Writing Process

I'm a complete amateur when it comes to writing. I haven't been paid *yet* for my writing. But if I'm writing to get paid, I think I'll likely wait a long time.

I love stories. I remember the moment in first grade when we received our readers. The book had a panda on the cover. I was so excited I was finally learning to read.

I got in trouble for reading over the years. I read anything and everything. One teacher deliberately set me up for failure. We were supposed to stop reading at page 41 and go no further. Of course, the story paused at a cliffhanger so I read on.

A quiz question asked about a moment past that point, and I, being an eager beaver student, answered the question correctly. I was publicly chastised for not following instructions.

Thanks, Fourth Grade Teacher, for encouraging kids to hate reading.

My teacher the following year sat me down and asked me, "What books on this list have you read?"

I put check marks beside them and for the remainder of the year, the class read the books I hadn't read. She probably asked the same questions of all the kids, but man, did I feel important. I loved her.

I turned to writing when business slowed for my consulting. I'd spent years imagining the stories in my head. I figured it was time to write them down.

***

My goal is to talk about my writing process. I've discovered over the years that every writer's creation process is unique. I've recommended my favorite books on writing and gleaned from them the important elements that help me.

There are two main elements to being a writer:

1) Read a lot and widely - Read in your genre. Read outside your genre. Read authors you don't like to see what appeals to others. Read authors you love and analyze what works. Ask yourself questions as you're reading: Why does this scene work? How is this character developing? What makes this action scene so awesome? Make notes and try to use those notes in your writing.

2) Write a lot - I used to say everyday, but now I'd recommend regularly. Some people can only write on the weekends. Some only certain days. I try to write Monday through Friday, 4 AM to 6 AM. I'm a morning person and it's the only time my house is quiet so pre-dawn works for me. Find a weekly schedule and keep to it.

I group my writing process into five main buckets. I try to have a book in each bucket so I can regularly provide new works. I'll go into more detail for each stage as the weeks go by.

• Brainstorming
• Writing
• Resting
• Editing
• Marketing

Thoughts? Questions? Please share them below or send me an email at beth dot cross at bethccross dot com.

Thanks for reading!

What Remains of This Day

My favorite novel is The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I could read this novel over and over. In fact, I'm reading it right now. I love the descriptions, the characters, the relationships between Stevens and Miss Kenton. It's a wonderful character study, but also a tragic romance, brought about by Steven's own hubris.

I used to read this book once a year, until a copy was lost in a move. I could have also let someone borrow it; I did this with a hardback copy of Old Man's War and it was never returned. I should stop lending my books out that I mind losing. But I think many readers are generous souls. They like to tell others, "Please read this book and tell me how much you loved it, just like I did."

I recommended The Remains of the Day for a book club selection many years ago. Not one person read the novel. Too boring. Couldn't get into it.

We watched the movie instead and the other members agreed it was great.

The book was better.

Any novels you love that your friends just can't get into?

Writing Resources: Podcasts

Last week, I published a short list of books I found valuable in developing my writing process. This week, I wanted to explore podcasts I find helpful for writing tips and story ideas.

Writing Excuses hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Taylor, and Dan Wells. The tagline: Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart. I've listened to this podcast for over a year and find it funny, smart, and invaluable. All the older seasons are available online, and I highly recommend them all.

Author Stories by Hank Garner. I only recently discovered this podcast, but I love listening to the authors interviews.

Science Friday from Public Radio International. A great resource for getting the latest science stories. At one point, I listened to the BBC Science podcast (only 1 hour long), but I found the stories between the two companies often overlapped. Since I prefer Science Friday, I dropped the BBC, but if you want the week's science news in half the time, pick the BBC podcast instead.

I'm still searching for a history podcast, but if I find one, I'll update the post.

Do you have any podcasts you enjoy? Comment below!

Why Do I Write

I'll confess: I never thought I'd be a writer. Growing up I was very practical, exploring careers in science, computers, and mathematics before ultimately settling on business, finance specifically. I worked full time for several years before establishing a financial consulting business. With a family, flexible hours were a great benefit.

Like many writers, I've always been an avid reader. In fiction, I enjoy almost all genres. For non-fiction, I like books about science and history.

