Today my guest author is Val Clarizio. I’m always happy to find out another author knows the beginning and end of their novel, but the story will evolve as they begin to write. Also those challenging blurbs and creating a title get to me, too! Can I borrow that friend, Val? Read on to find out how Val’s writing process works.
Where do I Begin and how do I get to the Finish Line?
Usually, what happens to get me started is I have some sort of bizarre dream with a crazy scenario for my characters to endure. After I bounce the main idea around in my head a bit I simply start typing. I know how I’m going to start, and most times I have a clear idea about how I’m going to end the story, but getting from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ is a mystery for me until my fingers hit the keyboard. It’s then, my characters come to life and tell me how it’s going to be. Sometimes my characters are quiet and mellow about it, and other times they yell at me in the middle of the night, wanting to be heard. I love when they yell, my fingers can’t move fast enough on the keyboard to suit their needs, and I get a lot accomplished on those days. Unfortunately, when my characters are quiet, I may have to step away from the project for a bit, but they always tend to come back around to help me complete the book.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
After two published novellas and two published books, I can honestly say that writing the story is the easy part, it’s naming the books and writing the blurbs that I can’t seem to handle. That said, I call on my friends and beta readers to help me out. We spend days emailing back and forth trying to hone in on a name. As for the blurb, I usually write one that includes all the points I want to make and then a good friend of mine pares it down for me. She can write blurbs but not books, and I can write books but not blurbs. We’re quite the duo.
WE’RE NOT DONE YET!
Now that everything is in order I have to go through the terrifying process of querying my publishers to see if any of them will contract for the book. Will I get the dreaded rejection letter or will I find myself doing the happy dance? In the event of the happy dance, a new phase of work begins….Edits, cover, and promo! In the meantime, my fingers are itching to hit the keyboard to start the next project. As a whole, writing is a never ending process, and I absolutely love it.
Find Val here:
Website: http://valclarizio.wordpress.com/