Sawyer Belle

Yes! The first story I ever wrote was in first grade and it was my first dabble into historical fiction. I wrote about the travels of Christopher Columbus, but I wrote about it from the perspective of his fictitious pet dog, a Beagle named Amerigo. I did all of the illustrations as well, and I still have it!

Before I ever write a word, I know pretty much how I want the story to go. I have spent months learning my characters, thinking them through different scenarios to get a handle on how they'd act and react to the various twists and turns I'm going to put them through. Every writer is different, but I like to outline. However, I write an outline with the expectation that my finished product is probably not going to look anything like it.

So, after months of thinking about people, places and plot twists, I research and research and research. The fact is, by the time I've actually begun writing, the process has been underway for probably close to half a year. I tend to fly through the actual writing. I'm not one of those people who agonizes over perfect sentence structure and flow in the first draft. I usually just have so much storyline pounding in my head that I need to get it on paper.

Then, the last and most difficult part of the process for me: editing. I spend as much time, if not more, editing the book as I do thinking about it beforehand. Here is where I look for the obvious grammar issues. I also look for plot holes, anachronisms and uniformity, balance and general entertainment value. So, for me, it is safe to say that I probably spend about a year on each project.