Have I Always Been a Writer? Redux - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

This week on Romance Writers Weekly, Lyra Parish asks:

When did you realize you would be a writer? Is it something you always knew or did it come about some other way?

If you joined me from Leslie Hachtel, welcome!

I thought it might be interesting to repost an entry I did in September 2014 answering this question (and a couple more). It's always fun to look back!

Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you were going to become a writer? If so, what was it?

I can't say there was. Like many writers, I've been writing for so long I can't really remember not doing it. But I think the first time I realized I might be good at it came in Grade 7. Our teacher was very strict but fair. Impressing him was hard to do, and if he told you something was good, you knew he sincerely thought so and it wasn't just sugarcoating. When he told me I should try and sell one of my short stories to a paper I was floored. I still remember the flush of pride I felt. It was probably about then I got the first inkling I might want to be an author.

When you write a story do you see it unfold as one big picture, or do you add layering in subsequent drafts?

I try and get it all together the first time. When it comes to plotter/pantster, I'm about 70/30, so for me, subsequent drafts are for refining what I have, not expanding on the plot. If any layering is done it is because something bent an unexpected way toward the end of the book that requires minor rewrites at the beginning, either for foreshadowing or correcting.

How many drafts do you usually write before you send your work to your editor?

Everyday when I sit down to write, I review what I did the session before. So if we stretch the definition of draft, everyday is a new draft. But if you are talking about drafts that happen after the manuscript is completed, I would say two or three. Once I'm finished with a story, I let it lie fallow for a couple of months. Then I start at the beginning and re-read it, making notes and fine-tuning the writing. If necessary, once I've done the read-through, I will make any major revisions I need. Then I send it out to beta-readers and my critique partners. When I get their input back, I will do another read-through and revision. If I'm comfortable with the manuscript then, I might start sending it out into the big, bad world then. If I'm not, I might let it lie for a little while longer before one more look.

Continue on the hop with Jenna Da Sie!