The Writing Process and Caroline Stevermer

Working on a new series of interviews here at the Tamago. I will be writing to various authors occasionally and asking them to share aspects about their writing process with us. Caroline Stevermer was the first author to graciously accept my author to be interviewed. It's my hope that these interviews will engender some discussion about the writing process itself.

For those of you not familiar with the works of Caroline Stevermer, you're in for a treat. Caroline's writing inspires young readers to be strong, independent women. A personal favorite set of books are the Sorcery and Celia books, which she wrote with Pat Wrede. These books are fantasies set in the Regency of England. She is truly a master of YA and Middle Grade.

Here we go!

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Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process, or does your drafting process vary from book to book? (If it varies, please keep one project in mind as you answer these questions.)

Caroline: I do an extremely rough draft (which seems to take forever) and then rewrite at least twice, more often three or four times. This is not a method I would recommend to anyone.

One thing I know for sure: I figure out a work routine and sooner or later, it stops working and I have to adjust or invent another.

At the moment, I write first thing in the morning (even before checking email -- a real test of character for me), but when I was working full-time, at least during the baseball season, I would put the radio on softly during the pre-game show and write through the game. It didn't matter if it was a blow-out or a nail biter. Whether they sent in a relief pitcher or not, I had to work the full nine innings. (West Coast night games just wore me out.)

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Mirrored from Writer Tamago.