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.

Pantser, Planner, Plotter, Plunger

       

      

We've been called Panters by many – now we've been dubbed Plungers by the less than generous Plotters and Planners crowd.

Call me sensitive, but I find both of those terms somewhat demeaning. Just because I don't outline doesn't mean I don't plot and plan. I do that as I write rather than spending time on it before hand.

A recent article – the one that called us Plungers – said that Plungers and Pantsers are slower authors because we don't plan, plot and outline. We're disorganized, our method is slower and less directed. We are, therefore, less efficient authors.

Oh, really? For the last six years, I've participated in the NaNoWriMo challenge and I always finish. Not only do I complete my novels in less than 30 days, I have a first draft that's very close to a last draft. It needs a few passes by me and an editor, but plot, dialogue and characterization are fully developed. There aren't even very many typos or grammatical errors because I catch that as I go along.

As a matter of fact, I finished my NaNo Novel extra early one year, just before Thanksgiving. That afternoon, I got an idea and wrote an additional novel– 54,129 words, start to finish – in four days. But, how can that be? My unplanned approach is slower and less efficient. I'm surely prone to errors because I don't plot and plan before I begin writing. Good to know I'm not laboring under the misconception that I can never finish a novel and require inordinate amounts of time to edit because I didn't get it right on the first pass.

I prefer to put my creative energy into writing the actual book – NOT the outline. I like to do my research as I go – NOT spend a year on it before writing the first word.

Do I think Plotting and Planning is a bad way to approach our craft? No. It simply isn't my way. So, why do Plotters and Planners insult my approach, giving it derogatory names? Do they feel threatened? Is it word count envy? I'd really like to know. I don't belittle or denigrate your style. I'd appreciate it if you would show me the same respect.

As for being called a Pantser or Plunger – no thanks. I don't appreciate the imagery those names evoke. I prefer the term Spontaneous – because that's what I am.

~ Dellani Oakes – Spontaneous Author

On a side note, I finished THIS year's NaNoWriMo novel in the first week of November. That's right, 50,230 words in 7 days. Who's the slow poke now?

© Dellani Oakes

Look for Dellani's books - Indian Summer, The Ninja Tattoo, Lone Wolf, Shakazhan, Under the Western Sky and Conduct Unbecoming, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords or at TirgeaerrPublishing and Second Wind Publishing.