Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
The first story I ever wrote was about the hijacking of the Space Shuttle. Both were big in the news when I was a kid. Terrorists hijacked planes back then, and the Space Shuttle was fairly new and looked like a plane, so I wondered what would happen if the Space Shuttle was hijacked. I think, though, that's where my political imaginings ended, because I believe the story ended with the Space Shuttle landing in my back yard and I got to go into space in it. A bit of wish fulfillment there :)
What is your writing process?
I'm more of what they call a pantser than a plotter, but I always need to have a strong character with a strong story, an opening scene, and the climactic moment or ending in mind before I write. Without it, I meander endlessly. I do take the time to outline some basic plot moments at various times during the writing process, usually when i reach the half-way point. But I have more recently started plotting from the beginning, figuring out the goals, motivations, and conflicts for the characters, what makes their story interesting and unique, and why they are the ones most impacted. Then I write the very rough draft which I like to call draft 0, and then I edit it to death.
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