The Creative Process Can Be Hard To Describe, Even Though We All Have One.
Creativity does not come boxed up in a one-size-fits-all package. Thankfully. While each writer may draw upon the experiences of successful writers, when it comes to how we create, we blend what we’ve learned with who we are and come up with a process that works for us. The Writing Process blog tour gives writers and readers a great opportunity to see into the mind of other writers.
I’d like to thank Helen Page, Daily Writing Coach, for inviting me to follow her virtual footsteps on this blog tour and offering me this opportunity to give you a glimpse into what and why I write.
What am I working on?
I have three books in the works. The next book to be published will be a Contemporary Romance set in a fictional resort on the Oregon Coast. It will be the first book in a series that focuses on the visitors and employees of the Rocky Shores Resort.
I’m also working on the second book of a Regency Romance series. The catalyst for the story came to me one night shortly before I drifted off to sleep, and wouldn’t let me be until I wrote a detailed synopsis. Although I will write it first, it will be the second in the series about the three daughters of an Earl. There is an older brother, and I may do a fourth book for his story.
Then there is the Angel McKenzie series. Angel is the photographer in Ambient Light. In the second book, Depth of Field, her gay assistant gets arrested for the brutal murder of his ex-lover. Did he do it? You’ll just have to wait and see.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
When I decided to try my hand at romance, I reimmersed myself in the genre by reading a lot books on the Kindle, averaging 4-5 a week. When it came to the sexual side of the story, the books were either very sweet with barely a kiss on the lips, or contained at least one sexually explicit scene. I prefer something in between.
I think a scene can be far sexier if the reader is only taken so far, and then the details are left up to her imagination. I write love scenes that end before the characters get down to the nitty-gritty. Steamy, but not explicit.
Why do I write what I do?
I think this is the hardest of the four questions to answer. I’ve always enjoyed a good love story and I’m a big fan of the happy ending. Yet by the time I became an adult, I was hooked on Science Fiction. I loved both The Hobbit, which I read while in high school, and later The Lord of the Rings. But it wasn’t until I read The Sword of Shannara that I shifted more toward the Fantasy genre.
As much as I love fantasy, both novels and movies, I just don’t have the patience to create a fantasy world. I’m very detail-oriented and I could just see myself taking years to perfect the world, without writing a single word. I realized I had to write in the existing world if I was ever going to write and publish more than a single book.
I set out to try my hand at Cozy Mysteries, both because I enjoy reading them and because they’re popular. However, I quickly discovered I had a dark streak which wasn’t suited to the genre. Yes, Ambient Light was originally conceived as a Cozy. But I ended up with Suspense. Romantic Suspense, actually, because it turns out I also have a strong romantic streak.
Based on the reactions of my beta readers for Ambient Light, I decided to focus my writing efforts on the Romance genre.
How does my writing process work?
A spend a lot of time with parts of the story or conversations between characters in my head. With characters, a lot of the conversations never make it to the page, but they help me solidify the characters’ personalities and motivations. A lot of back-story is developed during these conversations. Sometimes my characters surprise me, going in a different direction than I’d first imagined. I try to know and understand my characters as if they were real people, people I know well.
I’ve found when I need to quit for the day, but the next scenes are clear in my head, leaving myself bullet points in the manuscript makes it really easy to pick up where I left off. I usually read a chapter of two before that point, too, so my head is back in the story.
I’m also really bad about editing before the story is completed. In the early stages, I’ll read all of what I’ve written before I start writing for the day. Later, I’ll read several chapters, or more prior, to where I’m about to write. I like to immerse myself in the story. But all that rereading leads to finding things that I want to change, even though the story is far from complete
Other Writers on This Author Blog Tour
I’m pleased to present two talented authors I’ve come to know since going on this journey myself. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out their blogs and learn about their Writing Process. As no two authors will have the same process, you can learn a lot, and then apply what works to your own writing journey.
Tina Adams @Tina_Adams
www.tina-adams.com/blog/
Tina has more than two and a half decades of experience in the fiction industry, and with almost 50 titles to her credit, several of which have achieved bestseller status, she has more than proven her ability to write stories that sell.
In addition to her own writing, coaching, and ghostwriting projects, Tina also creates stunning book covers and various promotional creatives for authors.
Su Williams 
@DreamWeaver526
dreamweavernovels.blogspot.com/
Su Williams lives in the sometimes white/sometimes green Pacific Northwest with her husband Ben, and two of her four children, Aundraic, Jack, Josiah and Sarah. Her home is an ever changing menagerie of critters that now includes 2 cranky cats, an adorable crested gecko, a loving rescue beagle, and her teddy puppy beagle. Su has been writing most of her life but only tried her hand at a novel in the last 6 years. Her debut novel Dream Weaver is garnering 4 & 5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and topping lists on several Listopia lists. Her second novel, Rock Star was just released in January 2014 and holds a 5 Star rating on Amazon and also holds top spots on several Listopia lists.
