Blog Hop!

The ever-awesome Chris A. Jackson tagged me for this blog hop, and I am happy to oblige!

So, without further ado, the questions, señor!

#1 What am I working on?
I’m currently putting the finishing touches on an X-Files story for an anthology by Jonathan Maberry. Really excited about this one, since I’m a HUGE X-Files fan and have been since college. After that I’m completing a story for a new anthology by Paradox Press, based on their game Crusader Kings II. Then it’s back to work on an Ogmios novel with Steve Savile, a follow-up to his original novel Silver. I’ve got several other novels and short stories lined up to take me through the end of the year and into the first part of 2015. Oh, and I’m writing some pieces for the Firefly RPG from Margaret Weis Entertainment, which is great fun as well. Go, Browncoats!

#2 How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I’ve been complimented on my worldbuilding, and particularly on how well I bring readers into a world and get them engaged with it without throwing a lot of exposition at them. This is one advantage to also being a gamer, and someone who has written RPGs. I spend a lot of time plotting out everything going on in a world, and how the elements all gel together, and that skill carries over into writing fiction. I’ve also had people comment, with the DuckBob books, on how funny they are, and how much fun they are to read. There isn’t a ton of comedy in fiction these days, especially in science fiction, but I enjoy adding humor to my writing, and sharing a laugh with my readers. However, If I had to pick one thing I think I excel at, I’d say “readability.” I like to think it’s very easy to pick up one of my novels and lose yourself in it and just have fun with it.

#3 Why do I write what I do?
Ha, I may have just answered that at the end of the last question! ☺
I write because I love to tell stories. It’s just that simple. I’ve been a storyteller since I was a kid, both coming up with wild stories for classroom writing assignments and making up fun stories and adventures with my friends. As I grew older, I started to widen my net, reaching out to a broader audience. I learned the craft of writing, learned how to better shape the tales I was telling. But the end goal has always been the same. I write to entertain. I want my readers to enjoy my books. I want them to have fun reading them. I want them to put down the book after they’re finished and say “cool!” It’s the feeling of satisfaction you get when you tell a joke and people laugh, or you cook a meal and those who eat it rub their bellies after and say “man, that was good stuff!” That’s what I want. I want my readers to be happy they read my book because they enjoyed the story I told and the way I told it.
As to why I write science fiction or fantasy or thrillers or action-adventure or comedy or mystery or superheroes or whatever else I may write, the answer is much the same. When I write a science fiction story, it’s because I have a science fiction story I really want to share. When I write a mystery, it’s because I came up with a great idea for a mystery and I want to bring that to my reader. I don’t restrict myself to one genre, and usually when I come up with a story idea I’m not trying to focus on a particular genre. I’m just struck by an idea for a good story. Why the genres I named above? Because those—and a few others—are the ones I like myself. They’re the ones I read, the ones I watch. So they’re the ones I enjoy, and thus the kind of stories I also enjoy creating.

#4 How does my writing process work?
Most of the time I just get an idea as I’m walking along, or riding the subway, or talking to friends, or whatever. Something I’ve heard or seen or read or said sparks a stray thought of “hmm, now what if . . . ?” and my mind runs with it. I usually jot these things down, sometimes in a quick email to myself, other times on a Post-it or a random scrap of paper, until I can write them down properly on the computer. Then I save the idea in my Pitches folder until the next time I’m casting about for something new to write.
Once I decide to work on a particular idea I open the file, reread what I wrote initially—usually it’s anywhere from one line to a few paragraphs—and then start to think about it in depth. I sometimes ramble on a blank document, typing as I work through details about character, plot, world, etc. When I feel I’ve got a good handle on the story, I clean it all up and write out a full plot summary. I usually send this out—to my editor if I’m writing it for someone else, to friends if not—to see if I’m on the right track, and revise as necessary based on feedback.
After I’ve got the summary locked in, I turn that into a full-fledged outline. This is for novels, btw—for a short story the summary is enough of an outline already, but for novels I actually map things out chapter by chapter. Then I start writing. I do most of my writing at night, after my kids are in bed—I’m a night owl, so I tend to write from about 9 ’til midnight. My goal is usually to do a chapter a night, though I’ve done more when under a tight deadline. I write from start to finish, chapter by chapter, with no skipping around. Sometimes as I write the outline changes, two chapters merging together or one chapter splitting into several or someone doing something other than what I outlined and causing the story to swerve in a different direction. When that happens I adjust the outline to keep it current. Every night when I start writing I reread the last few pages from the night before, both to check them over and to get myself back into the flow of the story.
When the first draft is done I set it aside. I might send it out to beta readers, but I won’t look at it myself, not right away. It’s still too fresh in my head, so I’ll likely see what I meant to say rather than whatever I actually wrote. When the beta readers respond, that’s when I go back and look over it again. I clean up the text at that point, making changes based on both beta reader critiques and my own rereading. As soon as I’ve worked my way through those changes I stop, however. I know better than to just keep tinkering and tinkering. At this point it’s time to send the story off to my editor and see what he or she has to say. I won’t make any other changes unless they’re requested.
And that’s how I work. 🙂

Now, time to pass the baton. I think I was only supposed to tag three other authors, but enough friends were interested that I’m hitting five instead. 🙂 All of them are great people and excellent writers so you should check them out:

Phil Giunta’s first novel, a paranormal mystery called Testing the Prisoner, debuted in 2010 from Firebringer Press. His second novel in the same genre, By Your Side, was released in 2013. Phil’s short stories appear in such anthologies as ReDeus: Divine Tales, ReDeus: Beyond Borders, and Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity, which he also edited. He has completed a paranormal mystery novella titled Like Mother, Like Daughters, which is slated for release in 2016. Phil is currently serving as Chair for the 22nd annual Write Stuff conference to take place in March 2015 in Bethlehem, PA. Visit Phil’s website: http://www.philgiunta.com and blog: http://pgiunta.livejournal.com

Lorraine Anderson has been experimenting with many kinds of fantastic fiction, including comic strips with the artist Sherlock, fantasy stories, science fiction stories, and young adult paranormal fiction. She has had stories published in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 8, ReDeus: Beyond Borders, and ReDeus: Native Lands. Her stories can be found under “Lorraine J. Anderson” at Amazon.com, BN.com, and Smashwords.com.

Bob Greenberger is a writer/editor/teacher who has worked at Starlog, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Weekly World News. Currently a high school English teacher in Maryland, he is also a co-founder of Crazy 8 Press, where he collaborates on the ReDeus shared-universe books. He won the 2009 Scribe Award and did some background writing for the After Earth film. You can find him online at www.bobgreenberger.com

Jay Smith is the creator and writer of the Parsec Award-winning audio horror series HG World, the Parsec finalist The Diary of Jill Woodbine, and The Googies. Inspired by the golden age of radio, Jay also writes Hidden Harbor Mysteries, an adventure inspired by stylish pulp radio series of the 1930s. Jay holds a BA in Creative Writing and is working on his Master of Fine Arts at Seton Hill University. HG World and Hidden Harbor Mysteries can be heard by subscribing through iTunes or visiting the show websites www.goodmorningsurvivors.com and www.hiddenharbormysteries.com

Jack Norris is a game designer and writer based in Chicago. He’s worked on roughly 50 books for several companies over the years, including Tianxia, his own line of rpg and fiction products based on wu xia and kung fu action media published by Vigilance Press. He is currently the Dragon Age Tabletop Roleplaying game developer for Green Ronin Publishing. Jack is also a licensed attorney and consultant who is “totally” going to restart his blog someday but until then he can be found on Twitter @JackNorr.

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