Tag Archives: Pantser

The Artist’s Corner – Writing Faithfully with Author Deborah Edmisten

October 16, 2023 By in The Artist's Corner Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I met Deborah Edmisten a few years ago at a writers’ group, and while we didn’t become instant friends, I’m glad to say that our friendship has grown with my renewed attendance at the group. We were participants at an author event recently, where we had time to speak more personally, and I read three of her books, which I thoroughly enjoyed. That was when I knew I had to share this wonderful, talented woman of faith with my followers. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce Deborah Edmisten.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I’ve been married to my best friend for thirty-five years, I’m the mother of three sons and one daughter, a mother-in-law to three incredible individuals, and grandma to five unique and wonderful grandchildren. I was saved by the Lord in my early 20s; a miracle I’m grateful for every single day of my life.

I grew up in Akron for the first ten years of my life before my family moved to Canal Fulton when I was in fourth grade. I’ve lived in the Northeast Ohio area the entirety of my life except for a three-year-stint in Jacksonville, Florida, for my husband’s job with Goodyear.

We have an amazing church family which we cherish. We’ve been with them for twenty-two years, and we’ve experienced both tragedy and joy together.  It’s a gift to have that kind of a bond with a group of people, and we don’t take that for granted.

What has your experience been?

I had several different jobs before I became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of our first child. Camera sales, bank teller, office clerk at a wholesale seafood company, receptionist, and then administrative assistant at a financial services company.

Regarding training and my writing, this may make you laugh, but I’ve had absolutely no training in writing other than high-school creative writing classes and some mentoring in my early twenties from Sharon Mondragon, the author of The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady. I attended a Midwest Writers Workshop at Kent State Stark with Sharon in the late 80s. That is the extent of my training in the field of writing.

Did your work experience lead to the pursuit of writing? If not, please expound upon what led to your decision to write.

No, my work experience didn’t lead to the pursuit of writing. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a writer. My fourth grade Christmas list (that I still have) verifies this; I asked for reams of paper so I could become a writer. Though I wrote poetry and short stories during and after high school, my dream of writing didn’t come to true fruition until I lost my mom in 2005. For some reason, her passing caused me to have a “now or never” moment, and I dove in and have been writing ever since.

How did you develop your passion for writing?

I guess I would say that I didn’t develop a passion for writing, rather, it developed in me through my passion for reading. From a very young age, I found books to be absolutely magical, and that view into other worlds between the pages of books gave me a profound desire to write.

What or who is your inspiration?

Wow, this is such a tough one to answer! There are so many authors I read growing up and in adulthood who shaped my worldview and birthed in me a desire to write.

To name a few of them: L.M. Montgomery, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Wilson Rawls, E.B. White, Fern Michaels (Mary Ruth Kuczir), Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, John Bunyan, C.S. Lewis, and John Newton, to name a few.

Do you put yourself into your writing?

Elements of myself are in some of the characters I’ve created, but I haven’t modeled any one character solely on me.

About which subjects do you enjoy writing?

I enjoy writing about subjects that are meaningful and cause people to reflect deeply on many of the challenges that we encounter in life. Some of the topics I’ve incorporated into my books are domestic abuse, alcoholism, slavery, the Underground Railroad, anxiety, suicide, marrying a person who doesn’t share your faith, human trafficking, immigration, etc.

I enjoy the challenge of creating a story that tackles tough topics but is also entertaining.

What does your writing process involve? What’s your routine?

I used to write early in the morning at our dining room table, but after going through an intense season of anxiety and severe sleep deprivation in late 2021 and into 2022, my routine has changed. I’m not sure why, but now I do better with writing in the evening in my husband’s home office where we relax in the evening. Life is strange like that, isn’t it? I don’t write every day, though; I write when an idea comes to me, so that makes my writing sporadic.

Have you been featured in a magazine or other publication?

My middle-grade and tween books have been featured in several different editions of Story Monsters Ink magazine; a prestigious magazine and valuable resource for teachers, librarians, and parents when looking for quality teen and children’s books.

I’ve also been featured on a few author blogs – which is always fun!

In which contests have you competed?  What awards have you won?

I’ve entered the Story Monsters Approved contest, The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, and the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards. My tween time-travel series won the Story Monsters Approved seal of approval and my middle-grade books have won honorable mentions in both the Purple Dragonfly and Royal Dragonfly book awards. All three contests are prestigious and reputable, and I feel very blessed to have received recognition for my work from these contests.

