An open post because I want to talk a little bit about my writing process. Something I may do once a month for Ss and Gs.
I sometimes get a particular song or feeling in my head when I want to write something. For June’s piece on ex lovers reuniting, I had a song by Kaleida stuck in my head that just fit that feeling of the running into your past.
Is there a real process to my writing? Good question. Take the last story. My head was focused on lovers reuniting and hate fucking. Something like this…
She sank down on his cock, her body remembering too well how good he felt inside her even as she dug her nails into his chest, rage filling her body in equal measure. The kernel of pain and anger burbled to the surface and threatened to spill over into fists pounding into his flesh, but he was too attuned to her. He grabbed her hair, his hand tangling deep into the short strands. He yanked hard so her back bowed and her face pointed toward the ceiling. She moaned in pleasure and frustration, her hands falling to his thighs as he tried to control the way she moved.
Who was fucking who in that moment?
“I hate you, Seth.” She gritted the words out. “I-“
He kissed her mouth hard, bruising her lips. “I know you do.”
Except that’s not where the story went. The story wanted to be different. How different? Well, you’ll have to read to sort that out, but it took the edge another direction entirely.
My writing does that sometimes. I’m not a plotter so my stories start with an idea. I can see how I think it’ll go, but have often sat down to write and something just else spills out.
Do I control my characters or do they control me? I think it’s a little bit of both to be honest. Sometimes I can see so clearly and others the words flow from a place I didn’t know existed.
I wrote a story yesterday that should’ve been full on horror. No sex, straight scary. The story became something dark with an erotic overtone I didn’t anticipate. Many times how I feel can dictate where the story ends up, and in this case I think I had a bit of a dark need lingering. The story definitely reflects that need.
The Looking Glass piece was initially born out of wanting to write a fairy tale with a twist. I was probably aiming for apocalyptic, but landed in dystopian. Subsequent chapters have been some backstory and world building, which is something I always have to make myself focus on. This is along piece so I’m trying to prepare the audience for what they will see and feel. I hope.
I’m finding myself really getting into Bianca’s story while tying in some elements of the fairy tale. Questions I’ve been challenging myself to ask to this point: Who is Bianca? How did we get to this point in her world? Who will play a key role in her life? And can she save herself?
Evolving stories take a little more time to evolve. I write as the story progresses based on what I think will happen to her in the future of the tale.
Anyway, I’m always open to questions about my on-going story. Seriously, if there’s a part of an idea you’d like to see me write into the story, drop me a line below. If you haven’t read it, get caught up. There’s a tier for that.
Happy July and happy reading.
