Rebecca Ross's Blog, page 48

Hi! I’m not sure if you’ve read it, but I think you’d love The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano!

Oooh, thank you for the recommendation! I am always looking for new books to read! :)

What are your favorite classic works/works of high literary merit (like The Picture of Dorian Gray, Grapes of Wrath, 1984, East of Eden, etc.)? I need to pick one in a week to read for school and since you’re my favorite author, I was wondering what sugge

Ah, I am so sorry I am late in answering this! But I love anything by Jane Austen (SENSE & SENSIBILITY and PERSUASION are my top faves). I also love JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte. FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley. THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE by Thomas Hardy. GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens. 

What did you end up picking? :)

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I have a few tactics I use to combat it. Because I do struggle with it, some seasons more than others, and it is very frustrating. 

First tactic: I take the pressure off of myself and allow myself write only 1,000 words of whatever comes to mind. It’s always very surprising to see what sort of characters and situations emerge when you give yourself the freedom to write in a steam of consciousness sort of way. And it’s a good way to break the ice and get words flowing. 

Second tactic: write by hand in my journal. Sometimes I will sit and stare at a computer screen, literally unable to type a single word. But something about writing by hand in a journal helps loosen the words. It’s much more intimate to write that way–seeing your words shaped by your hand.

Third tactic: read something beautiful. I am always inspired to write by reading other stories. 

I hope these ideas can help you, too.

Hi, I’m a big fan of your book. :-) how did you plan your story so well, and how did you come up with the idea? It was so original!

Ah, thank you so much! :) The idea was sparked by Brienna. I envisioned her sitting in a library with Cartier, and she said, “the summer solstice is in eight days, and I have yet to master my passion.” And I was like, “wait, whoa. Who are you and what are you talking about?!” I took that spark of an idea and I began to write. The story continued to grow and unfold as I was drafting, and so most of my planning happened as I went, by “the seat of my pants” as some authors call it. My first draft was super messy, though. It took quite a few rounds of revisions for me to bring all of my ideas together. :)

Hi! Could you give a little insight into your writing process please? Such as how you brainstorm ideas, how you plan a plot, etc? Thanks!!!

I love to brainstorm ideas in my journal. I’ll write (by hand) snippets of dialogue, character descriptions, character motivations, how the landscape looks, etc. (My journals are always incredibly messy, BTW). My stories ideas always begin with a character. I will envision them doing something, or reacting to something. 

A character is always the igniting spark of my writing. 

Sometimes I will know the character right away, and continue to get to know them as I draft. Sometimes, a character is much harder for me to understand, and it is like peeling back layer after layer of writing to get to know them. I don’t necessarily plot my books. I see the beginning, or the inciting incident, which is going to propel my main character forward. And I typically see how I want the story to end and resolve. 

But…I don’t know how I am going to get from A to B, and so I discover a majority of my plot as I write. This can be super exciting and super frustrating. Quite a few times, I have gotten 100 pages into a draft and realized I did not have a plot, and I had to shelf those manuscripts. Sometimes I take a wrong turn in the plot as I am writing, and I have to back track and rewrite a hoard of scenes. 

I wish I were better at plotting upfront, but for me personally, I truly do love the thrill of discovering the story as I write. I really love it when my plot threads come together in a way I had not anticipated. It feels like magic. (And I know I would not have been able to plan something like that upfront).

 If I have a compelling character in mind and a spark to the story, I can typically draft a full manuscript quickly (like in a month if the words are flowing). After that, I put it aside and try not to look at it for at least another month, so when I come back to it, my eyes feel fresh and I can really see places that I need to work on. And because I draft so quickly, my revisions are very intense. First drafts are like, “okay, throw it all on the page.” Second and third drafts are, “okay, it’s time to hack and carve and basically rewrite everything.” 

Most of my published books have undergone huge rewritings in their second and third drafts. But I feel like this process works well for me. The first draft is truly discovering the story and character. My rewriting in revisions is the time to really nail what I was originally attempting to convey. 

Every writer is going to have their own unique process. You may be the sort of writer who really needs to plot everything beforehand, and that is absolutely okay too! Find what works best for you and then go for it! :)   

Hello!! I was wondering if you print your first draft on single sheets of paper from Word (single sided) or do you print it landscape with 2 pages per 1 page (sorry if this is confusing I don’t know how to explain it well

Hi! I print it on single sheets of paper. So 1 page per printed page. The main goal for me when I print a first draft is to have plenty of space on the page to write comments, thoughts & revisions. :) And so printing it that way gives me the room to do that. 

Hello!! I was wondering if you print your first draft on single sheets of paper from Word (single sided) or do you print it landscape with 2 pages per 1 page (sorry if this is confusing I don’t know how to explain it well

Hi! I print it on single sheets of paper. So 1 page per printed page. The main goal for me when I print a first draft is to have plenty of space on the page to write comments, thoughts & revisions. :) And so printing it that way gives me the room to do that. 

Hello!! I was wondering if you print your first draft on single sheets of paper from Word (single sided) or do you print it landscape with 2 pages per 1 page (sorry if this is confusing I don’t know how to explain it well

Hi! I print it on single sheets of paper. So 1 page per printed page. The main goal for me when I print a first draft is to have plenty of space on the page to write comments, thoughts & revisions. :) And so printing it that way gives me the room to do that. 

I have a few March events coming up that I’m so excited about!...

I have a few March events coming up that I’m so excited about! I’ll be in Athens, St. Louis & Nashville, and hope to see some of you there! More details below (and swipe to see more about the awesome Epic Reads Meet UPs).

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✨THE QUEEN’S RESISTANCE Launch Party✨ When: Thursday March 7 at 6:30 PM ✨ Where: Avid Bookshop • 493 Prince Avenue Athens, Georgia 30601 ✨

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✨ Epic Reads Meet Up with Bri Cavallaro, Justin A. Reynolds & Katy Loutzenhiser ✨ When: Thursday March 14 at 7:00 PM ✨ Where: The Novel Neighbor • 7905 Big Bend Blvd St. Louis, Missouri 63119 ✨

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✨ Epic Reads Meet Up with Bri Cavallaro, Justin A. Reynolds & Katy Loutzenhiser ✨ When: Friday March 15 at 6:30 PM ✨ Where: Parnassus Books 3900 Hillsboro Pike #14 Nashville, Tennessee 37215 ✨

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuJ9KBbHL7u/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xndotmrx8zjc

Writing by hand today. ✨ I’m currently working on my next...

Writing by hand today. ✨ I’m currently working on my next project and it’s both exciting and terrifying in the same breath. I—no joke—said to myself this morning, “Okay…how do I write a book again?”