Writing, Editing, Concepting

One of the joys in being an author is creating a world and characters with personality that readers can relate to when consuming your book. I recently had someone ask me, “When do you find time to write?” Indeed, this was a valid question.

My answer was along the lines of, when am I not writing? Let me explain.

As authors I believe we are in a constant state of immersion with our WIP, a novel we may have just finished and not to mention the novel we plan to write. I call it WEC (Writing, Editing, Concepting). By no means is this rocket science, but let’s take a spin around WEC for just a moment.

Writing – When I’m in the middle of a novel I would love to throw 100% of my efforts to just writing the construction that has taken place in my brain. However; that is not always the case – but lets not get sidetracked. Once the story begins to unfold, keys are being pressed, and words appear on the screen I’m in a zone. For me I like for a story to evolve and at times shock me in the direction it heads. Of course, I have an overarching plan for how the book will progress but let me tell you. There have been many occasions in which the keystrokes have taken me down a path that was not intended but added an element to the novel that readers have enjoyed.

Editing – Different authors attack editing in different fashions. Some edit each chapter prior to moving on to the next one. Some hammer out as much as possible throwing all caution to the wind and will edit only once the manuscript is complete. Then you have the other group, those that fall somewhere in between, I’m one of the tweeners. I edit periodically while I write, but at the same time, I know I can lose momentum if I focus fully on the editing process. It’s more of a feel thing. If I think I’m at a good place and could use a little bit of editing, I do it then. However, if I feel I’m in the zone, in a groove, I let the keys on the keyboard sing.

Concepting – Have you ever had a thought stuck in your head that you really, really wanted to get out? Yep. I’m sure we have all been there. As an author the real world and previous works always have me thinking about what’s to come. In fact, I have a mental picture of the series I’m working on and a series that I want to start. Not to mention they will have some cross play between them – but lets keep that a secret for now… you can keep a secret right? Nonetheless, preparing for your next work is vital as an author, but not at the expense of shortchanging your WIP.

So… when do I find time to write? As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m always writing in some form or fashion. It may not be keys on the keyboard and words on the screen, but forward progress is always taking place.