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The Process: Writing Process Blog Tour

I had never heard of the Writing Process Blog Tour until Lacy Mayberry, writer, friend, and fellow BorderSenses member tagged me in it. (She asked first.) I read the post on her blog (check it out here) The Hurl and Gliding about a week ago, because I wasn't certain what I was supposed to write. I read about her process and wondered, what the hell is my process? I've never put much thought into my process, so it took me a moment to consider what my habits and quirks were. So, here it goes.

What am I working on?
Nothing and everything. I'm trying to finish my memoir, Por Un Amor, which consists of several short stories, poems, and flash fiction about my grandmother. My goal it to finish soon. I keep putting off the finishing date, partly because life keeps getting in the way and partly because the book has become a part of me. I have two to three pieces I want to add then I'm done. Many of the pieces have been published recently, so I think it's time. I like to imagine it's my Ita giving me a kick in the butt.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Hmm.... How does it differ? I believe it differs in the stories. So far, each one is a story from my life, the stories that make up who I am. Everyone's different therefore mine are different because they're mine. Yeah, that's it. (Thank you, crazy family for giving me stories to write).

Why do I write what I do?
I first began writing fiction, which following this book I hope to continue with. I write nonfiction and fiction though, because I believe stories bubble up to the surface. Fictional ideas, real stories they bubble up and either they're the stories I repeat and tell or they keep floating up to the forefront of my mind. Lately, I've had an idea about a girl who rips pages out of books and keeps them. I still haven't figured out why or what she does with them, but she keeps appearing. I'm hoping she'll tell me soon.

How does your writing process work?
This is the part I had to put some thought into. I'm a binge writer. I know many people say the secret of good writing is doing it everyday, diligently, until the writing is sculpted into perfection. I write small bits at a time. I need to right setting though. I need the perfect balance of background noise. I need a comfortable seat. I prefer booths. I wish I had a booth at home. When I have these things I will write for hours, hitting backspace, typing, typing, hitting back space, until I think it is perfect. The waitstaff at several Village Inn know me from my long stays. I tip well and cash out if their shift is over though, so they don't mind. (At least I hope not!) I keep a journal I hand write snippets in. I have also began pasting in things I think are interesting like photos, scraps of paper, stickers. If I write nothing I try to be faithful to this blog and post at least once a week. Last, and how I began to write, is listening to people speaking. I like to write down their conversations and sometimes use tidbits of them later. People say the strangest things when they think no one is listening.


Up next on the tour:

The amazing fictionist Sylvia Aguilar Zeleny at Un Alma Cercana

The musically inclined poet Jennifer Falcon at Falcon's Desk

The beautiful multilingual poet Laura Cesarco Elgin

And the ever fashionable journalist Erin Leigh Coulehan at sinandloveandfear

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