The Process Project: Meet Talia Vance!

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Meet Talia Vance!

This week I am so incredibly excited to share my interview with Talia Vance. Last summer I read Talia's Silver (ripe with Irish lore and handsome boys and tons of drama to boot....I am holding off reading the sequel, Gold, until this summer).

Talia Vance is a practicing litigation attorney living in Northern California with her real life love interest, two-point-five kids, and a needy Saint Bernard named Huckleberry. Talia has been writing since she could talk, making up stories for every doll, stuffed animal and action figure she could get her hands on. She grew up hoping to write the great American novel, but her life ran more along the lines of tortured romance and fast paced thrillers, so that's what she writes. (From TaliaVance.com)

And now, onto the juicy stuff....!

JB: What is your main genre?

TV: I write Young Adult novels, both contemporary and fantasy, but all of them have a touch of romance to them.

JB: ​What is your writing routine like? Do you have any writing rituals?

Talia: Since I work during the week, my writing time falls on the weekends. I spend most Saturday and Sunday afternoons curled up on my couch with my laptop and a latte (or two). I’ll write for hours at a time, shooting for 2500-4000 words a session if I’m working on a first draft. If I’m revising, I don’t have specific word count goals, but I do try to set a goal, such as finishing a new plot outline, or working setting details into the scenes.

I often listen to music while I write, creating a playlist for each manuscript. Once I find a song that fits a character or mood I’m trying to create, I listen to it while brainstorming or editing, although I don’t really “hear” it unless I stop to think.

JB: When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques do you use to organize your ideas?

Talia: My pre-writing process has always been short, because I love to discover characters and plot points while I write the first draft. However, this leads to a lot of stops and starts (and LOTS of revision), so I’ve expanded it for recent books, taking a couple of days to formulate scenes and plot points, so that I have a fairly complete outline of the story before I start.

I use a corkboard and stack of index cards to brainstorm ideas for scenes. There are usually four or five big scenes that I already have in mind, so I start with those, and then fill in the scenes that happen in between. Once I have the scenes in an order that makes sense, I start to write.

I’ve noticed that I almost never go back and look at my corkboard once the work is done, but doing the work ahead of time helps me to keep the entire plot trajectory in mind while I’m writing, so that even when the story deviates from the initial plan there is a structure there.

JB: While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?

Talia: Every book has been a little different, but I usually start one Word document and write scenes in chronological order. I don’t outline scenes in advance, and often have only a vague idea of what happens. The scene prompt might be as simple as “A and B go out on a date.” I let the scene unfold as I’m writing, and often the characters and situation will supply the conflict without my having to think about it too much about it. Since I’ve already done my plot outline, I know where the scene fits into the overall story structure. This helps with making sure the scene moves the story forward, but I don’t worry about that while I’m writing. That is something that can always be fixed in revision.

My favorite scenes are usually the ones that surprise me while I’m writing them, when a character does something that reveals a layer I wasn’t aware of, or the story takes a compelling turn I hadn’t yet thought about. One of my favorite plot lines in the BANDIA series is Brianna’s time travel scenes with Austin and the way those scenes bring us full circle. Those scenes weren’t in my outline, but flowed organically during the writing.

​JB: When it's time to revise, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? ​

Talia: My revision process works from the outside in. I start with a big picture plot overview. After the first draft is done, I take down my corkboard and create a new one, using cards for each chapter in the book and pinning them to the board to give me a visual representation of the novel. Recently, I’ve added a calendar, which I create from a Word template, which gives me a visual representation of the story’s plot points in relation to each other on a timeline. From there, I figure out where there are gaps in the plot (scenes that need to be added) and scenes that aren’t serving the story (things that need to be cut). I’ll also move scenes around on the board, experimenting with different plot structure before making any changes in the manuscript. Once I’ve determined what to cut, add and move, I create a third corkboard, which serves as the outline for the next revision. Then I go into the manuscript and cut, add and move as needed.

Once I have the plot where I feel comfortable with it, I will start working on the scenes within the story. First, I’ll go through and note where certain plot points need to be expanded or dropped within the scenes themselves. Once this is done, I’ll do a revision where I focus on conflict within scenes, then one pass for setting, one pass for dialogue and one for voice. Once those are done, I’ll send the word document to my Kindle and do a read through. This is my favorite part, because the manuscript looks like a real book, and both the parts that are working and the parts that still need work are easier to spot.

