finding out how to get from point A to point B. This often takes the form of a bullet point outline, which can be extremely detailed, and as it progresses, will start to include description, dialogue and chunks of text. From there, I smooth it out into a first draft, More fine tuning happens in subsequent passes through, and with comments from trusted critters, but at some point, the book tells me it’s done,

These days, I find I do a lot of my initial work while doing laundry (see, it’s pertinent) and I’ve learned to carve out at least two hours a day where I take my laptop to a nearby coffee house so I can concentrate on the work at hand. That’s often transcribing and/or editing, rather than composing on the keyboard. At any stage of the game, I find that talking can generally get me unstuck and ready to head in the right direction once more.

Ask me again next month, and there may be a different answer. For now, I’m tagging E. Catherine Tobler, Virginia Frost and Elaine Violette.

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

Writing Proces Blog Hop (on one year time delay)

Writing Process Blog Hop – I’ve been tagged.