Happy Monday, folks. Today I’m participating in the Writing Process blog hop that’s been making the rounds on the Triple W lately. But first, can we talk about why my madeup world wide web moniker isn’t catching on? I just think Triple W sounds so great. Like a virtual wild west ranch, you know?
My friend Clay Morgan tagged me to participate in this blog hop. [insert requisite joke about being tagged and my last name being Tagg etc etc] Clay is a writer/teacher/speaker/consultant, and I basically think everything he writes is awesome so be sure check out his stuff both at claywrites.com and at norvillerogers.com (including his Writing Process post) and connect with him on Twitter (@ClayMorganPA).
Okay let’s talk writing. And stay tuned for the two brilliant writers I’m tagging at the end.
What are you working on?
One week from today is the deadline for my third novel, From the Start. So I’m definitely in the final sprint. This is a humor-and-romance-laced contemporary story about an injured football player and a jaded scriptwriter of made-for-TV movies. There is more of me in this story than any story I’ve written, I think. Which is probably why it’s the hardest thing I’ve written to date.
I also recently turned in a novella which is a prequel to my new series and bridges the old and new series. And I’m continuing to blog and write the random article here and there.
How does your work differ from others of your genre?
Welp, I think it might be a bit quirkier than your usual romantic story. That’s the screwball comedy lover in me coming out. I’ve been told my voice is unique and that dialogue is my strength. And I think I might sprinkle in more obscure pop culture references than usual, especially classic movie references (enough that sometimes my editor has to kindly remind me that not everyone will get as big a kick out of some references as me. LOL!) Also, I’m not big on tying up every little story piece in epilogues. I like leaving a few things for readers to imagine.
Why do you write what you do?
True story: I was originally convinced I could be the next Ted Dekker. I mean, seriously. But I tried to write a pseudo-thriller-suspensy scene and it turned out kinda like a poorly done haunted house. You know, where you go inside and it’s way more unintentionally and pathetically funny than it is scary.
But then at my first MBT writing retreat—hands down the best thing I ever did for my writing—author Susan May Warren asked us to think about our favorite movies. I realized all my favorite movies are these 1930s and 40s black and white screwball comedies with fun and well-developed romance and brilliant dialogue. I had a little slap-my-forehead moment and Melissa the rom-com writer was born.
More than anything, I write what I do because I believe in the power of story. Stories change us…they make us think or challenge us or get us to ask questions we might not otherwise. They get us to feel things we might not otherwise. And when it comes to rom-com specifically, well, as an author I feel like I can use both humor and romance to pave the way for truth. Laughter pulls us into a place of openness; romance tugs on our vulnerabilities. So for me, romantic comedy creates this fun and natural space for exploring universal themes and spiritual truth.
How does your writing process work?
Because I have a full-time dayjob, I have to schedule my writing time veeery carefully. I would love to be able to just write when the muse hits or when I’m feeling inspired. But at this season in my life, that’s not realistic. So…awhile back I trained myself to become a morning person. Not. Easy. I think the night owl in me wept those first few days weeks. Many days now I get up around 5 a.m., have a little quiet time, then try to plunk out 60 or 90 minutes of writing before work. When I’m on deadline, I’m usually writing 2-3 hours a night…and at least two Saturdays a month. It’s a lot, but again, it’s the season I’m in.
I don’t write to music BUT I do usually listen to a song that fits whatever scene I’m working on before I begin writing. I have to be surrounded by beverages—pop, coffee, water—and I tend to eat baby carrots and grapes by the bag full while writing.
Proof of my need for beverages. In this instance, though, I traded my usual carrots for watermelon.
When it comes to the storycrafting process itself, I’m learning to accept that I write in layers. I’ve heard Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck talk about process versus ping… and as much as I want to be more of a process person (because it feels cleaner, more organized and appeals to the planner in me), it’s going with and even looking for those ping moments that make storycrafting magical for me. I decided as I wrote my second book I could either fight that and stubbornly hold to my outline…or I could be open and flexible and let the story do its thing.
And if you think about it, there’s probably a pretty good metaphor or life lesson in there somewhere.
*****
Tagging Time!
I’m tagging two fun author friends to participate next: Hillary Manton Lodge and Katherine Reay.
I “met” Hillary earlier this year thanks to a mutual friend (shoutout to Rachel McMillan!) and the three of us have bonded so much that it’s hard for me to remember life before them. Hillary is the author of one of my favorite books of 2014—A Table by the Window. I rave about this book constantly and resonated with it in such a huge way. She also has the cutest dog ever named Shiloh. Stop by Hillary’s site next week to read about her writing process.
Katherine is the author of one of my absolute favorite books of 2013—Dear Mr. Knightley, which has racked up all kinds of awards and nominations—and what I’m guessing will be one of my favorite reads of this year, too—Lizzie and Jane. I met her for just a few minutes at a writing conference last year, and can’t wait to get to chat with her more this year. And her writing, ahhh, I could just gush about it forever. Stop by Katherine’s site to read her writing process post next week.
