Monday, October 29, 2012

Writing Panel 3! The Editing Process!


I have picked my five of my favorite authors/writers. They are going to be talking about their writing process.  So stop by the next couple of weeks on Thursdays to see what they have to say!  Now on to the introductions!

Carrie Butler: Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Komal Lewis: Komal Lewis is a full-time author who lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, and one too many cats and dogs. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, comic books, Spiderman, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles and pretty shoes.
Komal recently finished her debut novel, IMPOSSIBLE, a YA Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become popular, and the rocker boy-next-door.

Joe Lantz: Joe works as a substitute teacher for Ripley Central School in WNY while he works on his YA novel and waits for a permanent position as an English Language Arts teacher. He had the great fortune of being Michelle’s student teacher and the even greater fortune of developing an enduring friendship with her, which includes time spent writing in a local library.  He is an avid reader and writer. He also enjoys collecting and reading comic books and graphic novels. He can also be found on  blog – the one Michelle encouraged me to start – Avid Reading, Constant Writing.

Bonnie Rae: Bonnie spent her early childhood in the sunny state of California. At the time, she was an only child with a very large imagination. Thanks to her Grandmother, the love of reading books started at a very young age. Every walk to the grocery store meant an ice cream cone and a new Little Golden Book. Through books, Bonnie learned you could be transported into other worlds. The addiction was instant. At age eleven, her grandparents gave her E.B. White's Charlotte's Web for her birthday. Even though she was completely grossed out when it came to spiders (and still is), Charlotte's Web fascinated her. A spider that was able to weave words and befriend a pig? Bonnie then realized not only could books provide imaginary worlds, they confirmed anything was possible. She might have only been eleven, but she knew writing was what she wanted to do. She started her first set of novels at the age of sixteen and has been writing ever since. Bonnie currently lives in California with her wonderful husband and two very spoiled cats.
I am excited for this week (in a weird way). The editing process is the hardest part of writing for me. It’s when you give your “baby” to your friends or not so much friends and they really dive into it.

Editing time!
Can you describe your editing process for us?

Carrie: Absolutely! After the first draft is complete, I usually take another 2-5 passes at it. Then it goes out to my critique partners for feedback. I had 7 for Strength, but I plan on less for the sequel.
After I implement my critique partners’ suggestions, I go back and forth with them until I have a nice, clean copy to send my beta readers. I had 4 of those, last time. (Lather, rinse, repeat.) Now let’s skip forward, past my book deal, to the next level of editing.
Working with a publisher is a similar experience, but it feels different. More pressure, less doubt. Content edits, copy edits, etc. You know you’re working toward something now. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and, this time, it’s not a train! ;)
Learn to love that red ink, my friends.

Komal: I give myself a few days off, not two weeks like everyone recommends. The reason for this is because after I finish my first draft, I immediately know what rewrites I need to do, and I just want to get it done. I edit on the Word document first and then I print it all off and do line edits. Then it gets sent off to my critique partners. I implement their feedback, do a final round of edits, and have a beta-reader go through it. Rinse and repeat.

Joe: I can only really talk about how I edit for others at this point. I have a feeling I’d take the same approach for my own work.
First, I read the draft through to enjoy the story for the sake of enjoying the story. I would only mark something that really, really, really interferes with my reading. Second, I ask myself questions about the story. For example: How was the story? Did the narration have flow? I jot down the answers to those and many other questions as informal notes, notes I’ll use on my next read. The third step I take is to read the story again with my notes on hand. This time through I am looking for spelling errors, punctuation mishaps, and the like. The fourth step is to read through once again offering suggestions to the author. The suggestions are often about clarifications, character names, continuity fixes, and many more. My final step is in the editing process is to write a letter to the author. The letter provides an overview of what I liked/loved about the work, what I did in the editing process, and how much I hope I have helped move the work forward.
My editing process is time consuming but one I feel worth spending the time on. Someone has trusted me with his or her work and I’d better be bringing my A game to the editing process. As a writer, I know how hard it can be to hand over a manuscript or even a short story or poem you’ve poured yourself into for some to read, so the fact that an author has trusted you says a lot about you and you’d best prove that trust was warranted.

Bonnie: A lot of screaming, crying, self-doubt, and chocolate. Okay, maybe not that exactly, lol. After I do my first draft I send it out to my lovely CP's and beta readers. I take about a week or two off and just work on something else. Give my eyes and brain a break from my current story. Then once I get the story back from CP's and beta's I go over all of their comments. I give myself another thirty days to do rewrites/edits/revisions. After that, I send the MS off to the editor.


Why do you think it is important to have other people edit your work?

Carrie: They catch things I can’t. They’re unbiased, objective, and bring their own strengths to the table.
Besides, they don’t have the whole story playing out in their heads 24/7. They read what’s on the paper. ;)

Komal: Chances are you could be cuckoo, and think your story is a masterpiece when it really isn’t. But, in all seriousness, it’s so important to have other people look at your work. The feedback is a necessary part of improving your story.

Bonnie: I am going to put these two questions together.


I found my editor through an online writing group. She is a professional editor and also a writer, she had all the right credentials and experience, plus she gets my writing style. That's not to say she doesn't suggest I make changes, because she does, and I am grateful for all the hard work she puts into my novels. In a perfect world, I would never have to use anyone else.

As a self-published author I think it is incredibly important to have another pair of eyes edit my work. Especially a credited editor with plenty of experience, because let's face it, all writer's make mistakes. I make a lot of mistakes. I am totally not ashamed to admit that. My first novel had its issues and I learned a plethora of stuff from the experience of not having it properly edited the first time around. Mistakes were missed and readers were very quick to point them out. Live and learn right? I actually took the book offline and had the editor I currently use, fix those mistakes and work with me to create a better reading experience for readers. There might still be a mistake here and there (heck even majorly published books have them), but it is nothing like the first version I put on line. Being self-published I refuse to cheat my readers into reading a horribly written and horribly edited novel. I am trying to create a respected and well done product for the reading public. Not having it professionally edited would just create a poorly done piece with a bad name. I take my writing very seriously. My novels are my babies. If I didn't get them edited and have them put through the ringer before publishing, then I couldn't call myself a real author.  I am not saying everyone loves my books. People might not like the story, and that is perfectly okay, but I don't want them to hate the writing in general because it is riddled with mistakes.


Any tips, tricks, or strategies to help other writers when proofing their own work? 

Carrie: Read it out loud. Seriously. Not only do I spot errors more often, but it helps me hear the cadence of my phrases. It’s a really helpful step.
Oh, and print that bad boy out (or send it to your e-reader).  You’ll be surprised how different the manuscript looks/reads away from your word processor.

Joe: The first piece of advice: Find someone you can trust to edit. Trust that he or she will protect your work from prying eyes. Trust that he or she will be dedicated to the task. Trust that he or she will give feedback to you straight without hemming and hawing. You want someone honest, someone who will tell you the truth and not just tell you what you want to here. Constructive Criticism.
The second piece of advice: When you go to edit your work, give yourself sometime away from the manuscript. If you finish on a Monday, set aside the manuscript until the following Monday so you can come at your work with fresh eyes and fresh thoughts.
The third piece of advice: Remember that you most likely are your own worst critic. Try to cut yourself some slack.


What do you do if someone gives you a critique you don’t like? How do you handle it?

Carrie: I weigh it against the other critiques I receive. If it’s repeat feedback, I have no choice but to accept it. If it’s not, well, this is a subjective business. Not everyone will like what I write. It doesn’t mean I have to change everything on a singular whim, you know? It’s a judgment call.

Komal: I’ve been given mixed critiques before, which confused the heck out of me. I considered the three different viewpoints, read through my story and incorporated the ones that I agreed with. At the end of the day, it’s my story and only I can make the final decisions for it. You just have to go with your gut feeling.

How do you talk yourself into deleting a full scene or chapter, or something people thing weighs down your manuscript?

Carrie: I have a special folder for my deleted scenes and chapters. That way, I can go back and scrap them for parts later. Recycling, FTW!

Komal: I just do it. If it’s not resonating with someone else, or with me, it’s got to go!

Any advice for writers about the editing process?

