The Creative Writing Process & Progress on Sequel to Seasons of Her Soul

The Creative Writing Process & Progress on Sequel to Seasons of Her Soul

by Pink Collar Coach

Day 305 of the Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Project had me blissfully immersed in the creative writing process so that I made tons of progress on the sequel to my debut novel, Seasons of Her Soul. The day got started on a high when I learned that it is now available on Barnes and Noble.com. It’s been on Amazon since January, however, getting into B&N has taken more time, so I’m thrilled. Then, in preparation for Thursday night’s writing group critique, I worked off of the feedback from last month’s critique to revise the outline for Hold On Her Heart –  Book II in the Lee’s Legacy series and created a preface of sorts to re-acquaint readers of the first book with the characters and to introduce them to new readers. The group suggested that I read some sequels to see how to write one effectively, so I turned to the work of Karen Kingsbury, the Queen of Christian Fiction, and Francine Rivers, who I want to be when I grow up as a writer. All of these actions are considered Prewriting –  the first step of the 5-Step Writing Process. Time flew by, as it always does, when I’m in my zone AKA the creative writing process. It’s no wonder I made such great progress on my first novel’s secret!

Creative Writing

Sharing the creative writing process with was one of my favorite things about being a middle school teacher. Not only did I get to do this with my students; I got to equip fellow teachers to teach by writing and presenting a creative writing workshop. The creative writing process I use is only a skeleton – and each writer fleshes it out to build a process that works for them. For the purpose of this blog post, I’ll list all of the steps in the process but will only explain the first that I’m currently working through on how I use it.
The Creative Writing Process
1. Prewriting – This includes finding and building an idea, then planning and structuring the story around it. Keeping notes on new ideas is important. This can be done with pen and paper or electronically. (I type them into my laptop or phone when on the run or even in the middle of the night – they get lost otherwise). And I can’t emphasize how critical it is to keep the notes from a previous book when planning to  write a sequel or even a non-related book. Though you won’t use all of them, NEVER throw out the baby or the bathwater! The book – your baby – may be born from the notes you keep; your next one may be conceived from the ones you set aside and fertilize later! Finally, this step often involves some type of research.
2. Writing 
3. Revision
4. Editing
5. Publishing
As a Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose author, this writing life is like a crazy roller coaster ride. There are days when I experience extreme highs and then I get plunged into steep lows. Sometimes it can be terrifying. Other times it’s exhilarating. Like today when I not only learned that I reached a goal I set for my first book but when I maximized the creative writing process to make progress on its sequel.
I hope you’ll be Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose and check on the book below. Also, I’d love to hear about your creative writing process. Thank you!

Be savvy & chic,

~ Pink  Collar Coach

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