Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Guest post: Sharon Mayhew on her writing process

Scott's note: I'm happy to introduce Sharon Mayhew. Sharon commented on one of the posts in my Mobile Author series about her not-particularly mobile writing method, which spawned a couple of requests for more information. I'm happy that she agreed to write a guest post showing her process in detail. And so, without further ado, here is a highly instructive post about one writer's process. I hope you find it as helpful and interesting as I do.



When Scott invited me to share my organizational system for writing, I was thrilled. I've been writing and blogging since 2007. I occasionally blog about writing, but usually my posts are about life, books and other writers. There are so many blogs doing a terrific job on the craft of writing that I thought I would stick to other things.

Some people say they are plotters and some say they are pantsers, to be honest I'm not sure what I am. Maybe you guys can tell me once you see my writing process.

For the historical fiction MG novel I just completed (well, until I hear otherwise), I started by listening to my grandparents tell about their experiences during WWII. I started taking notes and telling them why I was jotting down their memories. I took lots of notes and am so grateful they were willing to share what was a difficult time in their lives with me.


I also wrote letters and got letters back from other family members who lived during this time period.


Then I typed up notes and potential scenes to use in my manuscripts.


I read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. Some books were for children and some were not, most notably I read selections from Winston Churchill's THE SECOND WORLD WAR series. (I have to quote him here, as his words were and are such an inspiration to me.) ~Never, never, never give up~ I realize he was talking about the war and the spirits of the people in England, but for me it took on a whole different meaning. Sharing my families and friends stories is something I have to do and I won't give up until it is published. It was my honor to fictionalize moments in their lives.


I visited museums and took lots of pictures, then organized them into envelopes, so when I started writing I could pull out photos for those scenes.


One museum I visited had replicas of government brochures, posters, and letters available for purchase. These items were extremely helpful for finding details about daily living. I also visited antique shops and purchased bits and pieces to inspire me. My grandfather gave me some documents from the war, too.


Then I organized all the research and books into files based on locations that they applied to.


I printed of a variety of different maps of England. I even found one that showed the railroad system during the war.


To my surprise, one of my blog friends, Gary at Klahanie Blog, told me he was from the village in England I was writing about. He sent me photographs, which was spectacular, as I hadn't been to Leek since I was a child.

Once I finished with my initial research, I organized and typed up my notes. Then I wrote them on index cards. It may seem redundant to write notes, type notes and then write them again, but each time I did this I was ingraining the research into my brain.


I kept a list of words and phrases that I liked and were appropriate for the time period. I mounted them on poster boards and then hung them up on bulletin boards in my office.

By now I kind of know where the scenes are going to take place in my story, so I mount the scene cards on poster board and then mount what could potentially happen in each location. I try to use the senses as much as possible in each scene. (ex: the sounds, the smells, how things feel and taste) 



Most of the poster boards  were hanging on the bulletin boards in my office, so I could glance up from my desk and review them as I was writing and thinking. I also used an easel for the scene I was currently working on close to me.



I didn't use all of my research notes in this manuscript, but I left the manuscript open ended so if I do have the opportunity to write a sequel I already have some starting spots.


I'm sure there are much better ways of organizing your research and thoughts, but this worked for me. I think you have to find what method works for you...

Thanks for letting me share my process with you guys. If you are interested in reading my blog it's called SK Mayhew, Kidlit Writer. I'm @SharonKMayhew on Twitter.

So, what do you think? Am I a plotter or a pantser? 

What are you?


33 comments:

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Thanks for inviting me Scott. :)

Robyn Campbell said...

Fantastic post, my friend!!! I loved hearing my buddy's process. I think there was a lot of planning, and you are definitely NOT a seat of the pants writer. SOPP will BE published. I promise. You know I am NOT a plotter, but this seems doable to me. Thanks for the tips, partner. (((hugs))) MWAH! Thanks to Scott for inviting my pal over to share her process, too.

Tracey M. Cox said...

Wow! Great post. Thanks Sharon & Scott.

