Writing Process Blog Tour

The lovely and talented Michelle Ziegler tagged me for this tour. You can find out about Michelle’s writing process here.

1) What am I currently working on? I’m revising a manuscript I completed sometime before 2010. I can’t remember exactly when I finished it. The working title is Laurel Heights. It’s paranormal romantic suspense and I’m very excited about the project because it will be my first time self-publishing my work. Not only do the main characters have to deal with desperate characters and bad guys, but they must also contend with pushy and sometimes mean-spirited—um, sorry about the pun—ghost or two. Of course the heroine is a woman who can take care of herself if she wants, but she asks for help from a man just because she wants to. The hero is a hunk with past, but then...aren’t they all?

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? The most common romantic suspense trope seems to involve a damsel in distress who needs rescuing by a big strong, hunky male. The heroine must fall in love with the big strong hunky male while he is rescuing her from certain a horrible fate.

My heroines are rarely damsels in distress. I like my heroines to be strong, independent women. Survivors. They don’t wilt and cower. They stand tall and face adversity. Okay, so they fall hard for the hero, and he plays a large part in resolving the conflict in the book, but only because my heroine chooses to allow him to help her not because she has to have his help. My heroine is usually the one who saves the day. Because she can.

3) Why do I write what I do? I write romantic suspense because I love the moment where the breath catches. I like to read those moments and I like to write those moments. With romantic suspense, the reader gets a two-fer. Both the romance plot line and the suspense plot line must come to a pivotal moment, the moment the reader has been waiting for, anticipating. The first kiss. The confrontation with the villain. The I love you moment. The revelation of the deep, dark secret that makes everything make sense. When a reader keeps reading because he or she has to reach that wonderful ah-ha moment, I feel as if I’ve accomplished my goal. I live to read the words, “I couldn’t put the book down.”

4) How does my writing process work? Something will give me a bit of inspiration. The opening scene of the book will somehow pop into my head, and I’ll start writing the first chapter in my head while I’m driving or showering or eating or prepare another stinking tax return (I’m a CPA.) I decide where I want the plot to go. With the beginning and the end in mind, I’m a certified pantser in the middle. I let my characters dictate all the different directions the plot will twist.

I usually edit as I go. I’ll write a few chapters, then go back and rework them until the flow feels right, checking for continuity and deepening the characterization. Then I’ll write a few more chapters. It’s a stop and go process, but it works for me.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a little insight into my twisted writer’s mind. I’m tagging author Krista Ames to keep this hop going.

Krista Ames was born and raised in Indiana. She now resides in Northern Michigan with the love of her life and their 4 children. She is a full time stay-at-home mom and pursues her writing career when she's not chasing kids, cooking or doing laundry. Krista can be found at http://www.apassionforromance.blogspot.comand would love to hear from you any time via mailto:krista@kristaames.com.

Confessions of a Pantser

Every story begins with inspiration. Some little bit of something catches the eye or sparks the imagination. The writer overhears a conversation in a Chili’s in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport that starts the thought processes rolling. There is a hill in northwest Arkansas that has an abandoned house just sitting up there on top of it, buffeted by the wind, waiting for someone to write a ghost story with the dilapidated old thing as the setting. Then a news story catches her attention, and she wonders why in the world that guy did that thing with the sharpie that he did. And off the writer goes with a few what if questions like… What if someone used a major catastrophe like a hurricane or a bombing as a perfect opportunity to disappear? Next thing you know, she’s tapping out the first few paragraphs of a brand new story.

Start with a spark that creates a great setting, an inspired character, or a fabulous opening scene, then add a hero, a heroine, and an antagonist, and don’t forget a major conflict and a nail-biting life or death pivotal the-book-hinges-on-this-one-moment scene, and you’ve got the basic ingredients for romantic suspense.

In between the opening hook and the final nail biter scene, there is a lot of territory to cover, and it is in that middle as yet undefined land where I confess I am a certified pantser. I don’t know where my story’s going in the middle until I write it. Oftentimes, my characters will decided what happens in the in-betweens. For instance, just last week my hero’s ex-girlfriend was murdered. Did my hero kill her, you ask? No, of course not. Heroes don’t murder their ex-girlfriend’s, but he certainly didn’t see the crisis coming and neither did I!

So I’m going to let my imagination run away with me for a moment. Bear with me. Let me set up the situation for you. I’m going to put my hero, my heroine, and my antagonist in a dark room and just sort of go from there. Okay, I’ll give them a dim 20 watt light bulb dangling from the ceiling, just so they won’t be scared of the dark. I’ll name my hero Unnamed, my heroine Undefined, and my antagonist Unwritten.

And action…

Unnamed: Man, it’s dark in here. Why doesn’t she put a window in this place?

Undefined: I don’t know.

Unnamed: Oops, I forgot. You don’t have an opinion, because she hasn’t given you a personality yet. She should at least give you some...she should make you friendly or…something.

Bubbly: Oh, right! Maybe she hasn’t given me a personality yet because she’s busy or she’s thinking about sorting her underwear drawer or the cat barfed up tuna or her baby is squalling…or wow why is it so dark in here? And why is everything black? And who’s that guy over there that doesn’t say anything? He’s kind of scary. (Giggles.)

Unnamed: Oh, no.

Miss Optimistic (Name changed from Bubbly/Undefined.): What? What’s wrong? I can tell there’s something wrong, but cheer up. Everything is going to be fine. We have this nice room, and I know she’s going to give us a window soon. Ah, look over there! She did it! She did it!

Unnamed: Yep, she made you a ding-a-ling.

Grouchy (Another name change for Miss Optimistic/Bubbly/Undefined.): What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not going to talk to you. And… (Stares mean at Unwritten.) Stop staring at me.

Unnamed: He can’t respond. She hasn’t written him yet. And you don’t have to get all huffy.

Grouchy: Oh, so now you’re an expert on how she writes, Mr…Mr…What is your name?

Unnamed: I don’t know.

Grouchy: Oh, that’s right, she hasn’t named you yet. She should call you Ralph.

Ralph (Name changed from Unnamed.): I don’t like the name Ralph. I’d rather be Chad.

Snarky (And yet another name change for Grouchy/Miss Optimistic/Bubbly/Undefined.): You would like the name Chad! (Examines fingernails as if she doesn’t care when she really does.) She should do something about the stone statue over there. She should at least give him a scowl.

Tank (Name changed from Unwritten.): (No dialogue only rumbling noises like a tank.)

Chad (Name changed from Ralph/Unnamed): (Glances around nervously at the black walls.) We need a door so we can get away from him.

(Door appears as if by magic.)

Smiley: (Grabs Tank’s upper arm.) Come on, Handsome, I’d rather leave with you. (Throws snotty smirk over shoulder at Chad as Tank, who used to be Unwritten, opens the door for her.) You’re much better looking than Mr. Bossy.

Handsome (Name changed from Tank/Unwritten): You look lovely today, Smiley.

Mr. Bossy (Name changed from Chad/Ralph/Undefined): Hey, come back here!

…and scene.

Who knew the heroine would leave with the antagonist? Did you? I didn’t.