When I have a new release I usually create several different posts as I take a book blog tour, which is a fancy way of saying I visit other people’s blogs to talk about my new book. I’m not doing that with The Christmas Angel Thief since I have another book releasing on December 1.
One of the types of post I do is an interview. So I thought it would be fun to interview myself. Along with that, I’d love to get some questions from you as well. They can be about me, about this book, or even questions about the writing process itself. So, for the next few weeks, I’ll post a few questions for myself and then see if any of you have any questions for me.
What is your writing process?
I’m what they call a “pantser” meaning I write by the seat of the pants. I never know what’s going to happen in my story on any given writing day. It’s as if my mind is a movie screen and I watch that day’s events and then I write it.
When I start a new story I usually have a clear picture of the main character in mind and what obstacle he/she will face, but anything goes after that. If I’m writing and start to feel bored—then I kill someone, blow something up or do something that’s a complete surprise to me.
And that way it’s a surprise to me and to my readers.
How long does it take you to write a book?
That’s a questions that I get asked a lot and I still don’t have a good answer for it. Because I might work on a story for a few weeks or a month, then move on to another project, then come back to it at a later time. Another thing I do is work on several writing projects at a time. That means I might spend 30 minutes on a story one day or 2-3 hours on it another day.
Once the first draft is finished, I always set it aside for a while, then come back to it to edit, revise, and polish. I do this several times before I send it to my publisher.
So as you can see, it’s really hard to estimate how long it takes me to “write” a book. But I can say that from start to finish, any full-length book is worked on for at least a few hundred hours. My novellas would be a shorter time, of course.
So there you have it. Two questions that are often asked of me in a typical interview. Now it’s your turn! Post a question for me and I’ll answer it–probably!
UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!
Do you have critiques done? If so, what do you do when they vary widely?