Describe your writing style.
Sloppy.
Oh, you meant my story writing not my handwriting. Well, I’d say its linear and plot driven. Sherry Thomas once said, “I like big plots and I cannot lie.” I’d whole heartily agree with her. Sometimes that does put my characters and their emotions in the back seat but I am practicing to do better with that.
What makes a good story?
Did the reader have an emotional reaction (good or bad)? Was the ending satisfying? Yes? Then that’s a good story.
What are they currently reading?
Just finished Giver of Stars. Thinking I might pick up her other work. I loved Giver enough.
What is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
Come up with a broad concept first thing. Do some preliminary outlining of the plot over the next few days. Create some characters to fill said plot. Ask how can I make it harder for the characters each chapter (I love the try-fail cycle). Then write chapter by chapter in linear order through to a first draft with exceptionally light revisioning as I go. Come back to the beginning and start the heavy revisions. Send to developmental editor for notes. Talk myself out of strangling her when it comes back covered in red. Rewrite and revise. Resubmit. Then onto line editor. Copy edit. Onto Proofreaders. I don’t use beta readers as I will go into an endless cycle of trying to do appease them and end up rewriting into forever. Publish.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
That your writing has to be great out of the gate. Nobody’s first draft is great. I fell into that trap for DECADES.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Character motivation/believability.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
Original (at the cost of the genre and good reviews from time to time it seems. I may have to rethink this now. Hahaha)
If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?
Keep your butt in the chair and for the love of god revise and polish. When you read other peoples work look for what they did to evoke emotions. Read books on writing instead of assuming you know it all.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
As a guy, I’m deathly scared I’m going to find my work tweeted by the Men Writing Women account. LOL
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
First draft in a month. First revisions one month later. Endless cycle of changes and polishing: months and months. The Heart’s Bidding took a year and a half to write and polish. Anniversary Guy even longer. But I tended to do other projects while I let them rest. I’ve first drafted entire novels in a month and have some that are still not done years later. But I think now that I’m writing full time I’ll be putting out books a lot more frequently. Especially since I have actual deadlines for once.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Yes and no. I believe we can concentrate on the wrong thing, aiming our self at something other than what we should be trying to accomplish, and lock ourselves up. If you write something that you don’t care about, the words will come. You didn’t lose your ability to write, your mind is just telling you something is wrong with the project you are working on currently and you need to step away from it to figure it out. But then again I may just be full of BS.
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