When my friend Kristin sent me a message asking me to participate in this blog hop on the writing process, I looked around the room and said to myself, “Who? Me?” Yes, she meant me. Turns out, Kristin, who is uber successful in her own right, is extremely supportive of my writing and knows how to give just the right nudging I need to get my words out of my head and on to the page. When I met Kristin at TypeACon last year in Atlanta, something about her just felt genuine to me. We exchanged info and have kept in touch ever since. I’m so glad to call her a friend now and proud that she believes in my writing.
So here goes the questions…
1. What am I working on?
I think the better question is: what am I NOT working on? I’m always running in five thousand directions. With working full time, doing mommy stuff and Girl Scouts, dance, theater productions (for Ava, not me) and work travel, it all seems so overwhelming.
I’m about to be on stage in Beaumont, TX for their innaugural Listen to Your Mother show. I’m incredibly nervous, but not because of stage fright. That would be so simple if that was the case. Mostly, I’m nervous because I know my subject matter will be very unpopular with that audience and I’m scared that in lieu of applause, I’ll hear a bunch of “bless her hearts…”
I’ve also got a children’s book that is hiding on my laptop’s hard drive. It’s about a princess who builds her own rocket ship and expores the galaxy. One rejection letter was enough to keep it in hiding for a little while longer. Maybe one day I’ll put it out there.
2. How does my writing differ from others of its genre?
I guess what makes my writing different is that it is mine. My words are pretty real and authentic and while I may share the same stories as a lot of women, they are mine. I can get pretty emotional with some of the things I write, and I guess that is because I don’t typically get emotional in real life. I need an outlet somewhere and my writing allows me to do that, and to rewrite, revise and review my emotions before making them public. Something that is very important to people with control issues, like me.
3. Why do I write what I do?
Well, you could say I answered that in the previous question, I suppose. But also, I write what I do because I know there are other people out there who have similar experiences and think they are all alone. It wasn’t untl I started blogging that I realized I had so many kindred spirits on this earth. I keep writing with the hope that other people can make that same connection.
4. How does my writing process work?
Everything I write is stream of consciousness. I rarely edit or revise anything other than fixing a few typos here and there. I write when I’m compelled and what is in my head goes right on the page. My posts are not very long, with most in the 600-800 word range, and I Iike them that way. Sometimes less really is more, I think. The ony piece I’ve ever revised is the piece I submitted for Listen to Your Mother. It was orininally much shorter and I added more feeling and substance prior to sending it in because I felt it would fit their needs better – sure enough it paid off!
I’ve written full posts from the WordPress app on my iPhone. And I installed EverNote and use that sometimes, too. I also have a notebook that I take on trips with me and I will write full posts out in longhand when I’m on a plane or in a cab. Sometimes I think that my process prohibits me from writing more. I don’t lay pen to paper until the full piece is written internally.
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As a part of this blog hop, I had to ask two additional bloggers to answer the same questions. I immediately thought of two people who’s writing really speaks to me: Lisa of Back to Allen and Jana from Jana’s Thinking Place.
I cannot tell you how I came to know Lisa (because I cannot honestly recall how), but I can tell you that I am so thankful to know her and her writing. Lisa’s story has touched me greatly and her writing is rich with soul. I’ve never acutally met Lisa in person and cannot wait to just hug her to pieces the first time we do meet. I will probably cry. Be prepared, Lisa. Bring Kleenex.
Jana and I met at TypeACon in Atlanta last year. We shared drinks and tears and snark and it was amazing. Before the weekend was over, I felt like I had known her for years. Like Lisa, her writing is soulful and her story, well her story will both break your heart and fill it right back up.
Lisa and Jana will answer the questions on their own blogs next Monday.
We have a similar “process” Sean! and I’m wondering how it is that we didn’t meet at Type-A last summer. I’m not great at going up and introducing myself to people, so that’s maybe why. I so wish our paths had crossed then! Thanks for including me; I’m looking forward to posting next week 🙂
Lisa recently posted..Plunk