Welcome
back to Week 2 of the Process Project
Blog series! Today is a continuation of yesterday’s interview with J.C. Davis.
Click here to catch up on the first half of our interview where we talked about
how and why she writes. Today, we will find out a little more about how she
writes and revises!
J: When
you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do
you use to organize your ideas?
JC: When I first get an idea, I jot it down on anything close to
hand: the computer, a random bit of paper. At the first opportunity, I go into
my computer, start a new Scrivener project
and jot down everything I can about the idea. Later I'll flesh out details, but
in that initial phase it's all about getting ideas on paper as quickly as
possible. As other tidbits of info come to me, I'll add them as well. When I
feel like I have enough of a story to go somewhere, I create a loose outline
and start working from that. I'm a bit of a pantser but I still need a vague
idea of where I'm headed and what's happening along the way. My initial story
outline and ideas are usually wildly different from the end product, but the
basic germ of the idea is there. My process is continually evolving as well so
I try different techniques with each story and novel.
J: While
you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure
your work?
JC: I tend to use a rough outline. I use Scrivener for all
my writing and I love, love, love the corkboard view with its little virtual
note cards. I often create a bunch of blank note cards, jot scene ideas on them
and then drag them around and fill in the gaps with other scenes until I've got
a semblance of structure. Despite how organized that sounds, quite often while
I'm writing a scene it may twist in a completely different direction and I
follow wherever my fingers lead and worry about cleaning up the narrative
later.
J: When
it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you
use to help you through the process?
JC: I make a new copy of my file before I begin revisions so I
always have that first copy to refer back to. Then I sort of dive into
revisions. I make several passes, each focusing on different areas: plot
consistency, sub-plots, foreshadowing, character development. As I go along I
do line edits as well, tightening words and scenes as needed. I run a small
writing group off of Scribophile.com so I actually post chapters after I finish
them. Which is helpful for keeping my momentum going and having critique
partners point out errors as I go. It helps my first draft stay fairly clean -
though structurally it may be a mess. It also means my poor initial critique
partners get to see my story waffling all about as I find my place. After I've
finished the entire novel and my first revision I send it off to a different
set of beta readers and wait for their feedback. Then revise. Resend. Rinse,
lather, repeat until the manuscript is in good shape. With my current novel
there have been half a dozen different revision passes.
---
I want to thank J.C. for taking time from her writing, work, and
family to answer these questions for us! Reading her answers can help all of us
with our own writing processes. Thank you, J.C.!
--
What to read more by J.C.? Her short
stories have appeared in Bastion Science Fiction Magazine, Writing Tomorrow, and
Spark: A Creative Anthology among others. You can find links to all of her work
here: J.C. Davis. A programmer by day, J.C. Davis
writes Young Adult & Middle Grade fiction, the occasional short story and
has far too many hobbies to keep up with. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her
husband, two kids and a hedgehog named Percy Jackson. A second-generation book
addict, she has piles of books in her house and a serious picture book habit
that's transferred to both of her kids. Family visits to the library are a
frequent and necessary thing in her household. She adores Doctor Who, Harry
Potter and has an unnatural affinity for Monty Python skits.
Check
her out on the web here: Website/Blog || Twitter: @JCDavisAuthor || Goodreads
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