How do I write.. and why? These are scary question that I have this week been thinking about, because the lovely Gwen Kirkwood (who writes lovely historical novels – mostly set in Scotland) tagged me in the ‘my Writing Process’ blog tour.
Last week Gwen talked honestly about how she writes last week on her blog http://gwenkirkwood.blogspot.co.uk/ .. so I guess it’s now my turn to do the same…
I’m not sure I even have a defined writing process – but here goes….
What am I working on at present?
This is a great opportunity for me to test-drive the title of my new book. It has the working title of The Last Brumby Run – but I am afraid no-one is going to get it. If you don’t – I should tell you that brumby is the Australian term for a wild horse – what the Americans would call a mustang. What do you think?
It’s is the second book in my series set on the small outback town of Coorah Creek.
Dan Mitchell is a former special forces serviceman, now working as the ranger in a magnificent national park. He is still haunted by some shocking things he saw during his service in Iraq. When the order comes to clear the wild horses from the park by whatever means, he’s determined to save them.
Enter Rachel Quinn, a beautiful nature photographer, who is also running away from her past.
With the whole town helping out, they must save the wild horses, and in doing so they may just save themselves.
I’m more than half way through writing it – and am desperately in love with Dan. (Please don’t tell my husband!)
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Gosh – that’s a hard one. I write contemporary romance – with a bit of adventure. A lot of people do that. I love dark, damaged heroes – and I’m not alone in that. Most of my work is set in outback Australia – but my last book Bring Me Sunshine was actually set on a cruise ship in Antarctica.
Hmm – maybe that’s my thing – I love wild places
I travel a lot – and places capture my imagination. I wonder about the people who live there. I wonder about people who travel here. How they deal with new and at times strange or even frightening places. In my writing, I try to really capture these places – and how they impact on people.
If you get the chance – try walking out at night into a remote place with no people, or noise or light. Look up at the stars for a few minutes. You will feel the place. Emotions are closer to the surface in wild places… maybe that’s what inspires me.
Why do I write what I do?
I used to be a journalist. I met a lot of people – a Pope, Prime Ministers and a President, a few rock stars and actors – and a lot of ‘ordinary’ people. I often found that those so-called ‘ordinary’ people had the most extraordinary stories to tell.
And travelling as much as I do, I meet people from many cultures. I learn so much every new place I go. I learn about people. And about myself.
People are endlessly fascinating.
As a reporter, I had to stick to the facts when I was writing. Now, as a novelist, I can let my imagination take flight. I can try to imagine the stories behind the faces. And I always try to do justice to those people I have met along the way.
How does my writing process work?
I don’t plot. I really don’t. It scares me silly. When I begin a book, I always have the opening scene in my head. I also have one of the key characters in my head. It may be either the hero or heroine – they start telling me their story in that first scene.
I also have the closing scene in my head – it always has both hero and heroine in it. My job is to fill in the big bit in the middle.
I know what themes I am writing about, and I usually have a few key plot moments in my head, but I like to let my characters drive the story. Often I’ll start writing and they just take over.. and sometimes do things I didn’t expect.
I reality, I guess this is my writing subconscious driving me – but as I write – it does feel like the characters are telling their story. When I start hearing their voices in my head, that’s when I know the story is going to work.
Right now – Dan is trying to tell me (and through me Quinn) exactly what happened that terrible day in Iraq. And why Quinn has brought a little light into the dark places of his soul.
I am still waiting for Quinn to tell me what is in the small package she carries with her always, carefully wrapped in tissue paper and locked away in the deepest recesses of her heart.
I’m listening Quinn….
And now I’m also passing the baton to two of my writing chums and stablemates also published by Choc Lit.
Laura James is one of the most enthusiastic people I know when it comes to reading and writing – especially books that touch the heart. Possessing little in the way of domestic skills – she’s found a better use for her kitchen. It’s from there that she produces issue-driven romantic novels, short stories, and flash fiction.
She’ll be blogging about her writing process next week at www.lauraejames.co.uk .
Kathryn Freeman lives just down the road from me – but I didn’t know her until we met through our publisher. She trained as a pharmacist, but quickly realised that trying to decipher doctor’s handwriting wasn’t for her. Instead, she spent twenty happy years working in medical communications, which I gather involved writing a lot about medicine and drugs and other icky stuff. She now juggles the two disciplines of medical writing and romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero…
She’ll be blogging next week about her writing process at http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk/category/blog/