The Process Project: Meet Dale Rogers

Welcome to week eleven of the Process Project!! If you don’t know about us already, you can find out more here and read about other authors’ processes: The Process Project.

This week I am so excited to bring to you an interview for one of my long-time twitter friends, Dale Rogers!

Meet Dale Rogers!

Dale Rogers lives in North Carolina with her husband, Rick, and two Siamese cats. A South Carolina native, she holds a B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina, and she has published articles and poetry, as well as a Post Script in The Saturday Evening Post. An amateur photographer, she has a photo on the inside back cover of Sandlapper, the South Carolina state magazine, and she writes fiction for all ages. (She's even taken a stab at a couple of television scripts.) 

And now, for the questions!

JB: What is your main genre?

DR: Right now it seems to be Middle Grade, since I've written four of those, although I've also dabbled in romance and adventures for adults.

JB: What is your favorite place to write?

​DR: My favorite place to write is outdoors on a nice day, but that's not always possible, so I'll settle for a cozy room, sometimes late at night. I'm super bad about thinking about something I'm working on after I get in bed, then I have to keep getting up to jot down ideas.

JB: Do you have a writing routine?

DR: I don't really have a routine, but I need music to block out traffic or other distracting noises. The only problem with that is sometimes the music is so good, I have to stop and listen! 

JB: How do you prepare your ideas for writing?

DR: I'm afraid I'm not as organized as some writers, but when I start getting ideas, I try to keep good notes. I outline the story loosely, then add details later on. I've been adding to a list of interesting names for years, including foreign ones, and I refer to it when I can't readily think of just the right name for a character. 

JB: How do you organize as you write?

DR: I basically write scenes as they come, but anytime I think of a better way to write a thought or action anywhere in the manuscript (sometimes late at night) I make a note to change it later. I pick up descriptive words and phrases here and there, and I keep them in a document which I skim occasionally to find inspiration. 

JB: When you get stuck, what do you do?

DR: Sometimes, when I have trouble working through a scene or finding a way to express something, it helps me to do a menial chore such as dishes or laundry. The answer seems to come more easily while I'm doing physical work than when I'm at the computer.

JB: Can you talk a little about your revision process? 

​DR: I research links for good writing advice, and try to incorporate it into my work. My early edits are mostly for content--being sure the story makes sense and is interesting and intriguing--and my later edits are concentrated more on grammar, sentence structure, and typos. Something that really helps is a word search. I use “Ctrl + F” to locate words I use too often, such as quickly, just, and some. I have an article in Literary Rambles' “Tip Tuesday” listing the ones I have the most trouble with: http://www.literaryrambles.com/search?q=dale+s.rogers

JB: And last, but definitely not least, why do you write?

DR: Writing is in my blood--literally. My mother and sister both have taught English and worked for newspapers, and words have always been important to me. I was taught correct grammar and sentence structure more than housekeeping skills (which is evident by the state of my house), and I feel a need to express my thoughts in writing, even when I'm not in a talkative mood. I believe writing also helps to keep me sane.

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Thank you so much, Dale, for participating in the Process Project! If you have any questions for Dale, please leave them below!

Want to read more by Dale? Check out her out on the web at the links below!

Her Blog can be found at: DaleSittonRogers.wordpress.com

Follow her on Twitter: @DaleSRogers

Excerpt from her unpublished MG Adventure novel, The Legend of Feather Lake

Short stories and poetry: QuarterReads Magazine

"New to New York City" Travel Origins Magazine--Eye & Pen 

A few of her poems: http://wp.me/P1Nylx-6H

A Little Bit of Inspiration -- Pick a Song

Music really resonates with stories for me. Last week my co-worker was listening to a piano station on Pandora, and a song was playing that I instantly recognized as the song playing during a very pivotal point in LOST. I asked who it was, looked it up, and I was right! For a good portion of the day to come, I couldn't get my mind off of that final episode of LOST (below, and now I have LOST on the brain again).

There are certain songs in my life that transport me back to a time and place, and there are some songs I can no longer listen to because they make me too sad. My dog was going into surgery, and If I Die Young by The Band Perry (below) was playing as they draped the leash over her neck and took her away from us. I was already terrified about her emergency surgery to remove a possible cancerous tumor, and going under the anesthesia. The song did not help... Needless to say, I was a crying mess.

Now, I can't stand to hear this song, and every time it plays, I remember that sad moment in my life.

So my challenge to you, create a short story, poem, flash fiction, or brainstorming session using a song (or two, or ten!)

Pick a favorite song (or a least favorite song, or any song at all). Sit in a quiet room, or put your headphones on. Close your eyes, and let the song transport you. What does it remind you of? A time and place in your own life? A piece of fiction? A movie? A TV show? Take this place you've thought up in your mind, and this is your setting.

As you listen to the song, what emotions does it conjure up? Make a list of these emotions as you go through the song.

Listen again, this time, listen for the five senses, write down any senses that come to you -- what do you see, hear, feel, smell, taste?

Listen again, and this time write down any images that come to mind. What is the tone of the song? The mood? Take notes on all of these items.

Now, if the song has lyrics, is there a particular line that stands out to you? Write down any words or lines from the song that come to mind.

As you listen to the song, is there a character in the song? Who is this character? The singer, someone the singer is talking about, an onlooker? Someone you think of completely outside of the song? Can you turn this person into a character?

I know these may be very strange things to think about, and may not apply to all songs. But after you've listened a few times, you should have a good amount of notes that you can turn into a story.

And remember to credit the song and the artist for your inspiration!! I hope you enjoy this little exercise!

Listening To Your Novel (or Having a Conversation by Yourself)

Want to feel crazy? Become a writer. I frequently have conversations with “myself” aloud or on paper. For this entry, I’m going to talk a little about these conversations we writers have aloud.

Get to Know Your Characters

When you’re writing a novel (or short story) it’s really important that you know your characters very well. This goes for your protagonist(s), as well as the supporting cast. You need to know how your character would react to a given situation. You need to know the thoughts that would go through that character’s head. You need to know that character as you know yourself.

Spending the time before you begin writing really getting to know your characters will make your job later much easier.

Here are three of the exercises that I sometimes use when I get stuck.