Writing process blog hop
This post is part of a Writing Process blog hop. I was invited by Melissa Veracruz, author of Absolutely, a young adult high school romance novel. You can read about her writing process here, and follow her on Goodreads here.
What am I working on?
As of late, most of my time has been spent writing research papers for my regular job, but when I’m not working on those I’ve been making progress on the sequel to Laika in Lisan. The sequel is currently titled Laika’s Lament.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I categorized Laika in Lisan as fantasy because it takes place in a fictional world, but it definitely doesn’t fit the classic fantasy mold. First and foremost, there’s no magic, which some people might consider essential to fantasy. It also lacks mythical creatures like monsters or dragons. Lastly, rather than the novel being about a quest, mission, or some other “good vs. evil” conflict common in fantasy novels, Laika in Lisan is about a woman’s experience in an unfamiliar culture and her struggle with moral ambiguity.
Why do I write what I do?
I write stories that I’d enjoy reading. As a reader, my hope for every book I pick up is simply to enjoy my time reading it. Therefore, as a writer, I try to write books that deliver enjoyment. I also want my characters and their actions to make sense so readers can lose themselves in the story. From my experience, nothing destroys a good book like frustrating characters. Frustrating characterizes make me criticize their behavior, and as soon as I’m doing that I am no longer immersed in the story.
How does my writing process work?
I start with the basic story idea, which may involve nothing more than knowing the beginning, the end, and perhaps a few events in between. Then I simply start writing and see where that takes me. I’ll stop every once in a while to develop a more detailed outline of what comes next, but most of my creative magic happens in the act of writing (rather than in the planning stage).
NEXT UP! I’ve invited two authors to share their writing process with readers: K.R. Wilburn is the author of Changeling, the first book of The Siofra Chronicles. H.M. Jones is the author of Monochrome. They will post about their writing process in a few days on their own websites (follow the link on their names). Be sure to check them out!