Do you write for people (professionally or personally?) How does a client contact you?

My In Time series was written at the request of the children of a good friend of mine, but other than happily complying with that request, I haven’t written for anyone else professionally or personally. I’ve done some editing for fellow writers, but not professionally. Being a busy grandma, I’m not sure I’d have the time to write for others, so I doubt I would venture into something like that at this point in my life.

What’s your favorite story that you’ve written?

From a spiritual standpoint, my favorite book is Many Waters. I think it deals with profound issues of faith in an honest and real way, and that’s very satisfying as a writer.

The Red Dress is probably my next favorite. It deals with topics near and dear to my heart. In many ways, it’s a rough read, but the reality of history is often difficult to dissect, but that process is still necessary.

What’s your dream story to write/writing project?

I think it would be incredibly fun to write a play and see it performed on stage.

What’s one aspect about writing that you absolutely love?

I love seeing new worlds come to life and how connected I feel to my characters; the good and the bad. I love that my characters often tell me which direction they want to go, despite what I thought should or would happen to them. That aspect of writing is so rewarding.

What’s your biggest complaint with writing?

That I’m not as prolific as I wish I could be. In the writing world, I’m considered a Pantser – a writer who writes from “the seat of their pants” as they’re inspired opposed to a writer who outlines extensively before starting a writing project. I have to wait for ideas and storylines to form in my mind, and that isn’t necessarily always a quick process.

Would you like to work full-time as a writer?  If so, how do you envision this occurring?

All things considered, probably not. This wouldn’t be true of all writers, but I believe for me, writing full-time would deplete my creativity and make the writing process burdensome.

Do you write alone or in collaboration with another writer? Have you ever been part of an anthology?

I write alone. Being a Pantser, I’m not sure what a collaboration would look like, but never say never, right?

Yes, a short story of mine was included in the anthology, In Review: The Eclectic Works of The Write Stuff Authors Group and an essay in the anthology In Conclusion: The Eclectic Works of The Write Stuff Authors Group.

Where can someone find you online?  Do you have a website?

You can find my website at Nothing Hidden

I’m on Facebook at Deborah Edmisten, Author

You can also find me on Instagram @deborahedmistenauthor

How I Cheated at NaNoWriMo and Won

November 8, 2016 By in Writing Advice, Writing Toolbox Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

how-i-cheated-at-nanowrimoA couple years ago, my friend and fellow writer, S of JSMawdsley, talked me into trying NaNoWriMo. She mentioned it at the writer’s group she facilitates at the library where we worked. At the time, I was mainly a short story writer and dabbled in the occasional picture book. As luck would have it, I had an idea for a novel in mind, and NaNoWriMo seemed like the perfect way to get it out of my head and on my laptop.

Being new to the world of NaNoWriMo, I didn’t prepare at all. I just started writing on November first and quit on November thirtieth. I had 50,000 words, which satisfied the requirements of NaNoWriMo, but I didn’t have a complete novel. What I did have was a lot of work ahead of me and the conviction that maybe I really hadn’t won.

At this point, S would probably have told me I needed to outline my novel, but the first thing I discovered from writing such a lengthy piece is that I’m a pantser. I plot a little when approaching my writing, but I love to explore the rabbit trails because that is where I discover my best writing. My opinion on pantsing can be read here: Are You A Pantser?

So, did I win NaNoWriMo or did I cheat? I started at about the last one-third of the novel because I had the most information for writing that portion. In short, I learned the valuable lesson of researching before you write especially if it’s for a contest such as NaNoWriMo. You don’t want the added stress of trying to conduct research while keeping up a word goal.

I pressed on throughout the year editing what I had written and creating the rest of the novel as I wanted it to be. I researched more thoroughly and ended up chucking quite a bit of what I wrote for NaNoWriMo. Again, part of that was my fault, but I also wondered if one 50,000-word novel every year is what I wanted. Is that what the creators of NaNoWriMo want?

I suspect and sincerely hope the purpose of NaNoWriMo is to keep people writing because that’s what I did. Before I knew it, November had rolled around again, and with it NaNoWriMo. I wasn’t finished with my first novel, so why on earth would I abandon it for the added pressure of creating a new novel. Admittedly, I had no new ideas at the time, and I didn’t want the burden of coming up with one. Also, there was no time to research even the slim ideas that passed through my head.

