A few months ago, as we looked through her many shelves of literature, my aunt asked me if I’d ever thought of writing a book. Without hesitation, I answered, “No,” and that conversation ended there. For the time being….
I wrote a lot in college, short stories and essays, but never felt I had enough ‘creativity’ to bring an entire book to life, let alone have a decent idea in the first place. Obviously, I was way off mark.
Weeks later, a strange idea for a book popped into my head--completely out of the blue. I mused over it for a couple days. Realizing the story did nothing but grow as the time passed, I grabbed a blank journal and began scribbling away.
Starting with the rather boring title, Forgotten Fae, the book slowly grew into what is now The Abandoned Edge of Avalon. It’s been interesting to find that the details and scenes dictate themselves. The experience isn’t anything like I’d expected.
I’m not quite sure, but I suppose I thought I’d have to work on coming up with ideas. Not even close to the reality of writing—at least for me. I don’t use outlines. I simply sit at the keyboard and the words flow out of me. It’s as if I’m just the vessel for new life to come into being. And now, the characters breathe and move on their own.
Sometimes, I wonder why it took me so long to begin writing in the first place…. It’s difficult even to finish this first book, as I have ideas for at least three more in the works at the moment. Writing is the greatest gift I’ve ever received, and I’m thrilled to possess it. I still have a lot to learn, but it’s all sinking in quickly and I feel I’m getting better by the day. Quite a few people have helped me fine-tune my sentence structure early on (i.e. passiveness, head-hopping, tense changes), and now I’m able to catch most of these problems as I write.
Being a ‘mind’s eye’ writer, and not planning much of the story in advance (other than characters and a basic beginning and end), I’m curious to see how others write. Some have elaborate methods that, to me, would take the fun out of the process. But, hey, maybe they’re better at their craft than I am. Perhaps they enjoy the fruits of their labor even more because they put so much work into their stories. Who knows? I’d like to….
So, how do ya’ll write? Do you see the scene in your head, as I do, and just type what plays out? Do you outline chapters? Do you set deadlines for yourself? Do you try for a particular word count per day? I’m interested to learn other writers‘ routines. Another factor is research. I did a decent amount, as I had to for this particular book--I wanted the most ‘realistic’ fantasy possible, How do you guys prepare your setting and backstory? And even names? Do your characters names have particular meanings? Mine do. I feel it adds even more depth to that person.
I just wanted to share my personal style of writing and how it completely took me by surprise. I’d love to hear how many are like me. Or, of even more interest--who approaches this art in a completely different fashion. Looking forward to your feedback!
