Sucker Literary Magazine Bloghop: the Writing Process
 |
| photo by ashaeffer |
Welcome to the blog, YA short fiction lovers!
I'm excited about this bloghop, mostly because my day to post is the day before SUCKER VOLUME 3 releases.That's right. Tomorrow, you can get your very own copy.
Go ahead. Click on over to Goodreads and mark it to-read (or pre-order it).
A few weeks ago, Kacey Vanderkarr invited me to join this bloghoppin' party to celebrate writers and SUCKER's new release. Since I love all things YA, SUCKER, and Kacey, I jumped at the opportunity.
Kacey asked those of us joining the hop to blog about our writing process.
Easy peasy.
1. Open new document in Scrivener.
2. Open new bag of Twizzlers.
3. Eat entire bag of Twizzlers while switching between empty document and Twitter.
4. Type some words.
5. Give up for the day because holy crow! Who ate all my Twizzlers!
Simple 5 step writing process.
Thankfully, for you readers, Kacey gave me a more structured guide for what I should talk about.
First, I'm supposed to tell you what I'm working on currently.
I'm working on a draft of a very exciting story (I'm not trying to be flippant here, I just can't share more right now).
Second, I talk about how my work differs from others in its genre.
Geez, Kacey! What's with the hard questions?
I write contemporary young adult fiction. What makes it different from all the other contemporary YA fiction is that I wrote it, so it is colored with all my experiences and emotions and awkwardness and psychological baggage.
And I try to make sure I leave wiggle room for you the reader to bring in all of your experiences, emotions, baggage, etc. and make it your own.
Oh, and I've accepted a dare from my sister to be sure there are more unicorns in contemporary YA fiction, which poses a minor challenge, but I'm nothing if not tenacious.
Thirdly (why am I using these weird transitional phrases instead of just making a simple list? Yes, readers, this is a mystery to me, too), I tell you why I write.
Five years ago, my dear friend Emily died way too young from ovarian cancer. She'd kicked cancer's ass for nine years. That's a lot of fighting. Em was always brave, even when she was scared, and she always held on to hope.
I write to pass on her bravery and her hope. I write to remember her. I write in her honor because her story got cut short.
Cancer is a jackhole.
4. (I don't like "fourthly." It sounds stupid.) How does my writing process work?
Oh! Hey! I already told you that!
So, I'm done.
People I trust are telling me that I am not done. I need to tell you about my real process (like the Twizzler thing isn't real? Little do they know . . . ).
People I trust need to go out and buy me more Twizzlers before I type another word.
*opens new bag and inhales*
My process:
I'm a pantser, which means that outlines and plans don't work so well for me. I'm getting better at planning, but it still feels like struggling into a pair of skinny jeans after a sugar binge. I can get them buttoned, but I'm not entirely comfortable.
For me, story starts with a character. I have lots of them in my head talking almost nonstop. One will get louder than the others, demanding I listen. S/he is where I begin.
I may not be a planner, but I do spend plenty of time allowing the characters to talk things out, seeing scenes in my head like a movie, and asking myself "What's the worst that can happen?" This can go on for weeks before I ever type a word.
I then speed type as many scenes and conversations as I can, just as fast as the kids can tell them to me. These scenes are in no real order or semblance of a plot, but I use them to get a grip on my main character's voice.
When I'm done with a draft, and I've revised it, I'll send it to my writing group, the YA Cannibals. They chew it up and spit it out with TONS of notes. A writing group you trust is essential.
Few more rounds of revisions, another pass by the Cannibals, and I'm ready to call the story sort of, kind of, maybe finished.
I have trouble with closure.
For me, the key is voice. I have to get the character's voice right, have to feel it in my core, before I can let the story bloom.
So now I'm done? Yes?
Yes.
I want to thank Kacey for this fun opportunity. Her newest book, REFLECTION POND is for sale now (and waiting for me on my Kindle). Here's a little more about her and her book.
Kacey's bio (with commentary from me):
Kacey Vanderkarr is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, complete with faeries, alternate realities, and the occasional plasma gun. She's known to be annoyingly optimistic (which might make us long lost twinsies or something) and listen to music at the highest decibel. Kacey is the president of the Flint Area Writers and the Social Media Director for Sucker Literary. When she's not writing, she coaches winterguard, and works as a sonographer. Kacey lives in Michigan, with her husband, son, and crazy cats. Reflection Pond is available in paperback and digital for Kindle (I have my copy. How about you?) and Nook. Antithesis and First Shift are available from Inkspell Publishing. "How to Fall", a short story (which I absolutely fell in love with the first time I read it), will appear in Sucker Literary Volume 3, available April 15, 2014 (that's tomorrow!!!!).
Blurb for Reflection Pond:
Sometimes you find home, sometimes it comes looking for you.
Callie knows a lot more about pain than she does about family. She’s never belonged, at least, not until she falls through a portal into her true home. The beautiful faerie city of Eirensae doesn’t come free. Callie must find her amulet and bind herself to the city, and most importantly, avoid the Fallen fae who seek her life. Seems like a small price to pay for the family she’s always wanted.
Then she meets cynical and gorgeous Rowan, who reads the darkness of her past in her eyes. He becomes Callie’s part-time protector and full-time pain in the ass. He has secrets of his own for Callie to unravel. What they don’t know is that the future of Eirensae lies with them, and the once peaceful city is about to become a battleground for power.
You can catch up to Kacey at any of these other links:
Blog: www.kaceyvanderkarr.comNext week (4/21), be sure to drop by the following blogs for more writing process talk with some of my writing buddies.
Mike Mullin, author of the ASHFALL Trilogy
Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really glad this writing thing seems to be working out. Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. Ashen Winter is his second novel. His debut, Ashfall, was named one of the top five young adult novels of 2011 by National Public Radio, a Best Teen Book of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and a New Voices selection by the American Booksellers Association. Find out more athttp://mikemullinauthor.com.Robert Kent (aka Middle-Grande Ninja), author of ALL TOGETHER NOW: A ZOMBIE STORY
Robert Kent is the author of the young adult novel All Together Now: A Zombie Story . He runs the popular blog for writers, MIDDLE GRADE NINJA, and lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he’s hard at work on his next book.Julia Karr, author of XVI and TRUTH
Julia Karr writes Young Adult novels from her home in Bloomington, Indiana, where she lives with her three cats, Pippi, Frankenstein, and Esmerelda. Julia’s been writing since she was little, although her first efforts were poems, not stories. She originally wanted to be a poet, an artist, and President of the United States. She no longer wants to be President. Her first two novels, XVI and TRUTH, are dystopian along the lines of 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale. When she isn’t writing, reading, or annoying the cats, she can be found outside in her garden––plotting. Or, at her website: http://juliakarr.com.
Fun to hear about your process, Shannon! *runs out to buy stock in Twizzlers* And, how great of you to honor your friend in this way!
ReplyDelete