I think you are a mixture of the two, Sharon. While you do have a plot, you were pantstering it once in the process. Love seeing how you organized it all.
I have a display board (tri-fold poster board) that I will storyboard on. It really does help me visualize my story.
Happy writing!

Crystal Collier said...

You are totally a plotter. A pantser would have just jumped in and worried about the details later. I love how in depth you got with your research. Wow. Way to gather everything and anything--and I love that you have ideas left over for a sequel. Very cool.

Connie Arnold said...

This is wonderful, Sharon! You are very organized and orderly, and I think a great planner. Thank you for sharing some good tips and ideas and all the photos.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Thanks, Robyn, Tracey, Crystal and Connie. It's kind of scary putting my scrambled up planning, plotting, pantsing out there for the universe to judge. You guys are the best!

Theresa Milstein said...

Sharon, how interesting to hear about and actually see some of your process. I'm always impressed with people who write historical fiction because it requires so much more to write.

I like your new profile picture. Very professional!

Scott said...

I enjoyed the post tremendously, and the comments. I hope some of you who haven't been here before will look at what we do on this blog and stick around!

I enjoy reading about other people's processes. There are some good ideas here that I intend to borrow.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Thanks, Theresa and Scott. Until I did this post, I didn't realize how much I organized my ideas before I began writing.

Susan Oloier said...

Sharon, I love the extent of your research and your organization. You are definitely a plotter!
And wow! What a photo of you. Very beautiful! Of course, you're beautiful in all your photos.

Yamile said...

I agree, that picture of you is just beautiful! So glad to put an image next to the name I've known for a while now :-) this blog post is fascinating and inspiring. Wow!

Donna McDine said...

Fascinating writing process! In-person research and visuals later is a terrific combination to bring the manuscript to life! Glad you have extra material for your next book :)

Kim Van Sickler said...

Ha, Ha, definitely a plotter! I love that you can involve your grandparents in your research. What a wonderful bonding opportunity. I admire the lists and notes and resources you collect. I honestly think that the research is half the fun of writing!

Lenny Lee said...

hi blom!

wow! love your picture. you're beautiful!

what a cool and helpful post. you've got everything organized from start to finish. thats important for historical fiction cause all the factual stuff has to be accurate. thanks for sharing how you organize your writing. cool pics too!

...hugs from lenny

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I'm blushing. Thanks you guys. The lady that did my daughter's senior pictures did mine for free (just on a disk with the rights to me) and my hairdresser did my make up for free and touched up my hair. This was the first time I used one of them. :)

So glad no one laughed at my system.

klahanie said...

Greetings human, Scott,

How wonderfully delightful to note that the lovely human, Sharon, has graced your site.

Dear human, Sharon, your meticulous research is paying dividends. The research work incorporated was vital. As you know, if an error in research is noted by a reader, they can get fixated by the error and miss the rest of the story.

My human friend, Gary, is honoured you would make note of him. A small world get smaller, almost like a wee folks world.

You do know that human Gary moved to Leek because he wanted to live in town named after an onion.

You look adorable, Sharon.

A magical weekend to all and thank you Scott.

Positive wishes,

Geoffrey the garden gnome :)

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Geoffrey Gary has been a huge help in writing he, my grandad and Lenny both found an error, I doubled checked them and they were correct.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I have always wondered how writers write - - I mean how they proceed, from brainstorming to putting chapters together, to final and fine touches. Thanks for sharing. This will be so useful to young writers.
Take care.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Thanks, Munir!

Janet Johnson said...

Wow, Sharon! You are SO ORGANIZED!! I'm quite impressed. I have not done any historical fiction, but for regular research for tidbits, I often do the research exactly when needed and use it right then. For more in depth things, I will take notes from stuff I read, or make a page of references and links to good information that I've found. And sometimes, I write random notes to myself on scraps of paper. Kind of hard to keep track of. Your way sounds much better. :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sharon .. you are wonderfully organised and I'm so pleased you were able to get some of your grandparents words down ..

That looks pretty comprehensive to me .. and then you've the opportunity to create other books should you wish ..

I sure hope you get published and that the book is available to us .. congratulations on all the work - and I know Gary's been a great help too ..

