Recently I had someone ask me that question. My answer, it was not a conscious choice, it is a part of who I am. Even if I had never published a single page, I would still write.
I have been an avid reader since the moment I discovered the joy of books. For me there was or is nothing better than getting lost in a world that someone had painstakingly created. If I think back to my childhood the desire to write was a simultaneous event to learning to read. As Lady Gaga says, I was born this way.
When I was small I would sit in my pink cushioned child-size rocker and have my dolls lined up on the floor, the baby dolls and Barbie’s. I would tell makeup stories or read to them from my current favorite book. They, of course, hung on to every word. My personal, captive audience.
When I got older, I started to dream in chapters. It’s the only way I can think to explain it. This isn’t something I can control and it doesn’t happen every night but I do dream in sequence of events as if I was watching the events unfold in my dream. It is similar to reading a great book and anticipating what will happen on the next page.
When I got older, I started to dream in chapters. It’s the only way I can think to explain it. This isn’t something I can control and it doesn’t happen every night but I do dream in sequence of events as if I was watching the events unfold in my dream. It is similar to reading a great book and anticipating what will happen on the next page.
The characters in my dreams find their way to my computer screen. They begin to take on a life of their own. I guess dreaming about the books is a form of plotting the story line. However, when I do sit down in front of the screen there are zero notes, I just let everything go, letting the words flow through my fingertips, and as if by magic they string together page after page.
Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing, all you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed onto the page.”
As romance writers we do our best to leave every emotion in our hearts on the pages we have agonized over. There have been many times where I hold my breath, wondering what will happen next or sob as I write, my heart breaking for my character. Every time I sit down to write, I know I’m invested in their lives. My characters become a part of my extended family. While I wrote the books in The Loudon Series, I cried a river of tears, held my breath, laughed deeply and cheered them on and marveled as Cari McKenna and her family found their happily ever after’s.
Even after many years I am still a voracious reader. I love many genres from romance, cozy mystery, thrillers and even cookbooks. When I open a book, I find myself thinking about that writer’s process; for example, did Peggy Jaeger spend time perfecting her recipes from her Will Cook for Love Series. I know she definitely did.
As romance authors we are invested in giving you, our beloved readers, the best of ourselves within the covers of each book we publish.
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Until next time,
I wish you happiness.
Lucinda
Lucinda - love this !! I'm the same way - I can't not write - I was born this way, too! In fact, a day without writing for me is like a day without breathing. That's why I call my blog WRITING IS MY OXYGEN. Great post! BRava.
ReplyDeleteLucinda, interesting that you dream in chapters. I've read advice when you write to skip scenes that give you trouble. Now that hasn't worked well for me, but I had an editor once tell me she thought a scene was missing in my chapter. When I thought about it, the scene started to form in my mind. I still wonder how she saw it before me! Thanks for sharing how you write.
ReplyDeleteMy very first book, Wild Card Undercover, came to me in a dream. Not the whole thing but the first scene. I halfway woke and wondered what was going on. So I stayed in bed and came up with a scenario for why the characters were doing what they were doing. Then I jotted down like ten pages of notes. I didn't actually write the book for another five years though.
ReplyDeletePerfectly described, Lucinda.
ReplyDeleteI find it fascinating how prolific good writers are. I think about the author's writing process too!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm ashamed of what I write (I always feel I could've done better). I'm my worst fan! I'm 29 years old (I'm not a writer), so I still have a couple of years/decades until I decide if I should try to publish a book or not. Until then, I'll have plenty of books to read!
adissidente [at] gmail [dot] com
I have never felt the need or desire to write. Reading however is as necessary as breathing.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Very interesting I enjoyed reading this.
ReplyDeleteJean60212 at gmail dot com
harperyn [at] outlook [dot] com writes:
ReplyDeleteA writer writes like an artist paints, draws, sculpts.
It gives you freedom of expression.
It is your legacy.
I'm still looking for that thing to call mine.
I've always felt compelled to write, even as a kid. I still have journals from fifth grade. However, it too me a long time to feel like my writing was anything other than a hobby or my own personal, creative outlet.
ReplyDeleteI like to daydream and have continuing stories but cannot put the words to paper. What a great post!
ReplyDeletedebby236 at hotmail dot com
Thank you for sharing why you write. I read for the same reasons, I simply have to!
ReplyDeleteWe share the same name... Lucinda... Cindi is my new name.
Msredk at AOL dot com
GREAT post, Lucinda! I love your descriptions of your process and "being born this way." Truth. I have one scene that made me sob as I wrote it. Mr. H thought I'd lost my mind. LOL Writer's life :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy hearing how others chose writing as their passion/career. I think maybe we have a storytelling gene or something. That's as good a reason as any to undertake what, at first blush, seems easy but is in fact a difficult pursuit. Enjoyed your post very much.
ReplyDelete