I want to thank Stella Papadopoulos for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.  We met at YES OUI CANSCAIP, a writers’ group for writers and illustrators of children’s and young adult books. She is an artist who is adding writing to her list of talents. Read her post on her writing process at http://inspirationsbystella.blogspot.ca

And now, on to the blog tour…

My Writing Process

What are you working on?

I have a few things on the go. I’m putting together a collection of previously published short stories called The Red Pagoda and Other Stories and will publish them as an e-book. I also have to revise a play which is based on the title story in the collection, The Red Pagoda, and revise a rough first draft of my next young adult novel.

How does your work differ from others of its genre? 

I don’t know if it does. I’ve been inspired by so many authors and have read a wide variety of books. I don’t think about being different and just work on telling a story the best way I can.

Why do you write what you do?

My parents rarely spoke about their lives in China and their early experience in Canada. This sparked my interest in Chinese-Canadian history. I can fill in the gaps of my family’s history with research and imagination. My stories often contain the universal theme of immigration and survival in a new country.

How does your writing process work?

When an idea hits me, I let it incubate in the back of my mind. It may take weeks or months before I write anything down. When I think I have something, I jot it down in a notebook, either as an outline, or a chapter. I write as much as I can, then I put it away for awhile. When I come back to it with a fresh eye, I can see what the problems are. If I still love the idea, then I’ll work on it. Repeat the above as often as necessary

So that’s it for me. Thanks for stopping by. Now, I’d like to introduce two other Montreal authors who will blog about their writing process next week.

Karen Avivi

Karen Avivi is the author of the award-winning young adult novel Shredded.  Like the characters in her stories, Karen is active and adventurous by nature. She’s tried surfing, skydiving, scuba diving, stunt classes, archery, winter camping, orienteering, mountaineering, mountain biking and backpacking. If she’s not reading or writing, she’s usually planning a new adventure.  Learn more about Karen at karenavivi.com

Flying by the seat of her yoga pants through life, Kim Handysides metamorphosed from stage and film (on set with De Niro once) to TV producer, weather reporter, voice actor & romance writer.  Visit her at http://kimhandysides.com/