I get a lot of questions about my writing process. Probably the two most common questions I get are, "What kind of writer are you?" and "How do you make time for all your writing endeavors?" The second question I will answer in another post, but for today, I'd like to explore the first question.

When I was just starting out as a writer, still in college, still finding my voice, still in the process of drafting my first and second novels; I read a lot of books on writing. At the time, most books suggested that structure was key. There were a few I read that addressed people with the "write by the seat of your pants" writing style, but due to the nature of the writing style, I never really found any information there that I found particularly helpful. Mostly, everyone gave their advice and then said, "Do what works best for you."

When I get that question, "What kind of writer are you?" I have to think about my answer for a minute. Do I outline everything first? Do I write the first draft by the seat of my pants? Do I write from beginning to end? Do I jump around?

The answer to all of these questions is YES. 

I do all of these things, but it's situational. That's not to say that I don't have a process. In fact, I would say that I have a very specific process that I follow for each of my books. However, I've found that taking pieces of each of these approaches works best for me. 

Do I work from an outline? Yes. I always start with an outline of some of the major points I want to hit in my book. Now, I don't always strictly follow that outline, and I'd say it's pretty common for me to come back and fill in or change my outline three or four times in the process of writing my first draft. I very much value having an outline, though, because it allows me something to come back to and brainstorm on where I can see the whole picture, and how the piece I'm working on (or stuck on) fits into the larger whole.

Do I write the first draft by the seat of my pants? Do I just put my fingers on the keyboard and see what comes out? Yes. It's very typical for me to not even look at my outline when I sit down to write each day, unless I'm at a big turning point in the book and I want to go in a specific direction. I typically start and end each writing session with a few minutes of word vomit. I just start writing. I write a quick reminder of where I left off next time, and where I want to go today. When I finish, I write what I think should happen next. But the moments in between where I'm putting content on the page, I just write what comes to me. 

Do I write the story start to finish? Do I jump around? Yes, and yes. I would say that 90% of my work happens in chronological order. Occasionally, though, I find myself extremely inspired, and I have to jump ahead, or go back to add something in. In this case, I always leave a note for myself about where I am and what my intentions are for the current scene before I jump scenes. 

I've always heard people say it's important to find what process works for you, and I completely agree. It took me a long time to realize that I don't have to fit in any one category, as long as I'm telling the story I need to tell. 

What kind of writer are you? Comment below - I'd love to know! For more writing related things, check back next weekend. 

Have you ever thought as you were creating something, "Oh, great. Someone is going to see this. Someone I know is going to see this. What will they think of me?" 

Maybe you haven't, or maybe you have, but you go ahead creating just as you want to because the possibility of someone you know judging you based on the content of your work doesn't scare you. If that's the case for you, way to go. Seriously. Your work is most incredible when it is as you intended it to be. Unfiltered. (Notice I didn't say unedited). 

For me, the idea of someone I know - someone I love - seeing something in my writing or my art and judging me as a person for it is terrifying. 

It's not something that goes away easily, either. I know that my works - my art, my scenes, my characters - are always best when they come to be naturally. Letting go of that fear of judgement is a continual process that I'm constantly striving for. 

If I had to put a name to this almost physical reaction to imagining someone I know judging my work, I'd call it the fear of being unworthy. I worry that if I write this kissing scene in, or I have a character that swears a lot, someone I know is going to read it and think, "Wow. I had no idea Brey was like that..." 

This is the same reason it's taken me seven years to tell people, "I'm an author. I have published my work." 

If you've experienced this panic when your writing comes up around someone you know, you are not alone. 

Now that we've gotten into all of that, let's talk about some things that I've learned to help me get past this feeling so that my work and my conversations are true to themselves - and also things that I can be proud of.

First: When I'm imagining my characters, my scenes, or my overall story, I ask myself, "What if?" and let myself write the ideas that come up. When I get that little nagging voice in my head telling me, "Oh, no. You can't write that!" I pause, take a deep breath, and tell that voice, "This is my story. Yes, I can. I'll write it this way, and if I​ don't like it later, I can always edit it."

That may seem easy enough, but as I said, this is a continual process that I go through often. However, having this little discussion with myself really does help me stay out of my own way. 

When it comes to recognizing myself as a published author - and not downplaying how seriously cool it is that I have published my work for the world to read - that took some brain training. I still get that little voice in my head telling me, "Brey. You can't call yourself an author. You're nowhere near as cool or as accomplished as [insert current favorite author here]." 

But now, I have some arguments to spit right back at that little voice. 

1. I am publishing my eighth book in seven years at the end of September, and its sequel is set to follow shortly after. 
2. I have grown and honed my writing, editing, designing and marketing skills. I take professional development courses to improve this craft just as I do with my day job (which I also love).

If you take anything from today's post, please take this: 

1. You are awesome. The work you produce should be written as you intend it to be. Yes, it should still be polished when you put it out, but it should be yours.
2. You are awesome. Be proud of the work you put into the world. Be proud of the growth you make. And if you're writing, call yourself a writer. If you're publishing your work (independently or traditionally), call yourself an author.

Thanks for reading! If you like what you read today, scroll down to see other posts like this one, and check back next weekend for more writing related things. If you have something to say, feel free to reach out by leaving a comment, sending an email, or getting in touch on Facebook or Instagram. 

Hello everyone, and happy Father's Day tomorrow!

​As I recently finished working through edits for my new release - coming in September - I wanted to write about two important pieces that can change the cohesion and flow of a piece of writing. These two things can be woven into any part of the writing and editing process if you are intentional and aware of your habits. 

What are these two important pieces that can come up anywhere? Varying your sentence lengths and adjusting your default words and phrases. 

