I'VE BEEN TAGGED!

                                  

WRITING PROCESS BLOG HOP!

I’m so pleased to be participating in my first blog hop as my good friend, Vashti Q Vega, tagged me for the Writing Process Blog Hop. Vashti is the successful author of a brilliant book, The Basement, and writes a popular blog, which I highly recommend you check out.

Here are the Writing Process Blog Hop rules: 

1.) Link back to the person who invited you to this Blog Hop.

With pleasure – here’s the link to Vashti’s blog: 

http://vashtiqvega.wordpress.com/author/vashtiqvega/  

2.)Name four writers who will continue this Blog Hop and notify them.

Here are my four nominations:

Squid McFinnigan is a brilliant short story writer with a unique voice who brings his characters to life so vividly, they take up residence in your imagination.

Paula Pencarrow is a storyteller and writer whose musings and reflections on her writing journey, and on life, are expressed with clarity and precision. Her posts are a great read.

A. Long, is a talented poet and generous soul who has a great sense of humour, and a good word for everyone. You can read his beautiful poems on his blog where he posts short stories, poetry and writes on various topics.

Alys Daniels-Creasey, is a young poet on a writing marathon,who posts her poems on a daily basis. Alys's poems address many topics, and she has a distinct voice. She is definitely a poet to watch, and I love reading her poetry.  

3.) Answer the four questions below:

What are you working on?

I ’m working on a paranormal romance written during last November’s NaNoWriMo, and just finished the first edit. At the moment I’m letting it rest for a few weeks - with difficulty because my imagination won’t let the story go!

It’s the first supernatural tale I’ve written, and I’m thoroughly involved with my characters’ struggles – it’s my twist on the eternal triangle. I have a title but waiting to be sure I won’t change my mind. 

How does your work differ from others in the genre?

Whew! That’s a tough question. Um... because I’m an individual and my stories reflect my unique perspective. (Does that sound convincing?)

Why do you write what you write?

Because I enjoy answering the question of what if, by delving into other, different lives. I think emotions – expressed or repressed – rule our behaviour and I want to explore how this impacts people’s lives. I don’t write in any one genre. My last novel (promo alert) An Unstill Life falls under the commercial women’s fiction banner, and is more character led than the current work, which contains more action.

How does your writing process work?  

Basically like this: 

   INSPIRATION: an idea hits me, and I fall in love with either the character or the premise.

   INCUBATION: Once I have the heart of the story, I incubate the concept for a while,

   returning to the idea over time, thinking about what I have so far, and pondering ideas. 

   I do this alongside whatever I’m currently working on, letting my subconscious share some

   of the work. 

   For example, my WIP is a trilogy and I’m incubating ideas for the second book in the 

   series. The characters are established and I have the basic plot, an notion for a subplot 

   and the conclusion, but the plot outline isn’t clear in any detail yet. Similarly I know how 

   the third book in the series opens, and how it needs to end but the rest is still hidden.

   PLANNING: Writing is a journey of discovery and I’m learning, that for me, the clearer  

   the outline, the freer I feel to expand and enlarge on it when I start writing the story. And 

   I’m discovering that what worked for my writing in the past, doesn’t work for me now, 

   and what works for me now, may not always work in the future. 

My writing process is not orderly; ideas come in bursts and I grab and expand them. One aspect or another is always churning around in my mind, and I jot down bits and pieces on scraps of paper or in various notebooks, so I'm a bit disorganized. Sometimes I think writing is similar to participating in an extreme sport – lots of hard work and discipline are necessary, but the thrills and the results are worth the effort. 

Writing Update

While I rest the WIP, I have a ton of plans to execute – first being to catch my breath, have a day off, and do nothing but read...the rest can wait! On the list is: research on background details for the current novel, see if I can get the WordPress site up, sort a few pieces to put on Wattpad - writer with GSOH seeking friendly readers etc., etc. It’ll be interesting to see how much I accomplish...

Today’s Haiku

past melodies lead

down hazy tunnels of time

to places I’ve lost

Useful Links: Check out these amazing bloggers – you're in for a treat!

http://vashtiqvega.wordpress.com
www.squidmcfinnigan.blogspot.com 

http://paulareednancarrow.com/

http://ajwrites57.blogspot.com/

http://80000words.blogspot.co.uk

I’ve hit a glitch in the 100 Happy Days challenge, as my laptop is moodily refusing to upload my pics, but please join me on Twitter and check out the ones I've posted at: teagankearney@modhaiku 

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please do leave a comment.

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.

A YEAR LATER...

I started blogging just over a year ago and I thought today was the right time to look back on the journey and see how far I’ve come, consider if I’ve achieved any of my goals - or not  - and hopefully pass on whatever useful tips I’ve learnt. 

So what lessons have I learnt? Well, to start with blogging takes time, effort and determination.

When you blog you’re speaking directly to your reader, so for me, this has been an invaluable exercise helping me develop a more conversational, chatty writing voice. This wasn’t a goal when I began, but it became one, and I’m still working on it. Friendly and intelligent is a good tone to aim for - you don't want to talk down to readers. Sprinkling a little humour here and there lightens the mood, and makes the reading experience more enjoyable.

Content needs to be interesting, varied and relevant – easy goals to formulate, but difficult to achieve.  And it goes without saying you correct any typos/grammar/spelling errors. Pondering what to write for the next post when you only write about one subject can be tricky – I think it must be the same as with those master plots – it’s how you do it that counts. I’m not sure if finding topics gets easier or not as time passes.

Presentation should be as eye-catching as possible, but beware of the various issues involved if you’re making title/template/url changes ‘cos otherwise you hit a real steep learning curve. Reading others’ blogs will give a fair idea of what people are doing, shows improvements you can make, as well as letting you know where your weaknesses are. Yes, words such as ‘RSS feed’ still sound like a foreign language – and I've promised myself that when I finish editing this book, I’ll spare an hour of two to figure out some of these things. I have high hopes of making some serious improvements in this area. 

Reciprocating with people kind enough to read and comment on your posts is - according to every ‘how to blog’ I’ve ever read - an absolute must. I find it one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging – it shows people read what you’ve written. And even like it. Making connections with supportive readers and other writers on similar journeys provides much needed encouragement – something writers always appreciate.

The trouble is there’s always this gap between theory and practice; between your ideals and reality.  I have a to-do list of goals for my blog, because I want to keep it fresh for readers and stay enthused, so  I'm going to work hard in the coming year to close that gap. 

Writing Update 

I’m having fun writing a more plot/action oriented story. By the time my plucky heroine has reached chapter 12 (now edited), she’s been attacked by a supernatural being, kidnapped and knocked down by a car. Oh, and I should mention her aunt’s in hospital with an undiagnosable disease, and her best friend has been turned into a supernatural. So no letting up on the challenges she must face. Note to self: check I've not ended every chapter with the poor thing unconscious.

Thirteen more chapters to go, and I hope to have this edit finished by the end of March.

I’m considering checking out Wattpad as I’ve heard good things about getting feedback etc., – difficulty for me is the same old problem – fitting it in with the writing, the blogging, the time spent on social media – oh, yes, let's not forget family, friends, and life!

Today’s Haiku

THE WRITER

she scribbles pauses

to stare out of the window

chasing wayward dreams  

Useful Links:

If you’re feeling down and would like to practice a bit of positive thinking, check out this link.

http://100HappyDays.com You can also post on Twitter #100HappyDays, Facebook or Instagram.  

Thanks for visiting my blog, and please do leave a comment. 
Join me on Twitter at: teagankearney@modhaiku 

To all story lovers out there, good reading, and to those of you who write, good writing.