The process is different for everyone. There is no wrong (or right) way to write. Each person has to figuret out for themselves what works and what doesn’t.
 
The Approach
For me the act of writing is a discovery process. Auguste Rodin said, “I invent nothing, I rediscover.” I am a big proponent of the Multiverse Theory and it’s infinite possibilities. As far as I am concerned each story world is it’s own reality. I’m a visitor looking around and taking notes. My characters are largely independent of me. They have the ability to surprise and infuriate me, just like all the people in my life. When I am not thinking/writing about them, they go on with their lives regardless of my attention. Even in world building mode when I am trying to construct systems of government and politico dynamics, et al, I still have this sense that, like Michaelangelo, the shape of the thing I’m trying to create is already present in the mass/mess, but I have to put in the work to reveal what has been there all along.
 
 
The Method
Generally speaking when I start a story I have two things to work with. A character and the ending. I usually know how a story will end but I have absolutely no idea how I will get there. I am a panster by nature. Whether or not you choose to outline, here’s the thing, a lot can happen between bullet points. You may have a list of well thought out plot points but how you move characters from one plot point to the next is still a crap shoot. There are a lot of choices to make for every scene and how you transition from one scene to next. Anyone of those choices can render the rest of your plot points totally moot and you have to rethink what happens next. Again, this is my writing style. Some authors wield an iron fist over their creations and have absolute control at all times, if that is you, must be nice.
 
The other element I have to work with is a person. Characters are the most important part of a story to me. Clever ideas are good but very few people will stick with you solely because of a cool premise. When I start there I usually have an image in my head and there is at least one person at the center. I have no idea who they are or what they want, but they’re there waiting for me to find out. I used to just start writing, using that one image in my head as the starting point for my exploration. Lately I’ve been intentional about figuring out who the character is first. The internet is full of tools for character building. The one that has really helped me story wise is K.M. Weiland’s book, “Creating Character Arcs.” The time I put into going through her questions and developing my main cast before I start writing has really helped me to understand who these people are. As a bonus I get all kinds of awesome plot ideas. Because the plot is largely determined by the characters, if I have no idea who they are or what they want then I have no story.
 
 
The Hard Part
Writing. Panster or plotter it makes no difference, writers write. Full stop. The internet is rife with memes about procrastinating writers because it is true. Why do so many of us avoid that which we long to do? Ask ten writers and you’ll get ten answers. Whatever the reasons, you will have to wrestle yourself into submission on that one. But there will come a time when there is nothing left to do but put words to a page.
 
Soapbox Tangent
It has always annoyed the crap out of me when people casually declare they will write a book someday. I think because they are literate and know how to construct a sentence they assume a book should be any easy thing to do. Well, it’s not. If it was easy there would not be thousands of how-to books on the subject.
 
Okay, now that I have that off my chest…. Whatever you have to do to get those words down, do it. Habit is your friend. Our brains love routine and patterns so if you can write at the same time everyday (week/month/year) it will help creativity to flow a lot better. I trick myself by saying I only have to write 500 words. That’s it. As an example, the first two sections of this entry are about that. BUT, once I get rolling, I don’t usually want to stop. It’s the getting started part I find hard.
 
I have to schedule my time. I make appointments with myself and do not change them for anyone. There will be a million opportunities to interrupt you so schedule time when you can be the least demanded upon. If you are so popular/busy that this is impossible then you are going to have to choose writing time over social time. If you are serious about writing you will find a way. One of my writing partners is a mother of two little kids. She writes when they nap. Sometimes she can’t because of other things she has to do, but when she can write, she does. Progress is still progress no matter how slow.
 
 
In Conclusion
This is my method. You need to find your own path but it’s always nice to know how other people go about it. Other strong suggestions are: read (fiction and nonfiction, in all sorts of genres,) talk to other writers, and find other writing to workshop your work. It’s scary letting other people see your work in a raw state but you will learn a lot and improve by leaps and bounds if you can take to heart their suggestions.

One of the best parts about being a fiction writer is all the lying. You can make up anything you want BUT it still has to be believable. Meaning, the world of your story has to have an internal logic that works within itself. 

No matter what you end up writing, chances are you will need to do research of some kind. Maybe it's just fighting styles or how far away point A is from point B. I have had to do research for each book that is all very different from book to book. I love to learn so this is always a fun part for me. 