We all have our own writing styles, and there are so many things that influence the way we write and the words we use. In the end, we're all creatures of habit. However, that's not to say that we're either/or when it comes to writing quality. Sentence lengths and default words (and phrases) are things that even the most experienced writers still need to be aware of and work on. It's a process. So let's talk about them for a minute. 

I know my writing well enough to know that I have a tendency toward writing longer, compound and complex sentences. I just do. Knowing this has been advantageous for me, because I'm aware of this habit in every step of my writing process.

When I start drafting, I try to let the sentences flow as they come. I find this helps me get the story out in a more cohesive way, but I'm still mindful of the lengths of my sentences. When I rewrite, I'm ultra aware. This is an opportunity for me to pay attention to areas where I can add or alter descriptions, and it's a huge chance to make my sentences more impactful. One great way to do this is to fit sentences of various lengths in together. The shorter sentences have the most impact, but only when they're surrounded by longer sentences. If they're all short, the writing is too choppy. If they're all long - usually the case for my first drafts - then it takes so long to get your point that your reader tunes out. With every pass through my manuscript, I make a point to look at the structure and length of my sentences.

The same is true for default or habit words and phrases. This one is a bit more difficult to catch, even for more experienced authors. It's okay to say things in a certain way more than once, especially in a longer work like a novel. However, it's important to watch out for redundancies. The words we fall back on tend to take over our work, and it typically takes someone else's eye to catch these issues for us. This is one reason why having an editor is so important. 

Now, that's not to say that you can't use similar words or phrases, or that your character's can't have a thing that's habit for them. The important thing is that the wording isn't exactly the same every time. For example, in my first and second drafts of my newest novel, my characters shrugged constantly. It was that exact wording, too. Every. Single. Time. Writing the draft, I knew I was using the word frequently, but I thought, "Well, this is what I picture them doing in this moment." So I wrote it. And for the sake of drafting, that's great. Way to get the words on the page. The trouble comes when that wording doesn't change in later drafts of the story. If the wording doesn't change, your readers will likely think, "Okay, we get it. You said that already. Move on." 

So! Here is what I do: I let the words come out how they come out - mostly - on my first draft. I watch out for it in my second draft, trying to think of different ways to word the same thing. In my later drafts, I go through much more carefully. Each time I find the exact same wording, I ask myself the following questions: Is there some action or description that can replace this? If I want to keep this here, how can I change up the wording to keep it fresh? Another very helpful tool I use frequently to catch these is the "find" function in a document. This allows you to search up a word as many times as it comes up within your document. I use this often to see just how frequently I use a word or phrase, and if it's often (or even fairly close together within the piece) then I will likely make some adjustments.

These questions help me a ton in my process. Yes, it takes a high level of self awareness. Knowing my habits and my comfort zones sets me up to be able to find those kinds of things within my drafts. But I never rely totally on myself to spot these things. I always allow other people to point them out for me, because they're not as comfortable with my writing as I am. They're approaching the work from a different angle, which allows them to see things that I might never catch. 

Thanks for reading! I hope you learned something from today's piece. Check back next weekend for more writing-related things. 

Have you ever heard someone say, "Write what you know"? Have you ever felt discouraged after hearing someone say these words? People tell you to write what you know for good reason. How can you write about a world or describe an experience if you haven't lived it? I used to hear that sentence all the time, and I was also left feeling very frustrated. First, I had never been anywhere. Stories that I wanted to write that took place in the city seemed impossible to put on the page. I have always been drawn especially to writing fantasy, and how was I supposed to create worlds that I didn't know?

I was fortunate, however, because I've always loved watching movies and reading books. Doing so helped me build the imagination I needed to set to creating some really fun settings. 

But then I started traveling, and I realized I was missing some big opportunities with my writing. I could watch a movie and see the world surrounding a character. I could read a book and even get a little bit deeper into the experience through the descriptions I read. However, it was only when I started traveling - and really paying attention to my surroundings, that my descriptive writing and my world building really took off. 

Yes, I do also travel because I love going new places and doing new things. I take pictures because I want to hold on to the memories I made during my travels. The image above is a compilation of two photos I took on a recent trip to Seattle, Washington (the apartment building you see is located in downtown Seattle, and the background is actually a picture of some trees behind a raindrop speckled windshield, taken on our way to the beach). On our trip, I was able to take my son to the beach, and he experienced sand for the very first time. He loved it. I took so many photos of those kinds of moments, but I also took a lot of scenic photos - to remember where I was and what we were doing, for sure, but I now also have more tools in my toolbox for creating more realistic settings. 

When I travel, whether it be to new places or just on my regular walking route, I pay attention. I breathe in the scent of the air. I listen to the sound of the cars driving by, or the birds chirping in the trees, or the waves rolling over the rocks on the beach. I taste the food. I feel the sun on my skin, or the rain on my face, or the wind in my hair. All of these experiences get filed away into my memory - or my journal - and I can pull them out when I need to enrich my writing. 

Plus, pausing to have experiences like these has been tremendously helpful for my mental health and my relationships with those I experience these things with. 

Traveling is not the only way to add more to the bank of things you "know". Anything you experience can be saved and referred to in order to make your writing that much better. But I've found that my writing has exponentially improved through my traveling experiences. My novel Clairvoyance is set in a little town in Virginia, and actually going to little towns in Virginia allowed me to really visualize the setting I created. I spent a lot of time developing my world for my new book, Bound, and traveling to different places really helped me not only create more detailed, convincing settings, but also distinguish the ways people from different places act and speak in the story. 

I hope this post was helpful, and I hope that, whether you enjoy traveling or not, you pause more often to take in your surroundings and experiences a little more meaningfully. 

Thanks for reading! Check back next weekend for another writing-related post. Until then, write on!