It has been really interesting to read the various blogs of the authors participating in the blog tour and I hope my answers about my writing will be of interest to others. It was great to get onto the New Writer's Scheme of the Romantic Novelist Association in January and that was when I began to write my romantic suspense novel.
What am I writing?
The Stranger Within by Vanessa Woolley
One decomposed body. One unsolved murder. One secret.
One more chance to fall in love.
What
would you do if the very person you trusted turned out to be a killer?
I am currently working on a romantic suspense novel set in the rugged setting of North Cornwall. This is a new venture for me - my previous experience with romantic writing has been to write a Mills and Boon story a couple of years ago. I am writing this type of romantic fiction because it is generally the sort of work I like to read. I have always enjoyed a bit of mystery and suspense, even in films, and if there is a gorgeous hero and feisty strong heroine, I am always engaged. Hopefully my novel will bring those elements together. I have also enjoyed creating a villain, although I would like to think my baddie is not the standard cardboard cut out type.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I am not sure I can answer this question accurately. I have read quite a few books in this genre and there are many different styles. My story certainly isn't a hard paced thriller with FBI agents chasing the heroine across the desert, nor is it one with baddies and guns. It's reasonably timely, set over only a few weeks but my heroine is facing not just the peril of a would be killer still out there, but the fear of falling in love and facing past hurts. It's only when she faces fear head on that she is forced to reconcile her past. And it's got a hunky surfing hero for good measure.
Why do I write what I do?
I always believe you should write what you like to read. I love romantic suspense novels but never really thought about writing one myself. Having said that, I also love to read historical romance but somehow see myself as a twenty first century sort of girl.
How does my writing process work?
I am a planner and a note taker and I can't function without some semblance of order. To me, a romantic suspense novel is plot driven just as much as it is character driven. I have a chapter by chapter plan, and in some cases a scene by scene plan.
I am at the three quarter stage of the first draft (69,000 words) and have been sticking to the script however there have been moments when my characters have led me a merry chase. It's fun when that happens as it means I have to sit up and take notice of them. It's as if they are saying to me - "hey - stop making us do things we don't want to do and throw that script away!" I write in my lovely weatherproof summerhouse where it is quiet and peaceful and far away from the noisy house and all its temptations. I try to write daily although this can be difficult. But if I can get at least three - our full days a week I feel I am progressing.
Next week I will be passing the baton on to my fellow writing group buddy Kate Peridot. Kate is a published children's author and is currently writing a young adult novel.
You can follow #my writing process on Twitter
Thank you, Vanessa, for taking part in the My Writing Process Blog. I've just read in this month's Writing Magazine that if your characters are developing their own opinions about their story, then you're doing a really good job! Good Luck with your novel:)
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