The Writing Process

A common question I get from readers is about my writing process; it seems they just cannot believe that I write from 3-6am every morning. Trust me - its about as glamorous as it sounds. Mountain Dew within easy reach and iPod set to random, I sit hunched over my laptop and peck away at the keys. Some mornings I can bust out about 2,000 words...other mornings I am lucky to get 100. Most often I land somewhere in the middle. While writing Asylum Lake I actually wrote all of Chapter 5 - Crimes Against Humanity - in one sitting.It seems, much like Ellis, I have developed a taste for blood.

Please feel free to submit questions and comments. I enjoy the process of sharing not only the finished product but also the writing process with readers!
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Published on November 16, 2010 05:55
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message 1: by Karina (new)

Karina I always wanted to publish a book and I read your 'writing-process' and my brain went 'Wait, what?' I usually try to get one chapter into one sitting because I know that if I don't that I will never be able to finish it-or it will take me an obscenely long time. This usually works for me because I am only writing short stories at the time. However, the problem comes in when I want to make a chapter a little longer than my usual and I have trouble sitting there for more than an hour, maybe an hour and a half at a time. Is there anything you do in particular that helps you relax, get the creative nerves rocking? Or am I just doomed to mini-chapters and a serious case of temporary ADD while at the computer?


message 2: by Karina (new)

Karina Alright, I’ve tried the note card thing before and it helps-for about ten minutes. I end up changing so many things on it that I just end up writing it all off the top of my head. Then what happens is I get my information confused and I end up having to go back into my work and looking for information that I have already written. When I end up with is a piece of paper with a bunch of scribbles and a chapter with a bunch of mistakes until I eventually memorize it.

I do understand the music part, however. I think I will try that when I try and write next time. It makes sense to set the mood of the chapter to the mood of the music.

Thank you!


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