The Writing Process and Rebecca Roland

Short story and novel writer Rebecca Roland gives us a very detailed overview of her writing process.

Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process, or does your drafting process vary from book to book. Can you describe it to us generally, or at least for one project?

Rebecca: My process has changed from book to book as I've learned what works and what doesn't work. My first two novels, which are trunk novels, were written completely by the seat of my pants. My third novel, which became my first published novel Shards of History, started as a short story. I wrote the first draft of the novel, then rewrote much of it once I'd gotten to know the main character a little better. Then I went over it a couple more times to add characterization and details, and I also added a new first chapter.

For my latest novel, tentatively titled Death is the New Normal, I decided to try something different and skip the inevitable throw-away first draft. I heard about the book The 90-Day Novel. It has over 200 questions you can answer to get to know your main character and/or antagonist better. I went through a good number of them and came up with 47 pages of notes, including an outline, before writing this novel. Then I churned out a draft and ended up pleased with it, which is a first for me. Usually I hate those first drafts. Now I'll see if it holds up with my beta readers.

Tamago: Is your writing process the same for short stories as it is for novels?

Rebecca: I actually outline more for short stories than for novels, at least until the most recent novel. I come up with an initial idea, be it a setting or a character or some cool concept, then I keep asking myself questions until I figure out the characters and conflict. I usually have an ending in mind when I begin, but it often changes once I get to that point because I discovered something interesting about the characters or the story along the way.

Tamago: How do you know when a story is working?

Rebecca: When a story is working, I find myself in the zone, corny as that sounds. The writing flows and I'm energized and excited. Also, I know when I've taken the story in the right direction because I feel like things are clicking, like a sort of 'eureka' moment. It's an intuitive experience, and I've learned to be more receptive to those feelings. Before I went to the Odyssey Writing Workshop, I had no idea when one of my stories wasn't working. At Odyssey I critiqued a lot and learned quite a bit from the process. It taught me to look for the weaknesses in my own writing, as well as knowing when a story is working.

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Mirrored from Writer Tamago.