Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
The first story that I really remember was when I was about nine years old. The story was about a dragon, a unicorn, and a dwarf on some kind of adventure. So clearly, fantasy was in my blood from an early age.
What is your writing process?
It all starts with an idea. That idea could be a short scene, a theme, a character, a bit of dialogue, or a setting. Usually, I'll let that little idea sit for a while to see if it will grow into a story. Then I sit down and outline. I haven't always done this step, and sometimes I still fly by the seat of my pants for short stories, but I've found I have better rate of completion for stories that I have an outline for. It's like a map, showing me where I planned to go. I don't always follow it, and sometimes I usually revise the outline as I write, but I like to have one before I start writing.
Once the outline is finished, I write the first draft. When that's done, I like to walk away from the project for a while, so I can come back to it with fresh eyes. Then it's time for editing and revision. I usually do three edits: one for content, one for grammar, and one for typos.
After that, I let it sit for another while, then come back to do formatting and cover art, to ready it for publishing. This whole process can take anywhere from a couple of months for short stories to a couple of years for novels. It took me five years to write, edit, and publish 'Broken Wings'.
Read more of this interview.