I always kind of chuckle when someone asks me about my writing process because I usually swear up and down that I don’t have one. I pretend that I fly by the seat of my pants sometimes but other times I write lots of notes. I’ve even been known to make an outline — outlines that have specifics like “at 28-37% of the way through, we need a big event”! Sometimes the writing process starts with editing the stuff that I wrote the day before. Perhaps on random days that end in y, I write the story in order from beginning to end. Other times, I write a scene from parts of the story that aren’t anywhere near where I left off and then connect them all together later. Sometimes I forget a word and replace it with ELEPHANT just to get part of the story written, but on another day I may head to Google and write “what’s another word for short sword that people cut a steak with” because I forgot the word “knife”.
But there is a process that I go through on my best days for writing. It’s a bunch of silly little things.
But it all starts with procrastination. Procrastination is key for my writing process.
I usually do my best writing during the evenings after workdays that I didn’t go into the office (the commute just exhausts me). So these are the evenings that I do laundry, dishes, and other chores. These are the days I take my dog for the longest walk and let her sniff every single blade of grass.
Maybe I’ll play a game on my phone or iPad. (I’m getting really, really good at sudoku and those match three games!)
These are the days that I’m sure to catch up on my stories (Days of Our Lives) and watch movies. Heck, as I’m writing this, knowing that I’m going to miss the deadline that I have if I don’t sit down and take it seriously, I’m watching one of the Fast and the Furious movies (X — the one with Jason Momoa as the villain).
So, once I get all of that out of my system, maybe I will go to one of my streaming apps and put on some ambiance like a fireplace or rain sounds because if I’m distracted in the slightest, I’m not going to write.
It’s ironic how much I love to write, while I will simultaneously do anything I can to procrastinate the writing process.
But once I sit down with my tea and some snacks and start writing, it usually pours out of me. I’ve written 20,000 words in a weekend before, just because I was watching the Frozen Fireplace on Disney+. Oh, and because I had a
deadline that I was up against. I’ve gotten the feedback from my supervisors throughout my career that they’ve never met someone so committed to deadlines.
Maybe it’s the pressure of procrastination that drives me to be able to actually accomplish things.
What drives you to really get some writing accomplished? Is it the thrill of a job well done? Or are you more like me and want to prove to the world that, yes, we can complete that impossible task in time?!
Gibbous Moon
by Katie Groom
Paranormal Thriller/Romance
Werewolf and professor of literature Hugh spent nearly 200 years to find his soulmate, Zoie, but others betrayed him, working with rivals to take her away in only an instant. Revenge was swift and unsatisfying. More people need to pay for what was stolen from Hugh.
Zoie’s death had been orchestrated by powerful beings in the supernatural world. Exacting revenge will require precision and planning.
Biding his time before acting, Hugh reverts to the patterns that finding true love had disrupted. Walking through life in a fog, he does his best to appear as if he is moving forward, though nothing feels the same.
As Hugh tries to start the next chapter in his life with Rosalie, he is haunted by the memory of Zoie. The literature professor cringes every time he’s reminded that Rosalie doesn’t like to read, but he tells himself that opposites should attract. That Rosalie can patch the hole left in his heart when Zoie died. His revenge will take time, and wallowing in grief won’t help.
Just as Hugh is still focused on revenge, his enemies are still plotting to harm Hugh further. It’s dangerous to oppose a bereaved werewolf, but even werewolves can be hurt.
Excerpt
Zoie ran, but soon tripped and scraped her hands on a rock and grazed her head against a branch. She glanced over her shoulder every once in a while to shoot flame in his direction. It was inevitable that he was going to catch her.
She heard leaves and twigs in front of her rustling, and there stood Jack, having jumped over or flanked her at some point. “You can’t escape, girlie.” He circled her, taunting her. “I can either kill you and leave you here, or I can leave you within an inch of your life and send you back to your coven, witch.”
She didn’t answer. His circle became smaller with every time around. When he was just in front of her again, Zoie closed her eyes in preparation for what was surely going to be her real death.
Eyes still closed, she heard a struggle and Jack growling and thrashing. She opened her eyes to see. Branches were growing from the trees and wrapping around his wrists and ankles. A dark, thick fog formed across the forest floor, and black vines started to grow and wrap their shapes around Jack, lifting him until he was suspended between two trees.
Zoie fixated on what was happening. The vines wrapped around him, pulling more and more tightly as they climbed his body. She gasped as the vines tightened around his neck, causing Jack to strain to breathe until his throat was entirely crushed. The black vines crawled into his nose and then out of his mouth. Then, they suddenly stopped growing.
About the Author
When she isn’t working, Katie enjoys reading, writing, jokingly critiquing movies and TV, and campaigning that the plural of moose should be meese. She also loves to take in live music (especially Hanson) and traveling, with the goal of reaching each of the continents. Katie’s favorite pastime, however, is spending time with her beloved Shih tzu, Delta.
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