Hello everyone! So, finally we received all answers from our participants from MARSocial author network. Are you excited to read the answers yet? This is our last post for this interview series! Question #11 is “What is your writing process like?  Is it spontaneous or do you do a lot of planning in advance before you begin writing? ” by Marie Lavender.

Let’s check out the answers from all 11 author participants !

1) Coleman Weeks

2) Viv Drewa

I do a lot of research for my novels, even interviewed some people (an archaeologist and a medical examiner). Then plan the story and characters. Sometimes I get spontaneous from there on and add or remove characters or change the direction of the story.

3) K. J. Rollinson

I am at the computer every morning at 5 am and write the next chapter of the book, which I have already got in my mind.(see my answer to question 10). Then I edit the chapter I have written the day before.

4) Sam Reese

5) Neil McGowan

I find that, if I do too much plotting, my characters and story feel wooden and one-dimensional. I’m much happier throwing a bunch of characters into a situation and seeing how they get out of it. I know I’m on a roll when my characters refuse to do what I ask them and insist on doing things their own way. Although I usually have a pretty good idea of how a story will end, how it gets there often surprises me. I’ve even had a book go off on a completely different path to what I originally envisaged. I always enjoy the journey though, seeing how things work out. Having said all that, I do keep some notes – mainly lists of characters and the key events in their lives – although I stay clear of being too definitive about things. Even things like how my characters look – I have a mental picture of them, but try not to be too descriptive as I want the reader to imbue them with their vision. If I do my job right, then this makes the character come alive in the mind of the reader and makes it so much easier to make an emotional investment in. I recently read a book where there was a shock ending to some of the characters. On the whole, I enjoyed it, but what happened to these characters jumped out at me as a plot device that had been thrown in to help resolve a couple of plot lines. As these characters were pinned down to the page too rigidly my emotional investment was small in them – after I read what happened to them, my thoughts were more focussed on the main character (who was well written) and not on their fate – it barely registered with me. It’s not that they were likeable or unlikeable; rather, they were little more than cardboard cut-outs, and bland. I was more frustrated with the fact that the author had spent time and care crafting a believable heroine whilst neglecting some of the other characters. I try and get feedback from alpha and beta readers and, if I get comments about wooden characters, then it’s back to the rewrite stage to either cut them out or make them more realistic.

6) Marion Lovato

7) Jaro Berce

I plan in advance and carefully made a structure and main points. Then later (most of the times) I write spontaneously and sometimes do not care about my previous preparation. So I would say I build a structure – “bones”, then in the process of writing I “put meat to the bones”.

8) Marie Lavender

A bit of both.  It is pretty spontaneous until I get heavily involved in a project.  At that point, I start doing a detailed outline.  Then I do some research.  I also look at what I have written already and decide what needs to be done for each chapter.  Of course, the story will still surprise me with certain twists.  Then I get to the heavy writing and I will stop and research something if I am blocked.

9) LaRae Parry

10) Theresa Moretimer

11) Annie Edmonds

Thank you Annie and of course all the other MARSocial participants! I look forward to interviewing you next time! 

Jas from IBP !