Anne Marie: How I Write #COBookMonth

Today, Anne Marie is here to kick off ABaaL’s “How I Write” Colorado Book Month Edition! Check out her Q&A, and then enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of two copies of her short story “La Dame à La Licorne”. 

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

I’m a hardcore outliner. My outlines have outlines! Research is one of my favorite things about novel writing. I get to: draw maps, fill-out character sketches, and discover things about places I’ve never been. Yet. Now, this might sound like I’m taking the organic character’s journey out of the story, but actually, I do that in the planning process. The creative process doesn’t stop with an outline though. Sometimes the characters have other ideas in mind. If I ever get too far astray, I have a map to find my way back.

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

Weekend afternoons and evenings any day. Once I tried to get up at the crack of dawn to write for an hour before I had to get ready for work. It lasted one day, and I deleted the entire “scene”. Lesson learned? Don’t force something because a number of published authors swore by it. Find what works for you!

What kind of mood are you typically in when you write (happy, sad, etc.)?

For me, there’s no one mood to be in to write. If I had to always be moody to write, I’d never get anything written. Just like waiting for inspiration to write, waiting to be in a certain mood seems counter-productive. I will say, however, that when I’m in the throws of an emotion, I do step back and think, “What does this feel like? What is my heart doing? My hands? My lungs?” Which seems weird and dissociative now that I wrote it down. >:D

Where is your favorite place to write?

My couch. It faces my patio and in the afternoons, the light streams in. Plus, my dog really likes it too.

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

Yes. All of them. Except toilet paper. The pen always tears right through the sheets. Before I had a cell phone, I used to write all over my hands/arms. Scrivener is an amazing program, but I also find it to be distraction. I could spend hours on the Internet searching for photos to put into the character boards instead of writing. When I get stuck with a particularly hard scene or line of dialogue, I write longhand. For the majority of work I use Word.

What resources do you recommend for new writers?

If you’re a children’s writer (PB, MG, YA, or NA), then Verla Kay’s Blue Boards are one of the best! Find them at http://www.verlakay.com/boards

For books, I second Courtney’s list.

I’d also add, The Emotional Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

Lastly, read everything. In the genre you want to write. Out of the genre you want to write. Read graffiti. Read the newspaper. Read the back of cereal boxes and old letters. It’s surprising what might spark an idea or teach you something new.

What are your thoughts on traditional publishing vs. self-publishing?

They are both valid paths depending on what you want to accomplish, your marketing savvy, and how much time you have to devote to the project. If you’re self-publishing, you are in charge of everything from the cover to the blog tour. If you’re traditionally published, you have a team of professional help and guidance. If I want to see my giant squid love poetry published one day, I’d probably have a better chance self-publishing. However, if I want to see my YA version of the Da Vinci Code published, the traditional route might be more appropriate.

What types of writing events have you participated in (NaNoWriMo, conferences, workshops, etc.)? Which was your favorite?

I’m a nine-year veteran of NaNoWriMo. Every year I tried something different, which is why I know I’m not a pantser. After one more year, I’m going to hang up my NaNo hat. It’s a great idea, but I know my writing habits now. I know what I need to improve upon. And while I can write 50k in a month, I’d rather take 3 months to write a more solid novel.

I’ve attended Pikes Peak Writers conference two years in a row. I’ve already signed up for year three. I love this conference! The atmosphere is friendly and the workshops are fantastic. I also had the fortune of attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Gold Conference. It, too, was an amazing experience. Lastly, I attended a small-group workshop with authors Sarah Ockler and Heidi Kling. I really enjoyed the focused attention of both Sarah and Heidi due to the workshop’s size.

At this point in my career, I believe smaller groups and more hands-on attention is what I require. I’d love to be able to attend Clarion someday soon, or find a mentor. I’m learning new things about this craft all the time. Conferences, workshops, other writers, etc. have all helped me become better, so they’re all my favorites.

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