Friday, June 26, 2009

Guest Author Catherine Stang: Getting Your Story to Unfold


I'm pleased to have Catherine Stang as a guest author this week. Please leave her a comment. Remember each time you comment you are entered into the montly drawing for a PDF copy of one of my books.

Welcome Catherine!

Getting your story to unfold

I often have people ask me “how do you write?” Well, I don’t really have an answer to that. It’s a process that I’m not sure I could break down and explain. Although I have tried.
I remember in the early days of my writing that I went to workshops and conferences and listened to authors tell their method of writing a book. Some had story boards, some outlines or other organized methods. Which I admired, but couldn’t seem to do. I used to worry that I wasn’t a “real writer” because I didn’t work that way.

Then one day I went to a workshop by a famous author who was a favorite of mine. She didn’t have the answer to question of how do you write either. Like me, she wrote the story down and then made changes during the editing process.

Sitting there it hit me that there is no wrong to write. What ever works to get your story out of your head and down on paper is okay. Do what comes natural to you. Writing is an individual process whether you use outline charts, note cards, story boards or just like to write a complete rough draft as it plays out in your head. The main thing is to write. And trust your muse. Good luck!

Speaking of writing… I have a new book out. Dare To Love is the second in my Finding Home Series. (The Bargain is the first book.) Both are available from http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/ I have blurbs and excepts on my website http://www.catherinestang.com/ Also you can follow my Not So Secret Life on my blog http://www.cathystang.blogspot.com/ and discuss writing, reading and books with Dani Harper and I on our blog http://www.thesecretlifeofromancewriters.blogspot.com/

Here’s bit about Dare To Love:

Be careful what you wish for….

Jessica Monroe is up to her neck in problems when her father dies leaving her with a house full of orphans, a widow and her twins, and an ex-madam, plus a horse farm to run. She wants her brother, Caleb, to come home from the war to help her. She should have been careful for what she wished for because Caleb didn’t come back alone. With him is his band of ex-raiders turned mercenary.

Now they expect her to look the other way while they use the edge of her land as a base to commit their crimes. Well, she won’t do it. While trying to help a neighbor fend off the raiders, she ends up bringing home a wounded stranger who appeared out of nowhere to help them. Just her luck, handsome Tyler Beaumont is a marshal intent on bringing down her brother and his outlaw friends.

Finding Home Series, Book 2
Sometimes home is where you least expect it.
Available from http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/

Thanks to Linda for inviting me to blog. Have a great weekend!

Catherine Stang
http://www.catherinestang.com/

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for being here today, Catherine. I loved your unique characters in Dare to Love.

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  2. Sounds like my kind of story. I love novels with kids in them--I often include one. Your Dare To Love seems like a warm, loving, caring kind of book. Good luck! Celia

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  3. Catherine,

    Fancy meeting you again. It's been a while.

    Dare to Love sounds like a unique story idea.

    Linda, thanks for inviting me to read your blog.

    Sandy

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  4. Hi Celia and Sandy,
    Thank you for stopping by. Cathy has had a death in her family and may be late in responding. I know she appreciates your comments, as do I.

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  5. Hello Catherine!

    I'm not a 'real' writer either. *laughs* The one that always gets me is the "I started writing at six months old and scrawled my first novel in crayons!" Oh, how I yearned to be a novelist that *knew* she wanted to write stories that early. *sigh*

    Although I always seemed to be writing something or another, fiction was daunting to me. Especially since I couldn't seem to outline until I'd written enough of the story to have a handle on it. I'm somewhere between plotter and pantser. Um... plantser? *grin*

    Great post...

    Your book sounds absolutely wonderful!

    Best,
    Chiron O'Keefe
    The Write Soul: www.chironokeefe.blogspot.com

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