Originally published June 1, 2014
On the Writing Process
Well. What are the chances that I might be dinged for similar reasons almost at the same time? Perhaps it’s the season—you know, sinuses, allergies, other stuff that gets in your head and won’t let you think? So you say, “Sure! I can do that.” If you’re lucky you note it on some electronic calendar and hope you actually remember. I did. Remember that is.
One of my most precious friends, Rhonda, asked to do her the honor of joining a blog hop on my writing process. I found her through a brief mention by another lady I respect and adore, Ms. Kristen Lamb. (Who, by the way, is an uber blogger with writers as the focus). One visit to her lovely blog and I was hooked forever (Rodalena is no longer an active site). Her observations on life, love, cooking and everything else that can make sense to anyone of us, are each treasures to cherish. So, yes, I am honored to join this blog hop and describe, as she did, a metaphor of sorts that describes me at my keyboard.
The problem, of course, is that my writing is a bit sporadic. I am at a time in my life when my career (something to do with numbers), and all the little ventures I managed to dabble in take up a great deal of my time. I have to admit, though, that when I am permitted those few hours of peace and quiet; when I bar the doors and refuse to respond to flashing lights, urgent messages and multiple emails, I do find myself in a zone. If I were to choose a metaphor, I would choose that of a potter with my work a work of clay. Weather spun on a wheel, or carved on the face of a poured mold, it is the creation of something from a lump of information, or the shape of an idea that I enjoy most.
As most folks know my primary focus is nonfiction. This comes from years of research and observation. All of that information piles up in my computer somewhere until I sit down and begin the process of sorting through all of that to see what I can learn and what might be worth sharing with others. Then that information, needs to be molded into a cohesive “story” that is interesting, informs, and maybe even helps in some way. Sometimes those notes are conversations with myself. What worked, what didn’t, who helped and who seemed to make things worse and why? This is the process I used in writing my first book about learning how to cope with my husband’s dementia.
There are times when some ancient piece of literature that I wrote lingers in my files because “someday” I’ll make something of it. This is a carving exercise. Taking away the things that I questioned and now see far more clearly. Perhaps mellowing a stance that seemed so unmovable “then” and so naïve now. Those bits that survive the test of time make it into the general process that becomes my work in progress.
I actually love the work of writing. But then I love reading. I find things I simply must share and things that I feel must have come from some other dimension. In any case, I build, and mold, trim, and spin again until I begin to see the shape of my creation. I hope that as more of my writing becomes available you will find humor, joy, remembrance, peace, healing and maybe even knowledge.
Now you get to meet three wonderful authors I have come to know and treasure.
Elizabeth Mueller, an author and an artist, knew that books couldn’t bite, but even though she never admitted, she was scared of them. What she didn’t know, was that one day books would be her career as a writer and an illustrator.
She started writing poetry when she was 9. Then there were stories when she was 11 that, well, are quite funny from her current perspective. It was her creative writing teacher in 12th grade that made her realize there was more to writing than life itself. That’s when she fell in in love with books.
She hasn’t stopped since, feverishly working to perfect the craft late into the night. She lives with her husband, five kids, a hyper dog, two cats, a turtle and a fish. Darkspell, a young adult Paranormal Romance, was her first novel.
You can find Elizabeth at: elizabethmueller.blogspot.com
Andrea Zug is an avid reader who loves the English language; which is a good thing when you are an author. She has been writing, mostly poetry, since grade school. While her husband was in Vietnam she started her first novel. He was wounded and sent home just three months after their daughter Michelle was born. Raising a family took precedence over writing and it was 2006 when that long abandoned manuscript was pulled out of mothballs. Lancer, Inc. was born. Her husband’s wounds were emotional as well as physical and her work with Lancer, Inc. became a form of therapy, a way to unlock buried trauma. Many of his experiences live within the pages of the series. They found that it helped him and it became their mutual passion to continue the series. Her latest book, Vengeance, takes the Lancers down a new road. Step into the world of Mike and Angela Lancer, Private Investigators…you might just like it there. https://andizugatlancersinc.wordpress.com/
Cindy Koepp, a friend, my first editor, and a wonderful storyteller. After hatching years ago in a land very far away, Cindy tried to hide under a secret identity, but she finally gave that up and started openly telling people she was an alien capable of adopting many forms. To her surprise, with the exception of one class of elementary students, no one believed her. They assumed she was joking, thereby giving her the perfect cover story.
She spent 14 years mutating the minds of four-footers – that’s height, not leg count – but gave that up to study the methodology needed to mutate the minds of adult humans. In her off time, she writes about her adventures under the guise of telling science fiction and fantasy stories, records her blog articles, and reads wonderful books in exchange for editing help. https://ckoepp.com/
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