The Writing Process Blog Chain

Here is my take on the writing process blog chain that is going around. Next week it will Frank Muir, the witty and wondrous crime writer, known in crime writing circles as Fruitie Frankie due to his contribution to the Killer Cookbook.  www.frankmuir.co.uk  is his website. It will be interesting to see what he has to say.

But for the moment, here's my contribution.

                                      

1)     What am I working on?

At the moment I am completing the first draft of book six while sorting out some publicity for book five, The Night Hunter which is being published on the 31st of July. While walking the dog book seven is swirling round my head in some kind of confused state but if I leave it long enough it will sort itself out.

              

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don’t think it does, crime writing is very much Ronseal writing – it kinda does what it says on the tin. Although I am definitely moving from being a writer of police procedurals to being a thriller writer. So expect dead bodies, thrills and spills liberally dosed with dark Glaswegian humour.

                              

             

3)     Why do I write what I do?

 If I didn’t write a book about murdering people I would probably be a murderer. Its very cathartic. That’s why most crime writers are nice people with a good sense of humour we get all our badness out on paper.

                

                                    

4)     How does my writing process work?

 I made the decision early on in my writing career to keep the day job so I don’t really have any time in my writing life to sit and wait for the muse to strike me. I just batter out words! I scribble out a plan on a page of A4 paper then I write 100,000 words then edit that twice. If I have time I will leave it for a while in between so that when the second edit comes I approach it fresh. I also eat a lot of chocolate.

                                               

A lot. Here's a picture of Frank to keep you going until next week. No doubt he will keep us in touch with what is happening in the Andy Gilchrist series set in Bonnie St Andrews. Frank spends a lot of his time there - in the pub, researching.... or that it what he tells me!

                                

Caro 14 04 2014