There are all kinds of writers. Pantsers (seat of your pants), Plotters (writing down every finite detail before actually writing the story), and Plansters (the happy medium of I cannot be defined but fall somewhere in the middle).

The funny thing is, most writers have to submit a synopsis of their full book before they write it  (there are a select few that don’t have to go through this process), so I sort of preplan my books. I also consider myself a Pantser, but really, I do write a a pretty detailed synopsis that outlines the major items/plot points in a story.

So here’s the process: It takes me roughly five months to write a book from the conception point to the end. Deadlines are a funny thing though, and I was given a little less than five months to write my book this time around, so I’ve changed up my strategy in how I approach a book.

I feel like I learn something new with every book. This time around, I’m learning something I’ve always been interested in but too afraid to try… fast drafting. Which means you vomit all your words out onto the page, then worry about the edits later.

Why is this different from my usual? For starters, I generally write the first half of the book relatively easily–it takes me two months to hit the halfway mark. Then I sit on it. Sometimes for a month, sometimes for a longer. But I always sit on it because I hit the halfway mark and I start to write my book out of order and it’s a slower process to piece the puzzle bits together than it is to write that first half of the book.

This time around, I don’t have time to sit on the book and think it through for a month or two so I’ve roped my critique partner into writing crazy page counts with me daily.  

It took me about three weeks to write the first half of my book this time around. I admit it, I’ve stalled, but I’m totally back in the game and I’m planning on fast drafting the second half in another two weeks.

No, my book is not finished at this point. It does need to be edited and pieced together, because there are always missing parts. In a nutshell, that is where I’m at, and my blog might be a bit disjointed because of it–did I mention piecing together the last half in two weeks? 🙂

Also, I’ve updated my website to include my new book, Wicked Nights with a Proper Lady! If you sign up for my newsletter, you will receive exclusive sneak peaks at this series! So don’t forget to sign up if you haven’t already.