My wonderful friend (and now author!) Crystal Perkins tagged me for the Writing Process Blog Hop. I’m always interested to learn about the process of other writers, so this is perfect for me. Scroll down to the bottom to see the three authors I’ve tagged and tune in next Monday for their posts.
1. What am I working on right now?
As usual, oh so many things. First and foremost, Tracy Deebs and I are working on the first draft of Project Powerboat (hint: not the real title) which we hope to be able to talk about very soon! All I can tell you for now is that it’s YA, it’s different than what we’ve written, and it’s full of hot bad boys and tough rebel girls.
After publishing revised editions of my first two chick lit novels (Eye Candy and Straight Stalk) I’m eager to get back to work on the third one, Trying Texas. It’s going to have a September 3rd release so I should have the first draft done soon.
I’m also revising a straight contemporary YA I wrote a few years back but have only just recently figured out how to fix and I’m plotting my next paranormal YA, another mythology-inspired romance that will be set in New Orleans.
2. How does my work differ from others in the genre?
One of my strengths, I think, is taking themes/characters/stories from ancient mythology (usually Greek) and finding a creative way to modernize them for the modern teen. In my first series (Oh. My. Gods., Goddess Boot Camp, and Goddess in Time) I created a school for the descendants of the Greek gods where the class cliques are determined by godly ancestor.
In my mermaid series (Forgive My Fins, Fins Are Forever, Just For Fins, and Pretty in Pearls) the source of the mer world’s magic, including the bond that forms when a mermaid kisses a human, dates back to one of Poseidon’s sea nymphs.
And in my Medusa trilogy (Sweet Venom, Sweet Shadows, and Sweet Legacy) I turn everything we thought we knew about the Medusa myth on its head, making the gorgon sisters guardians of mankind rather than monsters.
3. Why do I write what I do?
Because I like it. There is no easy answer to that question. I have countless ideas for stories, so what draws me to one particular world, one particular character long enough to write an entire novel or even and entire series is a bit of a mystery. I believe I write YA because on the inside I still feel seventeen, I still gush over cute boys and obsess over TV shows, I still gossip with my girlfriends and I’m still trying to figure out exactly what it means that I’m supposed to be a grown-up.
I write about mythology because I’ve always loved mythology. Since before I can remember, since I first learned the tales of Hercules and Ra, Odin and Quetzalcoatl. I’m fascinated by these universal, archetypal characters and stories that are ingrained into the fabric of our entire culture. I love the challenge of giving them another incarnation in the modern world.
4. How does my writing process work?
My process is a little different every time, but the general pattern is this: get an idea, brainstorm the idea (using sticky notes, index cards, colored markers, Penultimate, Evernote, white boards, notebooks… whatever makes me feel “organized”), try to work out a plot of some sort, check calendar and realize deadline approaches, shove brainstorming in a box and just start wring.
My actual writing days are pretty standard though. Wake up. Check email. Grab Alphasmart. Head to nearest dispensary of caffeinated goodness. Fire up playlist. Write, write, write. When I’m on deadline, my goal is usually anywhere from 8 to 20 pages in a day (although the 8 page days are way more common). Once I’m at the fevered writing stage, it can take me anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks to finish a first draft. Revising, between my own passes and those for my agent and/or editor, can take up to another 3 months.
Okay, that’s it for my process. These lovely ladies will share theirs next week.
(Fun observation: All of their latest covers are purple!)
What about you, my writing readers? What’s your process? Let me know in the comments or, if you have a blog of your own, share the link.