Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday Story - My Writing Process



Mel Teshco roped me into another Blog Chain, this one links in with Sunday Story, so here it is.

I met Mel Teshco in person at the first RWA conference I attended, but I cyber-knew her because she worked on the Hearts Talk (newsletter) team. Mel's room happened to be a room number that I'd used in a story, so I was a bit freaked to meet her and her crit partner - but I could not have met two nicer people.

Mel writes all sorts of stories, mostly paranormal sexy ones, but also deeply moving emotional stories, and an inspirational one that I loved (Believe, read about it here). She has new ones in the pipeline that will keep you reading all night!! If you want to know more about her, visit her website (http://www.melteshco.com/) and read some of her books.

Last Sunday Mel talked about her writing process on her blog (here). Today, you get an insight into my writing process (if that’s what you’d call it!)


1. What am I working on now?
I hate this question. You get to see how scatty I am!

I have three projects I’m working on at the moment, because I get bored with just one!
i) a short story about a girl who can’t give blowjobs and needs help from a friend.
ii) a story that touches on fetishes and BDSM with a heroine who thought she knew lots
iii) a story about a marine scientist on a short-term research project who falls for the wrong guy.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
In short, I have no idea. 

But the longer answer: If I think hard about it, I think I might bring a lot more ‘place’ into my stories, with the settings and jobs often being important. I write in the first person, although I'm not unique there, only in the minority. I write Aussie stories because I’ve not been anywhere else long enough to know another place (and because I love the countryside here). Sometimes my science brain takes over.

3. Why do I write what I do?
I want to understand life and decisions and relationships.
 
Sex and intimacy fascinates me. 

Sometimes I like to push myself, push my boundaries, push society's boundaries. There's a little bit of a rebel in me, who wants to write these stories because society tries to stop frank discussions about sex and intimacy and relationships.

I like asking questions, like - What makes people end up together? How do you get so hot for one guy/girl and not another? How can you trust a person with so much of yourself? How do you fit romance, intimacy, sex, relationships, someone else into your life that’s busy with your plans? 

That’s what makes me write these types of stories.

4. How does my writing process work?
Well, ummm… it's not really a process, more a compulsion. So in between everything else I do, I squeeze in writing. I have to write to keep the people inside quiet. Once I write their story, they leave me alone (except for Cooper, who is still around but I like him a lot!). I've always written, if only just for myself. It's only recently that I started to share what I write.

I don’t have a fixed plan. I work for myself and work can be a mountain or sparse. When it’s sparse I write lots; when it’s a mountain, hardly at all. Sometimes I get a day to myself and it’s joy of joys – I write and write and write. I scribble while Mr E watches TV when he requests my presence beside him (haven’t worked out why he likes that yet). I wake in the night scribbling random thoughts. I read a lot and I think this writing bug developed from that.

It’s a rather ad hoc process and I’d like it more refined but it works for me. I'm not terribly refined, or organised!

I'm not one for chains, so this is going to stop with me...unless you'd like to carry it on :)

2 comments:

  1. I scared myself on seeing that picture!! But thank you on your lovely intro =)

    I'm with you on the disorganized side to writing, it'd be boring any other way lol!

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  2. Your photo refused to shrink, Mel! Sorry for the shock :)

    Oh, so glad you're disorganised too. No wonder we get along!

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Cate xo

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