Anne Zoelle is an old friend and classmate of mine from waaaay back in Elementary school. Her mother was actually our fifth grade English teacher, and one of the first to truly encourage my creative writing. Anne herself has gone on to build a nice name for herself as a writer, first in the realm of historical romance under the pen name Anne Mallory, and now as a fantasy writer.
What inspires your writing?
Challenges! I like to do things I haven’t done before, or explore craft pieces I haven’t tried in depth. These don’t have to be big challenges—it can be writing a book with the aim to make the reader feel as trapped as the main character, or writing a book in first person for the first time, or writing an entire (long!) series in one single POV, or writing three books all at the same time, or writing two separate stories that get weaved together, or redeeming a character who has done terrible things and doesn’t regret them.
So I try to ask myself with each new project—what writing craft can I explore that I may have only skimmed before? I find this very invigorating, and it keeps writing exciting.
What is your process for developing characters?
I write a lot of scene snippets to get the feel for characters. Most of the snippets have to do with emotional arcs and turmoil—focusing on what is holding a character back, why they think that way, terrible internal thoughts about their past, etc. Snippets usually consist of 5-10 lines of dialogue between characters or the internal thoughts of just one.
I don’t have any set process for starting, but I will bop between writing aides early in the brainstorming process as I’m figuring things out (I love reading craft books). I tend to start with character motivation/flaw/ghost elements, then write a few scene snippets, then start a character profile, then write more snippets, then start a Story Engineering spreadsheet, then a few more snippets and maybe even a few entire scenes, then go back to internal elements trying to match and find conflict between characters and characteristics, then I might write more in the spreadsheet, maybe develop a few more snippets, then start writing in earnest.
Development varies by project, but I do whatever it takes to get to know the characters in the story. They are always my primary concern, even when I could write a million words about the world around them.
How much time do you put into your worldbuilding before you start writing…or do you just make up elements of your worlds as you go along?
I do a lot of the big picture building before I start, but I build out a TON of the more intimate world details as I write the first few chapters. The way I write/revise lends itself to creating the big stuff first, then building out the smaller world elements as I go—littering future snippets in side documents as a sort of loose scene outline.
The main world, theme, and ending elements are thought through before I start the first page, and I often do discovery chapters or scenes to investigate characters and possibilities. Discovery scenes may or may not make it into the final book. I have hundreds of thousands of words in scenes and snippets that didn’t make it into my five book series. I try to think of those words as research instead of waste. I definitely write more than what ends up in my final draft.
Do you start with a story outline or do you make it up as you go along?
I do a little of both. From the first bout of brainstorming, I start with the characters and a base world or “world nugget.” Next I figure out the ending of the story based on the character development referenced above, as well as a few key emotional turning points. From those things, I start to build outward. A little world, a little motivation, a little more world, maybe a first chapter, more filling of an outline, maybe a turning point, a written snippet of emotional angst, a little more world, a bit of a black moment, dialogue from the ending, etc.
While writing Chapter 1 and 2 everything is fluid and subject to change. By the end of Chapter 3, I have usually written an outline of emotional snippets that become an actual guide for the book—and they stay pretty static. For me, the first quarter of a book takes longer than the rest because of this.
Actual plot (what is Point A, where do they go, how do they get to Point B, how do they find Thing C…) tends to develop as I write. At the beginning, I don’t need to know they go to the Prime Widget Shop to buy widgets unless someone has an emotional issue with widgets and that needs to be shown on the page. So I write the head, build out the skeleton, then start crafting the monster as I work my way through.
There’s a famous bit about how everyone outlines—some people just do it as a first draft. 🙂 Whether you write a whole first draft, a 90 page outline, or anything on the spectrum between, writers are doing some form of discovery in their first phase of a book.
How many revisions does it take to get a publishable book?
For my first 5 or so books, I went through around three personal drafts—the kind where you write to the end then rip everything apart and cobble it all back together. I found it really hard to stay motivated the further in the process I’d get, though. It was like ripping out nails to sit at my keyboard when I was tearing apart a completed but flawed project.
I started doing more backtracking as I wrote (editing large swaths before creating new chapters) and decreased the drafts where I had to tear anything apart. Then I started writing fantasy and I had this huge world that I had to keep track of and I began backtracking like mad.
