Hey all! Shannon here, checking in for my rotation on summer panels. We’ve had a ton of fun with our June and July panelists and I’m so excited to hear from our August crew. Here’s who we’ll be chatting with throughout the month:
And since it’s week one, I get to introduce you all to my friend, and YA author, Adrienne Young. I met Adrienne through a mutual friend and she’s part of my local writing troupe. We meet up for dinner and book launches and general encouragement any chance we get–which, to be fair, isn’t nearly as often these days because of all the writing and such. But I’m so pleased Adrienne’s agreed to share with us.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have noticed that her debut novel hit shelves (and the NYT Bestseller List!) this past spring. Sky In the Deep is a beautiful YA fantasy and one of my favorite reads this past year. But more on that Wednesday. Here’s a bit about Adrienne:
Adrienne Young is the New York Times Bestselling author of Sky in the Deep. A born and bred Texan turned California girl, she is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, scouring antique fairs for old books, sipping wine over long dinners, or disappearing into her favorite art museums. She lives with her documentary filmmaker husband and their four little wildlings beneath the West Coast sun.
And now! For today’s panel question:
Adrienne: Not really. When I’m drafting, I’m pretty obsessive about it so I usually wind up writing a ton of words every day until I reach the end. If I start putting numbers on it, I think I kind of psyche myself out and wind up stressing. Instead, I try to just ride the inspiration before it runs out.
Steph: I have more of a time quota. Most days I split my work time in half. I’ll write the first half, and then the rest of my time is for blogging, social media, or whatever else needs to be done.
Jill: Only when I’m on a deadline. Then I know how many words I need to write per day to meet my quota. When I’m not on a deadline, I am much more lax about daily word counts. However, that also means I don’t get the story written as quickly.
Shan: Sometimes. Not so much lately. Mostly, I’m shooting for completing a scene or telling the next part of the story–whatever that happens to equate to at the time. Sometimes it’s as small a thing as transitioning the mood or setting, so that when I sit down for my next writing session I’m ready to tackle a big moment. Sometimes it’s working on a scene until I’m happy with the character or the takeaway. It really just depends on where I’m at within the process.