Getting to Know Me

My Writing Process

/ kellyfbarr / 1 Comment

1) & 2)  What am I working on and how do I write what I write?

I currently have two works in progress (WIP).  I have been working on an outline and character questionnaires for a story and am still working on that.  However, that doesn’t seem to quench my need to be creative.  I guess I am just too used to writing “by the seat of my pants” (pantser), which is how I have written stories ever since I started writing way back when I was in junior high school, (what many places now call “middle school”).  I do not want to give up on the one that I am working on with an outline and character questionnaires, though, because I want to see what really does work better for me — “pantsing” or “planning”, or maybe I’ll be able to find something in between.  Any suggestions for something in between?

You may be wondering, “doesn’t pantsing require extra editing”?  All I can say is “not for me”.  You see, the way that I write, I simply sit down and begin writing and let the characters introduce themselves to me, and I let the characters tell the story.  I just type.  The next time I sit down to write, (which should be everyday, but, sadly, is not), I reread all that I have typed; and, yes, I do this each and every time I sit down to work on the story I am pantsing.  Isn’t that time consuming, you may ask.  Yes, it is.  However, it serves three wonderful purposes to me.  It refreshes my mind about the story, I change things and make edits on what I’ve written each and every time I sit down and reread, and it gets ideas flowing and awakens the characters, and they continue telling me the story.  That way, if I write a scene that I feel is lame or that doesn’t fit or advance the story, I can get rid of it the next day.  I just wrote such a scene last night, and the more I thought about it after walking away from my writing, the more I decided it does nothing to advance the plot.  Therefore, when I sit down to write again, be it today or tomorrow, I will get rid of that scene.  So, yes, I also spend time thinking about my stories and characters while I am not writing, which also helps my writing process for the next time I sit down to write.

3)  How does my book differ from others in its genre?

The only answer I have for this, is that it is written by me, in my voice, with characters I created in their own circumstances.  I hope that their circumstances and the plot is something fresh and new to the genre.  I hope that my characters are characters that you come to care about quickly and that you come to love and will not want to say goodbye to at the end of the story.  I hope there is an underlying Christian theme/message that will inspire you and touch your heart.

4)  Why do I write what I write?

Because I have to.  I have a need to get these stories on paper (or computer) because they will not let me rest if I do not.  I also write the kinds of stories that I love to read, and I may be writing more than one genre eventually because I have a story idea burning inside me that was born of helping my son with one of his writing assignments for his homeschool writers’ club.  It introduced me to a new genre that I never tried writing before and didn’t think I’d want to write, but I had so much fun helping him, that I just might give it a shot when I finish the two WsIP I am currently spending my time on.

5)  How does my writing process work?

I described my writing process near the top of this post, and when I did, I alluded to the answer to this question.  I haven’t reached a definite decision which writing process works best for me yet, but I do still enjoy writing as a pantser much more than as a planner.  However, because I haven’t yet had a story published, I can’t really say that my writing process definitely works, but I do believe that whatever writing process I (or you) are most comfortable with will be the one that will work in the end because if I am (or you are) using a process that I am (or you are) comfortable with, I believe I (or you) will be more productive and produce good, if not great, work.

What is your writing process?  Is it working well for you?  Leave a comment and let me and my readers know.

Sisterhood Bloggers Award

/ kellyfbarr / 3 Comments

I have recently been nominated for a few blogger awards by my friend, Donna Smith.  So today, I will post about one of them.

sisterhoodoftheworldbloggersaward-graphic

First of all, I want to say “Thank you” to Donna Smith for nominating me.  You can visit Donna’s blog at here.    The rules for this award are as follows:  1)Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.  2) Put the award logo on your blog.  3) Answer the 10 questions sent to you.  4) Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer, and  5) Nominate 5 blogs.

The following ten questions are mine to answer:

1)  What are you currently reading?  I am reading two books right now — To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which I have read twice before, and River’s Edge, part of the Cape Refuge series, by Terri Blackstock.

2)  Are you doing what you love?  Yes, I homeschool two of my three children (one has already graduated from our homeschool), and I am writing — nonfiction, fiction, poetry and this blog, as well as two other blogs when I have time and a good post idea.

3)  What is your favorite movie and why?  I have several favorite movies, but one that I like to watch over and over was a T.V. movie starring Rikki Lake before she lost weight, called Baby Cakes.  I like the movie because I can really relate to the main character.

4)  What was your first job?  Well, aside from babysitting, my first “real” job was working part-time at a K-Mart store.  I began working there as a senior in high school and worked there for a total of five years.

5)  If you could be anyone else, who would you be and why?  I don’t really like this question because I am fairly happy as me and believe that I am who God means for me to be, but if I had to choose someone, I suppose it would be someone like Jody Hedlund who is a Christian, who homeschools her children, who is successfully publishing good books and writing on a personal and a group blog, and who gets to travel to interesting places to do research for her books.

6)  Do you think blog awards have too many questions?  No, I don’t mind answering the questions I find on blog awards.  I think it’s a fun way to share some things about myself to allow my readers to get to know me a little better.

7)  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?  I would change the fact that I procrastinate about my writing.  It’s very strange because I feel driven to write and I have several good ideas for stories, but I allow my self-confidence to stand in my way.  I lost self-confidence in my writing a long time ago because of some hurtful things that were said to me, and that prevented me from writing for a long time.  I have just begun writing again a little over a year ago but because I have submitted pieces and haven’t had success in publishing anything yet, and that causes my self-confidence to falter, and then, though I tell myself I NEED to write, I find excuses not to.

8)  What is your favorite thing about yourself?  I would say my mental and emotional strength.  I don’t let anything get me down for too long, and I have always been able to do what I felt I needed to do in any given circumstance in my life so far.

9)  How long have you blogged?  I have only been blogging on this blog close to two years, but I started blogging a little over six years ago.

10) What is your favorite hobby?  I love to read!

Now, I won’t nominate five bloggers for this award because I do not like to make anyone feel pressured to do something they may not enjoy doing.  Therefore I will simply leave an open invitation here for any of you who read my blog to feel free to consider yourself nominated, if this is something you would enjoy doing.  If you decide to post this on your blog and answer the following ten questions, please leave a comment and let me know so that I can read your Sisterhood Blogger Award post too.

My ten questions for anyone who would like to do this:

1)  Who is your favorite author and why?

2) When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up, and is that what you are?

3) Do you read everyday?

4) What was the worst job you ever had?

5) If you could be a character from a story, who would you be and why?

6) Do you enjoy receiving blog awards?

7) What is the first thing you notice about someone the first time you meet them?

8) Who is your favorite super hero and why?

9) How long have you blogged?

10) If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Next Monday I will be posting a book review, and hopefully, my new surprise posting will begin next week as well. Keep watching for it!