The Writing Process Blog Tour

 

Hey there! Welcome to my leg of the “Writing Process” Blog tour. This is my first time to participate in such an event and I’m thrilled to be a part of this cyberspace relay race!

My dear friend, Abby Jones, over at the blog, A Gentle and Quiet Spirit, tagged me after she took her turn this past Monday. Abby is a prolific writer (and reader! I’ve accused her of never sleeping) and also leads the writing group of which I’m blessed to be a part. I’ve learned so much from Abby about keeping things real in the realm of conflict and suffering as I construct the lives of my characters. She leads by example in her fairytales and urban fantasy. Her writing is always gritty (the good kind) and yet redeeming. She is a writing sister, a spiritual sister, and a kindred spirit! 

What am I working on right now? 

I’m currently writing Book Two of my trilogy. The entire trilogy has just landed a publisher (happy dance and thank you, Jesus!), and Book One, The Tethered World, will be out by the end of the year, I hope. My publisher (Finding Christ Books) and I haven’t set the official date yet, and we haven’t landed on a name for the trilogy either. 

The big idea behind the trilogy, which is a YA fantasy, is that there are creatures that once roamed the Garden of Eden, and were moved into pockets of the earth before the flood of Noah. Through the ages certain families have been appointed to watch over the happenings down in the Tethered World, and some individuals even help in the governing of this realm. 

The main character, Sadie Larcen, has no clue about her family’s involvement. Her parents hadn’t had the “talk” just yet with her or her siblings. But when her mom and dad disappear, she learns the truth behind her mom’s strange habit (Bigfoot expert!) and is forced to lead some of her siblings on a journey to rescue their parents. Let’s just say Sadie isn’t the adventurous type. She’s quite terrified, and rather resentful towards her parents for keeping her in the dark all of her life. A bit of a narcissist, she has to learn that things aren’t always about her.

Book Two, tentatively called “The Flaming Sword of Cherubythe,” is halfway written. I haven’t worked on it as much as I’d like of late, due to a very busy spring, and launching this blog. Things are finally settling down and I’m regaining my focus.

How does my work differ from others in its genre? 

My work differs in that, although it is considered fantasy, it is not “high fantasy,” such as The Lord of the Rings. To be honest, I’m a bigger fan of the Narnia series than LOTR because it is so connected with our own world. I enjoy stories that seem like they could possibly happen—if we are able to discover that magical piece of furniture or that special manhole in NYC (Gregor series)—which would lead us to new worlds. I suppose that makes my work the same as some other popular series, but I do believe there’s a distinct difference in fantasy, one way or the other.

It is also different in that I’ve included some elements that are quite normal to my life, and many others, yet are less mainstream in society. My protagonist is homeschooled (something about 2 million other people do, in America), she also has an autistic brother (my son is autistic, and 1 person in 80 is now on the spectrum), and an adopted brother (not something we have personally experienced but is quite common in society, and especially among homeschoolers). I wanted to include these elements in a matter-of-fact way, to give those in this growing segment of society a heroine and family that has been there, and done that, like them! But it’s important to me that someone who has no experience with any of these things would feel comfortable and able to relate . . . not as if I had an agenda to push. Therefore the elements are backdrops to the adventure, though the autistic aspect plays a bigger role than the others.

 

Why do I write what I do? 

I suppose I answered this question in one way above, as far as my present audience. But why fantasy in general? Well, that’s kinda funny. As a homeschooling mom I had a desire to write but not much time with four little ones (including one with special needs). Fantasy meant that I could make it all up and no one could accuse me of getting my facts wrong, LOL! If I wrote historical fiction, or crime thrillers, for instance, I would need to do research and get my details and information precise. 

Ain’t no body got time for that! 

At least not this nobody. If I was going to carve out free time (especially 12 years ago when everyone needed me at once), I needed it to be productive. I also read to my kiddos voraciously and our favorite stories were fantasy. It was an easy fit to start writing in that genre. I’ve always been a “what if” kind of person, wondering what would happen if ______ (fill in the blank with all manner of speculative questions). 

And I have a confession. My pet project, my most beloved story idea, is not what I’m getting published right now. What I really want to share with the world has to wait until I make a legitimate name for myself, because no one would take me seriously if I tried to publish the likes of this particular bit of inspiration. 

