A Look Inside: The Writer’s Mind

Ever wondered what goes into my writing or what my books are like? I’ve gathered a few questions from social media to give you a look inside my writing mind.

• What's your favourite type of writing environment?

  • I love a space that has minimal distractions. Usually that means my office, because it’s my safe space. I’ve worked at coffee shops and libraries before but I just get better work done when I’m in a comfortable area!

• What's your favourite point of view to write from?

  • If you had asked me this when I first started writing, I would have said first person. However, nowadays my preference is definitely third person limited. That means I write from an outside point of view but stick to knowing a single character’s thoughts/motivations. That doesn’t mean I don’t switch from scene to scene or chapter to chapter.

• What genre do you enjoy writing most?

  • Fantasy! I love adding an element of magic to all of my stories, and worldbuilding is a really exciting aspect to my stories.

• What part of writing do you personally find the most challenging?

  • Starting. Whether that’s the entire book or a specific chapter, the first paragraph is always the toughest for me to get going. Even if I know what is happening, I definitely get caught up in perfectionism when it comes to starting with a blank page.

• Do you prefer writing in silence or with a song/movie/TV show playing in the background?

  • I just wrote a blog post about this! Take a look at last week’s post.

• Do you prefer to write with a pen and paper or using your electronics? If you prefer electronics, what's your favourite app to use?

  • Depends. There is an element of pen and paper that I truly enjoy and will never let go of. Usually I do my outlines on paper and then do the actual writing on my computer. Scrivener is my go-to writing tool, but if I’m not at the house, I’ve been known to draft in my notes app and Google Docs.

• How old were you roughly when you began to write?

  • This is my favorite question to answer… I was 26! Obviously, I’ve written before then (school), but never fiction. I’d always been afraid of starting or worried my ideas were stupid. I did a pre-NaNoWriMo challenge (I dared myself to write 50K words of a book in a month) and finished it in 10 days. After that, I was unstoppable. Every spare minute was spent writing, learning, growing, and more.
    I think a lot of people get hung up on the idea that to be a writer, you have to have started writing at a young age. I didn’t know writing was my calling until four years ago and I dedicated my time to getting better and growing my craft. Now, I can’t imagine how I survived my first 26 years without it! Just kidding, we all have different hobbies and passions in our lives and they are allowed to change, but it’s something that brings my soul alive in a way I never thought possible.

• What is it about writing that brings you the most joy?

  • Characters. I love the inner-workings of creating life that springs off the page.

• Do you prefer structured writing or to write whatever comes to mind at the time?

  • I’m definitely more of a structured writer. I don’t always have rigid outlines, but knowing the direction of my story is always the first part of my process. I have to know what I’m going to be writing before I can sit down and get the words out.

• How would you describe your writing style in one word?

• Do you enjoy doing writing exercises? What's your favourite one?

  • Not particularly. I struggle with ‘prompts’ and short writing sprints, but I have started doing more 20+ minute writing sprints. Again, it’s helpful to know exactly what I’m sitting down to write before I get started, otherwise it’s a really bad session.

• If you could write your life as a book, what would the title be?

  • How to Pretend to be Normal

• As a writer, what is your biggest pet peeve?

  • I cringe every time I see an exclamation point in prose. Not sure what my aversion is…

• Who/what inspires you to write?

  • I take each new project as a challenge, and as an insanely competitive person, that keeps me working hard and learning. Whatever challenge I set out to complete is a big driving force behind my work. Of course, I do love music and art as inspiration. My husband is alright at inspiring me, I guess.

• What is the biggest distraction you face when you try to write?

  • My own brain.

• Do your friends and family know you write? How do they feel about it?

  • Oh yes. I am not ashamed of anything I’ve written. Imagine your dad reading a book you wrote that has sex scenes… yeah, that doesn’t bother me. My parents have always supported me, my husband is my number one fan, and my friends are pretty dang incredible.

• Is writing something you can see yourself doing in ten year's time?

  • Absolutely. Ideas are everywhere, I just have to capture them.

• What is something you refuse to put in your stories and why?

  • Toxic relationships between my main characters. While there are always miscommunications (inevitable in any relationship), I don’t like my main characters to have relationships that are toxic. That’s not to say some relationships between other characters aren’t toxic, but I believe in having healthy relationships between my MCs.