Year in the Life of an Author - September

I've always thought of September more like New Years than the waning days of the year. So many beginnings seem to happen this time of year.

For me it was beginning a new book. Having turned in my March book, And the Miss Ran Away with the Rake, it was time to get together the proposal and start writing my next book.

I just love starting a new book.

Of course, there are so many decisions to be made--and not the obvious ones you might think. I have to come up with a playlist--the songs I want to use while writing. These become like my own personal inspiration each day. When those first notes come out of my computer, my mind turns immediately to the story at hand. So the songs need to fit the mood of the story.

My favorite kind of notebooks, the Circa Notebook from Levenger

Then I need to build my working notebook for the story. If I am continuing in a series, I pull from previous notebooks the needed parts that I might need to reference: family trees, character notes, story notes that I've been compiling while writing previous books, outlines and pictures. This becomes my right-hand help as I write, my portable version of the book when I have to run the kids around.

And I usually make a Staples run to get new office supplies. Uni-ball pens, good pencils, pads of paper, and whatever notecard or organizing thingy-ma-bob that catches my eye as "necessary" for writing the new book.

Like I said, none of it is what you think--more like getting all the ducks in a row to dig in and do the work.

Because I'll tell you a secret: When I start writing a book, I don't pluck the story from thin air.

I've been mulling that book, writing it if you will, for at least two years before I ever sit down in front of the keyboard. The characters, their story, the challenges before them, the crux of the story is all there, waiting to pour out on the pages. That story has been mulling around on the backburner, simmering for months.

So over the past month, what I've been doing, besides clearing the decks, is also getting that all down. Writing the backstory, writing character notes, scene notes, outlining, and information dumping all that has been stewing.

And now comes the fun part: the story telling.