Once Upon a Process or How I Learned to Translate the Voices in My Head

with guest Jennifer A. Davids.


Are you a panster or a planner?

Do you outline or is your mantra like Sheldon Cooper’s response to Penny on The Big Bang Theory: “Wherever the music takes me, kitten.”

In short, what is your process?

It took me a long time to answer this question because honestly I didn’t quite know. My early writing attempts were just that: attempts. I’d have this great mind blowing idea and sit down with pen and paper and start to write it out and then my enthusiasm and/or the story would fizzle. I’d have lots of starts but no finishes.

Then I started to finally get really serious about this writing thing and I decided I needed to buckle down and write the way I was taught in English class: rough draft, first and/or second drafts, final copy.

Yeah. Right.

I did get through a ‘draft’. I thought it was brilliant. It just needed fixed. Being an introvert, I didn’t have anyone look at it thinking I could do this all on my own. After a complete re-write I ended up with a finished product that was nothing like the draft. And it wasn’t very good either. I didn’t think so at the time but a recent look at it to see if I could salvage it caused me to physically cringe and file it in the deepest, darkest corner of my hard drive. I am to this day so very thankful for the editor who turned it down.

So I tried again. I took my time, sometimes leaving it for a few days or weeks but always picking it back up. Many moons later, I had my first completed book, Yankee Heart, and Heartsong Presents wanted to publish it. When they asked if I had ideas for two more, of course I said ‘yes’. How I managed to churn out two more I am not quite sure. But panic, caffeine and looming deadlines had a lot to do with it.

Fast forward to January of this year. I have three Heartsongs under my belt and I’ve struggled for a year to write a longer book. I have tried every method known to man to write my book faster, better and in a way that wasn’t ‘weird’. I always thought my way was haphazard, a little strange and it seemed to take too long to get a book out. I wanted to be able to write a book in a year like a lot of my favorite authors.

I tried software, I tried the ‘write your book in a month’ and ‘write your book in three months’ books, I read blog posts on how different writers write, trying out all the methods they used to plot or characterize with the hope I could somehow find an ‘acceptable’ process.

Nothing worked.

So there I sat with another start but no finish. I decided to go back and try my hand at another Heartsong trio. They were shorter and I had some loose idea of how I wrote them. I had an idea that I liked that could tie-in with my original three and I decided to run with it. And this time instead of using everyone else’s processes, I was going to come up with one of my own, one that worked and if it was ‘weird’ so be it.

And I did.

Not only did I find my process but what I thought was going to be the first in a Heartsong trio turned into a 90,000 plus book that I researched and wrote in a year. At this point it’s getting polished (yes, I got feedback this time from some truly marvelous people) and it will be getting sent off to an agent and a publisher for consideration. 

So what did I come up with?

I’m not going to tell you.

I’m not trying to be mean and it’s not some deep dark secret because I’m embarrassed or something. It’s actually not that weird. The point is it’s distinctly mine.

You see, God created each one of us to be unique. Different. One of a kind.  “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14a ESV. Since that is so why should you think what works for one writer will work for you? How God made you will, to a degree, dictate what your process is. Are you an introvert, an extrovert, an ambivert? How do you best take in information? Are you tactile, auditory, visual? And for some of us, myself included, special considerations like ADD have to taken into account. 

Take the quiz! (Do not use IE as your browser)

 I’m not saying throw out your writing books and stop reading about how other writers write. I have writing books that I dip into from time to time as I work and I’m always trolling social media to see what my fellow authors have to say about this writing life. I’m saying find what works for you. If you’re more comfortable with a more traditional route then great. If what you come up with seems weird and non-conventional, fantastic. You might find what works for someone else works for you too but if it doesn’t don’t worry about it. Move on and find what clicks.

I will say what I came up with seems to be somewhere between the two. For example, my brain will not allow me to write in chapters. I write my books in one large chunk with spaces for POV and scene changes and I break them into chapters only when I’m done. Yet, I do have to plan out where I want the story to go, however loosely, or I get hopelessly stuck.

