Fellow Blogger Kate Johnston invited me to participate in a blog hop about my writing process. Above is a lovely photo of her and below is her awesome bio. I wasn’t able to find a blog bud to hop along to, so if anyone is interested in participating, let me know and I’ll link to your blog. 🙂
Kate’s Bio
Kate Johnston was born on Cape Cod, and raised in New Hampshire where nature and wildlife stirred her imagination. She knew she wanted to be a writer when she wrote a story about a good wolf. She thinks words are magical, enticing, and more-ish. Brew them together, and she creates stories. Family dramas with heart and a touch of magical realism.
Married with two children, she works as a freelance writer and teaches creative writing to kids. She works on her novels at 4 in the morning, the best time of day for writing without interruptions.
Her short story, “Treasures,” was published in The Greensilk Journal, spring 2011. She blogs about her writing quest at 4amWriter. When she’s not writing, she loves to take nature hikes, bake ooey-gooey desserts, and let her kids beat her at sports.
My Writing Process Q&A
1) What am I working on?
You’ve caught me at an exciting time. I’m in the midst of editorial revisions for Reckonings. I got my editorial letter May 8th and I spent several days mulling everything over and shooting follow up questions to my editor. I dove into revising last week.
Reckonings is a YA time travel murder mystery. It’s funny how much of the book remained in my head and never made it onto the page. Thank goodness for my editor, Jessica Jernigan.
2)How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I don’t write female protagonists whose goal is to find a man. They are always on a personal journey. A search for themselves or their family or some greater goal.
I can’t seem to write straight genre fiction either. Everything to date has been cross genre. This is a gothic, time travel murder mystery.
3) Why do I write what I do?
Because there are so many emotional experiences I long to capture and this is the best way I can do it.
I think there is something so intriguing about a world of unbelievables. I can’t help returning to them in each novel.
4) How does my writing process work?
a) Have an idea and add it to the idea folder. When I have an opening in my schedule, I visit my idea folder to decide what idea gets worked on next.
b) Storystorm for several months–building my characters and world in my head
c) Write a synopsis or outline –a story map
d) Draft 1000 words a day 5 week–at about 30k, I tend to burn out
e) Pause in drafting and revise first half of story for a few weeks. Sometimes wandering back through my story gives me a clearer idea of how to move closer to the end
f) Finish drafting
g) Take a break from that project for 4-6 months. Switch to another project
h) Do a round of revisions. 8-10 weeks to get to second draft
i) Send to beta readers for their feedback. 3-6 months to get back their feedback
j) Do a comprehensive round of revisions based on beta feedback–8-10 weeks of revision
k) Create a series bible to keep track of characters, locations, and concepts
l) Final tweaks to manuscript
k) Start pitching/querying
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