Sunday, February 11, 2018

Laurie Lucking on Writing // Guest Post + COMMON Blog Tour & Party Invitation


HULLO, MY DEAR DRAGONS! Today, I am absolutely ecstatic to be a part of the launch team for Laurie Lucking's debut novel, Common!

Laurie is a sweet soul I met online through spec fic writing groups and mutual friends, and when I learned that she was releasing a novel with L2L2 Publishing, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. 💗 Without further ado, Common...

ABOUT THE BOOK


TALES OF THE MYSTICS, BOOK I

Only one person knows of the plot against the royal family
and cares enough to try to stop it -- the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah's safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Rafe's parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess, and she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. When she reports it without proof, her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by an unusual group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe's safety before it's too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne. Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?



GUEST POST: MY (SOMEWHAT
DYSFUNCTIONAL) WRITING PROCESS

I never planned on being a fiction writer. Although I've dreamed up stories for most of my life, I never thought to write them down. So when I became a stay-at-home mom and needed a creative outlet, the idea of writing a book felt like it came out of nowhere.

It started as a hobby. I didn't know if this strange new obsession would even last the week, so I just had fun writing whatever events or conversations I came up with. Eventually those blossomed into more and more scenes, until the entire storyline took shape. When I decided I had so much written that I may as well complete the book, I went back through, drafting transitions and filling in the gaps. The editing process required a huge overhaul to make the story consistent and to improve the pacing and character development.

You'd think when I started my new project (what is now Common), I would've learned from that first experience and taken a more organized approach. Nope! I did the exact same thing, writing whatever scenes inspired me and letting the story grow organically from there, leading to another major editing overhaul.

It's not pretty, but at least for now, it's how I operate. And I don't see that changing any time soon. Because as dysfunctional as my process is, it’s what makes writing fun for me.

When I first get a story idea, it's a vague sense of two main characters, where they start, a few major conflicts, and where they end up. So I'm somewhere in between the plotter and panster extremes. The idea of outlining makes sense logically, but for some reason I seem to need to actually start writing and exploring the plot and characters before I can fill in the details of how they'll get from point A to point B.

And then there's a fact that I'm now the mother of two very active little boys. When I had one newborn I was looking for something to do, now most days I'm just trying to keep up. I only get to write a few times a week, and I have to carve out those opportunities. When I try to discipline myself to write the next scene in the story, regardless of whether I'm excited about it, the results are often a low word count and frustration that I used precious time to accomplish so little. So instead, as much as possible, I write whatever I'm excited about. The scene that keeps playing itself over and over in my head until I can get it down on paper. Even if that happens to be the second-to-last scene and I’m only halfway done with the manuscript. 🙂

My editing stages will likely continue to be painfully thorough, but if that's what it takes to keep me moving forward and enthusiastic about my writing, then it's a risk I’m willing to take! And I can always hold on to the dream that maybe next time I'll finally get my act together :)

How about you? Does your creative process look anything like mine, or do you manage to stay more disciplined? Has your approach changed over time?

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit and share about myself and my writing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


An avid reader since birth (her parents claim she often kept them up late begging to hear just one more story), Laurie Lucking discovered her passion for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. She writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of romance, and her debut novel, Common, releases in 2018 from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing.

Laurie is the secretary of her local ACFW chapter and a co-founder of landsuncharted.com, a blog for fans of clean young adult speculative fiction. A Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Find out more about Laurie and her writing by visiting laurielucking.com.

Website/Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Google+
Instagram // Goodreads // Pinterest

A SPECIAL TREAT JUST FOR YOU <3

Laurie and her publisher are hosting a delightful online celebration the day after Common releases! February 15th, from 6 - 8 PM PST, join the fun on Facebook and dive into a night of games, prizes, and trivia, featuring guest authors Michele Israel Harper and Jebraun Clifford!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

TOUR SCHEDULE


Thank you so much for sharing your writing process with us, Laurie! And congratulations on your first release!! 💕

Writers, what does your writing process look like?
Readers, have you pre-ordered Common, yet?

❤,

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1 comment:

HELLO, FRIEND! Whether you're new to the Dragoner's realm or a Dragon-friend faithfully returning, I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE. *hugs and gives you cookies*

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