Comments 25
Hi Melissa! My writing process looks a lot like yours. I need coffee nearby, preferably iced on these hot summer days, and I have an entire playlist of songs that fit with different scenes in my WIP. I write at night and during afternoon naps…pretty much whenever my kids are asleep. If we go on long car trips, I take my laptop and car charger, and tap out a few hundred words between potty stops and lunch breaks while my hubby drives.
I really like to layer as I go. I’ve tried outlining, but never got past 15,000 words that way. Now I just go with it, adding layers and backstory, getting to know my characters as they live on the page. For example, a character I thought was a total villain has turned out to be not so bad after all. I think I may be in love with him haha. It just goes to show, sometimes ping writing can be more fun!
Author
Sara, I am so amazed at writers who churn out a few hundred words here and there–during kids’ naps or on car trips. I tend to have this thought that I need a good couple hours for good writing to happen. I want to get better about taking advantage of 15, 20, 30 minute snippets.
Love your example of the villain you now love. 🙂 I still outline the basic elements of my story…I definitely need a roadmap, but it seems my roadmap is constantly changing. LOL! So I just keep remapping. But I so agree…ping writing is a blast. I love it when, bam, the perfect thing just happens in the story or your character says something you completely didn’t expect and it changes everything. Those are the magical moments.
Looks very similar to yours, actually…well except I have a bowl of chocolate next to me. I’m thinking I need to change to the grapes because I’ve had to join a gym. LOL.
So cool getting a glimpse into your brain. I’ve loved seeing other writers’ processes! And I’m all about the ping moment too. Which has been hard for this OCD girl. I like order, but order is definitely not how I write!
Author
Honestly, I craaave order when I write. Which is why it’s been hard for me to keep a looser grip on the story and let it breathe. But that’s when awesome stuff happens, so I’m trying… 🙂
I should’ve confessed that every now and then I have M&Ms or chocolate chips next to me as I write, too.
Love seeing your writing process. My process is a bit different…I take about a month to let the story cook in my mind then I switch between Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake and Susan May Warren’s (And you are so right about Susie!) Book Buddy. Once I have the story in my mind, I start writing and set a goal of 15,000 words a week. It usually takes me 6 weeks to write my first draft. Then begins the process I like best–rewriting. All through the 1st draft I have to keep telling myself: You can’t edit what you haven’t written. And come Friday, I’ll start the first draft process for my 5th book!!
Author
I have heard so much about the Snowflake method but haven’t worked with it yet. I might want to pick your brain on it sometime. And yes, the Book Buddy…it’s just the best, that’s all there is to it.
And I’m just like you–I like rewrites best! I find drafting incredibly intimidating.
Melissa, it is so fun to hear about how your writing works. I am a ping person, too. I tried to outline my last book scene by scene and I had horrible writer’s block for a few months. I realized that I am a get my character interview and journey nailed and then go back later and make sure I have the spine that is essential in my edits. It always feels a bit like cheating, LOL. I was the same in college…paper outline due by a certain date, I would write the paper and then do the outline to turn in because it always changed so much.
Fun post, Melissa!
Author
Michelle, I’ve heard from so many people who say outlining scene by scene stifles them. I definitely do still outline…I make sure I do the LINDY HOP, to use MBT speak. 🙂 But what I’ve changed is that I’m no longer forcibly tied to my outline. I’ve found that I re-outline about four times as I write a book. Which is probably all sorts of ridiculous, but even though I love those ping moments, I guess I still need that outline as a sort of safety net. 🙂
Love that you write the story and then go back to make sure you have the spine of it. Haha!!
The question recalls a great line from the show “Frasier.” Frasier asks his dad if he and his brother Nils are odd. “No, you’re not odd,” their father says. “You’re ‘special.’ That’s what your mother always told me and I believe it.”
Writers are not crazy. We’re special.
as for writing, I begin in the morning, late morning since I am not a morning person and continue during the afternoon – interrupted by Wie golf tournaments and a trip to a health club.
Author
I remember that line from Frasier, George. 🙂 I’ll stop calling myself crazy now and change my vocab to “special.”
I definitely agree that you have a unique voice and awesome dialogue. I’m big on witty humor so I’m a fan of yours 🙂
http://alwaysreadingblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/writers-world-blog-tour.html?m=1 I answered these same questions as a part of the Writer’s World Blog Tour.
Author
I stopped by and checked out your blog, Courtney. Love it! We have a lot of similarities.
you are my hero!
i did the same questions on my bloggie: http://a-fair-substitute-for-heaven.blogspot.ca/2014/07/my-writing-process-blog-tour.html
but i would say the most unique part about my process is that i don’t write chronologically 🙂 i write little sequences and scenes and then patch them up:)
Author
Nah, YOU are MY hero.
