Evolution of My Writing Process
By Deena Alexander
One of the first interview questions I ever answered as a writer was, “Are you a plotter or a panster?” To which I adamantly declared I was, and would always be, a panster. Well, like most things in life, you can never be too sure what’s going to change. My first novel came in at a whopping 100,000 words. When it was published, it had been ruthlessly—and sometimes tearfully—cut to 54,000.
When I first started writing, I would sit at my computer each night and write whatever came to mind. Usually, what came to mind led to a satisfying conclusion—often with only a few minor tweaks to the storyline. Then one day, I painted my hero into a corner I couldn’t find a way out of. I eventually did, but I was never quite satisfied with the outcome.
When I started my next book, I was careful to outline the progress of the story and the ending so I wouldn’t have the same problem. That worked out so well, I started plotting everything. I plotted the number of words in each chapter, whose head each scene would come from, how many words would be in each scene. I made sure each point-of-view character got an equal amount of time. Needless to say, too much of a good thing hindered the writing process, and I ended up with a major case of writer’s block.
Now I’ve found a nice balance between the two. I plot the major parts of the story. I don’t plot the ending. I never decide how a book is going to end or who the killer is until the entire story has been written and gone through several rounds of edits. Once the rest of the story is in good shape and ready to go out for submission, I write the ending. I love being surprised when I find out what happens.
Crime Scene Connection (Love Inspired Suspense)
by Deena Alexander
About Crime Scene Connection
Crime Scene Connection (Love Inspired Suspense)
Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense (January 12, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1335404996
ISBN-13: 978-1335404992
Digital Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense (January 1, 2021)
ASIN: B089RLTK6L
Her writing was fiction, until a killer made the danger very real…
A serial killer’s imitating crime scenes from Addison Keller’s bestselling novel, determined to make her the final victim. But with former police officer Jace Montana and his dog at her side, Addison might just be able to unmask the murderer. With time running out as the killer closes in, she must confront her past and unravel long-buried secrets…and hope they can all escape with their lives.
About Deena Alexander
Deena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena’s love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night, and she now works full time as a writer and a freelance editor.
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Thanks for this interesting post. It is nice to meet Deena and learn about her writing process. I always plan the end of my novels but nothing in the middle and I always seem to end up with many more words through the editing process. It’s so interesting how we are all so different. The book sounds great too.
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Glad you liked Deena’s post. I enjoyed it, too. I started as a pantster, but I’m plotting more nowadays.
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