Revisiting My Writing Process

I accepted an open invitation from the lovely Carolyn Hughey to participate in a blog hop on my writing process. Yesterday kicked off JuNoWriMo and my attempt to complete two novels during the month of June. Seems like the perfect time to revisit my writing process.

To learn more about Carolyn, visit her writing process post on her blog at the link above and check out her bio below:

Carolyn Hughey/K. T. Roberts, who also writes mysteries has been a hair stylist, an executive legal secretary, a chef, and of course, a writer. She brings together her culinary experience and her love of writing in Dishing Up Romance, One Menu at a Time, and Catering to Love. When not practicing one of her many talents, she enjoys oil painting, jewelry making, and cake decorating. Hughey lives with her family in Arizona.

Now about my writing process:

What am I currently working on?

I have three novels (okay, four) at various stages of completion. I’m a little over 15,000 words into a jazz age historical romance set during the Harlem Renaissance. The idea came to me a little over a month ago, but scenes and dialog keep popping into my head, usually while I’m trying to sleep. I’m surprised at how quickly the story has been coming together.

Two other WIPs are additional books in my Bad Boys Gone Good series. The one I hope to finish during JuNoWriMo features Leslie Morales as the heroine. She was a secondary character in my debut novel, Making the First Move. I’m closing in on 50,000 words for that one. The other partial manuscript for that series features Kari Copeland as the heroine. Kari appeared in my second book, Love Me Not. She is the little sister of my LMN‘s hero, Miles Copeland.

The last WIP is a romantic thriller I started well over a year ago. I LOVE the story and I’m really excited about it. I could see it being part of a series. I hope to finish that one later this summer.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think my Bad Boys Gone Good series falls at this weird cross between Contemporary Romance and Romantic Women’s Fiction. For me, the story can never be simply about the romance between the hero and heroine. I want to see all of the elements that make these characters who they are. That usually involves family. There is probably a lot more of the heroine and/or hero’s journey in my stories than you’ll find in a lot of romance. And there is always lots of family drama.

On the other hand, the heat level of the romance makes the books differ from most romantic women’s fiction. I’m kind of a genre-bending rulebreaker. But you probably couldn’t tell. 😉

Why do I write what I do? 

I write a mash-up of contemporary romance and romantic women’s fiction because those are the kind of stories that I like to read. I always incorporate a robust cast of secondary characters because I need to get to know the hero and heroine beyond their dealings with each other. Also because I enjoy reading contemporary romance and women’s fiction with memorable secondary characters. Complicated family relationships tend to always be part of my stories because those are essential elements of two of my favorite books: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

How does your writing process work?

When I started writing fiction again a little less than ten years ago, I fancied myself a pantser. I was a rebel at heart (though rarely in real life). So my unspoken mantra was, I don’t need no stinking outline! However, several stalled manuscripts languishing under my bed unfinished caused me to rethink this strategy. Then I heard an interview with prolific author Kimberla Lawson Roby in which she talked about her detailed outlining process. I figured what did I have to lose by trying it. So I outlined a scene I’d been stuck in for months. It worked! Then I outlined the next scene and the next one. Before I knew it, I’d finished my first manuscript since I’d started to write again.

I’m still not a true plotter. I usually write a little bit of the story so that I can get a feel for my characters. Then I go back and write a synopsis of the story. I usually need to go back and make changes to the synopsis because the story and the characters often have other ideas in mind. Yet, that synopsis serves as a blueprint that lets me know which elements are essential and which can be sacrificed.

Something else I normally do at that point is to designate a birth date for each main character and create an astrological chart for them. This gives me tons of material to work with in terms of the character’s personality, their strengths and weaknesses. Next, I’ll complete character profiles by answering detailed questions about the characters. I love doing this because you discover so many wonderful secrets about the characters. It’s like really getting to know a casual acquaintance over a bottle of wine. On the other hand, it is a really detailed process. I’ll often put it off because it can be pretty time-consuming. Yet, it’s always worth it.

Summary: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of My Writing Process

I’ve learned a lot during my recent years of writing fiction. The discovery that I require some structure for my writing was of monumental importance. Without this information, I would probably have twenty incomplete manuscripts floating around with no hope of ever finishing them. I certainly wouldn’t have gotten published.

So why do I have four unfinished manuscripts now? A distracted mind and an over-committed schedule certainly lent to the problem. However, I’m discovering that I need to do a bit more planning during the early stages of the novel. I’m considering creating a detailed scene list before writing any future novels. I’ll still allow myself the latitude to follow the story in a different direction. Yet, most of the path will be laid out in great detail.

Lastly, the ugly truth is that during the last two quarters I’ve done precious little writing. I was consumed by any and everything else. My schedule was extremely busy, but the biggest issue was that I didn’t have any writing time planned. I’d just kind of hoped it would happen. Yeah, I can feel the eye rolls and the Bless your little hearts being launched my way. It was ridiculous of me. Right up there with believing that the entire world is made of sunshine and rainbows.

Okay, I do believe that the world is made up of sunshine and rainbows, but I’m working on that, too. 😉

Now, four lovely ladies have agreed to step up next to bat in this blog hop. Let’s meet them:

Adrienne Dunning lives in eastern North Carolina where she is very active in a local writer’s group.  A writer of contemporary romance, she is currently in the process of publishing her debut novel and working on additional manuscripts.  She likes her female characters to be a little cheeky, and her stories to reflect characters forging journeys to discover who they truly are and finding love along the way (of course!).

Laura Simcox, Author of the shiny, new release, Various States of Undress: Carolina, spent twenty years in professional theater as a costume designer, with a few of those years also spent as a college instructor, Laura abandoned the nomadic lifestyle to sit in a comfy pleather office chair at a beat up ginormous second hand oak desk and write. The result? Romance novels! Her favorite thing ever since she was, oh, about twelve. Laura lives in North Carolina with her husband (true love is real!) and her adorable, high energy four-year-old son who is currently obsessed with Curious George.

Carol A. Strickland, a one-time comics letterhack and outspoken member of various comics message boards, is an award-winning painter. Along with her writing, she exercises this skill in her secondary hours (both of them) as she waits for the lottery to free her 9-to-5 time to more fulfilling pursuits. Her latest release, Lost in the Stars, is the second book in her superhero romance saga, Three Worlds.

Ruth A. Casie is a seasoned professional with over twenty-five years of writing experience. After many years of writing communication and marketing documents for a large corporation, Ruth gave way to her inner muse, let her creative juices flow, and began writing a series of historical time travel romance novels. When not writing you can find her home in Teaneck, New Jersey, reading, cooking, doing Sudoku and counted cross stitch. Read her story, Second Chance by the Sea, in the anthology, Timeless Escapes.

Their posts will be up next week on Monday, June 9th. Please stop by and visit them.

14:365 Pen & Paper photo by Matt Beckwith. Some rights reserved.

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