My Writing Process Blog

My Writing Process Blog Tour has come to The Write Way Café. Many authors have shared their process on this tour, answering four questions about their writing process, and I’m happy to be included. Thank you Rena Koontz, for asking me to participate.

Now to the questions and answers.

What am I working on? I presently am working on finishing the first draft of a paranormal romantic suspense that picks up where the last Aegar sisters book, Always and Forever Love, left off. While this book involves the sisters featured in Dancing with Detective and Danger and Always and Forever Love, they are not the main characters. In this book, their secretary and friend, Michelle, is the heroine. The hero, Casey Mitchell, was introduced in the second book and becomes the werecat hero in this WIP. I read paranormals and love the concept of a completely different world among the one we all consider normal, so writing this book has been fun.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? I love exploring relationships, as I assume most romance writers do. My novels so far explore the characters’ internal lives in a way I feel is somewhat unique because they must face aspects of their lives they’ve been avoiding and defending against. Those very human moments of choosing to continue in their same pattern or not, over and over until they choose to face the pain and grow, are important to me. I want my books to entertain but I hope they take readers on a ride of self-exploration, too.

Why do I write what I do? I like to write romantic suspense because I like putting characters through life and death situations and see how they manage. I have said before, I don’t live on the edge of death and danger, but I enjoy putting characters on that edge. Since I am a pantser, how the story unfolds and how the characters move through the story surprises me at times and that is a blast. Plus, I love a happy ending, so writing romance fits my needs.

How does your writing process work? As I just wrote, I’m a pantser, so I don’t make a formal outline or create a full-blown plot from beginning to end. That’s what I don’t do. But I do conduct a lot of research first. That fuels my characterization and my loose idea of a story. I brainstorm for possible scenes, then I place them in a list titled Beginning, Middle, and End. Then I write, and as I do I do more research and learn more about my characters and their story. It’s a bit stressful to write as a pantser, but since my brain is wired that way it’s the way that works for me. I try to write regularly, even if I’m sure I have nothing to write some days, because it turns out, over and over, that it’s not true. At my computer, I always find myself writing and feeling mostly pleased with what comes out. I have a lot of supportive sayings tacked to my office wall to help me when I nearly sink in self-doubt. The self-doubt in my head has gotten less loud over the years and the sayings have helped. One of my newest favorite:

Retreating into your safety zone is an intelligent strategy if you are feeling emotionally vulnerable. But remember, encountering an obstacle doesn’t mean you’ve failed on any level. To the contrary, you’re receiving a notice from the cosmos that you just reached beyond your normal grasp. Instead of running scared, consider what you can learn from the experience.

Thank you for checking out my writing process. Be sure to check out two writers who keep the blog rolling June 16 – HiDee Ekstrom and Lola Karns.

HiDee Ekstrom never goes anywhere without a book or a pen and paper. Reading, writing, and chocolate are important elements of her daily life that inspire her to pursue becoming a published author. She also finds inspiration in and enjoys photography, scrapbooking, camping, hiking, and spending time with her family. Come back to http://thewritewaycafe.blogspot.com/ to discover all about her writing process.

Lola Karns, author of Winter Fairy and the forthcoming Bad Traveler, writes quirky contemporary romance from her home in Minnesota. Once a doctoral candidate, she turned to writing after moving way too many times in way too few years. When not writing, she can be found sipping coffee, eating chocolate, chasing her two children, or any combination thereof. Find her at http://www.lolakarns.com/