So what about you? Have you found your process or are you still looking for it? 

 

Jennifer has been writing down stories since she got an A++ on her ninth grade creative writing assignment. She resides in Central Ohio with her husband, two children and one terribly fussy cat. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and a graduate of The Ohio State University, she makes room to write in between being a busy wife and mom.

Online Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferadavids
Blog/Website: https://jenniferadavids.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5385735.Jennifer_A_Davids

 

   Buckeye Dreams 

Visit Ohio in the latter half of the 1800s, when rebuilding the country also involves rebuilding lives stripped of hope. Katherine has lost her home, Adele has lost her husband, and Anne has lost her dreams. Can each have their joy restored in romances with men who are also deeply wounded by their own pasts? Find out in this inspiring three-book collection by author Jennifer A. Davids.


Seekerville is giving away one ecopy of Buckeye Dreams to one commenter today. Let us know you want your name in the draw! Winner announced in the Weekend Edition!

In-y or Out-y?

Writer. Not belly buttons. Had to clarify that right off the bat.

Hi Everyone! Audra here. Let's talk about how your creative mind works today, or more precisely, how you prefer the layout of your writing environment...shaken or stirred? 

It’s no secret that I operate on the concept of out of sight, out of mind. Except where my filing cabinet is concerned, and that’s only because I have little cards in the front frame telling me what’s in the drawer.

This open-space concept of creativity makes me a confirmed out-y. Books, papers, pictures—everything out in the open, spread across my worksurface for the duration of the project.

I have charts, scenes, research, articles…everything I need to remember to incorporate into a book is spread out around me. My office at work is just as bad, but that’s not really anything we want to get into right now.

To the average eye, my workspace is a mess. But to those who have vision, it’s a viable working solution for someone who needs constant reminders of pressing deadlines, word count quotas, scene directions. AND don’t forget tons of photos to remind me of character appearance and traits--you know, the little things making heroine of book 3 unique rather than a carbon copy of the blonde heroine of book 1, only with dark hair, LOL. Luckily, I discovered and use a cool novel writing program, WriteWay Pro, to help keep me organized within my computer, too. All is not lost.

Can you relate? Do you have burning desire to prove YOU can out-clutter ME? Have I made you scream in terror and run from the computer?

Now that you have an idea of how my chaotic form of “out-y” organization flies, how about “in-y/out-y” insight from the Seekerville experts? Some Seekers are definitely in-ys, some complete out-ys, and some, a nice integration of each.

I’ve coaxed some of them into sharing their writing secrets…

Love Inspired Historical author Janet Dean, who melts your heart with each book she writes:

I use spreadsheets to input my daily word count. My d/h sets this up for me since I’m pathetic with this stuff. This helps keep me on track for meeting my deadline. I start a new Internet file for each book I write, using the working title. In that file are documents that help me write the book, including the book itself. I also save the book on disc, zip drive and in Dropbox, an Internet storage site. Periodically I e-mail the book to myself and others. I make document titles concise such as character descriptions, synopsis, GMC, chapter content, research info, editor input, etc. Much of what I need to get the book written is in that file. I print information I want at my fingertips so I have hard copy too. I write Post-It notes reminders of what I need to add or check or where I stopped the day before. When I’m writing a book my desk is a mess. Yet I know where things are. Well, mostly. Once the book is written and turned in to my editor, I save it in a new file with the final title and add the front matter and Art fact sheet documents. Then I clear my desk! 

Camy Tang writing Romance with a kick of Wasabi for multiple publishers:

A couple Seekers have had heart attacks seeing my scene index spreadsheet, but it works for me. I have two tabs on the spreadsheet--one with a summary of the main plot points, one plot point per row; and another with each scene broken down, one scene per row.

Margaret Mitchell has nothing on our Revell author, Julie Lessman who is determined to show Boston society “After all…tomorrow is another day!” :

Unfortunately, organization has flown out the window now that I have a laptop that allows my office to be wherever I want it to be -- from the back deck in spring and summer to my hearth-room lounge chair in the winter. BUT ... I would be lost without my portable calendar that contains all my due dates and absolutely dead in the water without my "Notes" and "Age" docs, which contain research notes on each book and birthdays and anniversaries ad nauseum, an absolute MUST given fourteen characters to keep track of throughout six chronological novels!

