My Writing Process Blog Tour

When I went to my first writer’s conference, I was kind of in shock. I couldn’t believe how nice everyone was. I got over my suspicion and realized that the writing community is full of helpful people, and is what I like to call a pay-it-forward group of mostly amazing individuals. I talk to my writer friends daily and some days I don’t know how I’d get through the day without them. Today I’m participating in the “My Writing Process Blog Tour.” If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, talented authors have shared their insights about the craft.

My amazing CP, Jennifer Blackwood, tagged me to join the tour. Jen is awesome. She just snagged herself an amazing agent—Courtney Miller-Callihan of Greenburger Associates—and you need to look out for this girl since she’ll have an awesome announcement soon!

So here’s how the tour works. I’ve got a few questions to answer, and then you’ll get to meet an author who will join the tour next week!

1. What am I working on?

At the moment, I am working on two books, they’ll each be the first book in two new adult series. The first one is called Mr. September and the second one is called Listen, book one of the Perfectly Flawed Series. Once I finish these, I’ll be working on book II, Going Home, of my young adult Seven Oaks Series. The first book of the Seven Oaks Series, Just Sing, is almost here, it comes out June 5, 2014!

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I’d say all of my books are character driven and I do feel like I have some unique characters. I’ve been told my hero in Just Sing, Aiden, is not your normal cookie cutter young adult cute, perfect guy. I like my darlings relatable :)

3. Why do I write what I do?

The time in life when you’re a young adult (13-17) and new adult (18-25) is so pivotal in a person’s life. One decision—good or bad—could send you down a path that determines how you will live your life. Having that pressure, along with a carefree attitude many possess around this age, really calls to me. I also have two teenaged daughter’s so it’s fresh in my mind how trying and amazing this time in life can be.

4. How does my writing process work?

Like my CP Jen, I’m a plotter and pusher of Blake Snyder’s beat sheets. This tool I believe is what made my book marketable. The best thing about this tool if you’re a plotter, you can do the beat sheet up front, use it as your map, and it will help you write your story and hit all of your plot points. But if you’re a panster it works too. Once you write your story, you’ll be able to take it and put it into the beat sheet. This will show you if your story is lacking and how you can fix it. When someone asks me for advice, the first thing I give them is the beat sheet.

Another thing I have used is the concept of The Twelve Steps of Intimacy. This is a gradual process how your character’s intimacy grows in a story. Once you read it, to me it makes sense, and it’s one thing I pull out when I’m editing my stories—to see if the growth of intimacy between my characters makes sense.

That’s all from me. Next week you can learn about an amazing author and publishing sister, K.B. Hoyle, of the TWCS Publishing House.

K. B. Hoyle is a bestselling author, a creative writing teacher, and a former classical history teacher who uses her knowledge of the ancient and medieval worlds to pen fantasy tales for young adults. She has been married since the age of twenty to the love of her life, with whom she has three wonderful little boys. Her quest to write inspiring fiction began at the age of eleven when she started her first fantasy novel. The pen truly is mightier than the sword, and K. B. has always viewed her writing as a way to introduce truth, beauty, and goodness into the hearts and minds of young people.

K. B. is currently writing the Young Adult Fantasy series The Gateway Chronicles, and Breeder, the first in her New Adult Dystopian trilogy, and she never stops brainstorming all the stories she plans to write in the future. You can find out more about K.B. at her website, www.kbhoyle.com & her blog http://nightnark.blogspot.com