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I get a lot of questions about how I write my books, and I'm never shy to say that The One That I Want was the most difficult for me to write. It went through about seven drafts! I'm a pantser, so I don't outline - I just start with a concept and go from there. If anyone has more specific questions, feel free to ask 'em!

Hi Allison:

1 - If this is the process you use, do you spend a lot of time going backwards and rewrite major parts you have already written?

2 - Do you know the ending when you begin the story, or does it unfold as you begin to write it?

3 - About how long does it take you to write a book? Do you have another job in the meantime?

4 - What is your favorite thing about being an author?

5 - Do you miss the characters after you finish writing a book?

Thank you for sharing with us!

Hi Marisa,

Thanks for the questions! Here you go:

1) Yes - I do spend a significant amount of energy on my first big rewrite because a lot of what happens in the second half the book doesn't align with what I originally wrote in the first half! So, it's really going back and adjusting the first 150-200 pages - I often don't really know what the book will be truly about until the second half. So yes, a lot of revision is involved.

2) No, I don't know the ending, as I alluded to above. I may have a very vague idea of where I hope the characters end up, but - and I realize this may sound hokey - I let them lead and feel like the most organic way for the book to unfold is to just kind of follow them where they want to go. That it's my job to put obstacles in their way, and then similarly my job to just record how they react to it. Because of that, certainly, books have unfolded in ways I wouldn't have anticipated.

3) I work on about a 9-10 month schedule. Six months for a first draft, 3-4 months for revision, and then I take time to reboot before starting over. No, this is a full-time job for me - I'm very lucky in that way.

4) Hearing from readers when something I've written has resonated with them. Not every book is going to work for every person: I get that, and as an author, you have to get that, but when you hear from a reader that you positively impacted her life or caused her to rethink something about a situation, there is nothing more gratifying.

5) Yes, almost always. It's a weird mix of being really sick of them and having also fallen in love with them. This was especially true of Jillian in TIme of My Life - I had a very difficult time letting her go and really struggled to start my next book because of it.

Thanks again for the questions!
Allison

Hi Allison,
Do you take time off in between books to clear your head and regroup? If so, for how long?

Would you consider your books character-driven or plot-driven?

Do you get feedback from other writers while you're in the process of writing a book?

Love your books, by the way.

Heather

Hi Allison,

I just discovered your books a few weeks ago and have enjoyed them immensely. I really connected with The Dept of Lost and Found and appreciated your writing something untraditional about a woman in her thirties with cancer. I am curious to know how you got the big push inside yourself to start writing novels. I noticed in your bio on your website that you freelanced for several years, but you majored in History/Marketing in college. How did you start coming up with ideas of things to write and how did you work from there to develop the characters and plot? I have toyed with the idea of writing, myself, but have trouble with the concept of beginning such a project, and then finishing it. I have wondered if I should take a creative writing seminar or something else, and was wondering if you did anything along those lines.

Thanks!
~Julia

Hi Heather, thanks for the questions!

I do take time - about two to three months - in between books to clear my head. I've found that if I don't, I really don't write the next one well. I struggled to let go of Jillian and Time of My Life in general, and as a result, the first 100 pages of my first draft of the One That I Want were fairly tortuous to write. :) So I don't do that anymore.

I think my books are a combination of character and plot, but initially, the big concept is probably plot. That said, it's hard for me to designate that alone because when I conceive an idea, it's always tied to to my protagonist. So, for example, with The One, it was about a woman who sees into the future, yes, (the plot), but it's also very specifically about this woman who has an overly optimistic view of how life works (the character). I can't have one without the other. But since what I write is defined as "high-concept," and high-concept is generally thought to be driven by plot, I'll go with plot. :)

I get feedback from my editor and agent as I go. Once I've polished my first draft, I may send it to a very dear writer friend like Laura Dave, but mostly, my editor and agent guide me. I really value their feedback and listen to their advice and criticisms closely. I often say that I need a fresh set of eyes after each draft to help steer me away from where I'm going wrong, so I always welcome constructive criticism. Even if you don't have an agent/editor, I urge writers to find trusted readers, as they're an invaluable part of the process.

Thanks again for asking!
Allison

Hi Julia,

Thank you so much for the kind words about The Dept! It's very near and dear to my heart, so I appreciate it.

I was a freelance magazine writer for half a decade before I got the itch to try fiction. It was really a situation of being a little bored and wanting to attempt to flex a different muscle. My first manuscript grew from a real life experience as many first ms do. I wrote it and it landed me an agent, but frankly, it was pretty awful, so it never sold. But I got some nice comments about my writing, so I kept going, and when I was dealing with a personal situation involving cancer, I used my writing as a way to cope with my emotions, as I think many writers do. Which leads into your next question: where do I get my ideas...they really stem from my own life and my friends' lives and what I observe in general about our culture and women and motherhood and all of that. With Time of My Life, for example, I've listened to enough conversations and had enough internal dialogue that I understood Jillian's tug of "what if."

As far as constructing plot/characters, that is something that I've learned on the job. I think there is nothing better than actually writing - and then, as I noted above to Heather - figuring out where you're going wrong and how to write BETTER - to help steer you toward publication. Every book I write gets a little easier (in terms of knowing what I'm doing, not in terms of blood, sweat and tears), and that's not anything I came into this process knowing. It's just what you pick up as you go.