Missy Tippens uses her southern charm with flair as she pens romances for Love Inspired:

Hey! I'm attaching a photo of my favorite writing how-to's. And since I'm a slob, I will NOT show a photo of my chaos. :)

I usually start out with a brand new 3-ring binder. Then I print all of the many charts I use. I also have a stack of paper in the binder for brainstorming on-the-go. I keep my Magic Conflict/GMC chart in a clear sheet protector so I can easily refer back to it.

I also keep several things on the computer:

--A Notebook View Word file (used to use One Note until I got my Mac). I have tabs for research, for hero, for heroine, for secondary characters, for premise, for blurb/one-liner, for brainstorming/ideas.

--Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake program (I use this to write my synopsis)

--The book file, of course :)

--The Scrivener program file (I'm still learning to use this). For now, I use the cork board feature to plan and keep track of all my scenes. This is also how I organize my scenes into chapters. I plan three scenes at a time (one chapter).


Love Inspired author Cheryl Wyatt weaves consistent character threads as beloved characters pararescue jump into each other’s novels:

Maybe it's because I have a tendency toward being OCD, but I compartmentalize things by task. I have my research books on one bookshelf and have them organized by topic. I have another shelf for topical writing resource books such as The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, GMC by Deb Dixon, Story by Robert McKee and other character and plotting help books, etc. Also on that shelf are writing help books such as the Chicago Manual of Style, more dictionaries than one human should own, a thesaurus or two and Strunk and White's style book, etc.

I put all of my giveaway items in a carrying basket that makes mail-outs easier. It's actually a cloth sewing kit that I have stamps, envelopes, author labels, Sharpie, pen, pretty stationary and bookmarks and promotional pens. Anything I might want to stick in an envelope when I mail out books. I keep it in the front closet with my cases of books.

I have a desktop in one computer desk that is near my research book shelves and I use that computer almost solely for author Internet dealings such as answering reader letters, online research, social marketing, etc. There are a couple of file cabinets there that hold my writing papers and things I get from conferences as well as letters that readers have hand written. I keep every one.

I type on my laptop which I keep nearby Bible and devotional journal because it helps me to remember to put His words before mine.

I am trying to go paperless and digital in my office so I have more files set up in my computer now than I do in hard copy. I use Gmail's Labels feature for my filing system and have an online backup. I'm also plan to start buying digital versions of writing books that come out so I can begin moving from paper books to e-copies. I can't concentrate with a bunch of clutter around me so this compartmentalizing helps my focus and productivity.

Seekerville’s own 2011 Rita finalist for Doctor in Petticoats (Barbour), Mary Connealy says simply:

My system is pure chaos. I'm sorry.

When I was working on Deep Trouble I had three books open on my desk and constantly cross referenced trail maps of the Grand Canyon, one man’s memoir of walking the canyon, and a book of photos. Plus I create spread sheets, like Myra's Character chart, then change names and ages and appearances--in the book--then forget to change the character chart, so then I forget which is right the character chart or the book so consistency is always a challenge. Was Seth 9 when this happened or eleven?

This happens too much for a grown up.


Living out her dream in Price of Victory (Avalon) available June 2011, Sandra Leesmith writes:


My biggest help is to outline the story by chapters so that I can be sure I have all the elements needed for each scene. Each of my chapters usually contains three scenes so I just basically outline those. Most of the time I put them on 3 by 5 cards so I can rearrange them, write notes, etc.

Research is usually filed then by chapter. I find the more research I do, the easier the book is to write. Research reveals the possible conflicts and problems that are likely to occur.

