The What, The Why, and The How

As I continue on my journey towards publishing Break From You (...coming soon,) I though I would share with you some of the what, the who, the why, the where, the when, and the how of my writing.

What I write- I write contemporary young adult fiction on tough issues. Break From You is about teen dating abuse, and I'm currently drafting a story on bullying and depression. I have lots of ideas for more stories on tough issues, but I also have some ideas on a historical fiction and a thriller series. I wish I could write as fast as my thoughts can form...sadly I can't.

Who I write about- I write about young adults, and my main characters are girls. I mostly write from first person point of view, but I will mix in third person limited point of view from some of my male characters. 

Where I write- This answer can be split up into two parts- where I write physically and where (places/settings) I write about. First, the where I write- Our house has an office, but it faces west and it's dark most of the day, so I have made my dinning room table my desk. My front room, where my dinning table is located, has (almost) yellow walls (the wall color is actually a cream but in the mornings it looks very yellow.) When the sun shines through the windows in the morning the room lights up and is very inspirational. Now for places/settings I write about- My stories take place in Colorado. Colorado is my home and I am inspired by its beauty everyday. The town in Break From You was inspired by the mountain town of Woodland Park. The setting for my new story is Morrison and the famous cross on Mount Lindo.

Why I write what I write- There are a lot of reasons why I write what I write. I write young adult fiction because I believe the teen years are a time of innocence, hope, new-found independence, extreme emotions, and the chance at true love. Anything is possible. I write about the tough topics that no one wants to talk about because I feel it’s easy to pretend things are not there, to ignore the signs, but doing so doesn’t make things better. It doesn’t make them go away. Sometimes a good book can help start the conversation. Knowledge provides the power to do amazing things, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

When I write-  I don't schedule my writing, but I always find time. I'm very busy being a mom, so I have to be flexible. I try to write some in the morning and a little more in the afternoon, but mostly I spend a lot of time writing at night when the house is at its quietest.  

How I write- I'm not a 'pantser', not really, mostly because I spend some time plotting, but my plotting is very minimal. My outlines are very vague and only contain notes on plot points and where I want the story to go. I keep a notebook, so I can make notes on characters and scenes, but then I write. I start at the beginning and see where the story takes me to the end. I change my outline as I go, adding and deleting things. I tend to stay true to my original vision, but I'm always surprised at where the story ends up taking me by the time I am done.

So, tell me, what is your the what, who, why, when, where, and how of your writing. Leave a comment or link to your blog. I would love to hear from you!