JB: And most importantly....why do you write?

Talia: I love to discover characters and stories. There is nothing like the excitement the comes with an idea you can’t shake, the need to get it all down and see where it leads, and the satisfaction of watching something rough develop into something you love.

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I want to extend a big giant THANK YOU to Talia for participating in the Process Project. I hope you enjoyed her interview as much as I did. You should go out and get a copy of her books now! You can purchase Talia's books on Amazon.  And you can check her out on the web in these spots!

TaliaVance.com | Twitter @TaliaVance | YAMuses | Goodreads

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Read more about her books below!!!

SILVER 

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"As I step into the room, a silver flash blurs my vision. Before I can take a breath, the world falls away."

Brianna has always felt invisible. People stare right past her, including the one boy she can't resist, Blake Williams. But everything changes at a house party when Brianna's charm bracelet slips off and time stands still. In that one frozen, silver moment, Blake not only sees her, he recognizes something deep inside her that she's been hiding even from herself. Discovering she is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth, Brianna finds herself questioning the truth of who she is. And when she accidentally binds her soul to Blake, their mutual attraction becomes undeniable. But Blake has his own secret, one that could prove deadly for them both. Bound together by forbidden magic, Brianna and Blake find themselves at the heart of an ancient feud that threatens to destroy their lives and their love.

Read SILVER: Amazon | B&N | BAM | Kindle | Nook

GOLD 

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Descended from an Irish demigod, Brianna has fled to Ireland to escape destruction at the hands of her sworn enemies, the Sons of Killian. Taking refuge at the estate of her former nemesis, Austin Montgomery, Brianna discovers a rift in time that opens to an era before the feud began.

Wrestling with her newfound feelings for the more innocent Austin, Brianna begins to wonder if she can alter the past. But when Brianna and Austin learn that the Sons are raising an army of mythical beasts, the pair will need to use their magical strength in the present to avoid a tragic end.

Read GOLD: Amazon | B&N | BAM | Kindle | Nook


SPIES AND PREJUDICE

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Fields' Rule #1: Don't fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She's busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she's sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her "nothing amazing," it's no loss for Berry. She'll forget him in no time. She's more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother's death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can't Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

Read SPIES AND PREJUDICE : Amazon | B&N | BAM 

The Process Project: Meet J.C. Davis!

Welcome to the Process Project!

Week 2, Day 1

MEET J.C. DAVIS!

Welcome to Week TWO of the Process Project. In case this is the first time you’re hearing about us, the Process Project is a blog series compiling answers to questions all writers should think about when it comes to their process. Many of us just write...we don’t think about how, or why, we do the things we do. Thinking about your own process can help you be more productive, and hearing about other writers’ processes can help you hone yours, or make you feel like you’re not as crazy as you think you are. And c’mon, it’s just downright interesting!

For week two, I’d like to introduce to you J.C. Davis. A programmer by day, J.C. Davis writes Young Adult and 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, HarryPotter and has an unnatural affinity for Monty Python skits. 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.

J: First and foremost, why do you write?

JC: I write because I love stories. I am an intense book addict and I love making stories of my own in addition to reading as many books as I can. I average around 100 books a year and read across several genres. Words are a kind of magic that wrap around me. I can't imagine not adding to that deluge of words. I also have amazing friends, betas and critique partners who cheer me on and keep me in-line when I need it.

I suppose most writers will say they always wanted to be a writer, but that wasn't true for me. In college, I toyed with a few book ideas but never started any of them. Later, when I discovered the Harry Potter books, I fell so deeply in love that I had to scurry online to find other Potter-heads to share my obsession with. That led to the fascinating world of fan-fiction. I read some, decided I could definitely write that and then jumped in with both feet. I wrote a novel length fan-fiction with original characters and that gave me the confidence to know that I could finish a novel, that I could plot and that, at least according to other fans, I was a decent writer with a bit of potential. I put the world of fan-fiction behind me and started writing original work. My first novel was an utter mess. It's locked in a drawer and guarded by attack trolls. My second novel is the one I am currently submitting to agents.

J: Can you talk to us a little about the environment you write in?