Now, I revise as I go as a matter of course. That usually looks something like this—write 1st chapter, revise chapter, write 2nd and 3rd chapters, revise first 2 chapters. Write 4th chapter, revise first four chapters. Add a few more lines to the outline. Write 5th and 6th chapters, revise everything. Figure out the midpoint scenery in order to start writing to that element. Write to the midpoint. Take a look at everything, edit where needed, then write like mad to the end (stopping every 4 or so chapters to edit the last few–usually combined with sticking points).
This process takes longer, but I stay excited, and when I get to the last page in the book, I’m ready to send it to an editor that same day. There’s no going back to rip anything apart, because I already did that in smaller waves. I think it keeps my books more streamlined, but it DOES take longer, which can be a huge deficit to anyone looking to finish faster.
Ripping through a large mess makes me want to turn off my computer, but I know my process would cause others to shudder. Definitely find what works for you. Find out what gets you into your writing chair. What makes you excited? How can you get that excitement to overflow or overtake the things you dread? Keep track of what makes you excited to get in your chair and what makes you dread it. Try to figure out a process that sinks the scale to the former. 🙂
How much research do you need for your stories?
It depends on the story. Sometimes I have to dive deep into steam engines, how ballpoint pens were invented, or ancient sites and what could be buried there. But sometimes I’m writing a world I already know pretty well—so less of the research “grind” is required. Still, there’s always something to look up. 🙂
What researching methods do you use?
I have a stable of research books collected over the years, but I still find myself online first. I usually do a general Google search, then I go to Wikipedia for their overview, citations, and links (the “See Also” links can be a treasure trove). Then I’m either back to Google to look at scans from historical primary sources, Google Scholar, or Google Maps—or I’m off to museum websites, libraries, books, etc.
Museum websites are usually chock full of interesting articles and tidbits, and I highly recommend both idle and focused browsing through them—it can spark some great ideas.
Do you draw on personal experience?
I draw on personal experience for some character details or interactions, but because of the genres I write in, I either have to check secondary sources and historical accounts or I get to make up fun things like how magic works (I have no personal experience casting duplication spells that allow a duplicate me to weed the yard at the same time I’m finishing a book, alas).
Writing about the human condition is always at least a little personal, but reaching past personal experiences to try and figure out how someone else thinks is a journey that is continuously fascinating.
How did you publish?
I first published traditionally. I entered a contest and my editor was one of the judges. She contacted me as a result of reading my book through the contest.
I published 11 books with HarperCollins, then decided to hop on the new, fun train of indie/self publishing.
Why did you do it that way?
When I started, traditional publishing was the main avenue for getting books in readers’ hands. I enjoyed my years with HarperCollins very much. But by 2011, self-publishing was providing higher incomes for genre authors who were not in lead/marquee traditional slots. Since I was looking for a change in what I wrote (historical to fantasy), it was a great time to try a new road.
How long did it take to land representation?
I negotiated the first two book contracts with HarperCollins myself, then hired an agent on the third.
Who did your indie covers and marketing?
Damonza.com did five of my covers and I did three. For the new series out in the fall, an artist is creating cover illustrations that I am very excited about. As soon as she is done, and indicates whether she’s open to more book projects (this is her first), I’ll plaster her name everywhere for people to contact. She’s fantastic to work with.
I do my own marketing.
How much forethought did you put into your spinoff and follow-up novels?
A lot! They had to match the first book and build on the world and characters. But, I will say that sequel novels with the same characters automatically get you past the “who are they” questions and discovery and into the “who are they striving to be in this next step” or “what is driving them now” queries. So there’s both more and less required.
What are you writing now?
I’m writing a three book series set in an alternative (magical) Persian Empire that I plan to release back-to-back in the fall. Writing the whole series at the same time has been invigorating, and there’s a good chance I’ll try it again with the next series.
What is your advice to other writers?
Find what makes you excited!
Develop coping strategies for whatever your regular “holdup” is. We all have them! There’s a reason writer’s block is so famous.
For me, writer’s block usually means I have a problem in the story that my brain won’t let me move past, but that my brain is too tired/overwhelmed/stressed/lazy to point out concretely. Rereading my WIP or reading craft articles are two ways that have worked to boot me out of a block even when I’d rather play video games. So if I keep avoiding my computer chair? Maybe I read a craft article instead. Or take a small worldbuilding item and work through it. Something usually shakes loose or at least makes me think about a different part of the story.
But sometimes we just need more sleep or self care! So take time for you, too.
Be sure to get your copy of Anne’s latest book, “The Destiny of Ren Crown” and check out the rest of the books in the Ren Crown series!
