07/17/2023 — I’ve decided I’m going to start a little series within these emails. I’ll be answering a few questions about myself as an author, To Favor Blood & Flowers, and writing in general Call it prep for my future interviews…
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Quick answer is both. It depends on the type of scene I’m writing. There are some scenes from throughout the trilogy that I have written and daydreamed and re-written several times. More than several times, sometimes. Those scenes—yes, they’re usually romantic, tension-filled scenes—energize me. In fact, it can be hard to get them out of my head. The scenes that exhaust me are usually “point A to point B” scenes. My characters might find themselves needing to take a little journey to the next plot point. Time to get moving! …But what actually happens on the road? There’s repetition: ride, walk, eat, talk, sleep, repeat. Writing these scenes always seems necessary, yet I’ve had to workshop some ways to make them enjoyable and not just a checklist of the same tasks.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
Again, I don’t have a straight answer. I know, I know. I just have to make it complicated. While it isn’t exactly advice, there is a movie quote that I always think about when hitting a writing wall (block?).
“You’re not a bad writer yet. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and just write something bad!”
Yes, when you leave out the context, it doesn’t sound too inspiring. This quote is from the Netflix movie Set It Up. Main character Harper is getting stuck writing one piece because she thinks it is awful and feels defeated. Her friend smacks some sense into her (quite literally), telling Harper that her first draft is going to be bad, but that’s how she starts. The key to writing something amazing is not immediately writing something amazing; the key to writing something amazing is writing something bad and working to make it better. I keep this quote in my head a lot—I’m not a bad writer yet!
What is your writing process?
When it comes to almost every scene (easy to write or hard to write), I usually start with a script of-sorts. Very rarely do I sit down and write out paragraphs for a book-formatted scene. I start with—what I’ll call—an author’s screenplay. I set the scene: place, time of day, characters present, outfits. Then, line for line I describe actions. Alongside actions and emotions, insert dialogue. I break the scene down into more easily-digestible pieces. This way, I can go back when I feel inspired and use my author’s screenplay as a way to visualize the scene and bring it to life in well-written and grammatically-correct paragraphs. Sometimes, I don’t even use every bit of information I put in my breakdown, but it helps me remember my characters’ motivations, desires, and emotional states that influence their decision-making in the scene.
I have no idea if this is a process that others use, but it’s something that has worked for me. Want a (spoiler-free) preview of my author’s screenplay process? Check out a snippet below!
Much love and happy reading,
Gail ❤
Book 1, the Chateau
Stone walls; eerily quiet; twilight; almost everyone else already asleep; C in a long sleeping dress (simple, dark blue) with a shawl and socks
C, walks to the window, hand wringing
A, follows C to the window hesitantly, eyes tracking C’s hands: “What is it?”
C, sighing deeply: “It has been too long.”
A, silent
C: “He should have been back by now.”
A: “Maybe not. We do not know where he was going.”
C, whispering to herself, to E, and to the forest stretching out the window: “Where are you?”
W, appearing around the hallway bend wearing a brown shirt and dark brown pants, hems muddied: “There you are.”
C, turning quickly, somewhat startled (not having heard W’s footsteps): “Is there news?”
W, briefly looking at A, cloud muted/sad, shaking head: “No. Manco was just asking for you.”
C, eyes flickering into a darker shade of grey: “Trouble falling asleep again?”
W, nodding
C, taking a long breath, lookin out the window for another moment, feelings of worry and dread being kept at bay
C, turning back to W and A, pulling her thoughts back together to focus on M: “All right. Lead the way.”
P.S. - What else do you want to know? Send a message to let me know!
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