Then Lenny with his young brain and inspirational ideas and thoughts ..

Wonderful to read - cheers Hilary

Anonymous said...

My name is SARAH DANNY, I hails from USA, am here to spread the entire work of a real spell caster called Dr. BETHNAM who just helped me to retrieve back my union with my husband and make our relationship very stronger and brought joy and happiness into our marriage. I have been scammed by a lot of fake spell casters but i was later introduced to Dr. BETHNAM GEREMY by a friend named Tucker Stacey to this great man who help her to restore her WOMB and gave birth to 3 children with his husband.He also help me and wipe away my tears. So viewers of this wonderful testimony who wants to contact him with: bethnamgeremy01spelltemple@gmail.com
1. SPELL FOR GOOD WIFE AND HUSBAND
2. DIVORCE SPELL.
3. WINNING LOTTERIES.
4. BREAKING OF GENERATION COURSE.
5. GETTING OF JOB.
6. CHILD BEARING.
7. MONEY SPELL.
8. CURING OF HIV AND MANY MORE.
9. HERBAL CARE.
10. BEAUTY SPELL.
11. BUSINESS CHARMS TO ENQUIRER MORE CUSTOMERS AND LOT'S MORE..
12. IF YOU ARE A FOOTBALL PLAYER HE CAN MAKE THE WORLD HEAR YOUR NAME..
13. CURING OF EBOLA VIRUS
So brothers and sisters i have tested this man DR. BETHNAM GEREMY and i have found that he is real and genuine. i am now the happiest woman on earth today, Contact his via email ID and be joyful in your life bethnamgeremy01spelltemple@gmail.com More gratitude and thanks to you again the great DOCTOR.

Anonymous said...

