Saturday, May 3, 2014

Writing Process Blog Hop

First, I would like to thank Eloreen Moon for involving me in the blog hop. She posted her writing process story a couple of weeks prior.  Be sure to check out her story too.

What Am I Working On? :  Several things right now. I just finished the first draft of Fate & Destinies. I will be starting revisions for it soon. With Fate & Destinies coming to an end, my writing has picked up for Keeping Faith, the sequel to last year's freebie, Playing For Keeps. And I'm world building a blue collar Sci-Fi short story (okay, short for me because it will be under 30k) for a serial call at Less Than Three Press.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? I write LGBT Romance that crosses several genres with most of my titles blending two or more genres together. Sci-Fi/Fantasty, Paranormal/Fantasy, Paranormal/Historical. There are a wide range of protagonists who are gay, genderqueer, and transgender and much of what I write tends to lean more towards what some would consider the taboo realm. Menage. Aliens. Mpreg. Anthropomorphic characters.

Why do I write what I do? I write what I would like to read. I had quit writing when I was nineteen but continued to read voraciously until five years ago. I read several different paranormal stories where the alpha character was always an ass, and the mate always forgave him because of the mate bond. I was so frustrated that I penned the first two chapters of Twin Flames just to have a character leave the mate bond...and I didn't stop. I love reading menage stories, and I'm one of those people who believe that poly relationships can be successful. People love for different reasons. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I believe that we can look at a being dissimilar from us and they can be pleasing to the eye or have the personality to draw us in. So I write about aliens and anthropomorphic characters. Two people from different walks of life can find or create a common ground, so that a self made man can fall in love with a tattoo artist. Why do I write what I do? Because I believe all is possible. I tell a story that needs to be told. Nothing more, nothing less. ^_^

How does your writing process work? I write by the seat of my pants, otherwise known as a pantser. I cannot plot to save my life. I've tried, but I either don't write the story after plotting, or after the first paragraph, everything is completely changed and gone in a different direction. It is writing with a constant litany of  "what happens next" or "how would he/she react".

Not to say that I don't do any world building before hand. It is important to know what the rules of the world are, otherwise, I would end up writing contradictions. Depending on how complex the story, the length of time it takes to build a world can vary. Once it is created, I rarely have to go back and add anything. If I do, it is because while writing I discover that rules clash or I needed more in depth information than I had anticipated.

My first draft is hand written, always. I've tried typing the first draft and it simply does not work for me. Penning the story by hand is less distracting and I can do it anywhere without lugging around equipment.

Once finished and the first draft has been typed up I have to leave the story for a couple of weeks to put some distance between it and me. I've learned if I didn't have that breather, then I begin to be over zealous with the 'red pen' because I've started to hate the manuscript. When that happens nothing is right and I become too critical of the prose. By the time it's all wrapped up with a pretty bow, I'm past ready to send it off so I can start the process all over again.

Thank you for stopping by! Be sure to check out Eloreen's blog. I was told that a ninja would not sneak through my window and do away with me for not having three people for you to hop to. If I die mysteriously, well, you know what happened. I hope you guys have a great weekend. ^_^

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