It’s the 5th Tuesday! That means you get to learn 5 more things about me. After some thought I decided that since it is the end of Camp NaNo, it would only be right to share 5 things about me as an author.

Welcome to the post where I share 5  things about me as an Author!

I’m sure that some of the things I’ll share today you already know if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, but there might be something new to discover. I may not be the kind of author you think I am. 🙂 And just a random tidbit, I’ve published over 45 titles, and have more in the works.

 

1. To Plan or Not to Plan – That’s not even a real question for me. At least not usually. I’m a Pantser. Most of the time I get an idea and just start writing. Yes, I know that some people claim this will only lead to trouble (or say you are a genius if you can do it), but it works for me. Sometimes I have to really think about how to get a certain situation to work, but there’s always a way. 😉 There are some times when I’ll spend about 5 minutes just before I write jotting down what happens next in the story. Other times I have had to write down simple things that I know are going to happen so I can make sure I reach them. I do write down names though. I also don’t usually plan for a story to be a certain length. Many of my “short stories” ended up novels, while other stories ended up shorter than I thought they would be.

2. Covers and Formatting – I have done the interior formatting for all of my books. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I find it fun, and the more I do it, the more things I learn. As for covers–well, I’ve designed some of my own and I’ve had others design some. I’ve had a few people paint or draw the images for a few of my books, while for others I’ve had people pose for me, and the rest are just pictures I purchased or found. Through the Tunnel was the very first cover I ever designed by myself.

3. Multiple Stories – Oh, yes! While I may not enjoy reading more than one book at once (unless one of them is one I’ve already read before or is a Christian Life type of book), I love having more than one story in the works at the same time. Yes, there are times when they all fight to get from my brain to my fingers at the same time, and I don’t get anything written, but when they take turns–then life is good. 🙂 Often if I get stuck on one story I’ll switch to another and keep my words going. I enjoy working on longer and shorter stories at the same time because I know I can get the shorter ones finished and feel like I accomplished something before the longer one is done.

4. Editing, Editing – I’ve heard the advice so many times about not editing while you write, about just writing your story until you reach the end, about not going back to fix plot holes until you’ve gotten the rest of your story written . . . Oh, yes, I’ve heard it. Do I follow it? Nope. Long before I heard all that nonsense (sorry, if you like writing that way) I had developed what works best for me. I write on Day 1. Then on Day 2, I start by rereading all or most of what I wrote on Day 1 and editing and fixing it as I go. (And counting any added words to my daily word count.) When I reach the end of it, I’m ready to write more of the story and feel like things are in good shape. There have been a few times when my story was just coming so quickly that I didn’t take the time to go back and reread which meant there were a lot more things to fix later. (I didn’t enjoy that and there were too many big things to fix.) Now, when I’m switching stories every day I only read that story and edit it, not what I wrote the day before on a different story.

5. When and Where – On my bed, standing beside my bed using my music stand to hold NEO, sitting in a chair in the little room off our bedroom, sitting in a chair in the back room, standing beside my computer desk while sprinting with girls in my cabin. Yep, I write different places. And sometimes what works one day won’t be the best place to write the next. I have to be flexible. I’ve tried writing outside, but I get too distracted. But when do I write? I’ve tried mornings and my stories just don’t want to come even if I have ideas. Early afternoons is the same way. Usually when it gets to be around 4 in the afternoon I can start writing and my stories will behave. And anytime after 4 works well. I usually try to get something written before supper, and then write again afterwards. This usually lets me get in at least 1k words. If my story is working, and I’m not too distracted. 😉 I don’t usually write after 9. I try to read a little before going to bed. Have I ever wished to stay up later and keep writing? Yes. Have I? Nope. I’m just very eager to write the next day.

 

The End. That’s a phrase I almost never include in my books. Have I ever included it? Perhaps in some of my short stories. Anyway, there’s 5 things you may or may not have known about me as an author. Did anything surprise you? What are you like as a writer?