Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
When I was in elementary school, the daughter of my parents' friends sent me a letter and said she wanted to be pen pals. I'd never had a pen pal before and didn't know what to write to her, so I decided to write her a story, which is the first one I recall writing. It was about a young girl who loved animals and had a dinosaur for a pet. My pen pal wrote back to say she loved the story and asked me to write another story, so that first story turned into a serial and I wrote her a short story almost every week to share the young girl's adventures with her dinosaur. I met my pen pal many years later and she showed me the stories that I'd written to her that she had saved and I was able to enjoy reading them with her. She was the first person that told me I should write, and I never forgot her encouragement.
What is your writing process?
My writing process first begins with an idea. It may be a character name, a scene, or a place. I begin to draft an outline for the book based on whatever my first idea is. If I'm working from a character name, I first describe the character physically and then write his/her backstory so that I know the character very well before I begin writing their story. If I have an idea for a scene or place, I write it out in my notebook and then draft an outline around it depending on which series/book it will be part of.
Then I outline the story from start to finish with major plot points, characters, and events. If I'm using real places (cities, buildings, etc.) I print out pictures and keep them with my handwritten outline. If I'm basing characters (physically) off of real-life people such as actors or models, I print out photos of them to keep with the outline for reference.
Once the book is outlined, I begin the writing process. I make sure not to edit as I go along, otherwise I'll never get the book finished and get caught up in re-writing.
After the first draft is finished, I put the book up for a few days to clear my mind. Then I read the book through once, make any editorial changes/notes that I need to, and then I pass it on to my beta readers. After going over their notes with them, I pass the edited book onto my editor. The editing process involves several drafts before a final draft is completed. During the editing process, I work with a cover designer to find the best images and have the cover finalized, as well as complete the book's description and prepare any marketing/promotions that need to be done in advance of the book's publication.
I have my own editing process in which I read through the final draft of the book several times before it's ready for publication.
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