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Apr
26
2010

The Process

Writing a novel is a process. Since this is my first, I had no idea what the process would be like.  I assumed it would be challenging, frustrating and rewarding.  I had no idea it would be so amazingly fun!

It’s hard to describe exactly what my experience is like.  When I sit down to write my novel, I feel like I’m the reader, reading it for the first time.  I have an outline and I know approximately what my characters are going to do and when.  I may have even jotted down a line or two of dialogue here or there.  But, I never know exactly how a scene is going to play out until I’m finally putting the words on the page.

I’m usually excited when I get to a scene that I’ve been looking forward to working on.  The main character’s first kiss was definitely one I was waiting for!  I knew when and where I wanted it to happen, but what they would say, how they would touch, and the emotions they would feel were all a complete mystery!  I have to say that it’s just as exciting to write the first kiss as it is to read it!

Once I get started into the scene (the beginning is usually a challenge), then the words just being to flow.  It’s almost like I’m watching a movie about my characters, and I just write down what I see.  I laugh when they say something funny, I get annoyed when one of them overreacts to a situation because I know it will all work out, and my pulse quickens when they touch and things start to heat up.  I might be the author, but my characters are really the ones telling the story.  Sometimes if I get stuck and I’m unsure of what my character needs to say or do, I try to put myself in their place and imagine what they would say if they were a real person, not just a character in a book.  Usually a normal action or dialogue becomes clear and that gets the flow going again.

Many times I’ve said that I can’t wait to see what happens next for my characters.  It’s true!  I know what is going to happen, but I can’t wait to learn all the details as my characters voices come to life and they tell me their story.  The process of writing this book has been more rewarding and entertaining than I ever imagined it would be.  It’s so much fun, that I’m already thinking ahead to the sequel!

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Heather