My Writing Process

I've been writing since middle school. However, as I read more and watch author interviews-I can better explain my process. Where before I really couldn't. Lots of writing sites ask 'what's this author's writing process like?' Specifically, my cousin Nick asked me 'how do I write?' and I didn't really have a short answer. So, here's the long one!

1. IDEAS AND CONCEPTION- Ideas normally come to me in artwork and novels. I normally look at character art and if I think it's cool-I'll write up a description of them and a possible plot in a word doc. I like a mix of humans and creatures typically. Sometimes I'll read a story on Wattpad or fanfic.net and think- I could do better! So, I will!

2. PLOT Plot comes from movies, TV, and books I hold dear. Some of my favorite movies are "The Shape of Water", "District 9", "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Influence from those movies is probably apparent in my writing. For TV, I'm extremely picky. But I've loved "Breaking Bad", "Sons of Anarchy", "The X-Files" I then ask myself-what would I like to see? Sometimes I watch a movie and think "I would've liked this plot element to be fleshed out" or "I think this character was the most interesting." Of course, I rarely write fan fiction. So, I have to adapt and make characters my own. Which takes a while. To form my own world and my own backstories. Sometimes I'll take elements from multiple books and stories put them together. For instance, my horror novella DARKNESS FOLLOWS mixes both "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and John Carpenter's "Halloween."

3. WRITING STYLE / PROSE- When writing, I always start with an exciting opening. Something to hook the audience in. Honestly, sex or violence is the default of mine. It sounds crude. But it does indeed hook a reader in in some cases. I hate books that start off slow (they're some exceptions. But normally I love a good opening with some sort of action) I delete a lot. Then re-write. Then delete again. I'm extremely picky with myself. Which causes my writing process to be slow. How do I describe those little details about weather and sweat? Well, I do two things. One, I imagine my writing as a TV show. If I were directing this and had all the time I wanted, what details would I want to be included in my epidoes? How would the performer be made up? Covered in mud? Sweat? Clean-shaven? What kind of clothes was the character wearing? What kind of car? Do they have a pet? Are they part of the LGBTQ+ community? What do they do for a living? What are the little things they run into? I feel if these details are overlooked, it doesn't make the plot 'pop' as it should. The little sounds of the wind or a car driving by. All builds suspense and atmosphere. I look at it like I'm an audience member describing a scene in a movie. In doing so, nearly every detail counts. Some authors describe literally every inch (looking at you, George R.R. Martin and J.R.R Tolkien!) and they describe where everything came from and from what family it belonged to. I'm not that kind of writer, because when I read I typically skim over those details (unless I'm super invested like with Watership Down) This is why the Game of Thrones novels aren't for me.

Now as far as my prose. This took years for me to develop and I'm still developing it. But I think I've found a mixture of two genres. One is, I keep my prose pretty simple. I try to emulate Stephen King and Gillian Flynn. I don't like to write in 'old timey'. Although, I commemorate any author who does so! I am not into poetry or overly long scenery descriptions as I mentioned. So, something brisk and to the point. Something easy to pick up. I keep my stories short. I'd rather feel good about a story than try to hit a word count.

My secondary influence in description is the old pulp writers. Robert E. Howard (my literary hero) or Edgar Rice Burroughs. I love the way they describe battle scenes and how they describe emotions and battle scars. I haven't yet read a modern author write in such an oddly enthralling way. I don't know if it was just the time period that had some geniuses or what, but I just love 50s pulp fiction literature.

I have a few indie authors I look up to as well. Bryce O' Connor and Jon Athan to name two big ones I look up to.

I never like to write out of order. Some writers will write chapters 4 and 2 on separate word docs, I can't do that. My brain works in a linear way. I don't have huge outlines. I might write up a small bullet point list of major events, but every detail is up to me when I'm fleshing out the story. All the details about clothing and weather, that all comes just as I write the story.

4. EDITING: If I'm writing a free short story, I'll go over it once and read it out loud. Now, sometimes mistakes happen and that's on me. If I plan on publishing a book, I go over it three times during different a few days. Then, I send it to a friend or family member to proofread. I haven't yet paid for an editor-but I'm not against the idea. Then, once they've edited it-I go over it again and add/subtract things the editor told me to (or sometimes not if I truly feel like a section should be in there) I love when people critique my work, I love when people tell me 'this chapter was boring' because, in the end, it helps me. People sometimes get nervous about telling me my writing wasn't 'the best' or 'this character was annoying'. I use all of that to my advantage. So, if you ever review my work-know I take criticism well and I'll never feel 'attacked' or 'sad'.

I hope this helps any author and please feel free to ask me any questions!