I usually do an extensive character chart for each of the main characters. I like to interview them. I include their strengths, flaws, wants, needs, goals, etc. I also include their physical description. This helps me keep each character "in character"



Love Inspired author Glynna Kaye (At Home In His Heart, available August 2011) offers her take on the situation:

I create a "folder" in MS Word where I keep all the related documents: the proposal (concept, premise, mini-blurb, synopsis & first 3 chapters), the ever-growing manuscript, scenestorming notes, research, story calendar, sunrise/sunset calendar (http://www.sunrisesunset.com/USA/ ) timeline doc, character name chart, a clips holder that contains things I've pulled out of the story but wish to retain, and a daily word count Excel spreadsheet (that's where I document how many words I write each day and it auto-calcs the total; I also include in it the reason why I DIDN'T write on a given day so I can keep track of where/why I'm losing ground). The "folder" is where I keep my art fact sheet images, bio, dedication, reader letter and discussion questions that will be forwarded to my editor when the story is submitted.

I also have a 3-ring, slant-D binder (usually 1 1/2" to 2" wide) where I put hard copies of my proposal, story notes, calendars, etc., so I can take that along with me. I get tired of always being at a computer so on occasion take my binder along for a change of scenery when I need to think through story issues. I put clear, top-loading sheets in the binder where I can drop handwritten notes because I'm one of those writers inclined to grab ANYTHING to write on and don't want to lose those snippets of inspiration.

Each day after my writing session, I save the manuscript to a flash stick I carry with me so I know I have the latest & greatest secured! During the writing of my second book, I had major computer problems and couldn't get to my manuscript for weeks and weeks. So now I have a back-up Netbook and the trusty flash stick just in case!

Ruth Logan Herne, who has been accused of being bossy on occasion, writes:

Oh, dagnabbit.

I don't think I organize, but I do. I was working on a proposal and realized I really do HAVE to think a story through now to sell it. So I keep an open word doc. minimized and add to it every time something hits me that should go in the synopsis/story. At first, it's a mish-mosh. But then as things jell and counter-act one another, it becomes the cornerstone of the story. We know I'm allergic to Excel and the word spreadsheet makes me vomit and I don't take copious notes about anything, so I have to work internally.

But first I research. Study. Think about the area, the people, the problems, the geography, the quirks, the setting, and oh, did I mention people? I'm a visual learner but I have a great memory about story details, not about cooking dinner. Too mundane. So eventually all those tidbits of notes on the page make sense in my head. And then the only question is how to go from A = beginning to B = end. And that's governed by the circumstances and the characters personalities. Their personalities dictate so much of the story because they have to stay true to form. They wouldn't do it any other way, right????

I refuse to use the word archtype because I don't know what that means. They're the way they are usually because I'm MAKING FUN OF SOMEONE. And that governs their action/reaction sequence. Very scientific.

Seekerville’s newest published author Pam Hillman--her Tyndale House debut novel, Stealing Jake available NOW as an original ebook--writes:

I use spreadsheets of course. Then I started using yWriter5 because YOU [Audra] (wasn't it you? [yep]) recommended it. yWriter5 did all the things I did with my simple spreadsheets, but so much more. I still haven't learned all the ins and outs of the program and NOW I learn that you're using a NEW, better program. lol But I plan to stick with yWriter5 for now, just to see how it goes.

The secret to organization of any kind is to DO IT NOW.

File the email now.

Make that call now.

Follow on the results of the call NOW.

Send yourself an email about the idea you just had.

File it in your folder as soon as it comes in your inbox.

Do not say, "I'll do that later." Do it now, file everything in the proper place, and go to the next item on your list.



There you have it, the “in-ys” and “out-ys” of keeping your writing organized.

What about you? Do you spread your life all over the room, floor, house? Is all your writing and research slotted away in the mega-drive of your computer? Are you a combo of both? Share with us and maybe we’ll all discover new ways to keep the creative juices mingling, LOL!

Leave a comment for a chance to win Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy, a writing resource that touches on all aspects of creating a great book.

