My Writing Process Blog Tour
“If you do not climb the mountain, you will not see the plain.” –Chinese proverb
Writing is a process, an arduous climb to the top to reach the magnificent peak. Thank goodness I’m not alone in this journey. One friend is fellow Wordsmith Studio writer, Julia Tomiak, who masters vocabulary words on her blog. She recently tagged me for a writing process blog tour, where I get to answer these three questions:
What am I working on?
I’ve completed a cozy mystery about an ex video game tester turned detective. It’s making the query rounds (wish me luck!). In the meantime, I’m crafting a YA story because I like keeping busy.
Why do I write what I do?
My tagline is “Asian American fiction with a geriatric twist.” I love combining my identities (Chinese American and past geriatric social worker) into my writing. I feel like there’s so much to explore in those two worlds. Along the way, I hope to enlighten others (and myself sometimes!).
How does my writing process work?
I squeeze it in while taking care of my kids, but I prefer writing at regular times (after their bedtime works pretty well). I’ve used both typing and longhand to create stories. My current manuscript is being written by hand; somehow that helps me to be freer with world building.
Before I start writing, I do a lot of research and have a general outline of what things will happen. Sometimes I’ll also sketch character profiles. When I get down to putting pen on paper, I often have the pivotal scenes envisioned in my mind.
For the whole manuscript process, I write the rough draft alone, leaving it to fester for several weeks, and then revise it multiple times. After that I launch it to my writers’ group and beta readers to see how it fares and correct based upon their suggestions.
Meet Jessica Schaub
Now I’m tagging Jessica Schaub, a fellow Martin Sisters Publishing author. She wrote a book called Unforgettable Roads, which delves into family relationships. Among other characters, it has an older grandfather who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s. It’s a beautiful story about faith and values, that also features a little mystery to unravel.