Can I just say how happy it makes me that you now love NTB. It’s like, my life has purpose…
That is definitely a unique thing about your writing process. I do tend to write mostly chronologically except every once in awhile I’ll get an idea for a latter scene I just have to write NOW. Or, sometimes when I get stuck or frustrated in the middle of the book, I’ll skip ahead and write the ending just for the fun of it. It almost always ends up changing by the time I get there, but at least it’s a nice distraction from the middle–which is where I tend to get all angsty.
So fun to see your process, good luck on that final sprint to the deadline. I tried flying by the seat of my pants when I wrote my first novel and I feel like I wasted a lot of time. The second time I went with The Book Buddy and To Kiss and Tell, which both helped tremendously. I might throw in a little Snowflake Method this third time around and I’m writing my first draft by hand…no more intimidating blinking cursor for me. Thanks for giving us a peek into your writing world.
Author
Oh yeah, I definitely couldn’t entirely fly by the seat of my pants. The planner in me would never allow it. I have to know the basics of where I’m going–inciting incident, quest, obstacles, Ys in the road, etc etc. (can you tell I’m an MBT student? 🙂 ) But what has changed for me is embracing those “ping” moment where suddenly something I didn’t expect happens…and I then have to go back and re-plot. So, I still kinda plot…I just hold it pretty loosely.
But yeah, I’d be right there with you, intimidated by the blinking cursor, if I didn’t have at least a basic roadmap in the beginning.
Mine is somewhat similar. I try SOO hard to get an outline down, but I just can’t. Usually I end up writing the whole book, then I figure out where all those outline parts fit into the whole. 🙂 I definitely need some chocolate chips next to me when I write, and at least some water.
Author
Chocolate chips. Mmm…
I understand the difficulty outlining…although, I sorta have the opposite problem in that I have this compulsive need to outline BUT I know I’ll never follow it. So I literally end up with 4-5 outlines for every book I do. And that frustrated me so much in the beginning, but as I’ve started recognizing those “ping” moments for the gifts that they are, I’ve decided re-outlining is apparently just part of my process… 🙂
Thanks, it’s so interesting to read about the writer’s process!
Author
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle 🙂
Hi Melissa!
I loved getting to know you and your writing a bit better! Thanks for sharing!
When I say I’m a writer, I have to elaborate. I love to write. I love the art of writing, of watching the words flow and pour from my pen onto a piece of paper. I love the shapes of writing, from my script on a page, to the different fonts on the computer. Writing is my art.
I write whenever the inspiration strikes me. There is no outline, no rhyme or reason, beyond God, to my writing. Just ask any of my friends. I will Facebook message them my latest thought process on something (I really need to start writing those down), because it usually strikes late at night when normal people are asleep and I want to share it with someone, even if they won’t see it for hours.
I know writers are crazy, but it kind of depends on who we’re talking about, what number I would give them on the scale. Me personally, I’m a 10, and I know it. Just last night, I had to tell the voices in my head to stop arguing and be quiet so I could pray. It took me several minutes to silence then enough to focus on God. If that doesn’t make me crazy, I’m not sure what will – short of being a serial killer. But no worries there – as far as I know, murder is still illegal and goes against God’s law.
Now that I’ve undoubtedly made you wonder what kind of weirdos you have following your blog (cue phone call to guys with the butterfly nets) and hopefully made you laugh, I will go now. 🙂
~Sarah
Author
I loved this comment, Sarah. It made me laugh and it also made me incredibly happy. And I so, SO get needing to quiet the voices arguing in your head. I’ll have times where I think out entire scenes in dialogue in my head and then realize I’ve been standing in the middle of the cereal aisle in the grocery store for five minutes and somebody down at the other end is staring at me. LOL! I love hearing how much you love writing.
I loved reading about your process, Melissa! I tried my hand at romantic suspense and was dreadful, so I laugh at your Ted Dekker phase! Ha! I have a question for you. Do you edit as you write or edit in multiple drafts? Just curious! Sending you a case of virtual diet Coke to meet that deadline!
Author
Ooh, this is the question that’s going to make me hang my head and whisper my answer…because I know a lot of people consider this doing it wrong…but I edit in multiple drafts. I’ve tried so hard to be a fast drafter–drafting the full book then going back to edit. But I just can’t do it. If something isn’t right in those early chapters, especially the first three chapters, I find it incredibly hard to go on. If I’ve lost the spine of the story midway through, I can’t bring myself to keep writing without going back to straighten things out. Now, I’m talking macro-edits here. I don’t tend to do much micro-editing (i.e. proofreading) when I’m drafting.
How about you?
And thanks for the virtual Diet Coke. 🙂
I hear you! I do fast draft, but only after I’ve gotten the first 50 pages in good shape. I can’t force myself to write new if the early chapters nag me! And when I revise, I do draft after draft after draft…