Audra Harders writes “rugged stories with heart” featuring cowboys who haven’t a clue about relationships rescued by ladies who think they have all the answers. In real life, she’s married to her own patient hero, has two teenagers about the leave the nest, and is surrounded by everything conducive to writing about farming, ranching and cowboys at her day job in the county Extension office. She began writing right after her son was born and sold her first book to Steeple Hill Love Inspired mere months before that same son graduated from high school. Surviving those years in between remind her God does have her plan for her life…and that He has a tremendous sense of humor. You can visit her at her website and her blog. Don’t be shy!

My Writing Routine

If I said I had a real writing routine I’d be exaggerating. I try to keep ‘work hours,’ but I rebel against too much discipline. So every day is a new and different writing experience.

I usually write on and off all day. My four-year-old grandson and my daughter live with my husband and me, so I have a lot of distractions. Usually I don’t mind a few interruptions as long as they don’t come every five minutes, but when I have a deadline I need to concentrate. Friendly chatter can really throw me off.

Since I’m not a morning person I can’t start typing the minute I wake up. I drink my latte first (and instantly feel better) while I check e-mail and read my favorite blogs and news. A few hours later when the little guy goes off to pre-school I wander out to the sun porch, flop on the recliner loveseat and get to work. What a tough life!

In the afternoon my laptop and I disappear into my bedroom. If I don’t lock the door everyone parades in to chat. Even when I lock the door they either pick the lock or bang until I open the door. Maybe I should take myself off to a bookstore, but I’m afraid that would be the equivalent of a kid in the candy store. And truthfully, I can handle the foot traffic at home and occasionally I even welcome it.

Sometimes I stay on the porch even after my grandson comes home. Sparky, the Papillion normally drapes himself over my legs and the little guy squeezes in beside me with his Nintendo DS game and bowl of microwave popcorn which we share. I’ll write and they’ll play. I normally don’t get much accomplished. But that’s okay.

Although I’m not naturally a disciplined person, I try to bring some order to my manuscripts. I put together a notebook with notes about plot, character, basic outline, research, promotion opportunities etc. I easily forget my characters’ names, let alone their ages or eye color. Since I’m never sure I’m structuring my plot correctly, I use Michael Hague’s screenplay structure and map out what needs to be where. Adding a storyboard is also a great visual aid.

Oh, one of the most important things I do is make a timeline by putting the day of the week and story day—day 1, day 2 etc. at the beginning of each scene. This was my editor’s idea. If you do it as you write, it’s easy. You’d be amazed at how quickly I can get mixed up over pesky little details. Church scenes need to happen on Sunday morning, so I pay particular attention to the placement of these scenes. Balls and dinners can happen any day of the week, but not Sunday worship services! Once I even forgot that stores weren’t open on Sunday afternoons in 1899.

I try to write 1,000 or more words every day, but I often don’t make it. However, when a deadline looms I suddenly settle down and follow a writing plan. I stick to it. Fear of failure or missing a deadline is a very strong motivator.

It’s amazing how fast you can write when you have to. I’ll write 2,000 to 3,000 words per day when I’m finishing a manuscript. That’s a lot for me. The next day I’ll go back and reread what I wrote and edit a little. But I won’t spend much time on yesterday’s work. After I finish the story I’ll revise. I’ll probably edit several more times before the manuscript seems plausible and polished. If I have time I’ll leave the story alone for a week or two and then read and edit it again. I always find places to improve upon.

For me writing a first draft can be hard. Creativity takes a lot of energy. Sometimes the words won’t flow and sometimes the ideas run dry. But I find editing easier and therefore, I like to do it. Or maybe it’s just that I can stick with it for hours at a time and accomplish a lot relatively quickly.

So that’s how I write. We’re all different. My way might not suit you, but it works for me. Before I sold my first book I had to figure out how to keep motivated. Now I have to find ways to produce more and faster and how to be creative without the luxury of a lot of time for rewriting. Every phase of writing has its challenges. What are some of the challenges you encounter in your writing career?

Today I’m giving away a copy of Love on a Dime by yours truly, and a $15.00 gift card from Christianbook.com and a copy of The Writer’s little Helper by James V. Smith, Jr.