The Writing Process Blog Tour

Hey, so today’s post will be a bit different. I was tagged by my writing friend Pat Esden for The Writing Process Blog Tour.

I’ll share a bit about my current work in progress and what my own writing process is like. Maybe you’re the same, maybe you’re totally different, but hopefully we can learn a bit about each other.

First, I want to talk about my friend Pat Esden. She is a writer of young adult suspense as well as contemporary and historical fantasy. She infuses her work with her vast knowledge of the rare, the odd, and the unique from her day job as an antique dealer in Vermont. Like myself, she is represented by the great and wise Pooja Menon of Kimberley Cameron and Associates. You can learn about Pat’s current work and her own writing process here.

 

What am I currently working on?

Pat cheated, so I think I will too. Here is my current WIP blurb for Porcelain Princess:

As if it isn’t bad enough that Andy Bottom, fifteen year-old daughter of Bottom’s Bathrooms and Accessories tycoon, has to move before her sophmore year, but now every awkward moment will be recorded for Hollywood’s latest reality show, Bathroom Barons.

From the moment Andy steps into her new school, all eyes are on her. Or rather, on the cameras. Feeling pressure from her rising star parents and her newfound popularity, she escapes to the world of Asdor, where brave warriors battle for the throne – well, the lot behind the Costco where geeks run around in bed sheet cloaks and garbage can armor. To avoid total social exile, she wears a mask to hide her identity, but her secret prevents her from getting close to Sir Kevin, a noble knight of Asdor and local comic shop clerk.

As the battle for the throne escalates, so do her feelings for Kevin, but the demand for better ratings threatens to expose her larping, and she struggles to keep her public life and her secret life separate before it all goes down the toilet.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Larping is cool, people. Haven’t you heard? Geek is the new chic. However, when I did some research, there didn’t seem to be a lot on this subject out there. Totally untapped resource. I’m telling you, it’s the next sparkly vampires.

Why do I write what I write?

It took me a long time to switch from my passion of fantasy to contemporary. I write what I love. When I pick up a book to read, it’s usually one that transports me to an entirely different world. I live life every day in reality, so when I read, I want to escape it.

When I decided to write Porcelain Princess, it was because, like me, the main character also wants to escape. That’s definitely something I can relate to. I have to feel passion for what I’m writing about, and anything geeky immediately appeals to me.

How does my individual writing process work?

All my novels start because of a tiny spark. Sometimes it’s just a random idea. Porcelain Princess started with an invention, or rather the idea of one. The Bowl Buddy. A luminescent ring that goes inside a toilet so boys don’t miss the bowl in the middle of the dark night.

Imagine the teenaged daughter of the inventor of this little gadget. How embarrassing. So many jokes, so little word count. I wanted to write a novel that would humiliate my main character on a whole new level. And so Porcelain Princess was born.

From there, I get pretty structured. I’m a planner not a pantster. That means outlines and notes. My entire novel is written before I even put pen to paper.

Recently, I’ve found my writing to flow more naturally when I write with pen and paper as opposed to the computer. Yes, it lengthens the process (especially when I can’t read my own writing), but it just gets my creative juices flowing. And until they fix the bugs with the digital pens, I’m going the old fashioned way.

Then, revise, revise, revise.

Time to tag some friends:

It’s fun to learn about what makes other writers tick, so let’s find out what a few other writers do.

Gwen Stephens: During the early morning hours, she pursues her love of writing. She blogs regularly on The 4 A.M Writer to connect with other writers and share what she learns along the way. Like many of us, she dreams of publication as a long term goal. You can follow her on twitter @Gwen_Stephens

 

 

 

Rhiann Wynn-Nolet: Rhiann is a YA and NA writer represented by Stefanie Lieberman of Janklow and Nesbit. Rhiann writes stories about love. The kind that forces people to do things they probably shouldn’t, and things they definitely should. She’s an active blogger and promoter of other writers, as well as co-hostess of the CriTiki Lounge. You can follower her on twitter @RhiannWynnNolet

Check out their answers in the upcoming weeks. I’ll make sure to create a link when they’re finished.

How about you?

I’d love to hear your answers to some of the writing process questions. Go ahead and answer in the comment below!