My Writing Process

My Writing Process

I’m thrilled to participate in an ongoing blog hop, talking about how I write, and why I write what I do.  I was tagged by Livia Harper, which I really appreciate – you really ought to click over and take a look at what she has to say.  I’ll wait…

OK, now you’re back, so let’s talk about me, and what I write!

What am I working on?

I’m currently working on three Dream Series projects.  I’m two chapters into book #8 of the series (“Dream Vacation”) and I’ve also written about 17,000 words of the book after that (“Shattered Dream”), as well as a collection of short pieces that will come out in December (“The Twelve Dreams of Christmas”).  I plan to have “Dream Vacation” out at the end of October, and I’m confident I can meet that goal.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think that the big difference with the Dream Series books is the particular combination or crossing of genres: a little romance, a little suspense, a paranormal twist, and then very relatable real-life challenges woven into each book.  In “Dream Student”, my heroine, Sara, has to cope with her newfound (and unasked-for) ability to step into other people’s dreams.  That power leads her into the hunt for a serial killer.  But it also connects her with Brian, who might be the love of her life.  So she has to sort out her feelings about that.  And she’s also got to pass all her final exams and try to get into medical school.  It’s the mix of all those things that really make these books unique, I think.

Why do I write what I do?

Because I have to.

Really.  The characters of the Dream Series books – not just Sara and Brian, but their whole family and friends and co-workers – are very real to me after seven+ books, and, basically, I can’t not write about them.  And, believe me, I’ve tried!

How does my writing process work?

It’s simple.  I sit down and write.

OK, that was a little bit flippant.  I don’t outline, really.  I have a general idea of the plot and how it will end up, and I usually have a few things that I know will happen, but mostly I just start writing and see what develops.  The entire subplot of Janet Black and her mother in “Dream Doctor” happened that way.  I didn’t plan it out, it just got bigger as I kept going, and I saw how it tied into the main plot of the book and the lessons that Sara was learning both inside and outside the classroom.

For the current book, “Dream Vacation,” I know what happens at the end of the book, and in the epilogue.  And I know the main problem Sara will have to solve.  And there are two or three scenes that I know I really want in there, but past that, it’s all open road…

 

Next week, the hop continues with three fantastic authors.  They are:

Jalpa Williby

Parvati Tyler

 

 

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