Lauren Proctor joins us today to talk about her writing process. Enjoy!
Do you tend to write nonfiction or fiction?
I work professionally creating content for companies online. As a result, I end up writing a lot of nonfiction ebooks, whitepapers, blogs targeted at executives, etc. This means a lot of research and almost all nonfiction.
How long does it take you to finish a book?
This varies widely. The pace of business and digital means everything should be been done yesterday though, and so it often takes me a couple months to finish something substantial. That novel I’ve been meaning to finish though, that’s taken years.
What’s your usual approach? Seat of your pants? Outline?
I start with a target audience in mind and brew over the idea for a night or so. Then I read the New Yorker or whatever fine writing happens to be near me for inspiration and flow. After that I spew out as much as I can think of based on the outline in my head.
Then I take a break, think things over, refine, and spew again. Cycle, repeat.
How many rough drafts do you usually go through before you’re satisfied with the final version?
I could fiddle around with refining my writing until the end of time. Alas, deadlines force me to call it quits before I drive myself crazy.
Do you have someone you give your manuscript to for feedback before you give it to an editor or agent?
When something is of extreme importance I usually give it to a fellow English major or my girlfriend. I owe much of my success to these extra pairs of eyes.
What’s your latest project?
I have a digital marketing guide that I’ve decided to publish as an experience as opposed to an actual book. The experiment is an interactive in-browser reading experience that can also be downloaded as an ebook in .epub or .mobi.
It’s going to be interesting because I can literally measure engagement with my writing on each page.
Where can we catch up with you online?
I’ve been focusing more on my own brand and am in the process of formalizing my startup focused on creating and marketing content for brands. You can read more about it at LaurenProctor32.com/blog and ProctorHall.com.