I’m thrilled to be participating in the “My Writing Process” blog hop. And before I start, I want to thank Rochelle Weber, who invited me to participate.
So, what’s my writing process? And what am I working on now?
What am I working on?
I’m working on book #7 of the Dream Series (tentatively, I’m calling it “Dream Home” but that may change). The series follows Sara, a woman who has the ability to step into other people’s dreams. Over the course of the books, she’s gone from a shy, bookish college student to a doctor, wife and mother of five. She’s also helped to capture a serial killer, discover who was trying to poison one of her professors, unravel a plot between a mobster and a corrupt politician, and more.
In the new book, Sara and her family have moved to a small town in upstate New York. Sara has to contend with resentful co-workers, a teenage daughter growing up a lot faster than she’d prefer, and a natural disaster that will endanger everyone in the town.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I think my books are unique because of the way they balance romance, suspense, the supernatural twist of Sara’s dreams, and the details of everyday life – work and family and all the little challenges everyone faces.
I think that’s what makes the books – and Sara in particular – so relatable. Yes, she has this talent, but she still has to get up and go to work, drive the kids to school, take the dog out even if it’s miserable out, etc. I think in that way, my books are very true to life.
I also think I’ve managed to come up with a unique voice for Sara, and I’ve had many readers compliment me on that, so that tells me I’ve done a good job.
Why do I write what I do?
Because Sara’s story is the one in my head. It really is as simple as that. I feel as though I know her and her family as well as many people in my actual life!
I have several other ideas I’d like to work on, but Sara will not rest – she insists that I keep writing about her (she can be very stubborn that way!).
How does my writing process work?
I don’t know that I have a specific “process.” I just sit down and write. I don’t outline or plan out the books in great detail. I have a general sense of the story, and I know what the ending will be, but past that, I just see what happens. Many of the subplots and secondary characters have been a complete surprise to me.
In one case, the entire book changed as I was writing it. I had originally intended the fourth book in the series, “Dream Family,” to be about Sara encountering someone else who shared her dreaming ability – but was using it for selfish, evil purposes, and Sara would have to confront and stop her. I decided that at some point in the story, to create a minor obstacle for her, Sara would be arrested and spend a night in jail. I imagined it as a small incident, and something she might find herself even laughing about afterwards. But when I began writing it, the scene changed almost immediately to something very dark. Sara’s experience in the jail became traumatic, and one small scene turned into 10,000 words about Sara being terribly mistreated to the point that she had a total mental breakdown.
I realized THAT was the story of the book – putting Sara through that, and then showing how – or even if – she could recover from it. And in my opinion, it’s the best-written book of the series.
I did end up using the original plot for the next book – never throw anything away!
Next week, I’ve picked three fellow authors to continue the hop, so please visit them, too! They are:
Gwen Dandridge
Mishael Austin Witty
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KC Sprayberry started writing young, first as a diarist, and later through an interest in English and creative writing. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now in his senior year of high school.
