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| Kristen Reed |
The journey to publication includes hard work
and some planning. Author Kristen
Reed shares her process and gives us a glimpse of behind the scenes of her new release.
~ Dawn Kinzer
The
Write Method
Fairy tales.
Something about the world of royalty and romance has
captivated our society for centuries. Whether it’s the ongoing struggle between
good an evil or the chivalric love stories people love them!
I’m no different.
Early last year, I decided to rewrite these classic tales
with new twists, and switching to more methodical writing practices has helped
me write the first three books in The
Fairetellings Series. In this blog, I’ll share my process so you can get a
glimpse into how my mind works plus some behind the scenes information about
this month’s release, Ingrid’s
Engagement: How A Beauty Tamed A Beast.
1.
The
Idea: Every book starts with an idea. This month’s release, Ingrid’s Engagement is based on
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s Beauty
and the Beast. The twist is that it’s a magic-free, Christian story of
spiritual transformation instead of the tale of a cursed man.
2. The Preparation: When
you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Here is what my prep/planning looked like
for Ingrid’s Engagement.
a. Setting: Ingrid’s Engagement takes place during a
war in the late nineteenth century, so I did research on camp life and weapons
that would have been relevant for that time period.
b. Name: I love giving
characters and places names that are relevant to their stories. A few from my
new book are below.
i. The
Beauty Character: Ingrid means“Ing is
beautiful.”
ii. Beast
Character: Viggo means“war.”
iii. Viggo’s Kingdom: Villriket comes from
the Norwegian words “vill” and “riket,” which mean “wild” and “kingdom.”
c. Plot: Before starting my
first draft, I write out a list of plot points that take the story from start
to finish. This sometimes changes as I’m writing, but it really helps me stay
on track. Several events I wrote in my initial outline didn’t make it into Ingrid’s Engagement, but I won’t spoil
the story by saying what they were!
3. Writing: At
this point, I create my first draft. No real explanation
needed here.
4. Editing: This
is my least favorite but most rewarding phase of the process. I use the editing
software AutoCrit, read the entire manuscript out loud, and send each book off
to a professional editor.
5. Design: Since
I’m a graphic designer I create my own covers. I usually run several potential
designs by my friends before deciding on a final one.
6. Final Proofing: At
this point, I get a printer proof of my book as well as an ebook file and check
both for correct formatting. Once everything looks good, I give the files my
final blessing and get ready for the publication date!
With thousands of authors creating amazing works these days,
I’m sure you’ll find just as many different methods of taking a story from an
idea to a book you can hold in your hands or scroll through on your Kindle.
Whether you’re a writer, reader, or just plain curious, I hope you enjoyed
reading about my process. I also hope you’ll love reading Ingrid’s Engagement
just as much as I loved writing it! Happy reading!
When King Viggo marches through the kingdom
of Schlagefilde in a relentless quest for retribution against its wicked king,
the Count of Anselm attempts to make peace with him. As the two strike a deal
that will protect the people of Anselm, the King of Villriket becomes
enthralled with a portrait of the Count’s oldest daughter, Ingrid. The vengeful king vows that he will leave Edmund’s county
in peace if he will allow him to marry Ingrid. To prevent her father from
incurring the sovereign’s wrath, the young lady hastily agrees and enters into
an unforeseen engagement with the grim ruler.
Ingrid’s
Engagement tells the enchanting tale of a beautiful young woman who softens the
hardened heart of a beastly king with nothing more than her quiet wisdom and
gentle spirit.
Kristen Reed,
a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, is an artist, filmmaker, and
author from Dallas, Texas. As a Christian, her faith heavily influences her
writing and is the driving force in her life.
Learn more and connect with Kristen at these sites:
Website: http://www.kristenreedauthor.com
