Hello Everyone and a warm welcome to you. I am grateful. I am so ecstatic about the future release of my book, Enticed by Love.
Today I’d like to talk more about my writing process for this story. It started out as a profile, then I created two detailed outlines. Here I was able to move things easily. Outlines really do keep your WIP (Work in Progress) on track. I find that it is easier to move something around while it is a bullet point rather than an actual text.
I set the outlines aside as I finished up with Awakened by Fate.
I then picked up the outlines in 2019 and resumed work. The writing for Enticed by Love flowed fluidly and I created the entire story in a matter of several weeks. Freewriting is easy for me and something that gets me in the zone. One day as I was writing Enticed by Love, I had no concept of time and the entire day flew by me. I wrote over 6000 words that day. It was such a great feeling. I usually aim for 2000 words per day. Many times I come up with a thought and then totally rewrite it.
As the story unfolds, I get deeper into my main character, Henrietta as she is a complex woman. Questions such as what is her biggest challenge and what she really would like to do are answered. I get to discover her secrets and desires. Drawing up the drama scenes are fun, especially if they have a conflict. I thoroughly enjoyed creating Henrietta.
The editing phase took a while and I’m glad I took the extra time. Things I look out for are repetition, inconsistencies, and plot-holes. If I mention a detail on page 20 for instance, I don’t need to repeat it again unless it is a very vital part of the story. Also, the story needs to add up. Details can be moved up or down in the story depending on what or who they are referencing. If there are any plot-holes, I make sure they are resolved at some point during the process.
Lastly, I always copyright my work. Then it is ready to send off to my beta readers. They have helped me out immensely and I thank you all for your hard work. Things I have them look at are whether the hooks are strong enough, the characters developed, and the flow. With Enticed by Love, I used several Betas.
Currently Enticed by Love is with my publisher for its final edit. I feel both anticipation and excitement at the same time. I am patient and thankful. Who wouldn’t be excited about their book being published after all the hard work that went into creating it?
The most important thing is that I truly enjoy the writing process. It is fun for me to create blogs and stories and then share them with you.
I would like to share another excerpt from Enticed by Love. Find out more about Henrietta’s secret.
*
Mr. Perry had given Henrietta some coins and told her to get her hair done. Henrietta was feeling skeptical since the last time he’d given her money was to get a new dress for a man he set her up with. However, she accepted the silver and walked into town.
That day the salon’s owner, Eliza, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a petite woman with short, dark hair with a ribbon tied on the top of her head was tidying up the salon’s only station. Henrietta recognized Tommy Dorsey’s “The Music Goes ‘Round and ‘Round” through the static from the radio.
“Excuse me, do you know where I can find Eliza?” Henrietta said.
The woman looked up, smiled, and replied, “I’m Eliza’s apprentice. My name is Mary. It’s nice to meet you. Auntie’s going to be back in a little while, but if you want, I can work on you.”
“Okay, but I only want a wash and a trim. No fancy stuff.”
“As you wish.”
Henrietta sat in the chair, and Mary put a cape around her. Henrietta began to hum along with the song on the radio.
After a few moments, Mary said, “You like my music.”
“Excuse me.”
“The song that was playing on the radio. I’m not much into today’s music. I enjoy the old classics from the teens.”
“Where are you from?” Henrietta asked.
“I just finished beauty school down in Los Angeles. Auntie wants to take a vacation, so she brought me up to help. I’m so sick of working on snooty actors.”
“I see.”
“Tell me a bit about you.” Mary began cutting Henrietta’s hair.
“My name is Henrietta. I’m a Crescent native. I love the old tunes too. I don’t get out of town much except to visit my grandmother up in San Francisco. I’m planning on a visit soon. She’s the rock in my world.”
“That’s great you have a relative you can visit. I’ll tell you I’m relieved to be up here working with Auntie right now.”
Mary turned Henrietta around and began snipping her bangs. She wondered why Mary was taking an interest in talking with her. Nevertheless, she wanted to keep her guard up.
“Here, I’m a newcomer whom no one knows. I can be myself instead of having to put on a show for everyone. That gets tiresome.”
“You like it up here?”
“Yes, and I’m going to find work up here. If not in this town, perhaps in San Luis Obispo, which is not too far away.”
“Mary, I’m back with dinner. Why don’t you take a break?” A woman’s voice in the backroom announced.
Nervously, Mary put her scissors down and, in a deep voice, said, “Auntie’s back. I’m off later. Why don’t you meet me here around 7:00 p.m. and we can talk more?”
*
I will have more excerpts in the coming weeks so stay tuned.
I want to thank you for visiting today. I will keep you updated about the release of Enticed by Love.
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog 