Behind the Scenes: The Writing Process

I’ve been asked more than once what my writing process is like. Most of it is chaos-based, but I did some thinking and thought I’d create a blog post regarding my writing process!

Now, I couldn’t give you any answer for Obsidian Reign. I started the book while in nursing school, and it took me five years to make it happen. I stopped for long periods of time, obsessively wrote for others, and ended up scrapping half the story about three years in. When I say chaos, I mean I was in the pits of Tartarus, either laughing through the fire or pulling my hair out, depending on the day. So, let’s not focus on that mess, shall we?

Writing Book Two in the Crimson Shadows Trilogy went much more smoothly! I laid the foundation in book one and I knew where I wanted the story to go, which made it a lot easier. Before writing, I drafted out the major plot points I wanted the main characters to go through. I think I had fourteen of them at the beginning! Which works super well for me, because I find that if I don’t have a general understanding of where I want the story to go, I just freeze, staring at my blank screen.

So those plot points were what would drive the story, but I didn’t have all the little details fleshed out yet, and I wouldn’t. I consider myself a mix between an outline writer (have the story planned) and a discovery writer (just wing it and see where the story takes you).

While I knew where the major points were, I had no idea how the characters would get there or what they’d find along the way! Some of the best scenes in book two came between my outline, when I let the characters direct the story. So I would say writing book two was definitely a better experience, and with the little I’ve started in book three, I think it will also go the same!

To summarize, having a loose guide to the story gives me momentum, but not making the outline rigid allows the characters to breathe and come to life! Do you have a writing/creative process that works for you? Let me know!