Adrienne D'nelle Ruvalcaba
Short answer:
My writing process is very analytical and involved. I love the actual process of writing and improving my craft more than I love the finished product. I prefer literary analysis over reviews, so I spend a lot of time thinking about the structure of the story...the themes, motifs, use of symbolism, irony, character development, expression through sentence structure, imagery, setting, and reliable vs. unreliable points of view. I spend a lot of my time trying to dig out the deeper meaning behind everything I read, and I think my writing reflects that.
The totally geeked out long answer:
My process always begins with a small idea that sparks my imagination at the oddest time. I journal about a ton of these little sparks in my handwritten journal. During my quiet time, I transform the journal sparks into detailed outlines for possible plots. Next, I write character sketches for main characters only.
The final step before starting the first draft is most involved out of the entire process. I write a detailed analysis paper with all the goals I hope to achieve from my story.
That analysis is the key for me, and it includes the following questions:
What essential changes must the characters go through for the story to be successful?
What events are most likely to cause these changes based on my initial character sketch?
Do I want the story to be more character driven, or more plot driven? What is the main theme of the entire book?
What are the secondary themes, and how much time should I spend on them?
What type of narrative would work best to support my theme?
What motifs do I want to sprinkle throughout the book?
What image am I trying to create in the readers' minds with my motifs?
How can I strike the proper balance of subjective vs. objective experience when in each character's POV?
What social justice issue can I shine a little spotlight on during the course of this story?
After that, I follow my outline and begin at Chapter 1.
From there, the story usually goes through a massive amount of organic shifts and changes as it comes to life. The analysis paper is the one thing I stay true to. If I start going in a direction that doesn't support the original essence I was going for, I force myself back on track.
When I'm deep into the actual drafting of a full length novel, I avoid reading fiction. SO much of what comes out as I write is subconscious, so I don't want to accidentally insert something in my writing that I got from a book I was reading at the time.
Thanks for this question!!! :-)
My writing process is very analytical and involved. I love the actual process of writing and improving my craft more than I love the finished product. I prefer literary analysis over reviews, so I spend a lot of time thinking about the structure of the story...the themes, motifs, use of symbolism, irony, character development, expression through sentence structure, imagery, setting, and reliable vs. unreliable points of view. I spend a lot of my time trying to dig out the deeper meaning behind everything I read, and I think my writing reflects that.
The totally geeked out long answer:
My process always begins with a small idea that sparks my imagination at the oddest time. I journal about a ton of these little sparks in my handwritten journal. During my quiet time, I transform the journal sparks into detailed outlines for possible plots. Next, I write character sketches for main characters only.
The final step before starting the first draft is most involved out of the entire process. I write a detailed analysis paper with all the goals I hope to achieve from my story.
That analysis is the key for me, and it includes the following questions:
What essential changes must the characters go through for the story to be successful?
What events are most likely to cause these changes based on my initial character sketch?
Do I want the story to be more character driven, or more plot driven? What is the main theme of the entire book?
What are the secondary themes, and how much time should I spend on them?
What type of narrative would work best to support my theme?
What motifs do I want to sprinkle throughout the book?
What image am I trying to create in the readers' minds with my motifs?
How can I strike the proper balance of subjective vs. objective experience when in each character's POV?
What social justice issue can I shine a little spotlight on during the course of this story?
After that, I follow my outline and begin at Chapter 1.
From there, the story usually goes through a massive amount of organic shifts and changes as it comes to life. The analysis paper is the one thing I stay true to. If I start going in a direction that doesn't support the original essence I was going for, I force myself back on track.
When I'm deep into the actual drafting of a full length novel, I avoid reading fiction. SO much of what comes out as I write is subconscious, so I don't want to accidentally insert something in my writing that I got from a book I was reading at the time.
Thanks for this question!!! :-)
More Answered Questions
Megan
asked
Adrienne D'nelle Ruvalcaba:
If you could co-write with any author living or dead who would it be? What would the novel be about?
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