This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Jessica Sorensen lives in Wyoming and originally self-published The Secret of Ella and Micha in October 2012. Her book sold 84,000 copies in the first month and over 200,000 copies to date. The Secret of Ella and Micha is a young adult novel about first love. Jessica recently answered a few questions for our Novelicious readers.
Usually, I get up pretty late because I’m not a morning person. After I get my coffee, I head to my office, where I spend a few hours answering emails and messages. Then usually about one or two o’clock I start writing. Depending on how much I need to get done, I’ll write for six to eight hours.
When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?
I don’t. I’ve always had a really hard time matching up what I see in my head with a celebrity.
What is your favourite Women's Fiction book of all time and why?
I honestly don’t have a favorite. I love books and my list of favorites is really long.
What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?
I love to dive right in. Normally, I do a little revising about halfway through, but other than that the first draft is pretty much the final one (before edits of course). Although, when I first started writing novels, I did lots and lots of drafts.
What was your journey to being a published author?
I think I spent about two or three years writing my first book and then it took me two more years to finally decide to self-publish. It was a really long and hard road to get started, but it’s gotten a little bit easier.
What advice can you give to readers who want to write a novel of their own?
Never give up. I think that’s probably the most important part. It can get tough sometimes and seem really easy to quit.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on a few projects; The Temptation of Lila and Ethan and another new adult contemporary project.
Can you give us your five top writing tips?
1. Make time. Sometimes the hardest part is actually sitting down and writing.
2. Writers block. It’s no fun. Whenever I run into it, I either take a quick breather and come back or keep typing through it. Eventually I figure stuff out.
3. Don’t be afraid to start over. I’ve had to do it a couple of times because things weren’t feeling right.
4. Let yourself enjoy writing! I’m not kidding. Yes, it’s work, but it can also be really fun work.
5. Like I said before, make sure to never give up.
Thanks, Jessica!