Monday Blog - Dellani Oakes

I was asked by the amazing and talented Marta Moran Bishop to participate in the My Writing Process Blog Tour. I have also shared this opportunity with a few friends. Their answers will appear on their blogs Monday, June 30th.

What are you working on?

Right now, I am concentrating on finishing up some older novels before moving on to something new. I have so many unfinished works that hover on the edge of being finished, I'd like to complete a few. So far, I've finished two and I feel pretty good about that.

How does your work differ from those in your genre?

I write predominantly romance. I have historical romance - Indian Summer, as well as futuristic (sci-fi) romance Lone Wolf and Shakazhan. I also write romantic suspense and have one contemporary - The Ninja Tattoo and one retro - Under the Western Sky.

That being said, how am I different? I don't write to a formula. You won't see my characters fight throughout the book, only to make up and declare their love moments before the story ends. I like my characters to work together against a common, outside foe, and not have the major conflict be between them.

Why do you write what you do?

I like having people fall in love. I like happy endings. I enjoy bringing couples together and watching them grow closer as they battle the enemy.

How does your writing process work?

I'm not sure I could really call what I do a process, though it does yield results. I have described my process as well oiled chaos. I think I could I think I could also describe it as loosely tamed insanity, though I'm not sure that full describes my process.

I don't have a set schedule. Depending upon my other commitments for the day, I try to work from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM before breaking for lunch. During that time, I try to catch up with blogging commitments, do some marketing, and a variety of other chores that I'll put off unless I do them right away.

After an hour break for lunch, I go back to my current work in progress and read through the prior writing session. If it's been a day or more since I worked on it, I'll read through more so I am up to speed.

If it's been months since I read through something, I re-read it all, making corrections and notes as I go. I never leave editing until later, unless it's a major renovation. I correct things as I find them or leave notes to draw my attention to it the next time I read the story.

Adventures in Writing

I write a lot about writing, but I rarely write about the skills involved in the writing process. How something is written is as important as what is said. Making the message clear is paramount. This in mind, I decided to write a short series of posts on grammar.

I suppose some would call me old fashioned. I like to hear people express themselves appropriately. I grew up in a household where my sentences were corrected as I spoke. Sometimes, I couldn't even complete a sentence, because of the corrections. I did the same to my children. Not saying that it's the best approach, but I learned early how to speak properly. I also learned how to write.

My father was an English professor. My mother was a teacher. I didn't have a snowball's chance of growing up without a working knowledge of English. As my father told me once, “You may not know the names for what's wrong, but you recognize the error and know how to fix it.” Then he handed me a manuscript, written by a college professor, that he was editing for publication. Pressing a blue editor's pencil in my hand, he told me to have at it. And I did.

We rewrote 95% of that book because it was so poorly written, it was indecipherable. That was my maiden voyage into the world of editing. I like to hope I did well.

After this trial by fire in editing, I knew the world of writing was my chosen course. I deviated somewhat, choosing theatre as a major, but after that, I went into English and became a teacher. From there, the natural progression was into writing. I've never regretted it. I love writing.

What I don't like is the blatant disregard for the written, and spoken, word. No one cares how they express themselves. It doesn't worry them that they sound stupid or ignorant. Calling something art does not allow the writer to ignore grammatical conventions. It's fine once in awhile. Many authors break the rules from time to time. However, breaking a rule with full knowledge of the inaccuracy is completely different from breaking it because you're too ignorant to know better.

If you want to write, learn how. Don't expect your “talent” to carry you, because it won't. There are a lot of wonderful stories out there that are so poorly written, no one will ever read them. People who read books know the difference between a grammatical sentence and garbage. Don't insult them and embarrass yourself by writing badly.

Not sure if something is correct? Ask someone. Show it to a teacher, another writer, a journalist—anyone who puts words on paper can be helpful. If you don't know any of the above, do you know a minister, rabbi or priest? They, too, make their living with words. Their venue is the spoken word, but there are still conventions of grammar and language that carry over.

Visit your local library and see if they have any writing groups you can join. Most of these are free, with volunteers teaching them. If they don't have one, start your own. You don't have to be an expert. You can invite others to join. Together, you can explore the amazing adventure of writing.

Dellani Oakes is an author with Second Wind Publishing, Tirgearr Publishing and The Publishing Syndicate. Her books are available here. As well as Barnes and Noble. Smashwords (Second Wing) or Smashwords (Tirgearr) and through the publishers' sites.

To Outline or Not to Outline

I continue to be amazed by people who make outlines of their stories, know where the story line is going and most of all know the ending before even writing the book. Who are these godlike folk and why am I not like them? I am a very off the cuff writer, I don’t know where the story is going to go, although I like to have a general idea before I begin. I usually start with an idea or, more often than not, a sentence that seems to resonate in my mind until I get it down on paper. Novels and short stories start the same way, a compelling first sentence.

I read an interview with Tim Powers with fascination. He talked about outlining everything in careful detail, knowing exactly where the story is going before he even begins writing. He stressed how important, vital, necessary this was. I read snippets to my husband asking him (like he knows), “How can he do that? How can anyone do that?” Outlines? Those are things you write after the term paper is written and only because the teacher requires it. If they had a crown for that, I’d be Queen.

I rarely know where my stories are going. I don’t always know what I’m going to do with a character after I’ve introduced him, but I know he’d not be there if he weren’t important in some way. For me, writing is an exploratory process. I can’t sit down knowing what will be, I have to let it unfold. I think the idea of outlines is very intimidating for some writers, especially new ones. To know everything in advance takes some of the fun out of my process. Don’t misunderstand, I think it’s marvelous that some people can do that. I find it incredible that they are organized enough to work their way through the entire book before actually writing it. It is a matter of preference and personality.

Having tried the outline, I can honestly say it doesn’t work for me. I can’t even write a short synopsis of a book because I put in too much detail. I got half way through my first outline and thought, “If I am going to spend this much time on it, I might as well just write the book.” The outline hit the trash and I put all that creative energy into the novel instead.

What I think I was trying to say when I started is this: Don't be intimidated by the idea that you must outline. Don't think you can't start the novel you've been dreaming about because you have no clue how it's going to end. Go with what is comfortable for you and find your way. By all means, try outlining because it is a wonderful tool, but don't lock yourself into the thinking that you have to follow it once it's there. Nothing is cast in stone, everything is malleable. Then when the creative juices flow and the words pound at the inside of your skull demanding to be set free, you can give them the outlet they need, hammering away at your keyboard or pouring from your pen. Whatever you do, just keep writing and let the outlines take care of themselves.

What is Writing Like For You?

Pat Bertram, my guest blogger, blogs about writing at Bertram's Blog.

For me, writing is like the world's longest crossword puzzle, one that takes a year to complete. I like playing with words, finding their rhythm, and getting them to behave the way I want. I like being able to take those words and create ideas, characters, and emotions. Amazing when you think about it, how we can juggle twenty-six symbols in different ways to create words, sentences, paragraphs, worlds. And what one person writes, another can read.

For others, writing is like a mythic journey into self, other lands, other minds. It is like archeology, like exorcising demons, like channeling, like performance, like a faucet. It is like having an adventure. It is uniquely human, and it brings out the divine in us. It is breathing, a compulsion, a necessity, a reason for living, an obsession, a fun pastime. It is exhilarating and frustrating. It is liberating. And it is like comfort food, chocolate, and cherries. It is like magic.
For you, writing is like . . .