My Writing Process and How to Meet Other Authors!

Elizabeth Mueller, a fellow author that I met at a conference years ago,  emailed me one day and asked if I wanted to do a Blog Hop. I had never heard of one and after a flurry of emails, with many questions from my end, I finally figured it out. I was to introduce a few authors on my blog, maybe write how I met them, and then have a link to their blogs in a list to the right. I set out to find some of my favorite bloggers and authors and that's who you will see down below. It's a great way to discover new talent, new friends and enjoyable blogging. Elizabeth told me I was to write about my "Writing Process" in this blog so here you go. You can see her thoughts on this over at her blog. 
I write like I think: free-flowing, brainstorming, different thoughts coming out at the same time but eventually weave together to tell the whole story. Sometimes, I write the end first then backtrack to the beginning. Other times I will cut an entire scene I wrote and place it in a different "file" knowing it'll never fit back into the story but since I created it, I don't feel right deleting all those words! There really is not set way, no outline or notes that I follow. Occasionally, I will do research because I don't know enough about the subject. This can range on anything from the military to fairies.
I am not one of those people who always have a pen and paper at the ready, either in my purse, in my car or on my nightstand. I can only remember one time that I had such a vivid dream I wrote it down and made note that it would make a great story...at some point. Usually, plot structure or scenes come to me as I'm writing--my characters lead me to certain points--or as I'm doing something fairly relaxing like driving or watching TV.
So, there really isn't any structure to my writing process except to write almost every day wether it's one sentence or a few thousand words. I find I do this better when I'm in a place where nothing is expected of me: son's instrument lesson, babysitting, waiting in the car for pick up at school etc. 
Do you have a writing process or rules that you follow? I think everyone has their own way of doing it, just like everyone has a unique blog quite different from yours! You will meet three authors below. Feel free to click the links at the right and find their blog. See what they have written, ask a question or just read their blog and see if you connect to anyone. You may just find someone who would be a great writing partner or even beta reader for your Work in Progress (WIP).

Sabrina is a blogger I found just recently. Admittedly, her picture and title of her blog drew me in. Her posts are witty, mature and intelligent. You can tell she is passionate about her writing craft and dogs! I'm so happy I stumbled onto her.

Sabrina Wolfheart  is a teenage writer and blogger, who has loved to write ever since she can remember. She has been published in several short story and poetry anthologies, including Lekha's Young Wordsmiths anthology, and Poetic Power's A Celebration of Poets Anthology in Spring 2013. She is a NaNoWriMo enthusiast, and finished her first novel-length manuscript, a YA science fiction, in April 2014. She's currently working on her first YA realistic fiction novel, and hopes to get both of her manuscripts published once she revises and finishes them. She has been blogging about writing since August 2013,  and is thrilled with the positive and supportive community she has met.
Other than writing, she enjoys reading any type of science fiction, watching science fiction TV shows, and volunteering with dogs. She also enjoys science, and, strangely, school (when it's interesting). She also started a campaign for pit bull advocacy, called Pits4PEACE. When she is facing Writer's Block, Sabrina spends her time identifying every font in Microsoft Word.
She lives with a soon-to-be-six-year-old Border Collie/Pitbull mix, and spends the majority of her time waiting for the hours in which she can write.


Lani is a personal friend of mine. We met in 2007 on a Twilight Fan Club Board. She was planning an "I Love Edward Cullen Party" and I offered to help. From the moment we talked on the phone, we licked! I flew out to Utah, from the east coast, and met her in person and we immediately greeted each other like old friends! She writes like a madwoman and can go all day; I envy the amount of concentration she has and her creative mind. She has numerous books you can read, listed below.

Lani Woodland: I've been an avid reader since elementary school. In sixth grade I began writing stories and recruiting (with force when necessary) my friends to act them out.
I've always loved scary stories, and have a hard time enjoying any book without at least a little romance in it.
I live in Southern California with my husband, our two children and a large collection of board games.
I have worked as a spot-welder, babysitter, janitor, photographer, gymnastics coach, and movie extra. I enjoy bonfires at the beach, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, speed talking, chocolate as a cure-all, and the word "precisely". I have written: The Yara Silva Trilogy: Intrinsical, Indelible, Inevitable. Pirates of Orea, Pieces of Jade, The Pom Pom Periodicals: That’s The Spirit (The Pom Pom Periodicals, Book 1) Give Me A C (The Pom Pom Periodicals, Book 2). Short Stories include Enchanted: Love Stories of the Paranormal (Kiss of Death and The Kiss of the Siren). These two short stories originally appeared in Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal.
Please visit my website & blog


I stumbled upon Lori's blog from the "Insecure Writer's Group" Blog that Elizabeth Mueller pointed out to me. Lori mentioned swords, kids (not kids running with swords), had a castle on her blog and talked about self-publishing--she had me hooked! Her posts are informative, consistent and there is always something you can learn from reading them!

Lori L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara particularly inspirational. She's been writing stories in her head since she was old enough to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up.She has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing salesperson, kids' shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, journalist, private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Red Sox and New York Giants fan, muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and Irish.When she's not writing (or doing chores), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.Lori will soon be publishing her first novel, a romantic fantasy adventure entitled Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble.