Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I do! It was an overly melodramatic short mystery about an attractive feline who asked a consulting feline detective to investigate events surrounding the disappearance of a "dirty dog." Not only did I write it, I fully illustrated it and put it into book form, with a front and back cover made out of thicker paper than the inside pages. I continued writing the "Adventures of Puff and Tom" for quite some time, until I graduated to more "serious" things (those being equally immature mysteries revolving around a stable, and several horse-owners, as I went through my "Saddle Club" phase in my preteen years).
What is your writing process?
Typically, I come up with a "scathingly brilliant idea" that involves a time period and a major plot twist and leap right into it. I tend to let the story build on its own through the first draft, taking it in different directions if my writing stalls or feels too stilted. Often, a theme is building without my conscious awareness that only becomes more evident toward the end; if I really like that undercurrent, I will in my second and third drafts polish it up a bit. I never plan the book straight through, because knowing exactly what happens in each chapter tends to stall my creativity; part of the fun for me is the process of discovery and invention, and I've often found that what seemed like a good idea when I started writing isn't plausible toward the end; often, better ideas come along as the story evolves.
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