A Chick Who Reads: guest post: evelyn lafont

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Guest Post: Evelyn Lafont Author Of The Vampire Relationship Guide

Thanks to The Bookish Snob Promotions I'm welcoming Evelyn Lafont to A Chick Who Reads today. She's going to be talking about the process of writing. So I'll turn the blog over to Evelyn now.
The Process of Writing

One question that authors get asked often during interviews is what their process is. The truth for most of us, I think, is that we don’t really have one. I think sometimes it seems like writing a novel is a mystery process that involves Voodoo rituals, soul selling, and maybe some sage cleansing in our Feng Shuied offices. But it’s not.
Writing a novel is like taking notes when you fantasize. That’s it. Sit around, have some fantasies, write ‘em down and string ‘em together into a story.
Okay, that seems a little casual. It’s more work than that. We create outlines, develop characters, and work through plot problems, but once the foundations are laid, we are left with the process of fantasizing and taking notes.
It is hard to keep up with the pace of our fantasies, and sometimes they have plot holes and inconsistencies that we need to clean up, but that’s done during editing. Writing is pure, clean, fun fantasizing.
There are certain props that are necessary while we write—process or no. My favorite props are a pair of poker chips given to me by my friend Greg which I shift around in my hands while thinking, Starbucks coffee, and a couple of snuggly, sleepy, snorey kittens. Sometimes I listen to music, but often, I’m so lost in the process that I don’t even notice whether or not there’s noise going on around me.
And that’s it. All my secrets…about my writing process anyway. To share the rest…I’ll have to get to know you better first J.