Alex asked me to write about my writing process for today’s blog. As she so well knows, I’ve struggled enormously with fitting my interminable array of arms, legs, tentacles, mandibles, and various unmentionables into this diabolical box they call (gasp!) The Outline.

Well, bugger that.

I simply don’t fit into the traditional process of outlining. And over time, I have learned to embrace this aspect of myself. I have followed my guts, listened to people far more writer-evolved than me, and developed my own Process. One that is tailor-made to my individual creative self, not an attach-this-widget-and-then-push-Go approach.

My message for You is to get close to your creative self too. Listen carefully, don’t interrupt, let it speak, even if it only dares whisper in the wee hours of the night.

Then…the most important part…Trust It.

For an example, I will share my individual process. But this is just to give you ideas to help you break into your own.

One: I usually start with a beginning and an end and a feel. Sometimes I only start with a beginning and a feel. But whatever lingers, comes back to me repeatedly at unexpected hours, this is the idea that needs to be written.

Two: Write it. My characters tell the story for me. (Which sounds strange when you’re drinking casually with non-writers. They crunch their eyebrows and lean away a few inches as if I might have farted. “Your characters do what?”)

Three: This is the strange bit. The Wigglies as I call them. I make notes about where I want to go, and I will even go so far as to roughly outline every scene as I work on it. This is so I have a structure for that writing session.

So in my mind, I do have a direction and characters and a sense of flow. But I let my characters do the work. They have to tell the story or else it isn’t any fun. And fun is what this is all about. (Fame and riches being such long shots.)

I also do “exercises” where I write from each character’s point of view. This way they can tell me where they came from, what their parents were like, how their first dog died, why they ended up the way they are. I give them a chance to talk outside of the story. (They love it, by the way. Don’t we all?)

This Step Three is the heart of the story and where it’s most important to trust your creative self and voice. I also tend to not talk about the project except in a vague way. It’s as if I don’t want to let it become diluted, or tainted, with other people’s opinions and judgments. It’s my precious baby, after all.

Four: When I’ve completed the story, I go back and make lists of character quirks, story themes, subplots, and any other threads I might want to keep track of.

Five: Now! 130k +/- words into the process, I write an outline. I detail what I’ve done.

Six: I make decisions about those inevitable plot holes.

Seven: I figure out which themes, quirks, and threads feel the best, and weave them into the outline. Remember, I go by the heart. If it feels right (and that includes bad things) then I try to Trust that. It ain’t always easy.

Eight: I revise using the above lists and outline.

Nine: Pray, drink red wine, eat chocolate. Be grateful for this wonderful gift called writing.

Now go find your own creative process and share it with us!

Happy writing, Karen

The Spring Stretch Challenge is well underway, so here’s a little inside scoop on how the turtle of our writing group is holding up. That would be me. ; )

First off, my Big Scary Goal of choice is to complete two 10k short stories by the appointed deadline. It’s not nearly as tough as completing a novel, but hey, one man’s anthill is another man’s mountain. Every writer faces different challenges and uses different techniques to combat those challenges. Curious to know what trials and techniques the turtle has been juggling?

My Inner Editor (you know, that thing some of us have inside that demands perfection at inconvenient times) is a nasty fellow. His criticisms can have me stuck on a  scene for hours. For me, critique is invaluable in final drafts, but early on it chokes the life from a story and bogs the whole thing down with doubt.

There are many great ideas out there for stifling the inner editor. Mine is among the silliest and involves convincing my Inner Editor not to take my project seriously.

How? Well, when I need to get a rough first draft done swiftly, I write in present tense. Why? Because my brain connects present tense with writing exercises, experimental writing, outlines, ideas–present tense is what I use for fun or practice, never a “for real” story.

The Inner Editor that so often hovers hungry over my every word sees me writing present tense and says, “Harrumph, what’s this? Oh, she’s just jotting down half-baked ideas again. Yawn. I’ll check back when the real work begins.” He leaves me alone because a draft written in present tense registers as practice or playtime writing. Practice and playtime don’t cause a blip on his “Must Be Perfect” radar.

