#5Author Secrets

I saw this hashtag on twitter and decided it looked like fun! Here goes:

1. Despite outlining, I ALWAYS have to re-plot my entire novel during the second draft. Someday, I would love to write a really detailed outline and then revise the outline thus saving me months of labour (apparently this is how Ken Follett does it), but so far I haven't managed it.
2. I suck at description. In my first drafts, characters wander around in white rooms. I've heard other authors talk about seeing a movie in their heads. Not me. I see a tight focus on the characters' faces and that's about all. I manually add in description to each scene during the third draft.
3. When stuck typing, I switch to pen and paper until my flow is going again. This trick really works TRY IT.
4. I switch projects after the first draft. Letting the project "rest" until I can see it with clear eyes is part of my editing process, but it comes with a few drawbacks. All too often in the past I've ended up chasing a "new shiny" idea and never come back to the old idea, or come back so much later that my voice has changed. However, it does have one benefit: only the ideas I'm really in love with survive. The poorer ones are quietly culled, which means I'm less likely to waste time on a project that won't sell. At least that's what I tell myself. :)
5. I love How to Write books and am constantly modifying my process to incorporate new bits of craft.