Many years ago, I read a novel that made me burn with frustration. It had a rambling plot, an unattractive love interest, and a weak main character. Scanning the back blurb, I discovered the author had already published six other novels. I thought, like many wanna-be writers, "I can write better than this!"

Over a period of several months, I wrote three novels and many short stories. I wrote character sketches, rambling streams of consciousness, point of view jumps. I experimented with magical realism and literary fiction. I completed two manuscripts exploring themes which, at the time, I thought were profound and deeply interesting.

I was wrong. They were terrible.

The truth is writing a novel is hard work. Writing a good novel is even more difficult.

On a walk during this time, a character jumped into my head. I knew her voice, her past, her personality. If she sat down at a job interview and was asked her strengths, she'd tell you about the night she drank three Russian trolls under the table and was still able to dance the Charleston with a Greek Minotaur come sunrise. When asked about her beliefs, she'd point out that a dab of lipstick and a good mascara could bring world peace. She was a zany, powerful voice that would not stop talking to me. So I wrote another book, lighthearted and fun. I edited the novel, reread it, and realized it wasn't publishable in its current form. Into the Drawer of Despair it went.

Never heard of the Drawer of Despair? Every writer has one even if it goes by a different name: trunk, file, drive, shelf, drawer. Back in the day it was an actual physical location. Now, not so much. The electronic age has just made manuscripts into one and zeros on a hard drive. But I still feel a bit of shame and embarrassment when I see the folder, XXXDead. In my world, that's where bad novels go to die.

Seven years passed.

Life, like always, got in the way. I pursued a major life goal. I moved several times. My family grew. I took on work projects. I homeschooled my children. I was busy, but that's no excuse for abandoning writing all together. I should have continued writing.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda. No sense in regretting the past.

Once life settled down, I decided to pick up writing again. I had a great idea for a novel, a definite winner. I joined the 2015 NaNoWriMo project and wrote furiously day after day. My hands ached from typing so fast. By the end of the month, I had 80,000 words, a completed novel. Time to publish!

 Nope. With a reread I knew it was awful as well, worse than the books I'd written years before.

I didn't let that stop me. I set that book aside and wrote another book. It wasn't publishable, but it was better than the prior novel. On to the next book!

I opened up the crazy character manuscript and realized it wasn't as bad as I'd first thought. I was able to tighten up the narrative and craft more compelling main characters. It took time, distance, and knowledge to recognize the problems, but fixing awkward writing was much easier than fixing no writing at all.

Since I had my old notes for the second novel, I brainstormed an outline and wrote the second novel in six weeks. Once it was done, I knew it was time to work on publishing my stories.

So that's my story. And here I am, hoping to find readers interested in my books. My plan is to release sample chapters online with the first complete novel available January 2017. I'd love your feedback on my writing so send me an email or leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

If you find any copy edit suggestions, shoot me an email so I can correct them. I'd prefer you whisper in my ear that I have toilet paper on the back of my skirt than shout it across the room.

Thanks for reading!

Writing Resources:Books

Over the years I've read a fair number of writing books. I take from each book something that helps me. Below are some of my favorites.

On Writing by Stephen King - This is the grand master of all the writing books. If you research books about writing, this one is usually the first to appear. It's not only a great writing resource, it also gives personal insight into the life of a successful author.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont - I've become a big fan of audio books and I found this book while listening to The Great Courses Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques. A more literary writing book than On Writing, it's a wonderful resource to begin writing when you aren't certain what to write about. She helps you find inspiration in the smallest things, while keeping you entertained with funny and poignant anecdotes.

Dare to be a Great Writer by Leonard Bishop - I haven't seen this book recommended much, but the spare, honest tips make it a good read. The book is organized in such a way that the reader can open it and read a short tip on writing. Or you could read it all the way through, like I did. 

Do you have any books on writing you enjoy? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: I am part of the Amazon Affiliates program. If you shop through the links above, a percentage of the price will be paid to me at no cost to you.

Introduction

Hi! I'm Beth Cross, writer of women's fiction fantasy. I enjoy writing books about interesting women who struggle with everyday problems, with a little urban fantasy thrown in to mix things up. Right now, I'm working on my first series, Changing Fate.

Beth Cross is a pen name. I write across multiple genres so I didn't want to confuse readers expecting one genre novel and getting another.

I started this website to document my journey from hobby writer to published author.