Writers and the Writing Process - What I've Learned

I strongly encourage anyone who writes to call themselves a "writer". Are you a professional? Probably not. I'm certainly not, even though I have been paid to write - once upon a time ago. But do I enjoy writing? Most certainly. I love the hell out of it and do it when I can, therefore, I call myself a writer and so should you.

That brings me to the topic of the writing process. If you're at all familiar with this blog, you know that I have interviewed several local (Houston area) writers over the years and not one of them has the same writing process. Obviously, there's a beginning, a middle and an end to every story, but not everyone tells it the same way.

I'm the kind of person who likes to start at the beginning and work my way through to the bitter end. No matter where the story takes me, no matter how many rabbit holes it leads me down, no matter the outcome, I sit and I go from A to B to C and so on. Skipping around drives me insane. If I get to a dead end where I can't possibly go any further, the delete key is my best friend. I might save a copy if I feel like it's worth it, but most of the time I delete back to where I veered off course and start again.

Currently, my good friend Ed Vela and I are working on an exciting new project together. We have distinctly different writing styles and you would think it would make it difficult to meld our ideas and styles together. Instead, what we have found is that we make a really good team. Ed primarily thinks in visual scenes, and in fact writes many play and movie scripts. Our original writing process started with him sending me a scene written out in script form - all dialog - and I would then turn it into novel form. Now we are starting to trade scenes back and forth written out in prose.

Another major difference in our styles is that Ed skips around. He writes one scene at a time, probably whatever is inspiring him at the moment, and sends it to me. What used to drive me nuts is now making me think outside the box. It sparks my imagination. What happens next? What happened before? What made the character behave that way? What can I change in this scene to alter the outcome? What happens if...? And on and on. It's what is making our team work.

Without divulging too much of Ed's brainchild, the book is a sci-fi/fantasy story, and it has been so much fun writing in that genre. It's not one I am used to and it's been a bit of a learning curve. I have really grown attached to this project and wait to be able to tell you guys more.

One more thing I want to touch on is writing groups. I feel there is a place and time to get feedback on the pieces you feel are ready for the stage, for a contest, for publishing, or whatever. But how do you go about doing that? For a short while I was part a local writing group. It was how I met Tom Scanlon and the late Gibson Michaels, both of whom I remained in touch with after the group disbanded. I actually enjoyed that group and got decent feedback on my short stories. I found them through meetup.com.

Another group I am a part of is readmyplay.com. You anonymously submit your plays to be read and anonymously read and critique other people's plays. I feel it has a very fair setup and can't recommend it enough.

The downfall to writing groups? (warning - foul language ahead!)

Sometimes people just don't like your shit and tear it a new asshole. Is that blunt enough for you?

When that happens, and it will, you have to sift through the hateful language to find the real critique and then brush it off.

So my fellow writers. What is your writing process? How do you go about getting feedback? I would love to hear back from you.

End of Year Review - 2015

2015 was a tough year us. While that may not be an excuse, hopefully it helps to explain why I was only able to interview 6 out 12 fabulous authors this year. But I mean it when I say fabulous. These guys, and lady, couldn't have been friendlier, more willing to share, or knowledgeable in their particular fields.

Ed Vela was my first guinea pig. I chose him on purpose because of our twenty year friendship and experience in writing plays and screenplays. He was able to introduce me to fellow playwrights Fernando Dovalina and Carl L. Williams. Teri Mathis and her husband have been friends of ours for more than ten years. She and Tom Scanlon are both non-fiction writers. I met Tom and Gibson Michaels in a writing group. Gibson rounded out my novelists as a sci-fi/fantasy writer.

I had plans on asking other friends of mine that have published plays, cookbooks, are technical writers, and even reaching out to forming professors for interviews but I never got the chance. In August I had another seizure and went on driving restriction for three months. In September I had another seizure so I had to start the three month count all over again. I have just been released. It kind of puts a damper on interviews when you can never go out and actually interview people. So I decided to put it on hold.

What I decided not to put on hold any longer was finally finishing my education. This has been nearly a ten year process, longer if you count the first time I started college right out of high school and dropped out. I started earnestly in 2006, when my son started kindergarten, and I will be finishing his sophomore year of high school.

I made the transition from forensic science to creative writing and couldn't be happier. With one semester in the bag and three more to go, I feel like I am finally on my way to accomplishing a life long goal. Thanks to my incredibly supportive family for putting up with all my craziness. Just today I was so distracted I made a cup a coffee but forgot to put my cup underneath my coffee machine to catch the stream of coffee... Thank goodness for drip trays, right? And this was at the end of the semester...

Thank you again, Ed, Fernando, Carl, Teri, Gibson and Tom for sharing with me everything you learned about creating, brainstorming, publishing and most importantly, how to just keep writing.

Good luck to everything you do in the new year.

Merry Christmas Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from my family to yours.

Gibson Michaels: The Interview

What started off as a way to stave off boredom became The Sentience Trilogy for Amazon Best Selling Author, Gibson Michaels. Although it wasn't quite that easy, Michaels has managed to write a trilogy that premiered to favorable reviews when the first volume was published in 2014. The final volume, Wrath of an Angry God, was just released this past March.

From what I have read so far from excerpts from his books and from the drafts of his current work in progress (we were in the same writer's group), Gibson Michaels puts a lot of himself into his writing. So as long as you enjoy stories that have a quick wit and show a deep love of history, you should love his Sentience Trilogy.

Author Gibson Michaels
Photo Courtesy Gibson Michaels

Michaels and I discussed the trials of setting up his own publishing company (Arc Flash Publishing) that he, his better half and his son run together. There was so much for me to learn from the editing process to formatting for e-books to designing the book jacket to formatting for paperback. Whew! I'm glad to know someone who has done it first.

Not to mention that this military space opera (and yes, I learned what that is) has gotten great reviews from the public and even Michaels' own editor can't wait to read what he writes next. He still feels all this is a little surreal, but I think that he'll come to grips with his new found fame after his book signing this summer at ApolloCon. That's right! You can meet this up and coming author in person at ApolloCon June 19-21. 

Please enjoy my interview with sci-fi author, Gibson Michaels. (please click on his name to listen to the interview)

To purchase Gibson Michaels' Books:
Gibson Michaels on Amazon
Gibson Michaels on Barnes & Noble

About Gibson Michaels:
www.gibsonmichaels.com

Gibson Michaels at ApolloCon:
www.apollocon.org