I was tagged by author C.N. Lesley to partake in the My Writing Process Blog Hop!
What am I working on?
Two WIPs. One is the sequel to my soon to be released debut novel, Lex Talionis. The other is a science fantasy about political shenanigans and mythological beasties in a matriarchal society that is not Earth, tentatively titled ‘The Nightward’.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I hope it’s because I tell a rollicking good story that crosses genres and doesn’t go where you expect it to go. I like strong women, strong men and screwed up societies. I like diversity and unusual worlds. I throw that in a blender with a few other themes and press liquefy.
Why do I write what I write?
To entertain. To heal myself. To examine something that matters to me. To have fun. To grieve. To love. To get it out because I can’t NOT write it.
How does your writing process work?
Inspiration tends to sit for quite some time. Most of the stories I’m working on now started way back in high school when I filled up several notebooks with ideas. I’ve matured and the stories have too, so I take them out one at a time and just start writing. No matter how the story comes out, every one of them was written in a straight line, in the same order as the final draft (so far, at least). It can take a month to a year to get a book done. (A few hours to three days for a short, but I hardly do those.) Then I let it percolate. I take it out and do about a dozen drafts. Then I let beta readers see it. Then I edit again. Then I put it away. In between I work on other stories. Rinse and repeat.
I’m definitely a pantser, but I have made notes and written outlines before. They just go out the window once I start writing. I found them useful for getting the predictable storylines out of the way. Once I clear my mind of the obvious dreck, I can get on to doing something that might turn out to be fresh. I also use them to remember what colour someone’s eyes are, or where they were born. But I’m not much of a note taker. I keep almost all of the story in my head until it’s down on paper and then I refer back to the finished draft when I need to remember something.
Silly, I know. I have to get used to taking more notes. It will be easier lol.
And now I get to tag people! So here we go:
Have fun, guys!
R.S.A. Garcia 