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Another in the "Capturing The Elusive Novel" series. This time up, we're following Tanya Huff's process with that of her partner (and our good friend) Fiona Patton. Fe has written several novels, with lovely, densely-detailed prose. Her first series was that of the Branion Realm: THE STONE PRINCE (her debut novel), THE PAINTER KNIGHT, THE GRANITE SHIELD, and THE GOLDEN SWORD. She now writing the "Warriors of Estravia" series, which so far has given us THE SILVER LAKE and THE GOLDEN TOWER. The hardcover of THE GOLDEN TOWER was out last year; the paperback will be coming in November of this year.
Fe's also an incredibly interesting person all on her own (though watch out if you're anywhere near one of the Disney parks, or she may take you off there and never, ever return...) If you haven't yet picked up one of her books, you really should!
Here's what Fe had to say about her process:
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So many clever answers to mask total chaos. Which to choose. Hmm...
I don't actually have a proccess and there is no consistency at all. I grab whatever hours I can to write, sometimes long, sometimes short. Sometimes --when I remember-- I put music on because that helps focus my brain--the ADD runs a constant list of other things to think about, so music helps to distract it instead of it distracting me.
I tend to write like sculpting in clay, I throw the main shape together and work on polishing bits and pieces here and there --so I rewrite a lot. If I get stuck I will leap over the stuck and write a scene for later and fit it in then, but that means I often have to go back and rewrite earlier stuff to fit the new stuff or dump the new stuff later.
It's like being in a carnival and seeing a zillion rides all at once while eating a snowcone and a bag of donuts and drinking a coffee and listening to the music of every ride at once--then you remember you're meeting someone on the other side of the fair grounds but you get there like Billy in Family Circus.
By the time the street lights come on you've had a great day, but you can't remember how you did it.
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Thanks, Fe! That's an interesting take, and I appreciate the glimpse you've given us of how you approach writing. As I've said before in this series of guest posts, what amazes me is that there are so many 'right ways to write'!
Fe's also an incredibly interesting person all on her own (though watch out if you're anywhere near one of the Disney parks, or she may take you off there and never, ever return...) If you haven't yet picked up one of her books, you really should!
Here's what Fe had to say about her process:
***********
So many clever answers to mask total chaos. Which to choose. Hmm...
I don't actually have a proccess and there is no consistency at all. I grab whatever hours I can to write, sometimes long, sometimes short. Sometimes --when I remember-- I put music on because that helps focus my brain--the ADD runs a constant list of other things to think about, so music helps to distract it instead of it distracting me.
I tend to write like sculpting in clay, I throw the main shape together and work on polishing bits and pieces here and there --so I rewrite a lot. If I get stuck I will leap over the stuck and write a scene for later and fit it in then, but that means I often have to go back and rewrite earlier stuff to fit the new stuff or dump the new stuff later.
It's like being in a carnival and seeing a zillion rides all at once while eating a snowcone and a bag of donuts and drinking a coffee and listening to the music of every ride at once--then you remember you're meeting someone on the other side of the fair grounds but you get there like Billy in Family Circus.
By the time the street lights come on you've had a great day, but you can't remember how you did it.
************
Thanks, Fe! That's an interesting take, and I appreciate the glimpse you've given us of how you approach writing. As I've said before in this series of guest posts, what amazes me is that there are so many 'right ways to write'!
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