Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What's Your Process Blogfest!

This is the day!  The day for the What's Your Process Blogfest, hosted by the ever lovely and awesome Shallee.  


Here's my process.


Let's say I got a great idea for a book with a smoldering hot guy that is too good for any girl except Ruby, who doesn't want him because she sees him murdering her best friend in a reoccurring nightmare every night.


What do I do next with that idea?

I just think.  And then think some more.  I try to see where the story could go.  What's going to be the conflict?  Is that conflict good enough?  What are some major events?  How is it all going to end?  And most importantly, is it going to be worth it?


Most of these questions go through my mind for a day or two, of course while I'm doing household chores and having little kid conversations with my four kidlets.  


If the story seems good enough, and I'm not working on something more awesome, then I open a word document and give it a quick name, Hot Creep.  


Here's where my process is revealed.  I am as much of a PANSTER as you can get.  No really.  I sit down and start writing.  When more ideas come for a different point in the book I either skip to write that chapter or I just start a document called, Hot Creep Details, and write it in there.  


Most of the time I start at the beginning of the book, but without fail there are conversations that take over my mind and I can't help but skip ahead and let them speak.  Then I either continue forward from that spot or go back and fill in the blank.

That's how it goes down.  I become a writing hermit until my awesome book, Hot Creep, is done and then I let it sit.  


And for the record, I edit as I go.  I write when I get a moment, revise that stuff the next time, then continue to write some more.  Then I repeat until it's all finished!


Of course, then there's a ton more to do until it is really finished, but you get the drift.


How about you?  Are you a pantser or are you an outliner?


Be sure to check out the other participants and their writing processes!
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21 comments:

  1. Christine DanekJanuary 18, 2011 at 6:46 AM

    I sort fo do this too. I'm trying the outlining thing, but it's not really working. It doesn't feel natural.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  2. L.A. ColvinJanuary 18, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    I'm still evolving but i have a nice mix of pantser and plotter. Some days pantser works better for me. Really depends on my mood. Great Post

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  3. Michael Di GesuJanuary 18, 2011 at 7:32 AM

    I'm always a pantser.... I just go with the flow. It seems to work for me.

    Only when I have a lot of characters to keep straight I might write a list of the and their characteristics to use as reference in the beginning stages of my book.

    Michael

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  4. Jennifer HoffineJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    I'm a pantster too. And I edit as I go.

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  5. Colene MurphyJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    Sounds like our process is much the same! Love it! Great to meet other pantsers!!

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  6. ShalleeJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    I love the questions you ask yourself to get your ideas flowing. I'll have to steal those for my idea dump! :) Thanks for sharing, friend.

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  7. M PaxJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    Pantser for 1st draft. I get organized for the revision phase. The first draft becomes a lot more focused and intertwined.

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  8. Golden EagleJanuary 18, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    Both, actually. It depends on the kind of book a lot of the time, and how badly I need to get the words out onto the page. :P

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  9. Francine HowarthJanuary 18, 2011 at 1:24 PM

    Hi,

    Nice to meet you.

    A butterfly pantser, and great way of posing questions to incite your inner muse. ;)

    best
    F

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  10. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyJanuary 18, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    I used to be a pantser but now I love outlining -- it saved me so much time in the editing stage and I didn't need to delete as many unnecessary scenes.

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  11. Kari MarieJanuary 18, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    I wish I was a pantster. I think it would be more fun. I plot, but only lightly. I might have 15 out of 60 scenes defined when I start (and those aren't chronological). Just a few flares to light my way through the darkness.

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  12. Melissa HurstJanuary 18, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    I'm a little of both. I have to know the main plot points to begin with, but I leave the details of how to get to those main plot points up to the muse.

    I'm really enjoying reading everyone's different writing methods - thanks for sharing yours!

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  13. UnknownJanuary 18, 2011 at 2:26 PM

    I experience the setting, collect images of people and places, plan from the over view down to details of each scene. Do you think that makes me more of a planner? ;)

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  14. UnknownJanuary 18, 2011 at 2:47 PM

    I like the new name I saw today..."plantser". That describes me perfectly. I pants with a plan. :)

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  15. Sari WebbJanuary 18, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    Pantster all the way. But sometimes I long for a bit of the foresight and organisation that plotters have. We seem to have very similar styles of writing process :)

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  16. Rachna ChhabriaJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:34 PM

    I am a little of both, but nowadays I lean heavily towards outlining. Your style is similar to what I started out as. :)

    A confession, my days as a pantser were what I call the good old days. I sometimes wish I could go back to those days, but now outlining completely consumes me.

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  17. UnknownJanuary 19, 2011 at 5:04 AM

    I'm a pantser too, and it was interesting to read how two pantsers can have different processes!

    Thanks for dropping by my blog...I heart your blog design:)

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  18. Carol RiggsJanuary 19, 2011 at 8:08 AM

    Thanks for the insight on your writing process! I'm an outliner, but not excessively so. I like the "happy accidents" that happen along the way that change my original direction.

    Hey, Michelle, I've passed on an award to you today; you get to choose one out of two. Come by to fetch the image to post on your blog:
    Artzicarol Ramblings

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  19. TrishaJanuary 22, 2011 at 3:11 AM

    I wants to read that book with the hottie murderer :D

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  20. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 3:44 AM

    Hi Michelle, I'm back from my sick bed now so catching up on the posts and fests. I like that you enjoy your pantsing process and it sounds like it really works for you losing yourself in your story and your characters :O)

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  21. MariekeJanuary 25, 2011 at 12:10 PM

    I'm a week late, but catching up on this blogfest now after I finally put my own entry up =)

    I definitely go back and forth too. So much more fun that way! :D

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Thanks so much for visiting! I appreciate your comments and feedback.

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