31 Days of Author Madness: M. Greenhill

The Fiver:
1. What is your writing process?

My writing process is very simple. I tend to vomit out my first draft; cringe at the mess, then start to fix it through the editing process.

I am a panster writer which makes things a little interesting in that my characters tend to write the story for me. I’ve recently finished the first draft of my third story in the Masked series. The final couple of chapters did not turn out they way I had planned. The main reason for this was when I put pen to paper (I hand write my chapters on the ferry on my way into work then type them up in the weekend) if I stayed true to my characters traits, I couldn’t end the story the way I’d originally envisaged.

I chose to stay true to the characters and they told the ending, not me.

2. What inspires you to write?

In the real world I am an IT Business Analyst/Consultant. Most of my work is centered around software delivery projects, which can be stressful due to technical, time-frame, people and political challenges. I spend a lot of my time writing technical documentation.

While I enjoy what I do, it is a very structured and clinical way to write. Creative writing provides me with an outlet to be just that-creative.

For me, creative writing is stress relief. I get to let these little worlds in my head come to life. Sometimes it works, and other times it was probably better off trapped in my head.