TRESPASSING

I started with investigating the basics of neuroscience to see how the brain works and also particle physics because I wanted to base the Elbie on something. I love the sciences in general so this was a easy ask (of myself) and I still read neuroscience books when I find them because the human mind is a weird and wacky place.

 LINCHPIN

The big difference here was I was dealing with a people group from another culture so I wanted to make sure I represented the people correctly. I had found a bunch of videos on YouTube that were filmed in India with the desert tribes. I noticed they were posted all by the same person. So I contacted him, Rolf Lunheim, and asked him where I could find more information and he told me where to buy his book. He is an anthroplogist and studded the people group in my book.

I read Samit Basu's scifi books to get a feel for how someone from that culture writes about their own culture in the scifi genre. Here is the thing I discovered. No matter what background your characters come from we all experience love, pain, betrayal, friendship, disappoint, et al in similar ways. 

​For extra measure I asked a few Indian friends to read the book to make sure I didn't have any blind spots.

ITERATION

This book went in a direction I could not predict when I started this series. It also went into a realm that have very little knowledge of. I won't say much more but hopefully this example of my reading will get you excited for where this series is going. 

I was scanning through the site and saw this:

https://www.elbiefree.com/rants-n-raves/state-of-the-trilogy

And realized WOW, i did not make my goal. In the above mentioned blog I said book 3 would be done by 2018 come hell or high water. Well, it's not done and here's what I have to say about that. I did finish complete the 1st draft that November and at over 120k words.

Then it was submitted to my critique group. We have a 5k word maximum for each submission so getting the whole thing by them took most of a year. I also had my writing mentor read it. After it was all said and done I have over 600 comments to address and who knows how much rewriting and restructuring. Not to mention I am still reading several books to make sure I have correct ideas. 

So all that to say. It's really, really, happening. 70 chapters. New characters and old. And completed character  arcs to boot. It's gonna be good y'all. I can't wait for you to read it. I will be asking for beta readers. If you are interested please hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.

​Here is what editing a novel can look like.

If you're a writer type, it's possible that you have heard about this little thing called National Novel Writing Month. I did NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2009. It was spontaneous choice I made on October 31st. As suggested by the NaNo handbook, I acrually started with "Once upon a time." I had no idea what my story was going to be about at all. And yet... something happened. 

Here's the thing you need to know about my writing process. I spend years mulling over my stories. Characters live in my head for years. Years. Lysandra first came into my brain in 1988. My next story world I am working has been in my head for 20 years. To start a story with absolutely no ideas of any kind was terrifyig. 

And yet.

Day after day as I pushed myself to get those 1667 words down and somehow people sprang from the page along with locations and situations just appearing from the depths of my being. It was hard and exhilerating. Some days I was was just exhausted and other days I was sentence dynamo.

I've won NaNo three times. And I can say that once you hit 30k, you feel invincible. After that, another 20k feels like a breeze. I like partcipating in NaNo every year to help push myself to get a lot done. It helps to get my writing habit back on track. And it is fun meeting with other writers. I never regret talking to other writers.

My favorite part about NaNo is that even if you don't "win", you still do. You may not reach 50k words but you will have a whole lot of new material and that is the most important part. You have something on the page if you are ever going to be a writer. 
​
If you are trying to decide if you should do it or not, I say go for it! NaNo is not for everyone, but I think everyone can benefit from pushing themselves to the brink like that, at least once. You will be surprised at what comes out of you. 

Book 3, Interation, is completely written. It's not edited, but it has a proper begining, middle, and end. After finishing the third installment I realized that book 1, Trespassing, needed a little retcon (retroactive continuity) work. 

So here we are with the 2nd edition. Expanded with new scenes and updated so that it flows together with the events of book 3. Book 2 will need a couple of things changed, but not nearly to the level that Trespassing needed it. 

If you are a writer I have one piece of advice. I beg of you to heed - WORKSHOP YOUR WORK. If you do nothing else, do this. I don't mean have a couple of your friends read it. I mean find some fellow writers and let them give you feedback. 

It is not easy to do, but it will make you a better writer, 100% guarenteed. 

If you never got the chance to read the 1st edition, sorry. If you're back for the 2nd edition, I want to say THANK YOU and I hope you enjoy the changes and I would love to hear from you about the second read. Below is the first page of the new edition. You can pre-order Trespassing 2.0 here.

Once the Silicon Valley Con is over I will get started on the edits for book 3, I promise. Next Year I will also have the release of a graphic novel too, so 2020 will be a very exciting year. Until then, happy reading!