Instead, I cheated, and I cheated grandly! I signed up for NaNoWriMo, and without a single ounce of shame, I re-entered my novel, The Secrets of Dr. John Welles. Dr. Welles’s story was almost complete, but I needed a little motivation to finish the missing chapters and tie it all together. NaNoWriMo provided this inspiration by keeping me on track with a daily word goal, but it also became a beneficial editing tool. If I edited my daily word goal, I counted it along with any new writing.

What I achieved wasn’t another half-baked novel, but rather a well-written, well-edited novel with which I was extremely pleased. A titch more editing after the fact, and Dr. Welles was ready for the hands of beta readers.

I took a couple years off from NaNoWriMo, but the point of the contest was always close to my heart. I knew I couldn’t devote time to a new novel and make The Secrets of Dr. John Welles all I wanted it to be.   Then there is the fact that when story inspiration comes to me, I have to begin which sometimes means starting before NaNoWriMo starts. Yes, there is Camp NaNo, but my heart belongs to the original taking place in November.

When NaNoWriMo rolled around this year, I was already a little over halfway through my current novel. During the month of October, I had to set my writing aside to prepare for my son’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor. When I was ready to restart, good ole NaNoWriMo once again came to the rescue as a means up jumpstarting my writing. Although I didn’t sign up with the official website, I created a spreadsheet to track and tally my daily writing goal. I’m using it to finish the current novel, for which I am prepared research wise, as well as for any writing I do that can be published including my blog posts.

Yes, that’s cheating because it’s not a single new novel of at least 50,000 words. But again, I have to believe the heart and soul purpose of NaNoWriMo is to keep writers writing. That is what I am doing.

Are You a Pantser?

November 5, 2014 By in Writing Advice, Writing Toolbox Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

There is much debate on which way to write a novel: Outline/Plot vs. Pantsing. Those who fall on one side or the other can provide plenty of evidence to support their chosen method of writing that shows why their way is best. So far, I’ve never seen the conversation turn into an argument. The discussion usually ends with one side giving the other a sideways, narrow-eyed, head-tipping look of pity for not seeing the error of their ways. It’s actually quite funny.

I find this debate always surfaces shortly before NaNoWriMo starts. Janalyn Voigt of Live Write Breathe offers advice for those who might consider giving pantsing a try. In my opinion, the points mentioned are only the beginning of pantsing. Since it’s not a formal writing style, I can’t imagine too many rules actually exist. Admittedly, I’ll be looking for them. Guidelines, however, probably abound.

I believe I fall closer to the pantsing end of the writing spectrum but well short of insisting it is the only way to write. I’m not against outlining, but like most things in my life, I never limit myself to one of anything. I have outlined scenes for my novels to use during the editing process and when research needed to be conducted. Otherwise, I write by the seat of my pants.

So, whether you outline/plot or pants it, I hope you enjoy Mrs. Voigt’s suggestions from her blog post Pantsing: Writing by the Seat of Your Pants.

  1. Quiet your inner editor. Without stopping to edit, you’ll complete your manuscript more quickly. Speed is important because you’ll be carrying a lot of details in your head. The longer it takes you to write the story, the harder it will be to remember them all.
  1. Write in marathons. Rather than writing at a steady pace, clearing as much uninterrupted time as possible facilitates your writing the first draft quickly. This prevents the disruption to your focus that even a small interruption can bring.
  1. Don’t let the story go cold. Sometimes you can’t avoid being called away to work on other projects, but afterwards it can be very difficult to pick up the story thread.
  1. Try to have at least some research done in advance. You probably won’t know everything you’ll need to research at this point, but the need to stop and research can throw off a writing sprint. Guarding against that happening as much as possible is a good idea.
  1. Don’t stop for research that won’t determine the plot direction. Only stop to research vital information. Bold print passages you need to check and do the research on the second pass.
  1. When you get stuck, skip to the next scene, if possible. Mark the uncompleted scene or passage to fix in your second pass.
  1. Jot things to fix on a notepad or on the first page of the manuscript. Write a quick reminder of what needs fixing while you’re immersed in the creative process and you’ll thank yourself during the editing process.