No book is the same when it comes to its creation. Even my process deviates to some degree with every book, though I have several tricks in my bag that I pull out from time to time, what worked on one book might not work at all on another. One thing is consistent though that that’s the stages I travel through. Today I give you a glimpse into my mind, as scary as that might be. Read on at your own peril.

Stage 1- the new idea: This could be called the euphoric stage. I’m so brilliant, I’m a total rock star. The romance world will never be the same because I am so very clever.

Stage 2 – brainstorming: What was I thinking? This idea is never going to work. I’ll never be able to make a book out of this crap. Clearly I’d been drinking or something when I thought of the idea. Call Emily in a complete panic and we gossip and talk about movies we love and somewhere in all of this the book begins to emerge. These might actually be pretty cool characters and the plot devices aren’t that contrived.

Stage 3 – synopsis: OHMYGOSH! Why do we have to write these things? They’re like ancient torture devices. And then I get past the first two pages and things start swinging together and ta-da I do have a story and it might not suck after all.

Stage 4 – writing the rough draft: (notice I’m skipping the send the proposal to the editor/agent step because that has a neuroses all its own) I hate beginnings. I mean I loathe them. The first chapters are terrible. I don’t know these characters. Aren’t these the same people I just wrote about? Nothing is happening. They’re just sitting in a room talking about nothing and I’m bored. If I’m bored the reader is really going to be bored. I call Emily again and we do more brainstorming. We work out the next scene, I write it, then once again I feel as if I’m swimming through mollasses. I’ll never be done with this book…

Stage 5 – rewrites: wow, my rough draft is so short and terrible and has humongous holes in it, I still don’t know my characters. I’m wandering around through a cave in the dark, feeling my way around, completely lost and I don’t know where I’m going.

Stage 6 – rewrites part deux: someone has given me a candle, I can see a little light, find my way around in the dark and I know I’m at least moving and not walking in circles. The characters are beginning to make a little more sense, I think I’ve captures their “essence” and can work on their inconsistencies in the book. I’ve found my plot holes and have worked on my time line. There might be a book in this mess yet!

Stage 7 – layer, layer, layer: After the first book rewrite I go back through the book, fill in more holes, layer in texture and add sensory details that have been sorely lacking, and make sure the emotional growth is on the page. This really is a book. (this stage might repeat itself multiple times)

Stage 8 – critique: now I’ve worked my magic and its time for my readers to take a peek. I eagerly wait for them to call and tell me how brilliant I am and how it doesn’t need any changes at all. I’m deluding myself, but I’ve been in a book fog for months now and this is the first time I’ve come up for air in a while.

Stage 9 – spit & polish: here I work with my critique partners’ comments as well as fix any research holes I’ve been ignoring up until this point. I begin to panic that it’s not good enough that it sounds terrible and that I’m a total hack. But I keep going because the deadline is looming. I turn it in almost convinced it’s a good book and I really pulled it off this time.

Stage 10 – doubt: if more than a day goes by from my turning it in and feedback from agent or editor (which is always the case b/c they do actually have full-time jobs) the doubt sets in. I’m back to thinking I’m a hack. But that new idea I’ve been having is seducing me, convincing me it’s brilliant. I’m so super clever…well, you get the picture.

As readers do you like to read about authors’ writing processes and tricks of the trade? Or do you prefer to think of them sitting at their antique typewriters pounding out brilliance with every key stroke? What are the things in your life that make you crazy?