My Writing Process

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about my writing process.  For me, it’s not so much a process as an emersion.  When I sit at the computer to write my story, I try to tune everything else out.  It’s usually quiet in my house, the kids at school or at friend’s houses.  The cats are curled up sleeping nearby.  I really try to focus on the characters and “see” the scene I’m working on.

Before I begin writing I have to know the character’s names, at least their first name.  That usually gives me a strong sense of who they are.  For instance, in Angel’s Assassin, I named the hero Damien.  You might laugh, but I’ve always connected that name with evil or darkness, probably from the movie The Omen.  Damien thinks of himself as evil, as tainted.  He is a killer, an assassin.

For the heroine, I named her Aurora, which means the dawn.  Light to Damien’s darkness.  You get the picture.

I have a very general description of the characters, what they look like, etc. and then I begin to write.  I let the characters lead.  I know approximately where the scene is headed, but other then that, I let them have full reign.  They come alive in my head.  Dialogue is easiest for me, so I write that first and go back and fill in description in a later rewrite.

For full length novels, like Angel’s Assassin, I rewrite at least five times.  Each time, honing in on something different.  The first pass I’ll concentrate on Damien’s point of view, the second time maybe Aurora’s point of view.  Then description and flow, etc.  It usually takes me about a year to write a novel.  But I will never release a novel until it feels complete with a satisfactory ending.  I want my readers to be swept away by the world and the characters and to fall in love with my story.

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy