I was tagged by the fabulous
Cassie Mae for this bloghop, in which I answer a few questions about my writing process.
What am I working on?
*Revising REMAKE 2. This one's been read by two CPs, and I'm fixing it based on their feedback. To be sent to my next round of readers soon.
*Revising my 'herbs-n-nerds book' for my agent, hopefully done in the next couple of weeks.
*Waiting for feedback from my agent on my 'memory book', biting my nails waiting to hear what she thinks.
*Drafting my 'trading book'...so excited about the world-building in this one.
*Drafting my 'outbreak book'. Loving the voice so far--so different for me. And fun!
*Waiting for some final polishing notes on REMAKE from my editor...ARCs coming forth soon. Eep.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
All of my books are YA set in the (near or distant) future on Earth, and I would consider them light sci-fi with strong romantic elements. Though 'elements' might be too weak a word. The romance in my books is never just there for the sake of romance or even characterization, it's always a vital part of the plot.
Why do I write what I do?
If I had a time machine and could travel to any one time period on Earth, it would be somewhere in the future. Yep, I'm one of
those people. The unknown intrigues me (probably why I wanted to become an astronaut and explore the cosmos). So I'm constantly asking myself the What If questions. What if everyone chose their own gender? What if the world monetary system collapsed? What if people had to migrate to avoid radiation poisoning? And then I let my imagination wander and think up characters and their stories in these altered worlds. Then bam...I write it all down.
I'm also a bit of a preparedness junkie. Because--you know--what if? I'm a certified home herbalist and collect herbs (for medicinal purposes), medical supplies, shelf-stable food, seeds, etc. We even have a cabin in the mountains completely off the grid. So several of my stories tend to be a little post-apocalyptic as well...having to live off the land or make do without today's amenities. Fun to think about.
How does my writing process work?
Once I get an idea, I let it simmer for months until a full story surfaces, and then I spend several weeks plotting it out. I usually draft like a madwoman, pumping out a barebones story within 2-3 weeks. I don't get a lot of sleep, the story constantly running through my brain. I have this insane drive to get it out of me. After that I fill in the holes and flesh it out a bit more, then revise until it's the shiniest I can get it.
At that point I send it to my first readers, revise based on their feedback, send it out to more readers, revise...keep going until it's the shiniest I can get it with CP help. Then it's off to my agent, who undoubtedly gives it back with a long list of to do items that I work on, send back, she gives more feedback, I revise...keep going until it's the shiniest we can get it. Then it's off on submission (which admittedly, I've only made it to this step once so far) and if sold, I do the same dance with an editor.
To be honest, it boggles my mind how much time I spend on one manuscript when you consider all that work, but it's worth it. And as you can tell by my 'working on' list above, I have different books in various stages of that dance. It's a wild, complicated routine, but I really do love it.
Tell me what you're working on and why you like to write what you do. I'm tagging
Robin Hall and
Kathryn Purdie, two beautiful, amazing writers. You can tune in to their blogs next Monday and read all about their writing processes.
Did anyone else watch Divergent this past weekend? How did you like it?
It's not too late to sign up, and you can do so here. This will be my third year participating. It's a fun challenge, and this time I'm going with a Writing Music theme. I'm sharing some of my favorite music to write to, one song spotlighted each day in a short, simple post.