Sound silly? Maybe. Brain tricks often are. But it lets me explore a first draft without my Inner Editor trying to fix problem spots before the creation process is finished. After the rough draft is done, I have a good idea of where my story wants to go and can write a solid outline based on the material; this helps me stay on track when the, ahem, real work begins.

Little does my Inner Editor realize I’ve already finished the first draft of a Stretch Challenge short story. One down, one to go!

How about you? Does your Inner Editor hush up when you tell it to, or do you trick it into silence?

Hi, y’all. Sorry I’ve been away a while. I do have a some good news to share. First, Fireside Magazine reached its Kickstarter goal, so my short story “The Gangs of Gnome Jersey” will indeed be out for your reading pleasure sometime this year. Also, the In Fabula-Divinos anthology, which contains my story “In the Woods” is available in e-book format and will soon be out in a hard copy as well. I’ll post the details as soon as I get ‘em. And finally, the well regarded e-zine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, purchased another short of mine, “Whistler’s Grove.”

As you can see, I’ve had a small amount of success with selling stories. And I hope to sell a couple more over the next year, although I’m pretty tied up with writing novels for the year. So when Alex asked me to write a blog on my writing process, I said yes–and then instantly turned my mind to the other side of the process. Yeah; I’m perverse.

See, I don’t really understand my writing process. Well, I know if I know how a story’s going to end, I’m much more likely to get there. Aside from that, I’m an intuitive writer and every time I sit down to write, I spend a few minutes going “Duh, what am I doing?” before anything constructive comes out. I don’t know how much that’ll help anyone.

But when it comes to submitting, I have a system. And since I’ve had some success with my system, I;ll be happy to share.

First, accept that you’ll never write a perfect story. This is harder than we all like to imagine it is. I’m a world-class story fiddler. Don’t fiddle. Once you write the story, you’re allowed to put it away for a month then look at it again and fix what you don’t like. That’s it. Anything after is procrastination. Submit that sucker. Create a file in your Word documents, or whatever you use for writing, and label it “Submission.” Put down your story’s title, word count, maybe even a brief synopsis. If you have several stories, make a list. Underneath each, type the names of the magazines or anthologies you sent the story to as well as the date you sent them.

This is just common sense, and I suspect everyone reading this blog already makes note of these things. Here’s a harder suggestion: only send to pro sites. If they’re paying you less than .05 cents a word, cross them off your list. The only exception to this rule is if the market in question has a prestigious name. I’ve considered submitting to The Strand, even though it pays less, simply because it would be an honor to be published in the same mag that published the work of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Quite a few beginning authors feel intimidated by submitting to pro sites. And it’s true; you’re competing against top-level, published authors when you submit to a pro site. But that’s how you build your reputation among fellow authors. You may have written the best short story in the world, but no editor’s going to be impressed when they hear you were published for free in Mort Sleezum’s Magazine of the Awesome. Editors want to know what their peers think of your work. Oh, and as a general rule, don’t bother with contests, unless it’s either a free contest, a prestigious contest, or the prize is really, really–and I mean really–good.

So you submit a story. Forty-nine chances out of fifty, you’re going to get a rejection notice. When it arrives, you’re allowed to feel a bit lousy. You can sulk a while. Then, no later than the following day, write down the date of your rejection in your business log. Then submit that sucker again.

I rejection notice does not mean your story is lousy. It does not mean you need to fiddle with it again. All it means is that it has not found the right editor. I sent “Whistler’s Grove” to eight different markets before Beneath Ceaseless Skies bought it. Perseverance and a small amount of talent is all it really takes to show a modicum of success.

So, get those manuscripts out there. Remember to follow the guidelines on the submissions pages. Be meticulous in keeping records, and never build up a grudge against an editor. Best of luck to you all. and I mean that, even if it means your story is the one that ends up getting purchased instead of mine.

