The wonderful Wanda Collins Johnson, friend, writer, and critique group member, has asked me if I’d participate in a Blog Hop on the writing process. I can never turn down her smiling face. So here are my answers. I’m not actually going to tag anyone (yes, I’m responsible for killing that million dollar chain letter you were counting on making you rich, too), but feel free to play along. Leave your link in the comments.
What am I working on now? I’ve just finished something…like literally sent it off to my agent a few days ago, so while I’m not technically writing anything, I’m pondering both new and past ideas. I think I’ve narrowed it down to a story that I want to tell. You could call it a love story, in the vein of one of my favourite authors, Nevil Shute. It’s for adults, and it’s centered around a bookstore. I can’t say much more except that it’s set in 1962 Portland, Oregon, and it was inspired by this fabulous picture taken by Fred Herzog (Vancouver, 1962).
How does my work differ from others in its genre? Well, I don’t really know! I have never written historical fiction before and so I would mostly call this an experiment. It may not work out. I might feel too bogged down and move on to something else, or I might find it really exciting. I do know the story couldn’t be told the way I want to tell it in a contemporary setting, so it’s historical fiction or nothing.
Why do I write what I do? My first two books are for young adults, as well as a third one which we haven’t sold yet, but are very hopeful will find a home. (Are you an editor? Please call my agent right away for a stunning new YA novel!). And the book I just finished writing is for adults, as is this new one I have in mind. So I guess the answer to why do I write what I do is that it’s just about story…a story comes into my head and nine times out of ten, I discard it (sometimes after writing as much as fifty or sixty pages). But then one sticks and I can’t stop thinking about it and so that’s why I write it.
How does my writing process work? It’s eighty percent discipline, ten percent the fact my brain is always making up stories, and ten percent inspiration brought on mostly by walking and showers. Seriously, the only reason I have written any books at all is because I show up to write. And if I don’t feel like writing, I write anyway. I am lucky in that I don’t have a regular job, so I block out Monday through Friday all day for writing. People are amazed that I spend “all day” writing. Ha! On a very good day, I might write for 2-3 hours. Mostly I’m thinking, snacking, reading, thinking, snacking, procrastinating, and reading with a tiny bit of writing thrown in. When I’m revising, it’s different…then I might get in 3-5 hours of work and very little reading. It’s hard for me to read while my story is so present in my mind, so I generally cook. My husband prefers the revision days to the writing new material which usually end with me saying: I’m too tired to make dinner, honey…my brain power is all used up! Can you find anything in the fridge?
So that’s about it. Read a lot. Show up. Shower and walk often. And let your imagination run wild!
P.S. I would be very remiss in neglecting to mention the crucial role my early readers play in my writing process. I seriously wouldn’t be able to write a publishable book without them (or my agent’s valuable input). So thanks. You know who you are!
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