I was invited to participate in the “Writing Process
Blog Tour” by YA author Amy Nichols, who blogs with me over at YA Outside the Lines.
The writing process, I’m realizing, is both elusive
and universal, all at the same time. As
a professional writer, it’s fascinating to me that I still find the same parts
of writing (the sluggish middle, for example) every bit as tough as the
fifth-grade students I Skype with! The
only difference is that I’ve been at it long enough to have a few tricks up my
sleeve that help me work through it.
This tour asks…
1. What
am I working on?
Right now, I’m gearing up for the
release of my third YA (and first mystery / thriller), FERAL. I’m also in the midst of writing my next MG.
2. How
does my work differ from others of its genre?
Much of my previously-published work
has really hinged on voice and character.
I’d say what separates my YA from others is that each work has actually
been in a different subgenre. A BLUE SO
DARK was a literary problem novel.
PLAYING HURT was a romance. FERAL
is a thriller.
3. Why
do I write what I do?
Writing is an innate part of who I
am. But I’m also a reader. And I’m as interested in as many subgenres of
writing as I am in subgenres of reading.
I never know where my heart’s going to lead me next. Not only am I meeting new characters and
heading to new settings, I’m also exploring new subgenres. And that makes writing the most exciting
thing in the world.
4. How
does my writing process work?
I really dislike the first draft. I do my best to get through that part as
quickly as possible. I give myself crazy
word-count goals each day: sometimes as many as 5,000 words. The first draft is a scene-by-scene fleshing
out of my loose outline. It gives me a
chance to figure out the what of a
novel. My favorite part is
revision—that’s when I can figure out the how
I say it of a novel. I get to write
pretty passages, new metaphors, flesh out my characters. Of course, I don’t just revise once. My published books have been revised more
times than I can count. It’s funny—I get
to know my books the same way we all meet new people in our lives—a little at a
time. Each day, I discover something new,
get a little closer to my characters…
Be sure to travel to the next stops on the tour:
Tracy Barrett - the author of numerous books and magazine articles for young readers.
She holds a Bachelor's Degree with honors in Classics-Archaeology from
Brown University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Italian Literature
from the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarly interests in
the ancient and medieval worlds overlap in her fiction and nonfiction
works.
Ann Haywood Leal - wrote her first novel in the sixth grade. It was handwritten (mostly on colored notebook paper) and was called MISCHIEVOUS MARTHA. Her later books, A FINDERS-KEEPERS PLACE and ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER were published by Henry Holt.
Naomi Kinsman - the author of the From Sadie’s Sketchbook Series (Zondervan)
and Spilled Ink, the award winning Inklings Writers’ Notebook. Drawing
upon her background in improvisational theatre and arts education, Naomi developed Writerly Play a methodology that
breaks the writing process into parts and inspires creativity through
interactive games. Naomi is the founder of Society of Young Inklings, an
organization that empowers young authors ages 6-16 and Regional Advisor of
the San Francisco South chapter of SCBWI. She holds a BA in Theatre
Arts from Seattle Pacific University and a MFA in Writing for Children and
Adults from Hamline University.
Jen Cervantes - the author of TORTILLA SUN, claims, "If I wasn't a storyteller, sports writing for the NFL would have been
my game, (or some other job where I got paid to watch football games).
Maybe someday I'll write a book about football. I am inspired by my daughters Alex, Bella, and Jules, their silly
friends, amazing stories, and real issues concerning kids who need hope
and a place to call home." 
