On Monday, Kate took us through her habits and today she talks about the processes she uses to actually attack the story and get down the words.
Part B – Writing process
1) Do you have a different process for writing short stories versus novels?
I never write short stories.
2) Do you plan out your stories, or do you write organically?
I think out my novel, and imagine it in my head, and arrange events in a rough sequence before I write a single word. However, I don’t do chapter breakdowns until I’m actually ready to write that chapter.
3) Do you wait to finish the draft before revising, or do you revise as you go? If when you finish – how do you approach it? If as you go – how do you approach that?
Every day I read over what I wrote the day before and revise it before continuing to write. I will also rewrite and revise extensively as I discover more about the story, and need to weave in back story or clues or whatever. Then I edit it extensively before sending it to my publishers.
4) How many times do you revise before you submit?
As many times as is needed.
5) How has your process changed over the course of your career?
It hasn’t really changed.
6) If you’ve mentioned previously (or haven’t but think it’s true) that the process is different for each book, can you give some more details on how this is the case?
It is true that each book is different, and you encounter different problems or challenges with each book. However, generally, I’ll always work in the same way – writing, rewriting nd editing, writing, re-writing and editing, as the book slowly grows.
7) What’s the most difficult part of the book for you? Why do you think?
Proofreading, for sure – and simply because I’ve read the book so many times, its hard to stop my eye from just sliding over the words.
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Kate Forsyth is the bestselling and award-winning author of 25 books, translated into 10 languages. Her latest book for adults, Bitter Greens, interweaves a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale with the scandalous life story of one of its first tellers, the 17th century French writer Charlotte-Rose de la Force. Her latest book for children is The Starkin’s Curse, a tale of high adventure and true love set in the same world as her bestselling novels The Starthorn Tree and The Wildkin’s Curse. Kate is currently studying a doctorate in fairytales at UTS. Her website is www.kateforsyth.com.au
Read more Writers’ Habits and Processes blogs here: http://nicolermurphy.com/writers-habits-and-processes/