Remember: every word is a triumph. So is every submission.

Ever heard of an Artist Date? The idea comes from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and it’s all about making time, every week, for you and your inner artist to sneak off on a date. Not you plus your significant other, not you plus the kiddos, not you plus this or that friend–just you. Find something that fascinates the creative core of you and go have fun.

Lovely thought, eh? My first reaction was to file it under Unachievable. It’s hard enough balancing work, friends, and family life without carving out time for a ‘solo date’ that feels more like a ‘self indulgence’. My resident work ethic just about sprouts fangs at the idea.

Let’s cage Mr. Rabid Work Ethic for a minute and think about this. Odds are, if you’re any kind of artist, you’re not here because you love work. You’re here because you love your art, be it writing or something else, and it’s that love that makes the work worthwhile. And, unfortunately, no matter how awesometastic it is to get paid for something you love, sometimes the ‘hard work’ part of job life will strangulate the ‘fun’.

My inner artist is all about fun. It loves cackling like a mad scientist over a cauldron full of world building, character conflicts, and plot twists. It yanks experiences and insights from the deepest roots of my past and hurls them into the concoction, reveling in the art of creation.

Is it really so wrong to take a breather and seek out new inspirations for it to play with?

Maybe, like me, you can’t afford that fire dancing class your inner artist is begging you to take. But just like it’s the little things that empower family relationships, there are little things we can do to invigorate our inner artist. Think small. Think fun. What sort of activity makes you feel all merry and mischievous inside?

Ideas

* Skip off to the kitchen and indulge in a culinary creation using a new recipe. (My adventure taught me the trials of homemade cheesecakes)

* Take a walk down a route you’ve never gone before. (A friend of mine discovered a tiny, forgotten graveyard tucked deep in the heart of a pine forest)

* Revisit old passions. What did you love way back when, but haven’t done in a while? (I love visiting craft stores and exploring their fabric section. Colors, patterns, textures–fabric has it all)

* Find new passions. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try? Candle-making? Candy-making? Book-binding? Give it a go.

An artist date is all about stoking the fire of imagination in whatever way appeals to you. Give your inner artist permission to have some fun.

For this Friday’s guest post, please welcome Delilah S. Dawson, an amazing fantasy / steampunk / romance writer whose first book, Wicked As They Come, came out this past year. She is a member of Alex’s writing posse and an awesome lady. Visit her on the web at: http://delilahpaints.blogspot.com/. Take it away Delilah!

Love and Books: You Got Your Romance in My Adventure

By Delilah Dawson

First off: I’m a romance writer almost entirely by accident.

See, I had this dream. I woke up naked on a slab of rock in a misty forest and found a seriously hot version of Mr. Darcy staring at me. And I knew that he wasn’t human, but he wasn’t a vampire. He was some sort of blood drinker. And a magician.

The dream obsessed me, and I felt obligated to build a world in which this intriguing man would be a natural creature, in which his magic and cleverness and danger and humor would all seamlessly mix. Plus, I wanted to spend more time with him.

That’s how WICKED AS THEY COME began.

Once I’d discovered the world of Sang, I had to send him on an adventure that included all of my favorite sorts of things: corsets, top hats, krackens, ghosts, submarines, dirigibles, horses, and adorable little animals that want to suck the marrow from your bones. There was romance, too, because the point of everything, for me, is romance. The tension, the hope, the dreaming, the will-he-kiss-me. But each time the romance galloped ahead of the adventure, I sent my characters behind a privacy screen, blacking out the sex to focus on the story.

The first time I nervously passed the manuscript on to a friend, she demanded sex.

Not of me, of course. Of my characters.

Apparently, readers want to know as many details about the hanky panky as they do the handkerchiefs. So I bought a bottle of wine, found a quiet spot, and tried to figure out how these two characters might proceed in bed. It was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done, and by the time it was written, I was drunk. And mortified. And ready to write the next scene.

