The following is a reposting of a blog written by former Green Olive Arts Writer in Residence, Fiona Leonard. Fiona is an author and blogger. Check out her blog, you’ll be glad you did!
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My Writing Process
The notion that writing is a lonely pursuit is a myth. Solitary it may be – you certainly spend an inappropriate amount of time in your own head – but lonely it is not. You do not have to travel far to find other writers who are willing to share ideas, support and inspiration. These people understand the crazy world you live in and are incredibly generous and kind.
One such fellow writer is Kajsa Hallberg Adu, lecturer and blogger extraordinaire, who has both built a terrific blog of her own, and raised the blogging community of Ghana around her. Her blog http://kajsaha.com/ is a must read.
On her blog today, Kajsa opened the door to her own writing process and threw out a challenge for three fellow writers to do the same. What can I say but, “Challenge Accepted!”
Without further ado, following are some insights into my writing process.
What am I working on?
I am currently negotiating the last five chapters of Belly of the Crocodile, the third book in The Chicken Thief series and I have to say it’s been a struggle. I’ve read a lot of articles about people talking about the stress of writing a second book after the first is published and I can really understand where they’re coming from. A wise mentor encouraged me to start writing my second book as soon as I finished the first, even though there was no sign of a publishing deal on the horizon. I took her advice and while I was working through the self publishing process and then working with Penguin South Africa I was hammering away writing the second book. It was hard to imagine the first appearing on a shelf let alone the second, so I never really stressed about it. This time around though I’m fretting a lot more. I worry whether I’ll ever get it finished and whether it will be any good and then with all that junk in my head I’m often reluctant to sit down and keep writing. Despite that I still feel a deep pull to return. I know I desperately want to write it out. So I’m just having to be kind to myself and allow my writing to happen at its own pace.
It’s a funny process. On one hand I think nervously about the readers who enjoyed Chicken Thief and feel like they’re squinting over my shoulder at the book three. And at the same time I think about those readers and add in bits and pieces that are almost rewards for having stuck with the story for so long. I added in a reference today to a detail from book two that will lay bare a character’s motives, knowing that only people who have read the previous books will make the connection, and that was a pretty cool feeling.
There’s something really special about knowing that what I’m writing now will one day end up in someone’s hands. I’m both grateful and humbled by the thought.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Apparently my gritty, political thriller is funny. I find it really odd to read or listen to reviews of The Chicken Thief and have people describe it as funny because I never set out to write a humorous book. I always knew that there was a quirkiness to Alois’ take on the world, but not that he would be received in the way he has been.
That said, I think it’s appropriate in a way. As a character Alois always feels out of sorts with the world. He’s always convinced that everyone else is more under control and in touch with what’s going on, whereas he feels very awkward and ill at ease. I can just imagine him saying something and everyone laughing and him looking around in a confused way asking “What did I say?”
Why do I write what I do?
The Chicken Thief series emerged from time I spent living in southern Africa. There were so many stories, and people and ideas that stuck in my head and I wanted a way to capture and develop those ideas. The process of writing the second and third books has been more about wanting to fully explore the characters from the first book. I wanted to know more about where they’d come from and why they acted in the way they did.
I loved my time living and travelling in southern Africa. Those years occupy a very special place in my heart. Perhaps writing this series is a way to both hold onto those memories and also honour them.
How does my writing process work?
To be writing well I need to be writing every day. I find that it always takes me a few days to settle into the rhythm of writing and to feel like I’m back into the flow. It’s a lot about quietening all of the other noise in my head and letting the writing take over. I usually try to write for a couple of hours every morning. I write quite fast, so I can achieve a lot in a short period of time.
One of my most incredible writing experiences was a writing retreat I took myself on last year. I spent a week staying by myself at the beach and it was an amazing time. For the first day I just journalled, working through the busy noise in my head. By the second and third day I was writing for for six or seven hours solidly and by the end of each day I was totally energised – on a writing high! It was a brilliant and productive few days. Likewise my month spent at Green Olive Arts, in Tetouan, Morocco, earlier this year was another wonderful opportunity to immerse myself in the writing.
Being able to write like that though depends on having spent a lot of time thinking. My daughter laughs about the fact that quite often my “writing” looks remarkably like me sitting staring out the window. I write a lot of notes, trying to work through issues or plot holes. At the moment I’m trying to sift through those notes and pull together a pile of ideas and random thoughts and edits and turn them into coherent chapter plans that will guide me through the final few chapters. If I have a reasonably detailed plan for each chapter, then I feel a lot more confident about sitting down to write.
Now I am passing #MyWritingProcess on to the following three writers. Friends, if you have time to answer the same four questions I’d be really interested to read about your inspiration and process.
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Fiona Leonard is now based in Ghana, West Africa, where she writes, blogs, home schools her daughter and plots ways to incorporate more travel into her life.