I know, I know. It;s been long time since I posted. Way longer than I would like to admit, but I have been busy. Plus I dom't liking blogging. It's not true to who I am so I don't do it that often. You can read about that here:

Why I stopped blgging.

I will be updating soon. I just approved the cover art for my graphic novel. That was a whole ordeal unto itself. AND I will be turning over Trespasing 2.0 over to my editor in a few weeks. Which is the thing I actually  want to talk about. Stay tuned.

​Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom comes out this week. I am looking forward to it. I have seen some of the headline reviews for it. Not good. But I don’t care because – dinosaurs. Someone said to me, you mean Chris Pratt. Don’t get me wrong, I love Chris Pratt but for me it’s about all the dinosaurs. The trailers are absolutely bonkers. I am not expecting an Oscar nomination kind of movie. I am expecting loads of dinosaurs.
 
When you were a kid you saw a movie you loved it or you didn’t and you moved on. Can we get back to that place of simplicity and purity?
 
I am all for deep, philosophical thought about story. I spent four years in university doing that. I have loved Transformers since they first appeared on American television in 1984. I just bought some recent IDW comics because they know what they are doing so I give them money. I hate the Michael Bay movies and while I have some strong opinions about how he has handled the franchise, I am not going to freak out on him over Twitter. I have better things to do with my emotional energy than get upset over one person’s interpretation of a fictional universe.
 
I’m not saying don’t be passionate about these other realities. Passionate fans are awesome and amazing. I feel very deeply about my Autobots and Decepticons. I have a vested interest in the Skywalker legacy. The fate of Doctor Who & Co mean lot to me. Be the best fanatic you can be. But if being a fan makes you jerk you need to take a step back.
 
If you say Michael Bay, Rian Johnson, Paul Feig, or whoever ruined your childhood, then you are giving them way too much power. Michael Bay may be a terrible director but I still get to enjoy my favorite thing all the more because of his stupid version of it. So I begrudgingly thank him, but I will not spend any more money to see his movies. I will not waste my breath or any more head space on the matter. I don’t want to live my life in a whirlpool of negative emotions over a fictional universe. It isn’t worth it.
 
There is nothing wrong with thoughtful, articulate criticism. And you have the right to your opinion, so by all means state your opinion. But the right to your opinion does not give you the right to be an asshole. Sorry, it doesn’t. If you are so angry or upset about these fictional universes I say it again, take a step back and a deep breath. These things are there for entertainment and if they no longer give you joy, regardless of the reason, check yourself first. There are too many people in your life and real world issues at hand to give yourself away to a fictional universe that causes you such anger or anxiety.
 
Will Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdon be a good movie? I don’t know. Will it have dinosaurs? Yes. I think I will be terrified and satisfied with the latest installment of a franchise that should have stopped at the first movie. And if I’m not, that’s okay too. I still got my t-rex so I’m fine here. Find what makes you happy and follow that, let go of the rest, you’ve got better things to do with your time and energy.

You poor, delusional soul.

People have this idea that they can write a book because they can write a sentence. Not to downplay that achievement at all, but writing a book that a total stranger will want to read is a lot more than the accumulation of sentences. You have to make a total stranger care enough about what is on the page to finish the book and THEN, if you’re good and maybe somewhat lucky, they will tell another person about it, who in turn may decide to read it too. This is no small feat my friend. These days there are so many things trying to get the attention of consumers that knowing how to spell or construct a beautiful sentence is not enough.
 
I don’t understand the pop culture mystique around being an a writer. In TV show or movies, the writer’s life is portrayed with a kind of wistful bliss. The aspiring writer gazes dreamily past their blank page and is lost in another world. This happens a lot but it doesn’t get any writing done. In Terry Brook’s book on writing, he talks about how the writer has to live in two worlds at the same time. I totally get that.
 
What is this desire to capture thoughts on paper? Thoughts are so fleeting. Writing it down makes it concrete. You can hold in your hand, look at it with your eyes and really contemplate it. I find it hard to focus on one thing for more than a few minutes. Having a focal point that I can actually look at helps to keep my thoughts from wondering too far from their original objective.
 
There are times when writing is easy, really easy. More often than not, writing is damn hard.
 
Where to start.

Write. Get your 10,000 hours in as soon as possible. Write when you don’t feel like it.  Write even if the story totally sucks. Just keep going. Practice really does make perfect.
 
