Friday, June 20, 2014

Tagged, I'm It!

The Writing Process Blog Hop is taking kid lit by storm. I was tagged by a talented writer named Vicky Lorencen. Hop on over to Frog on a Dime to see her responses to the four questions.  I am tagging two great writers, Kristin Nitz and Kim Van Sickler. You can read more about Kristin and Kim at the end of this post. Kristin will post on Nitz Bits on June 24, and Kim will post on Swagger on June 30. 

And now, on to the questions. 

What am I working on now?  
I’m finishing a YA fantasy novel that involves time travel. My next project will be a contemporary YA novel about a girl who learns about herself by discovering her mother’s and grandmother’s secrets. While my current project is an action-packed adventure, the next novel will be a character-driven story with a smattering of mystery and intrigue to keep the pages turning. 

How does my work differ from others in its genre? 
I hope my characters’ voices, their relationships, the plot twists and the details I’ve gleaned from research will help my novels stand out. 

Why do I write what I do? 
When writing for teens, I find the transition years most interesting. Moving from middle school to high school is hard, and I wrote a couple manuscripts that explored that time period. Lately, my characters have been facing the end of high school, the year when they leave the security of all they have known and become independent. 

How does my writing process work?
My favorite time to write is in the morning. My brain seems to be most active early in the day, but when I’m engrossed in a project, new ideas pop up all day.  My younger son’s metal band used to practice in our basement. Some of my best writing occurred when they were jamming, and the house was literally vibrating with creative energy. Unfortunately, the band no longer practices here. I’m a member of The World’s Greatest Critique Group. We meet once a month to get feedback on our projects, share successes, and support each other through tough times. My critique group has a writing retreat every summer where we spend a long weekend writing and sharing our work. 

I tagged Kristin Nitz and Kim Van Sickler: 

Kristin Nitz 
While Kristin Wolden Nitz will read almost anything from cereal boxes to the classics, she tends to avoid horror and extremely edgy YA. In her own work, Kristin is a bit of a genre hopper. Saving the Griffin is a contemporary fantasy for younger middle grade readers. Suspect is a young adult mystery.  Defending Irene, a sports novel, has been shelved in the children’s and YA section. Her books have been nominated for such things as the Kentucky Bluegrass Children’s Choice award and YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. 

Kim Van Sickler 
At the urging of a human trafficking expert at OSU, Kim Van Sickler is in the midst of self-publishing her debut novel, Snatched in Gullybrook. Some of her short stories are published and have won awards. Visit her group blog, Swagger.

9 comments:

Kim Van Sickler said...

I find it so interesting to read about other people's creative processes. I don't think my muse would show herself if a heavy metal rock band was playing in my basement. She is much more communicative and I am much more receptive when we don't have distractions between us.

Good luck with your two books, Ann. Keep me in mind for beta reading.

Ann Finkelstein said...

Thanks, Kim. I appreciate your offer.

Vicky Lorencen said...

Thanks so much for sharing, Ann!

Kristin Lenz said...

So interesting that you worked so well while the metal band played. Maybe because it was live music and you could really feel the energy more than listening on a device.

Also interesting that you're writing both fantasy and contemporary. My creative brain has not yet wandered into the fantastical realm!

Unknown said...

Very cool, Ms. Ann! I can't wait for awesome things to happen to you and for your books! :)

Hugs,
Janice Broyles

Wyman Stewart said...

"When writing for teens, I find the transition years most interesting. Moving from middle school to high school is hard."

Although I don't disagree with you, was dumbfounded when I read that. Moving from elementary to Junior High School was harder for me. (Yeah, whoever heard of Junior High School? I'm ancient.) Junior High (Middle School to youngsters) and High School have many things in common.

I'm sure I experienced aspects of the transition. Just never realized, since my final year of Junior High, was disrupted by a move to a new state and school system, the transition to high school was simple by comparison.

Funny, the new things you learn about yourself through reading what others have to say.

This post is worth reading again. Comments are interesting too. :-) I see at least one writer was not satisfied with their work, having rewritten and deleted their post many times. I feel for this perfectionist. ;-)

Ann Finkelstein said...

Thanks everyone for your kind words of encouragement. I do miss my metal band. Janice, I cleaned up your technological problems. Wyman, it truth, the transition between undergrad and grad school was most difficult for me. I moved to a new state that actually experienced weather, and I had to transition to a different kind of learning. Perhaps someday I'll write a New Adult about that period.

Kathy Cannon Wiechman said...

I am a little late catching up on this. (I have been traveling.) I like reading about your process, Ann, and think both books sound fascinating. Time travel stories intrigue me. It's always interesting to see what method or portal an author uses to make the travel occur.

Ann Finkelstein said...

Thanks, Kathy. This blog hop certainly took kid lit blogs by storm.