Tamara Ireland Stone: How I Write

Today, I’m thrilled to have Tamara Ireland Stone, debut author of Time Between Us (click link for my review), stopping by for a “How I Write” feature! Many thanks to Tamara for participating!

Are you a planner (outline, etc.) or do you “pants” it?

I’m a pantser. I do create a fairly loose outline in the beginning, where I think about the major plot points I want to hit and the basic order in which I want things to happen, but even then, I give myself a lot of freedom to go in another direction if the story takes me there. Usually, when I hit the midpoint of the book, I go back and revise my basic outline, just to be sure I’m on track. I like to have the roadmap, but I don’t mind deviating from it.

Do you write daily or sporadically when you’re inspired?

I write Monday-Friday, usually for 4-5 hours at a time. I try not to get distracted, because those hours are precious, and I always stop once my kids get home from school. But often, I’ll write again when they go to bed at night. Unless I’m on deadline, I try not to write on the weekends — that’s family time. And a much-needed brain break.

What time of day do you find you write best? Or you enjoy more?

I’m one of those annoying morning people. I write best in the early hours, and I tend to hit a creative wall somewhere around 2:00p. I can write at night if I really need to, but I’d rather be watching TV.

What tool(s) do you use to write? Microsoft Word, Pages, Scrivener, typewriter, pen and paper, and/or napkins/toilet paper?

I love this question.

I write my first draft in Scrivener. I love it as a place to get the majority of the story down, and I use it to store all my research, maps, character cards, etc. I transfer everything into Word once I’m happy with the overall structure and know I won’t be moving things around a lot.

Then I read it — sometimes in chunks, other times beginning to end — on my Kindle. I use the highlighting tool to mark areas that aren’t working, and I often type entirely new paragraphs in with the tiny keypad and the comments tool. I have to manually put those comments into the manuscript when I’m done, which is arduous, but it’s valuable because I have another chance to rework each word and each line as I go.

Often, when I’m noddling on a scene that isn’t quite right, inspiration will strike me in the middle of the night or when I’m in the car. That’s when I reach for my iPhone (yes, if I’m driving, I park first!). I’ve written entire scenes in the Notes app. I change them a lot once I get them into the manuscript, but I’ve found it to be a great place to start. I’ve developed fast thumbs.

I’m a software and gadget junkie, and honestly, I don’t know if I could be an author if it weren’t for all the tools we now have at our disposal.

What resources do you recommend for new writers?

Whenever I talk with writers who are working hard toward publication, I strongly recommend two organizations: the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and MediaBistro.

I love the SCBWI conferences and events, which are great places to learn craft and to interact with other people in the industry, including agents, editors, and other writers.

Media Bistro has also been incredibly helpful to me. I took a class a few years ago, when I felt I had taken my writing as far as I could on my own and needed solid direction. The class structure made me work harder than I ever had before, and the editor who taught it gave me the specific feedback I needed to improve my story.

I’ve shared the stories of the impact both organizations had on my writing career here and here.

Tamara Ireland Stone’s Debut:

More “How I Write” Q&As!