blog tour: my writing process.
There's nothing that gets me going more than talking about writing. So when Alisha asked me to take part in this blog tour, I immediately said yes. You can read her post here. At the bottom of this post you'll see some artists I chose to continue the tour.
Currently, I'm working on book two in my Shattered Things series. I have a tentative title, but that's under wraps for a few more months. This book has completely captured me—there are a few new characters that I absolutely love. I can't wait for you to meet Jessa and Ren.
In between writing down words and coming up with dates for cover reveal and release day (!!) I'm coaching women in the Story 201 and Finding Your Arc eCourses as well as creating new content for Story Sessions.
2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?Typically, my work is darker than most. And while redemption will always be available for my characters, it may work itself out in messier ways than readers are used to with other books.
3. Why do you write what you do?Here's what i believe :: without the darkness you will not see the light. Without messiness you will not know true beauty.
Throughout history, literature has been the one consistent reading of society. Writers are natural truth-tellers, even if they write fiction, and there's something inherently wise about listening for the themes of a story. In order for a story to be truly effective, there has to be a moment of darkness. Will the character escape? Will the character grow because of it or collapse under the pressure?
Stories are meant to be hard. This is why I write — to discover what I believe about certain situations and to remind myself how hope can weave its way through any moment.
4. What is your writing process?I'm just now beginning to understand what my process will be for this manuscript. I try to drop words as much as possible and whenever I can—and I'm finding that I'm editing less as I go along. Typically, I'll write about 2000 words and then send it off to my beta readers. Hearing their feedback pushes me to write more and helps me understand characters through the eyes of readers.
The writers I chose for next week's tour are Rachel Lee Haas, Sarah Drinka and Brandy Walker. All three of these women are in the midst of projects that remind me what it's like to be inspired. You'll love them. I know it.
Rachel Haas is a Story-writing, caffeine-consuming, paint-flinging, wild-at-heart sojourner. She is married to Jonathon, as she has been for the past four years, momma to Marian, and wrangler of an oversized Great Dane and two cats who are relatively bonkers. She dwells in between Midwestern cornfields where she pours her heart out in lowercase abandon.
Sarah Drinka is obsessed with beauty. She is a homeschooling, fairy princess kind of mom who got swept off her feet 15 years ago by a computer nerd. She teaches her kids lots of things, but most of all, that it's okay to believe in magic and that words have the power to heal, if only we'll let them. She writes to find beauty in the mess at www.sarahdrinka.com.
Brandy a preacher, a poet, and a prophet. It’s the only thing she know how to do. Most of the time she does a shoddy job of the whole thing, but she suspects that’s why God trusts her. She's honest.