There’s an unfortunate stigma against romance books, especially those with half-naked men on the front. Until the words “NYT Bestselling” are on your cover, no one will take you seriously. The big secret is that much of the romance on the shelves today also includes a damned good story, with tight writing, three-dimensional characters, and stakes higher than marriage. With scifi or fantasy books, you get an adventure. But with paranormal romance, you get adventure and sex, and who would willingly pass up a combination like that?

When writing the first book, I told an adventure story and inserted sex scenes. But now I know, almost as soon as I know the book’s log line, exactly when and how the characters will engage in physical intimacy and how that will build into the plot. There has to be a first kiss that asks more questions than it answers. There has to be a scene that gets things really hot but ends before everyone is satisfied, a scene that leaves both parties questioning themselves, each other, and their future. And then you finally get that one explosive scene where all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the characters have sex so perfect it only happens in books. Then, later, if you can work it in, another scene in which they explore another aspect of their joining of minds and hearts, and one from which they emerge together, stronger, and ready for the book’s climax. 

Just as the characters twine together, so do the romance and the story, perfectly complimenting each other in an ideal match that leaves the head and the heart satisfied.

I know we’re always told not to judge a book by its cover, and I also know that we’re hard-wired to judge everything by its outward appearance. But even if you don’t consider yourself a romance reader (or you’re a dude!), flip that book over and read the synopsis. Read the quotes and reviews on the first pages, or check out the reviews on Goodreads. More than one half-naked hero has hidden a well-written book that could have easily found a home on the literary fiction shelf or the scifi fantasy shelf if only it had been given a different cover. 

Except here’s another thing romance writers know: sex sells better. And if it takes two hot sex scenes to get people to buy my adventure? Then bring me another bottle of wine, and let’s hop back on that submarine.

Website: www.delilahsdawson.com

Twitter: @delilahsdawson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/delilahsdawson

Amazon link to WICKED AS THEY COME: http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-as-They-Come-Blud/dp/1451657889

Amazon link to THE MYSTERIOUS MADAM MORPHO: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mysterious-Madam-Morpho-ebook/dp/B007EE56AY

Bio: Delilah S. Dawson is a native of Roswell, Georgia and the author of the paranormal romance Blud series for Pocket. The second book in the series, WICKED AS SHE WANTS, and a second novella, THE PECULIAR PETS OF MISS PLEASANCE, will be out in April 2013, and her first YA, a creepy paranormal called SERVANTS OF THE STORM will be available in spring 2014. RT Book Reviews has called her “a wonderfully fresh new voice!”

Delilah is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Georgia Romance Writers, and the Artifice Club. You can also read her product reviews at www.CoolMomPicks.com and www.CoolMomTech.com, where she is an Associate Editor. 

Not surprisingly, as a writer one of things I Love most are books. I love reading them, holding them, sniffing them, looking at them, and letting them surround me as I’m swallowed up in yet another story.

One of the greatest parts of being a writer is my “homework” is to read as much as I can and everything I can. How wonderful is that? So to end this month of Love, I’d like to list books I’ve read over the last few months that left an impact on me. Each of them has a unique charm and message.

Of course, let’s start with my own two books. I couldn’t talk about great books without mentioning what I’ve written. Could I? (Okay, don’t answer that.)

If you have any aspiration to become or hire a freelancer, then The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Elance is for you. Elance is the world’s foremost “eBay for jobs.” Hire a freelancer here, or start your own freelancing business. I explain it all.

Have you discovered the social media website Pinterest? If not, check it out at www.Pinterest.com. I co-authored MacGraw Hill’s Pinterest Power: Market Your Business, Sell Your Product, and Build Your Brand on the World’s Hottest Social Network. The extremely long title says it all. But because I wrote it, it’s fun to read. Check it out.

