My fabulous writing process, let me show it to you

[catherineldf]

At the book club meeting the other day, someone mentioned that she really liked to read author's blogs to hear about their writing process as well as what they were up to. At which point it occurred to me that I don't blog about my process, seeing as I'm not sure I have one.
But if I did, what would you like to hear about?

Comments

[ruralwriter.livejournal.com]

I, er, am interested in pretty much anything writers say writing wise.

I ought to reciprocate with writing posts of my own...and yet....I always feel unauthoritarian when it comes to talking about my authority as an author...

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a writerly ego much like the Monitor. :-)

[pameladean]

Well, I started listing stuff and realized it came down to "all of it," but if you want something specific, I'll ask about what's giving me fits at the moment -- transitions.

P.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

I am chewing on this and will presently blog about what I'm doing, which may not have any relevance to what you're doing, but hopefully will be an anthropological curiosity if nothing else.:-)

[jean-roberta.livejournal.com]

Here is what I would like to know, for inspiration:

- Do you have regular hours for writing? (A former colleague & fellow-writer that I mentioned once here used to arrive at the university at an ungodly hour in the a.m. to write for hours before teaching. She was productive on all fronts.)

- Very important: how do you negotiate writing time with a partner?? Does she do her thing while you do yours, or do you work out compromises?

- Thinking of Significant Others, do you go out of your way to avoid too-close descriptions of anyone you know?

- Idea-harvesting: do you keep random notes, get story ideas mainly from calls-for-submissions or personal requests from editors, plan theme collections? When writing erotica, do you start with the sex and develop a plot around it, or start with a story and find the sex in it?

- Sitting down to write: do you start with an outline or a first paragraph, or does it vary? Canadian author Margaret Laurence once said the most important task for a writer is finding the voice of the character. Is this what you look/listen for, or does the character speak up when you're looking for something else?

- Writers' block - does it ever affect you, even briefly? Is it brought on by too many hamsters in your life, diminished energy, unexpectedly negative or unreasonable reactions to your work, distracting events, or anything else?

- Could you name the writers who have influenced you?

- How has your writing changed over time?

- What are the advantages/disadvantages of writing paranormal/fantasy/sci fi over "realistic fiction" (almost a contradiction in terms since fiction, by definition, is about stuff that never happened in RL)?

- Do you do that thing I call "cannibalizing"? (Revisiting an earlier work or WIP and expanding or revising it, using first scene of an earlier draft, then taking plot in another direction, even changing an unfinished play or poem to a story or vice versa.)

That should be enough for a few blog entries.

- Oh, one more question: if you blog about writing AND hold down a day job, when do you write fiction?? :D

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Got a little time on our hands this week, do we? :-)
I'll take the above and break it into sections I can manage. Thanks for the questions!

[jean-roberta.livejournal.com]

I have enough time to ask questions, but not to blog regularly about my own process. :) I look forward to your author's blog.