The Writing Process Blog Tour stops by my little corner of the blogosphere today. Many thanks to my friend and critique partner Marion Ueckermann for nominating me to join the tour. First I’ll give you a glimpse into what’s on the horizon for Marion, reveal a little  about my own writing process, then point you toward three writers that will surely rise to the top of your TBR pile this year.

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (Tyndale House Publishers) and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven. Her debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise, releases 21 August 2014 by Pelican Book Group (White Rose Publishing) – Passport to Romance series. Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. Marion lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

Marion’s stop on the blog tour: http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-writing-process-blog-tour.html

http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

http://apebbleinmypocket.com/

Heidi’s writing process:

1. Current writing project: I’m working on a sweet romance about a beautiful American sportscaster trying to prove to herself and her father that she can succeed in the male-dominated world of professional baseball. She’s pursuing an interview in Tokyo with a reclusive, yet very handsome, American trying to restart his pitching career with a Japanese professional team. It’s been a blast to write, I kinda hate to type ‘the end’, but this is all a lot more fun if I actually share my work with others.

2. How my work differs from others in the same genre: My debut novel, Unraveled, just released and falls under the large umbrella of inspirational women’s fiction. While there are plenty of authors writing incredibly wonderful stories set in Alaska, I think I have a unique opportunity to tell a story from the perspective of someone who grew up there. My Tokyo baseball story is heavily influenced by a study tour I took in college where we observed the culture, business practices and sports medicine programs (both in the university and professional sports settings). Of course every writer draws on personal experience and careful research to craft their novels. I’m not at all saying that my experience trumps anyone else’s. But I do believe that readers choose a novel to escape and/or learn about another part of the world, and I believe my stories appeal to that desire in a reader.

3. Why do I write what I do? Because the voices in my head get really loud if I don’t let them come out and play. Ha! Seriously, I write for so many reasons. Because I believe God gave me the gift of wrangling words and to ignore that gift would be a waste. I write to understand the world around me, to make a statement, to process the grief and dismay I experience when life disappoints me … I write because it makes my heart sing.

4. How does my writing process work? I read this great quote from the brilliant Anna Quindlen: “most of my writing rituals are designed to allow me NOT to write: power walking, newspapers, phone calls. But eventually I run out of other things to do.” I’d say that about sums it up. Even when my children are occupied and I have a chunk of time to crank out some words, Facebook is suddenly the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen. Or I have the overwhelming urge to vacuum the carpet or throw in another load of laundry. Eventually I have to tell myself to write a thousand words before I can do anything else that even remotely resembles fun. I started using the Wordtracker app this year, which is a timer, but it reveals just how incredibly unproductive I can be and that guilts me into writing something. Anything.

The tour rolls on: May 19th

Please stop by and visit fellow author, Brenda S. Anderson.