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Laura O'Connell on Writing and Giveaway of Web Of Lies!

We have Australian author Laura O'Connell and she's also doing a Giveaway of her latest Web Of Lies! So over to Laura now ...
 

WRITING IS AN ADVENTURE

Thank you Nas for having me at your blog, today.

A few weeks ago, I attended the Gold Coast Writers Festival and I learned the term, Discovery Writer. This immediately caught my imagination and it came together with another word, adventure.  I decided writing is an adventure because we don’t know where the journey is going to take us and also we discover many new and interesting twists and turns on that journey.

It is well known that writers are either planners or pantsers. Pantsers for those who aren’t familiar with the term are those writers who sit down and just write with little planning beforehand. I like the idea of being a pantser but my accounting background has influenced the way I attack a project. I think it has something to do with all the events of my work having to be in correct sequence and balanced back to zero. I plan all my novels in an excel spread sheet before I begin that first draft. With the blue print completed, I write the first draft much quicker and the work needs less revision.

However, with my current work in progress, I’ve completed my character profiles and I’m allowing the muse to take over and let characters discover their own journeys. I work from character motivation rather than plot. This is a lot more fun than planning the whole story and then writing the draft. It gives the characters more scope to be themselves and lead the way. This process can be filled with potholes if I allow my imagination too much freedom. I end up writing much more than when I plan it, which means more revisions.

However, I’m taking a romantic outlook and deciding I’m going to be a discovery writer for my current project. I like the pioneering flavour that it has.

How about you, do you think discovery writer is a better description than pantser?

About Laura O’Connell

Laura enjoys writing stories about second chances in love and life. She calls the Gold Coast home, however, her curious nature leads her on adventures to locations that surprise and inspire her. Laura has a passion for telling a good story set in places where she has lived and travelled.

Laura around the web:
Website        Facebook          Twitter        Author Page

Book Blurb – Web of Lies

High school sweethearts, Stephanie and Lachlan are torn apart by circumstance, bad decisions and a web of lies, leaving an unknown future for their son, Ryan.

Eight years later they reconnect, but the time apart has changed them. The family had made decisions based on lies and deceit and now must find a way to either reveal the truth or find another option. On the surface, their arrangements seemed flawless, but dig deeper, and the people they thought they knew aren’t as they appear.

Lachlan and Stephanie are forced to confront the consequences of their actions and the entire family is compelled to reveal the truth, find forgiveness, and renew loving one another. But the hardest decision is still to come … where does Ryan live?

Buy Links:

Amazon       Amazon UK



One Lucky commenter will get a copy of Web Of Lies!

35 comments:

  1. I don't know about you, but I think the term 'pantser' is awful. I like your term much better, Laura.

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    1. Thanks Maria, I think it is a much better term, too, which is why I think the gentleman who used it before me caught my imagination.

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    2. Hi Maria!

      I don't even get 'pantser' what? Fly by your pants? Lol! I beleive every writer probably has an outline and plot in their mind.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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    3. Welcome to Romance Book Paradise Laura! I do hope you will enjoy chatting with all my friends here!

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  2. I started out as a dedicated pantser, but as I go down the writing path, I'm morphing into a plotter.

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    1. Hi Leslie, It seems many writers are changing the way they write as they develop. I think it has something to do with becoming more efficient and productive because of looming deadlines.

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    2. Hi Leslie!

      I agree here with Laura.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Hi Laura. I think those of us who started as pure pantsers have moved towards plotting as Leslie says, but I think for a story to sing you always have to let the characters have their way up to a point.

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    1. Hi Denise, I agree! It's important for the characters to have their heads, which is why I'm settling into a mix between a planner and a discovery writer. Nice blend that allows me to get out of the straight jacket of planning that I used to have. I really like the way our writing evolves as we gain more experience - an exciting journey. :)

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    2. Hi Denise,

      Thanks for coming by! If you let characters cook a while in your mind, I believe you can do great!

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  4. I dislike the term pantser. I've always called it flying into the mist, but your term discovery is perfect. Love it!

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    1. Hi Shelley,

      Discovery writer sounds far better than a pantser.

      Thanks for dropping by!

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    2. Hi Shelley, I haven't heard the term 'flying into the mist'. Thanks for sharing that. I like to learn something new every day.

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  5. Thank you so much for introducing me to Laura's book, Nas. It sounds wonderful. I never get tired to meeting how other author tackle their work.

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    1. Thanks so much for dropping by, Joylene. I hope you enjoy my work.

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  6. Web of Lies sounds like a good book!

    I am personally a planner. Whenever I try "pantsing" it, I don't finish!

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    1. Thank you, Sherry. Yes, when I first tried 'pantsing', I come unstuck about half way through and didn't quite know where I was going to go next. A dead end with nowhere to turn but to back out the way I came in.

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    2. Hi Sherry!

      Web of Lies is a wonderful story, I'm sure you'll enjoy.

      Thanks for dropping by!

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  7. Oooo... Laura's work sounds fantastic. Thanks, Nas, for having her here today! And I'm such a pantser... Me and plotting = Not good. LOL.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, Morgan. We are all different in our approach to writing. The important thing is to find our most efficient way to get the work done. Now you can call yourself a discovery writer. :)

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    2. Hi Morgan!

      Thanks for stopping in!

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  8. I plot and pants. Can't do only one! Laura's book sound great. :)

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    1. Thanks for sharing your approach to writing, Lydia. As I venture further on my journey, I think I'll be a bit of both, too. :)

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    2. Hi Lydia!

      Thank you for coming by to read this post!

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  9. I started as a pantser but now I love to plot. It saves me so much time later down the track.

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    1. Hi Lynda, that's great, I'm glad you've found an efficient way to save time. :)

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    2. Hello Lynda!

      I agree, we need to plot and pants, then plot again so we don't get stuck.

      Thanks for commenting!

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  10. Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Nas. It's been fun to meet and share with your readers.

    Laura :)

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    1. Hi Laura!

      We all enjoyed chatting with you! Thanks for giving us your time!

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  11. Hi Laura and Nas. I'm always fascinated to learn "behind the scenes" steps that all of you talented authors take to help enable a book to end up in my hands. I'm amazed every time I read a fantastic post like this about the thoughts and processes that go into producing a book of purchase-worthy quality. Laura, Web of Lies is a book-shelf keeper for me. I'm not sure which process you should use for future stories, what ever you have been doing sure works for me :)

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  12. I've been a pantser, and I'm trying to reform to a plotter. I'm not there yet, but I am working from fairly detailed character sheets filled with a lot of motivations. And a plot timeline. Also, I must know the ending before I begin, even if it changes. I'm hoping to avoid massive rewrites. It's a start :)

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  13. I do like that term! I'd love to be a discovery writer, but I'm afraid I'd end up with a huge tangled mess. Maybe I should try it sometime and just see what happens - it sounds like a fun first draft (but not-so-fun revisions.)

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  14. Your term is much more suitable, Laura!

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  15. This was interesting to read. I like this term. I'm a plotter myself, but I deviate from the plan slightly since the characters take over.

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Share your wisdom!