I think classes/seminars are really helpful if you don't have any other experience, definitely! As I said, because I was a freelancer, I had a very vague idea of how to go about it, and I, personally, didn't take classes, but I know a lot of people who did and who found it helpful. If you're interested in it, why not? You don't have anything to lose!

Good luck with it and thanks for the questions!
Allison

Do you or did you experience writer's block? If so what do you do? Do you sometimes solicit from friends or family for theme for your next book?

Carmela -

I definitely get blocked sometimes and usually, I just try to push through it. When I'm in the thick of writing, I force myself to meet a minimum each day - usually about 1000 words. Even if it's total dreck, it's SOMETHING to work off of the next day. Some days, I literally stop at 999, and some days, once I get going, i find that I have more to say that I realized.

When things are really bad, I do step away for a few days. Sometimes, you just need breathing room. But I also think there's a danger in feeding that in that a few days can turn into a few weeks, and then you've abandoned the project and lose your momentum. So that's really not my ideal scenario, though I think there's value in stepping away, for sure, when the situation demands it.

I don't really solicit other opinions, other than brainstorming occasionally maybe with my agent whose opinion I trust, because I've found that I have to really CONNECT with an idea, and even if it's the most brilliant idea in the world, If I don't love it - and if it's not organic to me - I can't write well about it. i've tried that a few times, so I know of what I speak. :)

Thanks for the great questions!
Allison

How did you get published? Did you send out query letters and did a publisher contact you? Could you walk us through your plight?
Thanks!

Allison -- thanks for your response. This is neat to be able to actually write and get feedback. Best of luck with your writing and I'm really looking forward to what you put out next!

Cheers,
Julia

Hi Pia,

I sent out query letters to agents - they're the gatekeepers to publishers. But you have to write the entire book first, at least for fiction, so I wrote a manuscript - and revised it several times - then emailed a bunch of agents after doing research on which ones I thought would be good matches. It takes a lot of perseverance, but it can be done!

Allison

Thanks for your response. I was wondering what or who inspired you to go on writing field?

Carmela-

No one in particular inspired me - writing was just something I was always drawn to and good at, and after trying on a few different career hats, I fell into it as a freelancer when clients from another job asked me to work for them. I was able to transition to magazines and then to fiction. I was raised as an avid reader, and I'm sure this helped fuel my love of writing and books. I feel really fortunate to be doing this full-time.

Allison

Thanks for your response. By the way, when writing do you listen to music for inspiration? If so, may I ask what kind? Just curious. Also, do you have any plans of doing a book signing in Seattle?

Thanks for the response. Do you have any weird things that you need to do or quirks when you're in the process of writing??

Hi Allison,

I am working on a novel and am having trouble completing it because I keep editing/rewriting the chapters that I have completed because I know they could be better. I'm wondering if you have any advice for overcoming this problem? I recently read Time of My Life and absolutely loved it. I'm almost done with The One That I Want and like it so much I don't want it to end. I look forward to reading the Department of Lost and Found Next. Thanks for taking my question!
Diane

Hi Allison,

I am totally on the same boat as Diane. Any advice would truly be appreciated =)

Hi Diane and Pia -
I do this to a certain extent in that I revise the first 100 pages many more times than I do the last 200 pages. Because I write without an outline, it's important that I set up the framework of the novel correctly, as the second 2/3 of the book really are contingent on that framework, so I tinker with the first 100 pages a lot.

That said, I think there's a difference between making big changes (which are necessary for the plot in the second half of the book) and constantly tweaking because you're putting off finishing the book, which for many aspiring authors can be difficult. If you're just rewriting to improve the writing, I'd force yourself to let that go for the time being and chug through the rest of the novel. Set daily goals for yourself: even if it's 500 words a day, that HAS to be new writing. If you're genuinely reworking the plot in those first 100 pages, I think that's fine, but if you're doing it repeatedly, I'd take a step back and give yourself time to REALLY figure out the plot and what you want the book to say so that you don't have to keep going back in.

Ultimately, it's a lot easier to start a novel than to finish one, and (having been in your position before), the only way to finish it is...to finish it. You have to move past the need to rewrite those first chapters, knowing that you'll have plenty of time to do so once you've written the entire manuscript.

Pia - I was out in Seattle in June for a reading! Too bad! I'll probably head out again next year for my next book too.

Hope that helps!
Allison

Hi Carmela -

Ha! Yes, one of my quirks is that I almost always need to be chewing gum - Orbit Bubblemint is my preferred flavor. :) Isn't that weird? I can get by without it, but I really, really prefer to be chewing on it while writing.

Allison

This is only very loosely related, but when you were trying to get started and build up your writing credibility, did you find any value in participating in writing contests (no-fee)? Are those valuable to agents/publishers or is it more worthwhile to focus your attention elsewhere to bolster your bio in that area?

Thanks for your response Allison,
By the way, I sent you an email because I received Time Of My Life.
Too bad I did not get to meet you when you were here. Next time hopefully I would get that opportunity. Thanks again :)

Lara -

I've never participated in a writing contest, but if there is an agent/editor whom you REALLY want to get in front of, I could see how it could be valuable. That said, I'd probably put more time into a really expansive agent hunt, but again, if it's a reputable organization/contest, I don't see the downside.
Allison