It took me awhile to learn how the publishing industry works, but I eventually saw that I wouldn’t get far with this project unless I could establish some credibility with another series.

So, why do I write what I am presently working on? In hopes of writing this other story in the future. You see, I have a spin off to one particular book from the Chronicles of Narnia series and there’s no one who will take me seriously if I were to pitch it at this point. Not that I ever dream of being able to fill the shoes of C.S. Lewis, but to take on the challenge of having a connection to something he wrote puts me at odds with most of his fans. I totally get that, and would be in the same camp if I were on the outside looking in. I’ll have plenty of skeptics to win over.

How does my writing process work?

Structure is not my strength. I don’t have a scheduled writing time, let alone a way of methodically plotting out my storyline or outlining my chapters. I tend to deal in the big picture first. The main “aha!” sort of idea. The “what if” that gets me most excited and then mulls around in my noggin and gathers momentum. This might take a day or a month.

When I hit on several main points I will write down a few paragraphs of the important events. If I get unusually inspired, and have a real involved lightbulb moment, I may write a detailed paragraph, so I don’t forget the small stuff. But it’s very rough, not something that would make it into the actual story. Laying my head on the pillow at night also seems to be a signal to my brain to take off on all manner of possible outcomes for my story, and becomes a productive brainstorming time. The downside is that it’s less productive in the sleep department :-/

Once the big ideas take shape, along with the main cast of characters, I start working. I might add that, for me, the the first line of the book is of utmost importance and it is probably something I’ve toyed with since the nugget of inspiration struck. Therefore, I will usually have my beginning sentence, or paragraph, fairly set. From there it is a series of events, interaction, and dialogue that moves the characters from one main point to the next. However, it is the characters themselves that dictate what that looks like. They will take shape and take over, which is one of the best experiences. Ever. 

My first novel took about a year to complete in rough format (though I do partial edits along the way). I then spent about two more years combing through it, learning how to edit well, and rewriting it. I learned something new about myself a long the way: I love to edit! Not normally one to like tedious things—definitely not a detailed person in most areas—this was a pleasant revelation (especially since it’s a huge chunk of my job as a writer). 

Book Two, by God’s grace, won’t take as long to get through and edit well, now that I know (to a greater extent) what I am doing. There’s always something to learn, however!

I try to do something writing related every day. Between new posts on my blog, blog assignments like this, researching how to market, and writing my story, I’m never at a loss of how to spend my time. Thankfully, I can put on my writer’s hat just about anywhere. “Have laptop, will travel.” If I know I have 30 minutes or more downtime, I’m probably going to work on something. My favorite place to write? Any eclectic coffeehouse will do!

Well, that wraps up my turn in this blogging chain-mail. It’s time to pass the baton to three new victims participants!

First up is a talented, generous young lady that I’ve met through cyberspace. When I was new to the blogosphere, (which was not long ago), Clara Diane Thompson offered to do an author interview on her blog To Find a Castle, allowing me to share about my book. Clara just had her first novella, The Moon Master’s Ball, published as one of five winners in a contest for the best retellings of Cinderella! The book, Five Glass Slippers, is being released this month. But I had special, “insider” dibs on reading it, so that I could give a review. What a treat it was to read such a diverse group of stories, all with the core elements of the classic tale, but each with their own voice and spin! Clara’s story was the most mysterious and magical of the group and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Katy Haggard is a church friend, as well as fellow writer. We’ve gone to church together for about five years now, but I only learned about her ‘other’ life as a writer a year ago or so. You know those quiet INFJ types can be stealth and operate under the radar 🙂 Katy has a lovely blog, “Boasting in My Weakness,” (gives me blog envy!) with poignant stories on family struggles, inspiring stories about parenting, and fun craft ideas, recipes, homeschooling tips and more. She is part of a blogging panel with “Teaching them Diligently,” homeschool convention. I’m anxious to learn more about how she’s wired when it comes to writing!

               Virginia Lori Jennings is a new blogging friend and published author and illustrator. Her website/blog, Virginia Lori Jennings, is full of helpful information about writing and speculative fiction. She has two sci-fi/fantasy works in progress (one for kids and one for young adults) as well as a sci-fi book “The Alien Mind,” available from Amazon and many other book distributors. She also illustrated “Wiggle Worm’s Shape Adventure,” by Karen and Kathy Sills. Virginia is a busy writer, artist, and mom that I’m looking forward to getting to know better!