JC: Ninety-nine percent of my writing is done on the train during my commute to and from work. I love the motion and the background noise; it unlocks my muse. When I need to, however, I can write almost anywhere, though I prefer a bit of quiet. A nearby library, my bed, my writing desk, all are fair game. I never listen to music while I write because the noise distracts me, pulls me out of the story and drops me into a different world.

J: When you’re writing, and you get stuck, what do you do?

JC: This is where writing on the train comes in handy. If I get stuck, I people watch and jot down descriptions of my fellow passengers and make up stories about them. I sometimes try asking my characters open-ended questions and then writing down the answers. I've tried free-writing whatever comes into my brain. If I am really, really stuck it normally means there's a plotting issue I'm missing so I go back to my loose outline and fiddle with it, possibly leap ahead a few chapters if I need to, just so I can keep my momentum going.

Want to read more?? Tune back in tomorrow to see how J.C. Davis writes and revises!

And, in the meantime, check her out on the web here! Website/Blog || Twitter: @JCDavisAuthor || Goodreads

The Process Project -- More from Amanda Pate!!

Welcome back to Week 1 of the Process Project Blog series! 

Today is a continuation of yesterday’s interview with the lovely Amanda Pate. Click hereto catch up on the first half of our interview where we talked about why she writes, what she writes, and how 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?

A: For the most part, it doesn't matter what genre I'm writing, I generally tackle the brainstorms and preparation in the same way. I allot at least a week for an idea to percolate. I make notes on my phone, in my journal, or anywhere I can keep track of what I write, and save it for a later time. During that week, I mull it over, think about it, try and discern the characters, what their basic personalities will be, etc. And after a week, or sometimes two, I can start my brainstorming process.

The Process Project: Meet Amanda Pate!

Welcome to the Process Project!

Week 1, Day 1

MEET AMANDA!

To kick off our Process Project Blog Series, we’d like to introduce to you, Amanda Pate. Amanda has been published the 2012 and 2013 issues of The Baylorian for photography and for poetry, as well as the Oklahoma Baptist University Literary Journal, Scriblerus. You can read her latest project, By Order of the King, on Wattpad, which is updated on a bi-weekly basis! Read More About Amanda below. Now let's get to some of those questions!

J:  What are your main genres/fields of writing?

A: I write in a variety of fields. I have written in poetry, historical fiction, fantasy, and I've even tried my hand at contemporary realistic fiction. However, the genre in which I most enjoy writing is fantasy. I have written two novels in that genre, and I'm currently planning another.

J: Can you talk to us a little about your writing routine and rituals?

A: I feel like my writing routine is slightly peculiar. I cannot be in a place that has a lot of action going on, so coffee shops are a no-go. Even the library sometimes throws me off because I'm in a different environment. The best writing space is on my bed, in my room, with the door closed. I can't write in any other place. 

Writer Questionnaire from Presents of Mind

I found this questionnaire on a website: Presents of Mind - go ahead and fill out yourself on your own website, and put the link in the comments so I can check them out!

1. Where do you write? My favorite writing space is my room in our shore house. No distractions, no TV, no music, just me and my computer.
2. What are your writing habits? I always set aside time on the weekend to write. This is the best time for me, because I like to have a long stretch of time in one sitting.
3. How do you write your first drafts? Scatteredly. I am working on book two, and I have several files for each scene, or set of scenes. I just compile files, and once I think I have enough, I order them, then write notes in the gaps of what needs to be written, then I go ahead and write everything. All messy, and all like a madman. 
4. Subsequent drafts? I revise a lot, for years and years, in fact. I usually keep everything in one big file and read through it, over and over again, as I revise. Sometimes I will pull out individual sections and work on them, and then pop them back in once they're done.
5. Do you keep a writing journal or notebook? Not currently. I have lots of notebooks, with lots of random notes, but no real journal right now.
6. How do your organize your journal/notebook? A complete and scattered mess. 
7. What’s your biggest challenge as a writer? Time and space. 
8. Do you have a good luck talisman? What is it? No :(
9. Which writers have most influenced you or inspired you? J.K. Rowling, L. Frank Baum and my fellow writers at JHU. 
10. What genre(s) do you (aspire to) write? Young Adult, Fantasy, and Paranormal. 
11. Any quirky habits you’ve developed? Depends on what you all quirky. Haha. Aren't all writers quirky? I have writing habits that I hate, but I'm very particular about my writing time, I need quiet, and I need to focus, and I need to be comfortable.
12. Are you inclined to learn by primarily by
1. reading other writers you love? Reading always makes me want to write more.
2. using advice in writing books? Not so much.
3. workshops and/or classes? Yes, I learn the most from class, lectures, hearing other writers talk about their writing, reading other writers in a way where I am looking to critique, and delving right into everything and lots of discussion. 
4. hard-headed trial and error? Yes, figuring out things on my own, while having the support of other students and teachers is a great learning experience. 
5. a combination of these? Yes
6. some other method? Watching TV helps too! At least for getting ideas. 

