The creative process blog hop

Well, it looks like I've been tagged again. I've not been tagged this often since on the grade school playground! Last time, it by the lovely Catherine Johnson (here's the post). This time, it's my dear friend and critique group buddy, Sylvia Liu.

1. What am I working on?

Right now, I'm 
a) putting finishing touches on two stories for upcoming anthologies for my sci-fi critique group, The Minnows Literary Group. We publish science fiction anthologies of different themes and donate 100% of profits to Doctors Without Borders. So far, with our first two anthologies, Out of Time and In a Land Far Away, we have donated close to $5,000.

 
In "That Way Madness Lies," to appear in Centauri Station, a space-travel themed collection, I quote Shakespeare and put my poor main character, Nathan, in peril. 

For our second time-travel themed anthology, I'm writing a story called "Occupational Hazard" wherein Bertrand and Alexa face a time travel disease that may end up being a cure for loneliness.

b) finalizing three picture book manuscripts for my agent. 

c) revising a sci-fi short story that I want to submit to Writers of the Future. 

d) working on illustrations to prepare a portfolio and samples for art directors.

e) editing a middle-grade humorous sci-fi novel

f) doing research for, and writing, a young adult steampunk novel

2. How does my work differ from others in my genre? 

Science and science fiction guide pretty much all my writing (and some of my art).

I had a much better answer last time:
Aside from having a voice that is uniquely my own, as every writer does, I tend to weave science facts into my work. In the adult pieces that I write, I sometimes make people work a little bit to "get" the story. For example, in In a Land Far Away, some of the things I mention in "Three Long Pigs" will make the story much richer if you looked them up.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

Because it gives me joy and I hope it gives others joy too to read my stories or to see my artwork.

4. How does my writing/creative process work?

In fits and spurts, between harvesting and processing veggies in the summer, and homeschooling my kids year-round...tucked between my various other creative endeavors, and spurred on by the fires of Hades deadlines.

For writing, when I get an idea, I just open up a new document and do a brain dump. I need to work on being a plotter, though, if I hope to write novels that make sense.

For art,  I think about what it is that I'm trying to draw or convey, and then like with writing, I dive right in, sketching either with graphite, charcoal or digitally (I just started using the ArtStudio app that Sylvia had told me about; it's marvelous for beginning digital artists). After I'm happy with an initial sketch, depending on what kind of art I'm trying to produce, I will either work tight or loose with colors. My favorite are chalk pastels, water-media (either watercolor or tempera), and colored pencils.

Some of my current digital art can be found at http://trobesonart.wordpress.com/portfolio/illustrations-digital/

I normally don't tag people, but there are some folks whose creative processes I'd love to know more about. So, Steve Long, if you are up to the challenge, I'd like to see a blog post from you. No pressure! ;)

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

A writer's blog hop

I used to do these tagging blog-hop thingies (that is the official Latin term; look it up if you don't believe me) a lot when I first started blogging 7-8 years ago. But I got tired of telling people about my favorite color or most embarrassing moments. And I didn't want to just make sh*t up about myself like Ken Jennings did when he was on Jeopardy for far too long. So, I stopped doing them.

But, I was cornered asked recently by two writer friends I'm quite fond of and I couldn't say no. So, this is for Elaine and Stacy. :)

These are the questions, and supposedly, I only have to answer 4...or more if I'm verbose: 

1. What are you working on right now?

About a dozen picture book stories in various states of completion, a middle-grade light-sci-fi novel nearly completed, a young adult light-steampunk historical novel in its 4 chapter, and a whole bunch of adult sci-fi short stories.

2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Uhhh, I can't answer that for all those things I just listed. As far as I know, none of those things I'm doing have been overdone nor had the life bled out of them.

3. What experiences have influenced you?

If we're still talking about writing, I'd have to say taking that first creative writing class from the Institute of Children's Literature was the most important thing because one of my assignments from that course was the first piece of writing I ever sold. Joining SCBWI has been wonderful too.

4. Why do you write what you do?

Because I'm a sick, sick puppy?

5. How does your writing process work?

Or doesn't work? I write best in quiet places and I'm a pant-ser (that is, I don't plan out my story before I plunge in; I think that comes from writing mostly short stories and poetry. It gets so much harder when I write novels). That's all you need to know, really.

6. What is the hardest part about writing?

Getting published. 

7. What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

I feel like, thanks to my ADD nature, that I've pretty much tried it all. I don't usually read mysteries so I don't write mysteries, but everything else I'm game to try. Well, no erotica either. 

8. Who are the authors you most admire?

Isaac Asimov, Barbara Kingsolver, Robert Heinlein, Jane Yolen...I admire their writing. Since I don't know any of them personally, I can't say whether I would admire them as people.

9. What scares you?

People, spiders, dogma. I really should go see a shrink.

Yes, this is outside our game room window, and, yes, it is larger than my finger.

So there ya go. I'm verbose and answered all of them. As always, I never tag anyone to play these games, but if you do want to, please let me know so I can visit your blog and see your answers (and make smart-a$$ remarks).

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams