Hello netizens on the Writing Process Blog Tour! I know that this is a bit of a long wait at the same spot, but rest assured the train will be coming soon to whisk you away to your next destination. Since there are two people on this blog, we decided that we should both lend our voices to the tour, which was introduced to us by Melanie Lee.
What am I working on?
Well, I’m a very very busy girl. Beyond the borders of Owls Well, I am a full-time worker and student, which leaves me very little time. You can bet your bottom dollar that if the number of regular posts I have on the blog wane, it’s because I’m super-busy because papers are due or it’s crunch time at work.
Creativity wise, I do a lot of needlecraft and roleplaying. But you’re probably more interested in my writing! Well, I am currently working on a comedy Text Based Adventure using the ADRIFT system. I provide the writing and some of the puzzles, the Southern Boobook provides the programming and the rest of the puzzles. If it ever gets done, we’ll publish it on the net for a pittance. I’m also trying to write an urban fantasy novel in my spare time. Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare time. T_T
Blog wise, I’m working on something else to be launched in September.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I’m not even sure my writing even has a genre. If it did, I doubt it differs greatly from much in the genre except that maybe I write a few more Asian female characters on accounts that I am an Asian female. However, I do draw a lot of inspiration from other writers, so I think of myself as more conventional. I guess in the grand scheme of things, perhaps I tend to focus a lot on the accuracy of my words, as someone who uses numbers a lot at work, I have a thing about accuracy, which is why you see a lot of modifiers in my writing.
Why do I write what I do?
Well, the entire blog was Debbie’s idea! But I do write when I have a pressing matter that needs attention or if I just want to talk about something with my sister. Mostly I write because I have to get certain things out of my brain, otherwise my studies won’t fit in there! I also do a lot of procrastiwriting, which is writing that you do when you’re trying to put off reading about or looking at that major university project.
How does my writing process work?
Well, I tend to just sit down at my keyboard and just type whatever comes into my head, editing as I go along. It’s a long and arduous process but it usually means that the first draft that I write is usually the thing that gets published. As stated before, I have a thing about accuracy, so if I see inaccuracies or mistakes in the previous sentence, I cannot abide writing more until that previous sentence is corrected. It is frustrating to no end but it works for me.
As for other projects, they usually get built around a single, core idea. Sometimes that idea is a wisp of a complete sentence, sometimes it’s more along the lines of… “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if…”. I guess this would be what one calls a spark of inspiration. I usually only get them when I’m not super busy or overworked and I get them more often when I’m upset[1].
This isn’t to say that I don’t make use of other editors! Part of my writing process is to force third parties, usually Debs or the Southern Boobook to readitreaditreaditreadit I’m not sure if it’s good or not yet tell me please! I’m super-nervous and excited about my writing and often demand my sister or the Southern Boobook to look it over and make suggestions, especially when I’m unsure of the direction I’m taking it!
Twoflowerian Fiction Any Day of the Week!
Next week, the tour continues on Monday, June 9, 2014, at Stefan Gagne’s Fiction Factory! I’m a fairly big fan of Mr Gagne’s work, especially given the range and quality of the characters he has produced as well as the beautiful, quirky and interesting construction of his worlds over the years. His series Unreal Estate is by far my favourite because makes some pretty good use of visual narrative via the Internet[2].
His published books, Anachronauts and City of Angles currently sit on my shelves at home. I’ll also be buying Unreal Estate when a black and white copy gets published later this year.
So, go now and check out his books while you’re at it!! You can get to the next stop here.
[1] Seriously, I have written some fantastic sad poetry in my teenage years. Some people look at their teenaged writing and say, “Don’t make me read the embarrassing crap I produced!”. I do and say, “Wow, did I write this? This is great!” Don’t get me wrong, it’s still amateurish and not that great, but it’s not embarrassing to read.
[2] Narrative which still translates well into book form, if you’re willing to shell out extra money to have it colour printed and bound at the local Kinkos – a stop gap measure until it’s actually published.
Owls Well 