Blog Hop (Boing!)

Wattpad Author Blog Hop!

I've been invited to participate in a Blog Hop with some fellow Wattpad authors.

If you don't know what a blog hop is, this site has a pretty good explanation: What is a Blog Hop Anyway?

Back to the point, it's a good way to find other blogs with similar topics, new people to follow, and some pretty good content. In participating with this blog hop, I've been asked to answer a series of questions about my work, so here it goes:

1.  What am I working on?

I'm currently knee-deep in the second book in my Crow Series. I've passed halfway through my wordcount goal of 60,000 and am on track to finish the first draft by the end of July. I am also dabbling here and there with another book, The Piper's Song, which I'm working on in spurts when my brain is just too overwhelmed with Crow. I'm actually really excited about The Piper's Song - I think it has a fairly original plot and some pretty amazing characters. It's probably the next book I'll be working on once I've completed the Crow Series.

2.  How is my work different from others of its genre?

I really like to change up the stereotypes. They say that nothing is truly "original" anymore, but I try to break cliches. I don't know if I succeed, but so far I've been told that my paranormal world in Crow is more gritty and more realistic than most and my characters are relatable despite their fantastic abilities. I may touch on subjects that have been done before, but I always try and make them my own and put my own spin on things.

3.  Why do I write what I do?

Honestly, because it makes me happy. I've tried writing other types of stories, but fantasy is what pleases me most. I love getting lost in my imagination and I think that joy carries into the writing.

4.  How does my writing process work?

Right now my writing process is somewhat scattered, but it is evolving. I have an excel spreadsheet with my yearly, monthly and daily wordcount goals in order to keep me on track. I feel horribly guilty when I don't meet my goals, and it motivates me to try and write every day!

In terms of the actual process - I used to be what they call a "pantser", and would write only when I felt inspired. I never planned anything, but would instead let my characters and my mood decide where the story went. I ended up re-writing these stories over and over because they had no point and didn't really go anywhere they needed to. Since starting The Crow Series, my method has changed. I've started writing in a different way - first jotting down the idea, the main plot points, the characters (I have a character bio sheet I've been using to better get into my characters' heads before I actually start to write), settings and occurrences I want to include. I'll usually mull over the story for a few months, adding and changing things until the story really starts to come together in my head. Once I'm ready to write, I'll take all the bits and pieces I had put down and create a very rough outline - and it really is pretty loose, because I can change it as I write, and I do, quite often. The second Crow book has taken on a completely different direction than it had when I first outlined it!

Once the first draft is finished I do a series of edits. I tend to be a bit of an underwriter on my first drafts, so the second draft usually ends up being longer than the first as I fill out details and add things that changed as I was writing the first time. Without getting into the boring bits of editing, that's my process in a nutshell.

Hopping the Blogsphere:

Okay, so I got the impression that this particular Blog Hop is like a pyramid and I'm supposed to refer 3 other bloggers to participate - but seeing as how I kinda suck as the social stuff, I'm not too familiar with a lot of other bloggers (I read lots of other blogs, but that doesn't mean I have a relationship with them - ya know? lol)

So I'm going to link the other participants that I know of, so you can all go check them out and if / when I find some more bloggers to pass on the Blog Hop baton I will let you all know!

I was referred by Bruce Elgin. You'll all get to know more about him in the coming weeks as he is participating in my "Summer of Success Series" - but until then, go check out his blog. He has tons of useful writing tips and his book Schism is pretty darn awesome (and dark - you know I like the dark stuff heeehee).

Katrin Hollister - First let me say, her blog is pretty fricken' cool. Seriously, a blog post about silk worms? How awesome is that? You should also check out her story, Rise of the Vengeful Dragon, which she is currently chronicling on Wattpad!

Next up, we have Kat Loveland. Her book, Honor Bound has some pretty encouraging reviews. I haven't read it yet myself, but it looks promising! Fashion models, super powers and child trafficking - oh MY! Honor Bound is also being put up on Wattpad, you should definitely check it out (I know I will!)

Emily Godhand is the author of a paranormal / horror thriller called Fear of the Dark. Her blog sets the mood perfectly (it just looks so dark and awesome oooooooh!) and the posts on Violence 2.0 I found absolutely fascinating. Highly recommended!

Thanks for reading. Now go check out their books! You won't be sorry.