I am happy to have been invited to join the Writing Process Blog Tour by my friend and fellow writer, Jeremy Lee James. Jeremy is one kick-ass writer and his current book, I, JEQUON: PART ONE OF THE NEPHILIM CHRONICLES, is one raw-edged, no holds barred urban fantasy-thriller.
WHAT AM I CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
At the moment I am chin-deep in writing my second fantasy novel (yet to be titled) in The Trilogy of Power series. And, while the first, AWAKENING POWERS, ran along the more traditional path, this time we get to see the villain’s side of the story. And, let me tell you, I am having a lot of fun being despicable. (Apparently, that has been no surprise to my friends!)
HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?
Hmm, that is a difficult question for me to answer. My feeling is that even though my fantasy tales may follow somewhat conventional themes, my characters, some flawed and some downright nasty, add a depth to them that makes them feel real even amidst the magic and mythical beings.
Like I said, a difficult question.
WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I WRITE?
I write what I like to read. Fantasy. Sword and Sorcery. With a little sex, perhaps some torture and violence and definitely a good solid story. I love worlds filled with magic and beings not necessarily found in my neighborhood. We all need a little escape once in a while and, if I am going to run away, I want to go to a place with dragons!
Also, I tend to be a bit of a control freak (go figure) and, I think fantasy is a control freak’s playground because I get to decide EVERYTHING and whatever I say, providing I remain consistent,is fact in that world. Love it!
HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?
When I am on task, I get up at 4 AM, feed the cats, put the coffee on, meditate and then write until about 630 or 7 when I have to go to work. Unfortunately, I have not been ‘on task’ very often recently, but try to write at least from 530 to 630. I am definitely NOT a nighttime writer, especially on weekdays, because when I get home I usually just want to veg out either with video games or the TV.
As for HOW I write, if you would have asked me this a few years ago, I probably would have looked at you and tilted my head in that doggie “what are you talking about” kind of way, and said, “I just write.”
Fortunately, after muddling through almost fourteen years of aimless on-again, off-again writing on the first book, I have found a path that works for me.
I started out as a complete fly by the seat of my pants writer, affectionately called a “pantser” never knowing where, how or when the story would go. Hence the long time to get book one completed. I always refused to be a plotter, claiming I did enough outlining writing work instructions in my day job and I didn’t want to ‘stifle’ my creativity. BALDERDASH!
Finally, I have come to a compromise with my selves (yes, sometimes there are more than one in my head – scary but fun).
Over the last few years, I have found that I write that first draft, you know, the one some call the garbage draft, totally free-form, I can then get the bones of the story down on ‘paper’ and my free-spirit muse is happy. I have been doing this during NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month – in November and have book three of this trilogy and the start of the next trilogy ‘done’.
Then, with the skeleton story in hand, or at least on hard drive, I go back and tease out the good, the bad and the ‘you gotta go’ and find where the holes are. I write in Scrivener which makes it very easy to build the structure of the book.
So, that’s it, not pretty, but it seems to work for me.
UP NEXT:
Up next are two of my friends, Oz Monroe (ozmonroe.com) who will be posting next week and Indy Quillen (indyquillen.com) who will post the week after. They may not be published yet, but when they are, they will set the world on its ear.