Once you’ve devoured those…the list below covers some gems I’ve unearthed over the last few months.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (translated by Edith Grossman, brilliant translation)

- Have you ever read a book where you miss the characters long after the story has ended? This is one of those and possibly the best book I’ve ever read. Yes, it’s long. But Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are two of the purest characters I’ve ever encountered. There’s a reason this book has been around for 500 years. My bet is it’ll be around in another 500 too.

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

- It starts slowly, but by the halfway mark I couldn’t put it down and actually dreamed about it. Even if werewolves aren’t your thing, give this a try.

1Q84, Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore – all by Haruki Murakami

- My current favorite author, this guy’s a genius. Magical realism in Tokyo. I can’t say enough good things so will just say — read him!!

Breakthrough! edited by Alex Cornell

- 90 creative types give their advice on how to ignite that spark. Fun, easy to read format.

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

- He’s a god, what can I say.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

- Before, I thought I was “different.” Now, I realize I’m a shy, highly sensitive, introvert. And, believe it or not, there are a lot of folks out there just like me. Fascinating book!

Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

- Have you discovered Japanese mangas? They’re actually a clever and oftentimes surprisingly deep art form. Slanderously, they’re also know as adult comic books. But don’t let that put you off. Out of 24 volumes I’ve read 9 and can’t wait for Amazon to deliver the rest.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

- A classic by the god himself.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

- What a long way sci-fi has come. This is a classic. Great plot and world building, characters are a bit skimpy.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

- Heart breaking, rich, no wonder it’s a classic.

How about you? What have you been reading that’s left an impression?

Karen

This February I’ve been musing a lot on journeys, particularly on the writing journey. I went back to my old high school and talked to kids who wanted to write. I went to an amazing conference (Olde City New Blood) in St. Augustine, and got to talk about writing there with some amazing readers, bloggers, and other writers. Chuck Wendig did an interview of me (eep!), and I sat down with a reporter from my home town who did an article that knocked my socks off. In other words, I talked to a lot of amazing people who congratulated me on making it big and asked me what’s next. The trouble is, it doesn’t feel like I’ve “made it.” If anything, I feel like I need to work harder on the upcoming books to keep all of these lovely folks reading my work.

My mom asked me this month why I don’t seem happier. I think she expects me to jump up and down about the book–which I did, when the first contract came in, when the first book appeared in the store, and (my favorite) when the audio book auditions came in. But right now I’m finding myself too full of wonderful things that aren’t writing. I misplaced my first love; I need to find my way back to the little room and the little whiteboard that started this all.

The creative process is not about accomplishments. It’s not about failures either, unless the failures spark something new. Every day the computer screen opens and I need to pour out what’s in me on the page. Every day is new, and fresh, and empty. The best days are when the work speaks through me, when the song becomes loud enough to drown out the silence of the empty page and the words flow like rain.

It is that moment that makes all the work worth it. It is that moment that justifies all the hard ones, all the days of pushing the wheelbarrow of words up the impossibly steep hill. As I told Chuck Wendig, “When it’s beautiful, it’s beautiful, and when it’s hard, there’s nothing quite so hard in all the world. But I keep coming back to that feeling I love – of the world falling away and the story taking over.” The story is all. The writing is everything.

This February, I found that love reflected in so many people. I had a chance to talk story and books with amazing folks. And, today, I got to recapture my love again: that love of putting words on the page to tell stories. Today, for the first time in a long time, I sat down for hours on end and threw words at the empty page–and they stuck. It was beautiful, and I realized all over again how much I’ve missed it.

You know you’re a writer if you find those moments, those clear perfect moments of true word love, pushing you on. You know you’re a writer if you chase them, if you start running first and wait for inspiration to join you next. Sometimes the Muse wakes you up from a sound sleep, but mostly he joins you in your word-run along the way. But you run, either way, out of love.

This journey, for me, is all about love. The love of story. The love of reading and readers and books. But, above all, it’s about me and that keyboard, and the soft, pure solitary love of writing.