Carrie: Edit your manuscript as many times as your patience allows… and then do it one more time. You know, just in case. ;) You only get one chance to make a first impression!

I also want to say "Congrats" to Komal who had her debut week with her contemporary novel IMPOSSIBLE. You can head over to A Dash of YA for a chance to win a copy!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Cover Reveal - Impossible by Komal Lewis

I am so very excited to par-taking in this cover reveal today! My dear friend Komal Lewis is revealing her cover for her debut novel Impossible. I was super lucky to read Komal's novel and I loved it. I am going to posting a review here later this week and up on Dash to.

So here it is!!!

Ashton Summers is on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school and nothing—or no one—is going to stand in her way. Especially not Luca Byron, her freak neighbor, with his tattoos, loud music, and distracting green eyes.
Luca Byron has three goals in life: get through high school with a low profile, make sure his garage band becomes something more than a hobby, and try to forget about his insufferable ex-best friend, Ashton, who he can’t get out of his mind.
The last thing Ashton and Luca want to do is rekindle their friendship, but when Ashton takes a tumble down the social ladder, Luca—with his new makeover—is the only one who can help her rise up again by pretending to be her boyfriend. At first, being together is unbearable and annoying, but things start to change as Ashton and Luca discover the real reasons they drifted apart seven years ago.
Now, keeping their hands off each other seems impossible.

I know, amazing right? Keep watching our sites for chances to win a copy!

KOMAL I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Spooktacular Book Giveaway Hop

Yay Halloween Season. Yay Free books. Yay book hops!  Today I have hopped on to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. It runs from the 24th to the 31st! That I think that would be a great Halloween surprise. Free books! I am giving away a few copies of my debut novel The Owens Legacy: Revelations. There are a whopping 400 people on this hop. Your odds are good. I say enter as many as you can! You're bound to get lucky!





Here's a synopsis of my book:
When telepathic twins, Piper and Ryder Owens are dumped at Evermore Academy, they thought that the only thing they’d have to worry about was Piper staying out of trouble long enough for them to graduate. They will not, for any reason, be separated. But someone at Evermore knows about their secret and wants to separate them permanently.

But then Piper’s Achilles Heel shows up: a good looking guy. Victor Mira is everything Piper is supposed to avoid, yet she feels drawn to him in a way she never imagined. But Victor is hiding a dangerous secret too, and what he knows could be the one thing that could divide the sisters. Forever.

I'm a paranormal junkee :) 

So fill out the rafflecopter: 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writer's Panel! Section 2! Now You're Writing!


Carrie Butler: Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Komal Lewis: Komal Lewis is a full-time author who lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, and one too many cats and dogs. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, comic books, Spiderman, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles and pretty shoes.
Komal is currently working on her debut novel, Impossible, a YA Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become popular, and the rocker boy-next-door. Find her blog here.

Joe Lantz: Joe works as a substitute teacher for Ripley Central School in WNY while he works on his YA novel and waits for a permanent position as an English Language Arts teacher. He had the great fortune of being Michelle’s student teacher and the even greater fortune of developing an enduring friendship with her, which includes time spent writing in a local library.  He is an avid reader and writer. He also enjoys collecting and reading comic books and graphic novels. He can also be found on  blog – the one Michelle encouraged me to start – Avid Reading, Constant Writing.

Bonnie Rae: Bonnie spent her early childhood in the sunny state of California. At the time, she was an only child with a very large imagination. Thanks to her Grandmother, the love of reading books started at a very young age. Every walk to the grocery store meant an ice cream cone and a new Little Golden Book. Through books, Bonnie learned you could be transported into other worlds. The addiction was instant. At age eleven, her grandparents gave her E.B. White's Charlotte's Web for her birthday. Even though she was completely grossed out when it came to spiders (and still is), Charlotte's Web fascinated her. A spider that was able to weave words and befriend a pig? Bonnie then realized not only could books provide imaginary worlds, they confirmed anything was possible. She might have only been eleven, but she knew writing was what she wanted to do. She started her first set of novels at the age of sixteen and has been writing ever since. Bonnie currently lives in California with her wonderful husband and two very spoiled cats. Find her blog here.
Last week my wonderful writers focused on the pre-writing phase. Check that post out here. Today they are talking about their actual writing of their first draft.

