Guest Post: Nicole Sheldon of The Betrayed Writer

Thank you very much to the lovely Nicole Sheldon of The Betrayed Writer for today's guest post!

~~The Writing Process~~

Struggling writer will write for booze, food.

Yep, that’s me, The Betrayed Writer and that’s actually an ad I consider posting anywhere someone will see it and take pity on my poor soul. I originally started my blog to revolve around my currently-waiting-to-be-found-published-and-make-me-a-star novel but I so quickly became caught up in the joy of discussing books with other like minded brilliant people that shared my reading interests. Bit by bit, my writing’s showcase on the blog kind of fell to the wayside to make room for book reviews, rants, raves and gossips. I didn’t mind, but when my favorite Kitty asked me about the process in which I wrote my first novel I sat there going wait, but what about the recent Shadowfever release!!! I tend to forget I am a writer- the husband doesn’t however when I’m shouting, “Go away! I just have one scene left!”

“What’s your process in writing?” The little Kitty asked me one dreary Seattle January morning.
What did I say? Nothing at first, I actually sat back and had to ponder this question as if considering the cosmos! My favorite question asked to any writer and I could not think up an answer myself. I quickly consider and discard many honest-albeit cheeky answers and decide to settle on the most organic, for I am your typical brooding, sulking writer.

Three years ago I had a series of dreams about a Vampire who had fallen in love with a Slayer and when I woke I wondered, just what exactly would happen when they found out what the other was?
The question, you see, was easier than the answer I quickly discovered. And once I had figured out the basic plot of the story, I had to figure out how to not just write it in a way that does not show case my back woods South Carolina education in daily oral language, but in a way that could make my readers see and feel every single moment as if they were living it.
From this, my process was born. And beaten… and cursed and kicked and smothered.



First, I sit on it. The idea of course, not the Vampire; she bites and not in a fun way.
I was very fortunate with my first book to have a cast of my own schizophrenic voices to show me the story thus saving me half the work of needing to figure it out for myself.
One of my favorite authors of all time says that she can’t control what her characters do. She just writes them doing these things as they happen. I like that, because she’s riding in the same boat of crazy I am.

Second, I open up my favorite writing tool in the world. Wine. Microsoft One Note. I scribble down a rough time line, characters summaries, notes and play lists.
Did I say I’m very musically inspired?

Third, I must find another corkscrew for second bottle of wine. Music is a must for me, without it I am completely unable to write. You see, I’m crippled by a creature I call my Muse. She’s about 5 foot 11 with crazy red hair and gleaming green eyes. She doesn’t speak much, but she’s not exactly quiet either. She communicates her displeasures in my writing with a series of hisses, growls and screams. And when she’s too disgusted to continue, she leaves me. I secretly believe, she runs off with my best friend’s Muse where they share drinks together on some sunny tropical island, laughing, while we beat our heads into the desk trying to find enough ability to eloquate our total impotence to write without them.
Music, soothes my Muse and puts her into a some what malleable state. Once the music is flowing, and the wine, I begin to write.

I wish I had this grand creative process to lend to other inspiring writers such as my younger sister and readers of my blog. But writing for me is just something that is as natural as the beat of my heart and the breath of my chest. And like faulty hearts and poor respiratory systems, my writing is often less than desirable. But when I end up stuck somewhere, I just cross into their world and plop down on a sofa and watch. Writers are the best watchers and sometimes I just need to see it a little closer to get it across clearly.
Just not so close enough that a Vampire decides I smell like dinner.