How I write

In January I interviewed Wisconsin author Kristin Oakley on my radio show ‘My World and Welcome to It’.  When I interview authors I always ask them what writing routine they follow.  I’ve discovered that all writers are unique and each has a different process to put words on the page.

Kristin smiled and confessed that she didn’t have a regular routine like writing every day or writing in the morning versus the afternoon.  She said when she is writing a novel it is always in her mind so that from her perspective she is working on it all the time even though she may not be hunched over her laptop.  I admired her honesty.  I am always dubious of those writers who claim to 8-10 hours a day grinding out page after page.

Like Kristin, when I’m working on a novel it is always with me.  For example, I’ve been searching for southern names to use in my fourth novel because it takes place in Pike County, Kentucky.  I found a google site that actually lists common surnames in Pike County which demonstrates once and for all that you can find anything on google.  However, my search didn’t end with reviewing this site; I also needed strong first names with a southern flare.

I searched through books in my home library thought of my own family members and people I’ve known.  I paid attention to names on the nightly news broadcast, movie credits and TV shows.  From all this I developed a list of both female and male first names.  My main character is Adeline Dawson and her best friend is Florence Pruett.

I worked on the initial scene and first chapter before I began writing.  I need to “see” the scene before I write – it plays out in my mind’s eye like watching a move.  I then write a draft and later go back and embellish with sensual detail such as smell, taste all things of the senses.  I am also a strong believe that the first chapter must have an inciting incident that propels the story and hooks the reader.  In the first chapter of my newest novel Adeline’s husband Eli dies in a mining accident and Adeline’s life changes forever – she must find her own way in 1935 during the Great Depression.
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So some days it may look like I’m far off thinking but I’m really working very hard.