Last week, my blog friend Cat Lumb tagged me to take part in the writing process blog tour.
I love reading about the processes other writer’s have, and so I jumped at the opportunity to share mine with you. The blog tour also asks me to nominate a couple of other writers, who I shall mention at the end of the post.
1. What am I working on at the moment?
I’m re-writing Planes Shifter, a fantasy book where falconry and necromancy meld. Although I’ve written other novels, this is the first one I’ve tried to edit after completing the story. So my project at the moment is learning how to edit – of course I won’t learn everything from one book, but the journey begins with first steps.
What I’m noticing is that my plot/outline is what I seem to be changing more than anything. My actual prose isn’t bad on the whole; but I’m noticing where the subplots aren’t woven ideally yet. Following discussion earlier with a friend and writer, we’ve concluded that the edits to the storyline are much better; creating a less-confusing but still-engaging plot.
In terms of why I’m focusing on this, and where I’m heading, my goal for this year is to submit the manuscript (once completed and edited), mostly so that I can experience that process (i.e. not expecting it to go too far at first attempt).
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
It’s difficult to talk in terms of genre, since the ideas this book is sparked from were stories I read a s a teenager and have set to the back of my mind for ten years. Essentially, every book is going to have things different from others in the genre, so the technical answer would be: the story, plot, setting and characters.
But a more specific answer would be that I haven’t seen the mythos of necromancy explored in the way I look at it, and I like to think the twists near the end of the book are fairly… unique (or at least not predictable). Generally, I tend to begin with a mundane idea and then fantasy weaves its way into the story somehow, rather than beginning with a fantasy concept. I think that lends itself to a gentle learning curve for the reader.
3. Why do I write what I do?
Because I love writing what I write.
If I had to explain it further, I’d say I write these stories because
a) I read similar things and love them, and
b) No one’s written exactly what I want to read — so why shouldn’t I?
I have a lot of ideas that I want to expand; probably around two new ideas a year that are solid enough that the possibilities just won’t leave me alone. I don’t believe it hurts to write them down, and if they keep popping up in my mind, then perhaps I should write them next.
4. How does my writing process work?
Currently I’m waking up half an hour early for work so that I can get a head-start on the day. That way it can simmer at the back of my mind throughout my day-job so that when I come home, I’m already in the right place to write. I tend to write well in late evening too; as it somewhat gives me a deadline and nothing else is pressing at me.
I’m currently re-writing; a mixture of new scenes and re-working old ones — at the same time as tweaking the plot to fit the new feel. This is a fairly comfortable process for me – as someone who began writing novels via NaNoWriMo, I’m used to tweaking the plot as the story evolves. But doing so from a finished piece is slightly different, and I’m still learning how to navigate that process effectively.
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Next Monday (5th May), two of my fellow writers will be posting their answers to this blog tour. Don’t forget to head over and see how their processes differ from mine.
Sorcha is a writer and book-blogger, currently working on three uncompleted novels, and dealing with thudding plot bunnies by indulging in a little writing of fanfiction. She lives in Cambridge with her cat (Captain Jack) and blogs at oldvictorianquill.wordpress.com. You can read her answers here.
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Cheyenne used to save her writing on floppy disks, but has transferred to multiple thumb drives instead. She lives in Texas with her boyfriend and writes about her writing at cheyennetrumbo.wordpress.com. You can read her answers here.
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If you’d like to take part, feel free to answer these questions and comment here so I can read them!