Thank you for reading!

More Character Questions from Heather

Here are a couple more questions from my friend, Heather! These two have to do with characters:

How do you make likable a character who is mostly a jerk? 

Are they likable? I have one of these. In my story, a brother and sister travel back in time to save their father, and guess what? It's him. I've been asked "why do they even want to go back and save him? He's such a jerk?" Well, I love him. Haha. And he's complicated and does have redeeming qualities. I am actually working on this aspect during revisions, though. I think the way to make a character likable is by letting the reader see different sides of them. A good example of this is Once Upon a Time. The villains in that show are characters you are supposed to hate, they're the bad guys, right? But Regina and Rumple are two of my favorite characters in the show; you know enough about their back stories and see into their minds and their personalities, and again, the redeeming qualities, to help the reader learn to like them.

Do you draw on people you know in real life for characters in your writing?

Nope, haha. Well, not intentionally. I think everyone, to some extent, pulls from their real life, but I don't name characters after anyone I know, nor do I base them on anyone I know, mostly because I do horrible things to my characters that I wouldn't wish upon anyone I know. Sometimes, I might take an aspect of someone that I like (say I'm talking to someone and they are telling me about their job at the local coffee shop, and I like that aspect, so I get it stuck in my head, so I might let a character live in that world a little, but characters, to me, are their own people, people I know like my friends, but I get to play God with them a little, and help them make those good (or bad) life decisions). I get "you should name a character after me!" and I usually answer by saying something along the lines of....you don't want to be one of my characters. Things don't usually turn out well for them.. :-D

Why does all my dialogue sound stupid?

To continue from yesterday's questions posed by my friend, Heather, here is one about dialogue (my favorite thing to write!)

Heather: Why does all my dialogue sound stupid?

First of all, I laughed when I got this question, mostly because it probably doesn't sound stupid.

In my opinion, dialogue sounds "stupid" when:

a) It's not realistic enough.
b) It's too realistic.

Here are some things to think about...

Thoughts on Writing -- Questions on Setting

Last week I put up a call for questions, and one of my friends got back to me with some great ones. Here are three that focus on setting with the answers. I will likely do this again later this month, so if YOU have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will add them to my list. You can ask ANYTHING that has to do with writing.

How do you describe setting without sounding like a nature documentary? 

Too much landscape description or being too broad in your description is what makes it sound like a nature documentary. When you think about it, in modern fiction, how often do you need to describe the landscape? Most of the time, it's not that important. Zoom in. What is important to your character at that moment in time? I am a minimalist when it comes to this department. But, my general rule? The five senses. Try to touch (hehe) on each of them. What does your character see, hear, smell, feel, taste? Obviously, you can't always apply all five, but forcing yourself to think of all these things will help you to enrich the setting. Remember, you want readers to have freedom to think; too much detail doesn't leave much up to the imagination, but you need enough of a sprinkling that you can set the stage for the reader.

How important is it to actually describe a setting?

Important. Every writer has somewhere they really thrive. Some love setting, some dialogue, some action, others prose or internal monologue. I don't usually focus as much on setting as I probably should, as I mentioned before, I like to leave a lot up to the reader's mind -- instead, I like dialogue (a post on this coming soon); I could live entirely in a book of dialogue, both writing, and reading, it's so much fun. But that's lazy. Setting is important. My friend, Linda Simoni-Wastila, is amazinggg with setting, I envy her talent. I'd love to get her answer to this question (and if she takes me up on this...I will put a link to her blog post right here...:)) But, in short, setting is extremely important. It's a tool that you can use to set the mood, manipulate the tone, and generally direct the reader's mind into the place where you want them to be. I like to establish it near the beginning. Set up that place where your characters can thrive. Then you have the ability to move within that space.

Thank you for the questions, Heather. Check out posts to come later this month with more answers!