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April 14, 2014

Barb Han: My Writing Process



Thanks to author Diane Kelly, for inviting me to participate in the “My Writing Process” blog tour! Diane writes romantic mysteries featuring feisty heroines, quirky sidekicks, and sexy leading men, with humor that leaves readers laughing out loud. Diane’s manuscript for Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure won the Romance Writer's of America's  prestigious Golden Heart award. Visit Diane and learn more about her books at http://www.dianekelly.com/.

In this blog tour, authors share a bit about their writing process. Here are some details about mine:

1) What am I working on?  I’m working on a story that will help launch a new line for Harlequin, Harlequin Intrigue Noir. My story is about a female spy who has been assigned to go after one of her own. It’s darker, grittier, and sexier than anything I’ve ever written and I can’t wait to share it with you. The tentative release date is October 1st.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Others have said I write action like no one else they’ve read. I love that.

3) Why do I write what I do?
What could be better than getting to orchestrate two people falling in love, or killing a bad guy on the page? I love writing romantic suspense.  

4) How does my writing process work?
My process has changed a lot since signing on to write for Harlequin. For my publisher to buy a story, I have to think through the main plot points in advance and give them an outline of the story with the first three chapters. I’ve become more of a planner and that’s been a difficult but great thing for me. The even better news is that they don’t make me stick to the outline strictly. Stories unfold for me as I write them and rarely end up as I initially imagined. The surprise is the best part.
I write every day, seven days a week and pretty much everywhere. If I find I’m getting stale (which basically means I’m not getting much word count) at my desk, I move to the living room on the laptop. I bring my laptop to carpool and kid sports (practices). I’ll go to the coffee shop if writing at home stagnates. Changing scenery tends to boost my productivity. Writing every day consistently also increases speed and quality. My writing brain is a muscle just like any other. The more I work it out, the better.    
  
Look for the “My Writing Process” blog tour next week at these author sites:

Robena Grant enjoys writing the ordinary heroine in extraordinary circumstances who coaxes the solitary hero into creating a team. Visit Robena at www.robenagrant.com.

RoseAnn DeFranco: Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, RoseAnn DeFranco turned her creative energy to writing funny, steamy romance with heart which resulted in the BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS series. Visit RoseAnn at www.radefranco.com.  

Diana Layne: A homeschooling mother of six, suspense thriller author Diana Layne balances her hours between nurturing her children and killing off bad guys. Visit Diana at http://blog.dianalayne.com/ 

10 comments:

Michelle Miles said...

Great post! It's always interesting to get into the head of another writer :)

Barb Han said...

Thank you, Michelle. And thanks for stopping by. I love hearing about writing process. I'm always so fascinated at how different everyone is.

Janie Crouch said...

Sounds great! Can't wait to read your Noir. And I might try your idea about changing up my writing locations -- maybe that will infuse some creativity.

Barb Han said...

Thank you, Janie. I'm excited about this one and it's all happening so fast. October will be here before I know it. Changing it up always seems to help me. Let me know if it works for you. :-)

Diana Layne said...

good idea to change up places on where to write! Sometimes I have to change up methods of writing too...ie computer, writing by hand and writing on Neo.

Barb Han said...

Thanks, Diana. I'm always amazed that you can write by hand. For me, that would equate to one book a year if I'm lucky. LOL

Robena Grant said...

I do love hearing about your process and I admire that you write every day (and with a husband and family to care for.) I have none of those, not even a dog anymore, and yet I don't write new words every day. I'm going to go back to doing that. And, I'm looking forward to the release of your Noir. Can't wait.

Barb Han said...

Thanks for stopping by, Robena. I think a busy schedule is key. There's no time to do it later and my brain realizes that. LOL

Linda Steinberg said...

thanks for sharing your process, Barb. Diane, I sometimes write by hand too. Usually in the doctor's office when a bit of dialogue comes to me. But I used to often just get off the computer and sit down with a cup of coffee and a notebook. Seems far less intimidating than a computer and the words flow better.

Harlie Williams said...

Congratulations on the new line. I had a storyline for them but it wasn't gritty enough.

Intrigue is my favorite line so I will definitely scoop them up when they come out.

:)

Marika/Harlie