The basic advice seems to always be to write the story the first time anyway you want and don’t worry about anything, get it written down. For the most part, I’ve found that to be true. Once my initial draft is done, it is not unusual for me to go through six to ten drafts before I’ve got the story where I want it. In between those drafts, around the third draft, I put it away for a few weeks and let it marinate, then start a few more drafts, let it set, and then pick it up and finalize the story before I’m ready to send it off to the publisher.
News & Blog
- Reader question: What have been some of the most valuable lessons you have learned working with an editor that you can pass alone to beginning writers? March 25, 2021
- Reader question: Has the writing process changed for you since you have a second book published, with a third and fourth on the way? January 25, 2021
- Reader question: This is a sensitive question for you, I’m sure, but you have “finally arrived in the literary world” how do you feel about it taking so long? July 7, 2020