Where do you find it easiest to write? 
Carrie: At my desk. Have you seen my writing cave? The sacrifice was worth it!

Komal: Like Sheldon Cooper, I have my spot on the sofa. I work there for optimum results because it’s the best angle for the TV, close to the door if there’s a fire and I need to escape, and in viewing distance of the kitchen so I can keep an eye on my dogs. There is nowhere else in the house that I can focus, except there. Beware if you take my spot.

Joe: When I first started work on the manuscript, I found my bedroom was easiest to write in, but I quickly learned that I was wrong. Oh so wrong. My room is the worst place I can write. There are just way too many distractions there.
Thanks to Michelle, I find I write easiest in the library. I do very well there, typically cranking out two hours worth of solid writing during our Saturday writing meets. The summer was most productive as we met Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to write.
When not at the library, I find that I write my easiest at home in the dining room. By far, the dining room has way fewer distractions than my room. I think it also helps that the dining room chairs are not the most comfortable to sit in for long periods of time which motivates me to focus on my writing so I can crank out two hours or more and then get the hell off those seats.

Bonnie: In my office, always. I am most comfortable there and can really get into my element.

How do you schedule yourself and then stick to that schedule?
Carrie: If I want to make a career out of writing, I need to treat it like any other job. I pick a time that works best, and I hold myself accountable.

Komal: I wake up at 6 am every day, except for when it’s my husband’s day off. After I get all the housework done, I go on the Internet and then work on my story at around 11 am. If I am writing, then I aim to write 1000-3000 words a day. If I am editing, then I try and edit 20-30 pages, and allow myself breaks when I need them. If I want a day off, then that’s okay. I’m a workaholic, though, so I am constantly thinking about my work-in-progress.

Joe: Aside from writing with Michelle on Saturday mornings, I don’t really have a set schedule. I write whenever I have free time. And honestly, writing whenever I have free time is the easiest schedule to stick to.
However, I recently set a November deadline for the first draft of my manuscript, so I most likely will attempt to set myself a more regular schedule for writing to help me reach the November goal. I foresee the schedule being something like this: Writing during all available free time and for two dedicated hours every night on top of the Saturday writing time with Michelle.

Bonnie: I don't schedule times, I schedule word counts. I set a daily goal that I need to write a day in order to finish in thirty days (first draft). So sometimes I do a morning and afternoon session.  Or sometimes, depending on the muse, I will pull a whole morning or a whole afternoon. All of it really depends on when the muse flows best. But regardless, I push for my word count even if I hate everything I am writing that day. First drafts can suck, that's what they are for. I call them my learning curve drafts. But trust me there are days when nothing flows, so I take the day off. I read or blog and usually at some point get inspired and can dabble something down.

While you are writing, who, if anyone, do you include in the writing process and why? But if not, why not?
Carrie:  I run first draft chapters past my sister. She’s an avid reader and is great about spotting early plot-holes.

Komal: When my husband gets home from work, I always give him a summary of what I did that day. If I am stuck on a certain part of the story, we talk through it until it’s resolved. I also have two amazing critique partners, Michelle and Erica, who give me constant help and feedback if I need it.

How do you know your first draft is complete?
Carrie: When it feels right. There’s no other way to describe it. Use those writing Spidey-senses!

Komal: I set a word count goal and aim for that. Also, I have several “main events” that I know I have to hit during the story. Once that’s done, I try to wrap it up.

Any organization strategies, apps, etc. that help you write?
Carrie: I keep a master binder of everything. Notes, maps, research, etc. (And I’m saving up to try Scrivener!)

Komal: Don’t over prepare for it. Don’t edit as you go. Let the first draft be as organic as possible. If you are stuck, try and work through it. Keep going and just get it done!

Any advice for writers about the first draft part of writing that you wish to share?

Carrie: Remember when I said not to censor your pre-writing? I’m going to add to that now. Don’t edit your first draft until it’s finished. Just plow through it.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Losing It by Cora Carmack


Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

I was fortunate enough to get on this blog hop, thanks to the sister of YA-Sisterhood. I've been in a it or a reading slump - and I think it is because I needed something new, something, I hadn't read before.

Cora delivers. I wanted to just write that but thought maybe Cora wanted more. So here's more.

I thought the premise was hilarious. I mean - your first time with sex is awkward and then to be Bliss and see Garrick so fast and in such a way, it's even more awkward when you read it. It had me laughing which was awesome for me, because literature hasn't been making me laugh.

Bliss, isn't someone I say is like me, but she's one of my friends. I found myself laughing at all of her nervous moments, because she gets awkward, and she just can't help it. I love the fact that she stayed a virgin for so long. I think it is incredibly hard to do in this day and age, and I thought Cora/Bliss sent out a message to avoid teenage sex. Should she just throw it away? No - but then there is Garrick. You know, the foreign, charming, god that had me drooling. I may have thrown it away on him, in my fictional dreams.

Garrick - I want Cora to write a few passages from his point of view when he's interacting with Bliss. I asked my boyfriend what he would do if I had done a few of her antics, and he told me, do my best not to laugh and make awkward faces back at her.

My overall opinion was it was a great New Age It was cute. It was lovey. It is a great debut novel. She delivered.

So - fill out the rafflecopter to win and hope you do! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 15, 2012

Writer's Panel! First Section!


I have picked my four of my favorite authors/writers. They are going to be talking about their writing process.  So stop by the next couple of weeks on Thursdays to see what they have to say!  Now on to the introductions!

Carrie Butler: Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Komal Lewis: Komal Lewis is a full-time author who lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, and one too many cats and dogs. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, comic books, Spiderman, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles and pretty shoes.
Komal is currently working on her debut novel, WITH ME, a YA Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become popular, and the rocker boy-next-door.

Joe Lantz: Joe works as a substitute teacher for Ripley Central School in WNY while he works on his YA novel and waits for a permanent position as an English Language Arts teacher. He had the great fortune of being Michelle’s student teacher and the even greater fortune of developing an enduring friendship with her, which includes time spent writing in a local library.  He is an avid reader and writer. He also enjoys collecting and reading comic books and graphic novels. He can also be found on  blog – the one Michelle encouraged me to start – Avid Reading, Constant Writing.

Bonnie Rae: Bonnie spent her early childhood in the sunny state of California. At the time, she was an only child with a very large imagination. Thanks to her Grandmother, the love of reading books started at a very young age. Every walk to the grocery store meant an ice cream cone and a new Little Golden Book. Through books, Bonnie learned you could be transported into other worlds. The addiction was instant. At age eleven, her grandparents gave her E.B. White's Charlotte's Web for her birthday. Even though she was completely grossed out when it came to spiders (and still is), Charlotte's Web fascinated her. A spider that was able to weave words and befriend a pig? Bonnie then realized not only could books provide imaginary worlds, they confirmed anything was possible. She might have only been eleven, but she knew writing was what she wanted to do. She started her first set of novels at the age of sixteen and has been writing ever since. Bonnie currently lives in California with her wonderful husband and two very spoiled cats.

This week we are going to be talking about the Pre-writing process. You know that moment when the idea is rolling around and is dying to bust out of your thoughts.

Pre-writing
How has a story idea come to you?

Carrie: I’ll use Strength, my debut novel, as an example. For years, I'd been toying with the idea of writing a story with a unique, supernatural race (or three). One night, for whatever reason, I couldn't stop thinking about the concept of balance—specifically, the balance of power. I started jotting down notes while listening to music, and "All I Know" (the 2005 Five for Fighting cover) came on. As soon as I heard the first few sentences, the romance element fell into place. :) It snowballed from there.

Komal: Lots of different ways. Movies, songs, dreams, other books, and sometimes from nowhere at all.

