I was invited to take part in this blog tour by cosy crime writer D S Nelson. You will find her post on her own writing process Here.
I have to answer four questions and then pass the baton on to some other lucky writers to answer the same questions, linking back to this blog post. And so it goes on.
So, here are my answers to the following four questions:
What are you currently working on?
At the moment I’m working on the second book in the Hannah Robbins series while the first is out on submission with my agent, Kate. It’s in the first draft stage which is not my favourite place to be and is when I can be most easily found procrastinating. I see the first draft as the skeleton of the story and after that I have something I can work with, but building that skeleton feels pretty much like building a 90,000 piece 3D jigsaw while blindfolded, without having first seen what it looks like.
How does your work differ from others of its genre?
I find this question really difficult. It’s like asking a parent, what sets your baby apart from every other baby in this newborn maternity wing? They are all babies certainly, but each one is unique in their own special way but finding a way to define and voice that so early on when all we want to do is parent/write, is difficult. Yes, to grab an agents/editors and readers attention, you need to be able to sell it to them, but I’m writing a novel, not selling a car. But ok, let me try…
I write from first person point of view for my female DI protagonist, which I understand is not often done, so a reader has a real insight into what she is not only seeing at a crime scene and in the incident room, but what she’s thinking and feeling and that not only goes for the crime related stuff but her personal life, which isn’t as catastrophic as some out there, but seeing what these people see day in day out, does have an impact on who they are. It’s a fact of life. So you get to feel it with her.
Why do you write what you do?
From a young age, when I started reading alone, the books I was picking up were initially the Enid Blyton, Secret Seven, Famous Five books, then Nancy Drew. I progressed to Agatha Christie. I mixed it up with some other genres, but was always drawn back to crime. It fascinates me. People fascinate me, their motivations and reactions, and crime is such a great genre to explore the human psyche in. And within the crime genre there are so many sub-genres that you can explore those human layers that you just have the world at your feet. So when I decided it was time to do something about that long time urge to write a novel (you know the one everyone has) it just had to be crime.
How does your writing process work?
Messily.
With Hannah Robbins book one I started at the beginning. I knew the end and other than that, I sat down and I typed. It took a huge amount of work to pull it together afterwards.
This time around I wanted to see if I could be a bit more organised so I wrote a synopsis (OK, I admit, agent Kate asked for one!) and I liked that I had an outline, so I expanded that synopsis into several more pages and I’ve gone from there.
I’ve gone from not knowing anything about writing and sitting down and just doing it, to now trying it another way and I’ll see what comes out the other end when book two appears. From the feel of it, I’m already liking the feel of how I’m working now.
One thing that I do need though is a clean working space. My desk has to keep getting tidied. I’m not good at keeping it tidy, but I can’t work well in the mess, so I have to keep tidying up. And that includes my email inbox as well. I can’t have “stuff” hanging about. I work in silence, no music or radio noise. A clean space to work and I’m happy.
So, now you know all about me, I’m going to hand the Writing Process blog tour baton onto two lovely bloggers, Denyse Kirkby who you will find Here and F. C. Malby who you will find Here.
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
Smart you’re working on the second book while the first is still out on submission. You’ll be prepared and less stressed!
I hate the first draft for that very reason. I do better when I have something to work with.
Margot Kinberg says
Rebecca – What great answers! I like the idea of giving readers the opportunity to see a character’s own perspective. That’s one advantage as I see it of the first-person point of view. And Alex is so right. You’re wise to be working on your second novel while your first is out in submission. So much better than having to rush to write it. And you know what? The writing process should be messy for first drafts. That’s where you play in the proverbial sand. 🙂
WriterDSNelson says
Thanks for taking part in this, Rebecca and sharing your writing process with us all. I think it’s really interesting the way your style has developed and why you write what you do. I too love people and find what motivates them, fascinating. I think that’s something us crime writers have in common. Good luck with your manuscript. 🙂
Jacqui Murray says
That is a difficult question–what makes yours different. Ultimately, it’s your voice. You unfold the story like no one else because it’s your style. But how do you answer the next question–what’s different about your voice?
Jane Risdon says
Really enjoyed your answers Rebecca, it is so interesting reading what other writers get up to and how they get up to it. I agree with most comments here. Also, I couldn’t really answer the question of how do you find your own voice? It is a hard one. Good luck and much success. 🙂
dawnharris5 says
I’ve been following your blogs for a while without commenting, mainly because there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do! But I did very much enjoy reading your answers. It’s always interesting to see how other writers work. I, too, write in the first person, mainly because I feel it’s easier to get under the skin of the main character. And I have to know the ending before I start, even though I might change it later on. I work in silence, and can’t stand too much mess – some, but not out of hand, and I don’t like emails hanging about either. Maybe it’s a ‘writer’ trait! The thing I hate most is writing the synopsis. My stuff is historical – I’ve always loved history – and I have an agent too, but unfortunately she couldn’t get me a deal with my first book. (Not commercial enough). I hope that your agent will have better luck with your first book. And good luck with writing your second.
Murees Dupé says
I loved learning more about you and your writing processes. I am not getting along with my first draft at the moment either and I write in the first person too. I hope your book gets picked up by a publisher really soon.
readingwritingandriesling says
Hi Rebecca – I have worked out the blog id issue- if I log with Internet Explorer not Chrome- it works.
DJ Kirkby says
Goodness, some challenging questions here (and great answers from you)! Thanks for passing it on, I shall do my best to make my answers as interesting as yours.
nancyrae4 says
Wonderful answers, Rebecca. I particularly liked your description of the evil first-draft
as building a 90,000 piece 3D jigsaw while blindfolded. You couldn’t be closer to the truth.
Annalisa Crawford says
Lol, my email inbox is always tidy too. In fact, perhaps too tidy. Good luck with the latest book. and the one on submission.