Workshop. Once you’ve got something to share, give it to other people (preferably writers) and get their feedback. It can be intimidating but it is the fastest way to improve. All writers have blind spots in their work and having others read your work will expose those, then you can fix them. Eventually you will see them on your own and you will be on your way to being a better writer.
 
Habits. If you write every day or the same day every week or month, it doesn’t matter in the sense that your brain loves pattern. If you create a pattern it will prompt you do that thing even when you are in the middle of something completely different. Habit primes your brain to get ready for the next activity. If you are already primed, the creativity has a lot easier time of flowing. So create a habit, whatever days and times work for you just make sure you push through the initial few weeks to form that habit.
 
Take classes. I started at my community college taking the same creative writing class with the same teacher several times. There are tons of online classes. I recommend SavvyAuthors.com. If you can’t take a class then read books about the craft of writing.
 
Read good books. When I read a high-quality author I feel like my writing improves. Our brains absorb information all the time so be sure to fill it with good writing. (Reading bad writing is good for you too, but in a different way.)
 
Research. Again, because your brain is a sponge, read non-fiction books. Even if you don’t catch all of it, that information is now floating around in that gray matter in your skull and will come out on the page.
 
If you’re still committed to the act of being a writer I find that reading books about writing from other authors is really encouraging. My favorites are by Ray Bradbury, Terry Brooks, and Stephen King. 

I am happy to answer any questions you may have about writing so please contact me if you think of anything. Otherwise I say- happy writing!

​I’m done!
 
Sort of.
 
I can’t believe it took me almost three years to get through the first draft of book 3. But I have completed the final scene, full story arc complete with an inciting incident, defeats and victories, and of course the climax and falling action.
 
But wait there’s more!
 
The first draft, phase 1, is just the beginning. On to phase 2, the rewriting. This is where I get to take all the feedback I’ve gotten from my workshop group and my writing mentor and make upgrades. Rewriting is the heart of writing if you ask me. For a pantsters like myself (writers who don’t use plot outlines,) writing the first draft is like wandering around a dark room trying to find the light. As you grope around you get an idea of the shape of the room and what is in there. Turning on the light is finishing that draft when you get to finally see what it is you’ve got. Rewriting is my favorite part because now I get to really dig into what I’ve discovered and hone it into the best it can be. This is my chance to bring things out, dust them off and let them shine. I can do more nuanced dialogue, stronger foreshadowing, and get the continuity of action shored up.
 
Phase 3 will be finding Beta readers. Phase 4 is the editing from that. And once I am truly convinced of story and all of its parts, I will finally be at phase 5, the actual editing from a professional editor (because you should never edit your own work. Never ever.)
 
Once I make all the updates I get from the editor, a little bit of formatting and THEN I will be ready to publish.
 
Woo.
 
I still have a ways to go, but I’ve  gotten through the gauntlet of getting my idea on paper.

It's been a couple of weeks now and I think I can safely say I was wrong on all accounts except #2 and I give myself half a point for #4.

As I said I would be happy to be wrong and happy I am. It took sometime for this one to sink in. Part of that is on me, I let me expectations get away from me so when this movie went places I did not think possible it took time to absorb. Same was true for Force Awakens. Now that the dust has settled and I've read way too many articles breaking down every tiny nuance I can say I like this one. The best parts have to do with Kylo and Rey. I absolutely hated the whole side mission with Finn and Rose which is a bummer because I really want more for Finn.

The biggest revelation for me is that The Force Awakens and  The Last Jedi run together and the events take place over about a week. That is a lot of change for these characters to go through, all of them, good guys and bad guys. Not sure I will ever buy space Liea but otherwise I like her role and am sad to know her story will be left unfinished in a way. Finally a question that has been bugging the crap out of me, why can't a droid pilot the ships that are set on a collision course? I think Admiral Holdo would have been an awesome addition and we lost her for no reason. 

But in any case, I would say The Last Jedi is worth your money at least once and is taking the franchise in new directions that will ultimately be good for the long game. If you have heard about all the outcry and hubbub around the movie I would strongly suggest you ignore it. The the film is cultural politics. You can dive into the fray if you want to but in the end you have to decide for yourself what you think. As with any creative work, you should decide for yourself if you like it or not.

Recommended Reviews:
https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2017/12/spoiler-review-the-last-jedi-a-surprise-to-be-sure-but-a-welcome-one.html

https://nerdist.com/star-wars-the-last-jedi-spoiler-review/

https://nerdist.com/the-last-jedi-star-wars-toxic-relationship/