Joe: I think most of my story ideas come to me from the variety of experiences I’ve had reading, collecting comics, and occasionally from TV shows and movies. Does that mean I’m copying others? I don’t think so as I always try to find a new angle or approach to the idea that inspired my own idea. For example, reading about vampires has recently sparked a new YA story idea for vampires. While the main character is the blood sucking undead, he’s not the nicest of guys – he enjoys feasting on blood and pushing people’s buttons making no apologies for doing both. The inspirations for my idea: The Vampire Diaries TV show, The Twilight Saga novels, and a few other vampire-centric novels, shows, and movies. When a story idea comes to you, you have to be able to put your own spin on the idea.I will confess that a few story ideas have come to me in dreams, which is why I keep pen and paper near my bed.

Bonnie: I think the one that stands out the most was while I was attending a writing conference. All of a sudden in the middle of a really wonderful workshop this vision of two teenagers on swings, in a park, in the wee hours of the morning popped into my head. The park had an eerie setting and the boy and girl were so vivid to me, so alive, that I just started writing the scene down right then and there. Needless to say I missed the rest of the workshop because I was so caught up in the muse. After that my first book, Nether Bound, started to take shape.

Once you have an idea, how do you brainstorm?

Carrie: It’s chaotic. I cover my desk with papers. Fragmented thoughts, drawings, lines pointing every which way—it’s a wonder I ever manage to decipher them! LOL

Joe: Once a story idea takes root in my brain, I instantly brainstorm by writing down anything and everything that develops on a notepad, usually the legal pad style. There is no formality about the brainstorming – ideas get written down in no particular order, barely count as sentences, often are accompanied by a doodle or five, arrows are used to show connection, and so on. At present, I have a hefty stack of notepads filled with story idea brainstorms. Alas, so many ideas and not enough time in the day to work on them all.

Bonnie: If it is a scene that comes to me, I just write it out right then and there. Of course, that is provided I am in a place where I can do that. But I always carry a notebook with me wherever I go and my friends have gotten pretty used to me pulling it out and penning away.
For a whole story I pretty much brainstorm by outlining. I usually outline and write the first five chapters. I let myself just go with it and see where the story takes me in those first few chapters. The first five introduce me to my characters and gives me a chance to really get to know them and also lets me see exactly how the story develops and the direction I will go with it. . After the first five chapters are written is when I will actually finish outlining the rest of the story and do all of my character bios/summaries. 

Do you do a lot of pre-planning or do you dive right in and write?

Carrie: I used to dive right in, but I’m more organized these days. I bust out character profiles, spreadsheets, timelines, etc.

Komal: It depends on the kind of story I’m writing. If it’s something that requires world-building then I pre-plan, otherwise I just let the story take me wherever it’s headed.

Why do you think you do it that way or what does this say about you?

Carrie: It says I’m turning into a plotter! Or I’m losing my mind…

Komal: I think it says that I’m an unorganized control freak.

How do you develop your characters?

Carrie: I’m going to go all ‘creepy author’ on you for a second and say they develop themselves. Sure, I’ll start with a notion or two—shaped by a variety of influences—but after that? I’m lucky to keep up!

Komal: I think about them a lot! They have conversations in my head, and when I’m listening to music, I try and relate it to my characters.

Joe: I like this question because it relates to the other two pre-writing questions I selected. I think my characters are a mix of my own ideas and inspiration from other characters – again with my own approach/angle. Right now I’d say my biggest inspiration for the characters in the manuscript I’m currently enveloped in are the comic book characters I read. The characters are my own creation but fit into the archetypes of comic book characters.
As for development, I brainstorm just like I do for story ideas. However, I also allow the characters to grow, change, and adapt as the story develops, as writing takes me in new directions I hadn’t considered during brainstorming.

Bonnie: I do it this way, because it works for me. Trust me; I've tried plotting it all out, outlining, full character bios and chapter summaries before I write anything.  And what I learned is that stories change, so all that hard work that I put in during the beginning, most of it doesn't fit anymore. By writing out the first five chapters I get a great feel for all the characters and the story, as well as the solid direction everything will go in.

Anything you think another writer should know about for the pre-writing session? 

Carrie: Don’t censor yourself at this point. Let anything and everything come out on the paper. You can always weed the story later.

Wow! That's so much for me to think about and this is only the first post! Thanks for stopping by everyone. I hope this was as inspiring for you as it was for me!

Leave some love!