Wattpad Block Party - Summer Edition III (August 2017)

xXAmy_CXx Presents: Behind the Scenes of "Delusions"

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the third summer Wattpad Block Party! My name is Amy Crandall, but most would know me on the site as . I'm a mystery/thriller writer who once dabbled in Criminal Minds fan fiction, and is hoping to experiment with romance and science fiction in the future. I've been on the site for over three years now, and haven't been disappointed with the overwhelming number of great novels to be found! My current project is my first full-length novel titled "Delusions", which is currently being edited. As my fans know, the story is being reposted with the updated version, which is why there are only a few chapters up on my profile.

I wanted to do something a little different with this post. Instead of doing another interview, or answering questions, or providing an excerpt, I wanted to talk about the making of "Delusions", and why it has been a different process for me than any of my other books.

The first thing that was different between "Delusions" and some of my other works was the planning process. The planning of "Delusions" didn't take one brainstorming session. In fact, as I was writing the first draft of the novel, I changed the plot in many ways at many different points in the novel. At first, the story was just going to be about a girl with a stalker, and she was going to be kidnapped and nearly killed, but everything would be fine in the end. Near the middle of the story, an idea popped into my head, one that would change the course of the book as I knew it. "Delusions" became much more complex than I could have ever imagined. It was full of plot twists and relatively innovative ideas were brought to the table. I spent a few days researching different ideas that I could associate with the main character (Abigale Fern), and how she isn't who everyone thinks she is. I focused more on the development of the main character than in any other novel, and tried to make her as human as possible without making it boring.

The next thing I wanted to accomplish with this novel is to make it as real and current to the world as possible. The Facebook account DarkHeart434 was just one of the ways that I could modernize the story. With every word I wrote, I tried to make the main character, as well as the characters around her, react to situations in a way that real people would, but attempt to stretch the boundaries a little to create and interesting story. I wanted readers to be able to connect with the characters I'd created. Connecting with characters is one of the main reasons that people read books. They want to be able to see themselves as that character, and how that character would face a situation.

Another thing that is considerably different between "Delusions" and my other works is the length of the pieces, as well as the time it took to complete the first drafts of each. I used to spend four to six months on one piece before I moved on to the next. Most of my pieces would average around 25,000 words. "Delusions" took me over two years to write, and it averaged to around 76,000 words in length.

There were many nights during this two-year period where I dealt with horrible writer's block, and refused to write another word. Other times, I would have to force myself to get off the Internet, which is something I'm sure most 21st century writers struggle with 😉. During the times I struggled with writer's block, I either had to take a deep breath and step away from the novel for a couple of weeks, or work at making the plot more intricate and exciting – (that's right, more planning!). The amount of time the novel took to complete was worth it, as I can now say that I've written a full-length novel. My next step in this journey is to hopefully have it recognized by a publisher, but I want to go over the novel many times before I submit it to any said publisher!

Even now, as I write the second draft of the novel, I'm making changes to the plot. I'm beginning to add characters and remove others. I'm also developing the main character's back story much more than before.

I'm quite happy with how the new draft is turning out so far, and I hope, even if you've read the first draft, that you'll go back and read this draft. It would mean a lot to hear some input on how I could improve it further!

The reason I've shared this behind-the-scenes look with you all is because I wanted to explain the frustrations that can come with writing a novel, and I also wanted to explain why I took a 10-month hiatus before the book's release in August of 2016. I figured, by sharing my struggles, that other writers could relate, too.

If you are writing a novel that isn't coming how you want it to, take a step back. Look at the plot and try to make alterations that will make you break out of your writer's block. I find that making a chapter-by-chapter plot line works well to keep yourself on track. Even if you stray from that plot when writing, you can make the alterations as you go to change up the plot. Don't focus too hard on making the writer's block go away, though. Ease back into writing. You can try reading a few novels, or step away from the novel completely for about a week. Then, open your computer, notebook, or whatever you write on, and see if you can continue with the story. If it helps, you can try altering the last sentence you wrote.

I hope you found this post a least mildly entertaining. I know I had fun writing it. Please, make sure you check out my psychological thriller "Delusions" and leave some feedback. I appreciate any type of critic, as long as you aren't just bashing my work 😉.

Enjoy the rest of the block party! I look forward to meeting and reading about other authors and their journeys in the writing world!

Amy Crandall

(xXAmy_CXx)

Check out my profile: www.wattpad.com/user/xxamy_cxx

Twitter: www.twitter.com/xxamy_cxx

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wattpad.xxamy_cxx