Maggie Kavanagh's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
2014 “Our Writing Process” Blog Hop
Thank you to Louise Lyons, who tagged me over at her blog. This is my first blog post here on GR. On to the questions!
1) What am I working on right now?
As I wait to hear back from a publisher about a novel I subbed a few months ago, I’m keeping myself busy researching and writing my current WIP—a historical/supernatural M/M romance set in 17th century New England. One of my protagonists is a new arrival from England and the other is a very alluring nonconformist born in the colonies. Add a few superstitious townsfolk, a heaping portion of religious guilt, and a dash of magic, and there you have it.
It’s quite different than anything I’ve written before, and I’ve had a blast reading all manner of books on colonial life and witchcraft. One of the most challenging aspects has been negotiating the boundary between romance and historical accuracy and striking the right balance of modern and archaic language; there’s definitely a learning curve, but I think I’m hitting my stride. As of today, I’m 25K done with the rough draft with another 25K or so to go.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hmm, different? I’m not sure, but I’ll tell you what’s important to me when I’m writing. I prefer characters to grow along with the romance, and for me this often means a healthy dose of conflict (both external and internal) before the eventual HFN/HEA. I also think of readers as active participants in story creation, so I try to heed the ‘trust your reader’ adage. One of my favorite quotes about writing is from Voltaire: ‘the secret of being a bore is to tell everything.’
3) Why do I write what I do?
Because there are too many tragic gay love stories, and I believe in a level playing field.
4) How does my writing process work?
Once I start a story, I get very consumed by the world very quickly, so I can’t juggle more than one project at once. Since I work full time, I spend mornings and weekends writing (and the odd lunch break, as long as no one else is around!) It generally takes me about 4 months to draft a full-length novel if I write every day.
As far as actual process, I usually start with a rough outline of the novel/story as a whole and a sketch of each character. But I don’t adhere strictly to outlines, because A) it never works and B) it never works. My mind rebels and usually comes up with something better—or entirely different—than what I’d originally planned. For this reason, I can’t skip around in the narrative while I’m writing.
I keep content notes as I draft because, like many writers, I don’t revise at all until the second draft (this was a hard sell for me, as my instinct is to re-read what I’ve written a thousand times before going on, which halts progress). At that point, I also ask from feedback from my awesome pre-readers/betas, and then I revise. And revise. And revise. And then revise again.
Confession: sometimes wine is involved.
Other writers:
Now that I’ve done my navel-gazing, I’m tagging Therese Woodson, author of Twelve Tasks and The Trouble With Elves. I have it on direct authority that more exciting releases are soon forthcoming. Check out her blog here.
1) What am I working on right now?
As I wait to hear back from a publisher about a novel I subbed a few months ago, I’m keeping myself busy researching and writing my current WIP—a historical/supernatural M/M romance set in 17th century New England. One of my protagonists is a new arrival from England and the other is a very alluring nonconformist born in the colonies. Add a few superstitious townsfolk, a heaping portion of religious guilt, and a dash of magic, and there you have it.
It’s quite different than anything I’ve written before, and I’ve had a blast reading all manner of books on colonial life and witchcraft. One of the most challenging aspects has been negotiating the boundary between romance and historical accuracy and striking the right balance of modern and archaic language; there’s definitely a learning curve, but I think I’m hitting my stride. As of today, I’m 25K done with the rough draft with another 25K or so to go.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hmm, different? I’m not sure, but I’ll tell you what’s important to me when I’m writing. I prefer characters to grow along with the romance, and for me this often means a healthy dose of conflict (both external and internal) before the eventual HFN/HEA. I also think of readers as active participants in story creation, so I try to heed the ‘trust your reader’ adage. One of my favorite quotes about writing is from Voltaire: ‘the secret of being a bore is to tell everything.’
3) Why do I write what I do?
Because there are too many tragic gay love stories, and I believe in a level playing field.
4) How does my writing process work?
Once I start a story, I get very consumed by the world very quickly, so I can’t juggle more than one project at once. Since I work full time, I spend mornings and weekends writing (and the odd lunch break, as long as no one else is around!) It generally takes me about 4 months to draft a full-length novel if I write every day.
As far as actual process, I usually start with a rough outline of the novel/story as a whole and a sketch of each character. But I don’t adhere strictly to outlines, because A) it never works and B) it never works. My mind rebels and usually comes up with something better—or entirely different—than what I’d originally planned. For this reason, I can’t skip around in the narrative while I’m writing.
I keep content notes as I draft because, like many writers, I don’t revise at all until the second draft (this was a hard sell for me, as my instinct is to re-read what I’ve written a thousand times before going on, which halts progress). At that point, I also ask from feedback from my awesome pre-readers/betas, and then I revise. And revise. And revise. And then revise again.
Confession: sometimes wine is involved.
Other writers:
Now that I’ve done my navel-gazing, I’m tagging Therese Woodson, author of Twelve Tasks and The Trouble With Elves. I have it on direct authority that more exciting releases are soon forthcoming. Check out her blog here.
Inner Sanctum release date!
Hello all! Click here to visit my blog and read a snippet of Inner Sanctum, the sequel to Double Indemnity, which will release from Dreamspinner Press on September 14, 2015.
