It’s a new year and I’m writing a new book. I love that initial creating stage where I go from a vague book idea to a plot with characters, and then entire storyline comes together. When I was in the final phases of my last novel, I did have few days when I wondered, what if I don’t get another idea for a while? Then I got several ideas all at once. The idea I choose to work on is about a family with all kinds of problems and issues. It’s make it or break it time, and then things get even worse. This story is fun to write because there are so many different issues between all the characters, and their decisions drive the plot. There’s several twists too! I’m looking forward to sharing more about it as the novel progresses.

I wrote several novellas and a novel in the last year, and the writing process just continues to get more and more exciting. Ten years ago, I needed to outline, draft character sketches and constantly revise the storyline and my notes. I had to write quite a bit to get a grip on what would happen in the story and who the characters were. Now I can develop the story and characters in my head much better, so I can see what people look like, what drives them, and how they’ll change in the book. I’ve always like to paint scenery for fun, and the process is very similar. I start a book with the background, the general idea for the plot and characters, and then I fill in details in layers to create the full picture.

Cheers!  ~Kristen