Behind “The Process”: 10 Tips from the Author of the Vodou series

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Christopher Tallon

10 Writing Tips from Brandon Scott

Use sticky notes to collect your seemingly random thoughts. If you’re working on something and a strange new idea hits, write it on a sticky note. One liners, plot ideas, you name it. The main bad guy in Vodou started out as a sticky note, then later got incorporated into the story.
Always start with pen and paper. Don’t switch to the computer until you feel like you’re actually watching the story in front of you.
Don’t outline. Once you click with a story, you can make bullet lists and “ask [your] characters if they wouldn’t mind getting to some of these.”
Write your first draft as fast as you can. You can “hack and slash” later. Scott says, “My first drafts are a disaster.” But that’s just step one in “The Process.”
Take a red pen to your work. Don’t edit everything at the computer. You’ll second guess yourself too much.
Do 5 or 6 drafts. Then, after an editor looks at it and gives it back, reworking it some more.
Get character names from cemeteries. Scott goes through cemeteries in quadrants, writing down first names from one, matching them up with last names from another. Cool, huh?
Write what you know. If you’re writing about a foreign place, visit it. If you can’t visit it, talk to someone who is familiar with it. Like many writers, Scott centers many of his stories in fictional places based on familiar places.
Stop writing when the action is happening. Then you’ll be able to jump back into it quickly. I’d say this is one of the big things to take away from this. Several reviews of Scott’s books say that his pacing is phenomenal–which it is. So stop where it’s easy to get back into it.
Have thick skin when it comes to writing. It’s a game of rejection and endlessly trying to improve. None of it’s personal, so don’t take rejection personally.

Quit sitting around!

Go get Brandon Scott’s books, check him out on Twitter, Instagram, and FaceBook. Also check out the small presses he’s a co-owner of: Crimson Creek Press & Mimir Press.

Ep.99 | Trino – Magic in the Golden Age of Entertainment! – Creative Ops

"Trino the Magician" is the coolest. A super nice guy, talented, ambitious, and laser focused. You're going to want to get up and go do something cool after you listen to this. And you might have an itch to see a magic show. If so, check out http://www.trinomagic.com for info on Trino's monthly show "AMAZE & AMUSE", as well as anything else he might be up to. If you're the social media type, Trino is @trinomagic on most platforms. Also check out Luc's Light, a youth music and arts foundation set up in memory of Trino's brother. . . . Thanks for stopping in. Go to http://www.christophertallon.com for more on the show and its host, check out Christopher Tallon online @tallonwrites on social media, and make sure to read and review his novel Switchers. Go be creative!

Creative Ops is a semi-regular podcast, sponsored by River Town Adventures and Baby Farm Soaps, and produced by Hey Guys Media. Check those guys out.