What's your process?

So, everyone has a different process in terms of writing and self-publishing. What is yours?
Do you research for character names? How do you develop characters? What kind of an editing process do you follow?

 

Although I am not a writer today, I did spend a lot of time writing in the past. I never went so far as to publish my work because I never had the confidence for it. Majority of my stories were fantasy and a lot of research went into my stories. I remember spending hours online, trying to come up with the perfect names for characters. I used to search many greek mythology word banks in order to find something beautiful and unique.

Writing is definitely a process. It's a lengthy process. I would write my outline on Word, planning out the main points. Then I would write between the points to fill in the story blanks. It was a weird way of doing things, but it worked for me.

 

I have to say that my first book was published without me even knowing about processes and stuff. I just sort of winged it and got it done mainly through trial and err. I'm still learning right now and I am pretty interested in what others here are going to have to say.

 

Well, yeah. That's how I wrote too. I mean I just wrote and wrote because I had had this story in my head for sometime. Also, since I took a lot of inspiration from my own life when it came to character creation, it was easy. It was only after I published the book, that I realized that a lot of my friends loved it but not too many people were interested in buying it on kindle because it didn't have a great cover or description, etc. So, then, I decided I needed a process. And I have heard a lot of authors, and they all have some process in place. The most interesting processes are those used by George R.R. Martin and Stephen King. Here's the video that I keep going back to time and again:

 

If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up self publishing? I've heard of people publishing online through Amazon. From what I understand, anyone can upload their content to Amazon and make it available to the public. I've never been brave enough to make the move, but that's really the only form of self publishing I've come across.

Do you know if there are other options other than Amazon?

 

There are a lot of options when it comes to self-publishing. I have tried many of them. The major platforms are Amazon, Apple, and Kobo. However, my experience has been the most positive with Amazon. I get the most views, reviews, and purchases on kindle. Of course, they've really hurt my earnings ever since Amazon changed the way they pay authors when people "borrow" books from the lending library. But, it's still a good platform.

 

Normally I'll get an idea for an story or event and write around that. The characters grow from the situation, and names sometimes just come to me and sometimes I'll look through a babynames book for inspiration.

I tend to do a lot of rewrites as the characters evolve and firm up.

 

I am kind of doing the opposite right now tirial, my main characters, a brother and sister, are dictating the events. I don't want the story to be so much about the events that happen, but how the events shape the characters. That would be the backbone of the book.

It will be a story about family and social dynamics, and how a family situation can help shape the social leanings of the main characters.

 

Sounds deep.

With novel writing, I try to set up a timeline based on how long I want the story to be in terms of word count. From there, I just do what comes natural.

 

I think Smashwords is better when it comes to self publishing because they offer help and handholding every single step of the way. Amazon expects you to do everything yourself from start to finish.

 

I've tried both Amazon and Smashwords in the past, and they both have their pros and cons. It all comes down to what your requirements are and that will help you to choose the service which will fulfill those better for you.

 

This video is the bomb! Just my luck that just when I moved from the Santa Fe area, Stephen King came to the Land of Enchantment. I moved to the Ruidoso area in July 2016. Sort of like what Stephen said after he turned 65 he had to go to Florida. Ruidoso is a resort town and has a lot of retirees. Great interview!

 

I have a habit of jumping into the first chapter or so of a book, writing until the story in my head ends. Then, I'll go back and plot out certain parts of the book. When I'm finished I edit it myself twice before letting a professional editor get their hands on it.

 

I am an incredibly disorganized writer. I have notes floating around my house, my work bag, even my car. I also have notes and bits online in note-taking sites, Google Drive, and whatnot. If I was more organized I'd probably have a few books already!

I am picky about characters though. I love to go through baby name sites to find just the right name. Of course, I often end up in the black hole of the internet as a result.

 

Oh man, Jordan, you just described me to a T. I have so many scribblings everywhere. I'll buy a new notebook, download a new app or set up a new folder on Google Drive thinking this will be the time I keep it all together. This never happens and I just end up with a new place that has random notes and ideas.

Picking the right names is crucial. I like looking through baby name sites (I'm a big fan of Nameberry). I'm a big fan of the planning process, but sometimes, partially due to my disorganization, I have a difficult time putting it on paper in a cohesive way that I'm happy with. So yeah, I've never gone through the publishing process because I have yet to get something completed. One day though!

 

That's how I am, too. I have to have an idea before I can put pen to paper. Then I'll really start focusing on the characters and tweak things as I learn more about them.

I feel like I never fully understand how I should develop a character's arc until I write the story from beginning to end. Sometimes, I'll try to rewrite the second draft from scratch and only reference the original when I absolutely must. It's interesting to see the differences between the two, and then I try and decide from there which is better or if there's a middle ground I haven't explored fully.

I'm super excited to watch that video, @djbook!