Shatter has finally been released into the world and is it a wonderful, terrifying feeling to know that something that you’ve worked months has found its way into the hearts of others. For months, you live and breathe these characters and their world. They’ve given you joy and heartbreak. Sometimes they disappoint you and sometimes they surpass your expectations. No different than all the other people in your life… except for the fact that they live in my head.
Actually, scratch that. They live in my head and Rinda’s.
And that’s a great thing.
I used to think that I could never write a book — let alone an entire series — with another person. How could they possibly understand this world I’m building?!?!
But Rinda gets it because she’s in there building it with me. She loves these boys just as much as me. It allows me to breathe easy when I trust her with chapters. Lucas, Andrei, Snow, Ian, Jude, and Rowe are all in safe hands.
The best part is that we can make this even bigger and better because I don’t have to hold it all in my head. We’ve got two brains on this series, working to chase down the bad guys, build a love story, and keep a family together.
But back to the title of this blog….
How do I do what I do when it comes to writing books?
In truth, I don’t know.
No, seriously, I don’t. I see these stories in my head like watching a movie in my brain. My job is just write it all down as quickly as possible. Sure, sometimes the film reel pauses, but I just glare at the wall and ask things like:
What would Lucas do next to try to show to Andrei that he’s learned his lesson?
And what is Gratton doing next to make Snow’s life a living hell?
After enough questions and some more glaring, the film reel starts up again.
I don’t feel as if I’ve created these people so much as they are already living in my brain, just waiting for their turn on the page.
When the scene plays in my head, I make some notes and then trot over to Rinda, telling her about the movies playing in my brain. She then tells me her scenes and we start meshing it all together.
Which leaves me wondering… don’t you have movies playing in your brain?
With Shatter out on shelves, I’ve changed the film reel and I’ve started watching a new movie that we’re calling Torch. We have two-thirds of the book outlined and several chapters written. We’re still in the early phase where we’re getting to know some of the new characters and I’m mentally walking around some of the new locations. I haven’t gotten a glimpse of the end of the book yet … but that’s coming in the next month. No rushing this though.
The best part of writing a book is the long journey. Not getting to the end.