Great Baba is a trust worthy spell caster and he will be of great help to you. I never believed in spell casting but After 5 years of marriage my husband left me because I lost my womb, and i was unable to give birth to children. I felt like my life has come to an end, and i almost committed suicide, i was emotionally down for a very long time, but thanks to this spell caster called Great Baba whom i met online after my friend James Tricia told me how he also helped her to bring back her husband in less than 2 days. I believed her and decided to give Great Baba a try and i contacted him on his email Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com and explained my problems to him. He laughed and told me that In less than 2 days, my Husband will come back for me again, and that he will restore my womb and i will give birth to children. At first i thought it was a lie but i took courage and believed as Great Baba has said and it did happen just as this Great spell caster said, My husband called me and was crying, apologizing for forgiveness. I forgave him and today i am so glad that all worries and problems has gone away, and we are even happier than before, another good news is that i am pregnant now, and very soon we are expecting our baby. Great Baba is really a gifted and a powerful spiritual man and i will not stop publishing him because he is a wonderful man. I advice you all If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine spell caster to solve all your problems just Contact Great Baba on his email on Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com at anytime and just visit GREATBABAOFSOLUTION.blogspot.com and see so many people testifying about his good and wonderful work. Just contact him and he will help you solve all your problems. Once again thank you Great Baba Thank you, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Great Baba is a trust worthy spell caster and he will be of great help to you. I never believed in spell casting but After 5 years of marriage my husband left me because I lost my womb, and i was unable to give birth to children. I felt like my life has come to an end, and i almost committed suicide, i was emotionally down for a very long time, but thanks to this spell caster called Great Baba whom i met online after my friend James Tricia told me how he also helped her to bring back her husband in less than 2 days. I believed her and decided to give Great Baba a try and i contacted him on his email Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com and explained my problems to him. He laughed and told me that In less than 2 days, my Husband will come back for me again, and that he will restore my womb and i will give birth to children. At first i thought it was a lie but i took courage and believed as Great Baba has said and it did happen just as this Great spell caster said, My husband called me and was crying, apologizing for forgiveness. I forgave him and today i am so glad that all worries and problems has gone away, and we are even happier than before, another good news is that i am pregnant now, and very soon we are expecting our baby. Great Baba is really a gifted and a powerful spiritual man and i will not stop publishing him because he is a wonderful man. I advice you all If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine spell caster to solve all your problems just Contact Great Baba on his email on Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com at anytime and just visit GREATBABAOFSOLUTION.blogspot.com and see so many people testifying about his good and wonderful work. Just contact him and he will help you solve all your problems. Once again thank you Great Baba Thank you, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Great Baba is a trust worthy spell caster and he will be of great help to you. I never believed in spell casting but After 5 years of marriage my husband left me because I lost my womb, and i was unable to give birth to children. I felt like my life has come to an end, and i almost committed suicide, i was emotionally down for a very long time, but thanks to this spell caster called Great Baba whom i met online after my friend James Tricia told me how he also helped her to bring back her husband in less than 2 days. I believed her and decided to give Great Baba a try and i contacted him on his email Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com and explained my problems to him. He laughed and told me that In less than 2 days, my Husband will come back for me again, and that he will restore my womb and i will give birth to children. At first i thought it was a lie but i took courage and believed as Great Baba has said and it did happen just as this Great spell caster said, My husband called me and was crying, apologizing for forgiveness. I forgave him and today i am so glad that all worries and problems has gone away, and we are even happier than before, another good news is that i am pregnant now, and very soon we are expecting our baby. Great Baba is really a gifted and a powerful spiritual man and i will not stop publishing him because he is a wonderful man. I advice you all If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine spell caster to solve all your problems just Contact Great Baba on his email on Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com at anytime and just visit GREATBABAOFSOLUTION.blogspot.com and see so many people testifying about his good and wonderful work. Just contact him and he will help you solve all your problems. Once again thank you Great Baba Thank you, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Great Baba is a trust worthy spell caster and he will be of great help to you. I never believed in spell casting but After 5 years of marriage my husband left me because I lost my womb, and i was unable to give birth to children. I felt like my life has come to an end, and i almost committed suicide, i was emotionally down for a very long time, but thanks to this spell caster called Great Baba whom i met online after my friend James Tricia told me how he also helped her to bring back her husband in less than 2 days. I believed her and decided to give Great Baba a try and i contacted him on his email Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com and explained my problems to him. He laughed and told me that In less than 2 days, my Husband will come back for me again, and that he will restore my womb and i will give birth to children. At first i thought it was a lie but i took courage and believed as Great Baba has said and it did happen just as this Great spell caster said, My husband called me and was crying, apologizing for forgiveness. I forgave him and today i am so glad that all worries and problems has gone away, and we are even happier than before, another good news is that i am pregnant now, and very soon we are expecting our baby. Great Baba is really a gifted and a powerful spiritual man and i will not stop publishing him because he is a wonderful man. I advice you all If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine spell caster to solve all your problems just Contact Great Baba on his email on Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com at anytime and just visit GREATBABAOFSOLUTION.blogspot.com and see so many people testifying about his good and wonderful work. Just contact him and he will help you solve all your problems. Once again thank you Great Baba Thank you, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Great Baba is a trust worthy spell caster and he will be of great help to you. I never believed in spell casting but After 5 years of marriage my husband left me because I lost my womb, and i was unable to give birth to children. I felt like my life has come to an end, and i almost committed suicide, i was emotionally down for a very long time, but thanks to this spell caster called Great Baba whom i met online after my friend James Tricia told me how he also helped her to bring back her husband in less than 2 days. I believed her and decided to give Great Baba a try and i contacted him on his email Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com and explained my problems to him. He laughed and told me that In less than 2 days, my Husband will come back for me again, and that he will restore my womb and i will give birth to children. At first i thought it was a lie but i took courage and believed as Great Baba has said and it did happen just as this Great spell caster said, My husband called me and was crying, apologizing for forgiveness. I forgave him and today i am so glad that all worries and problems has gone away, and we are even happier than before, another good news is that i am pregnant now, and very soon we are expecting our baby. Great Baba is really a gifted and a powerful spiritual man and i will not stop publishing him because he is a wonderful man. I advice you all If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine spell caster to solve all your problems just Contact Great Baba on his email on Highersolutiontemple@yahoo.com at anytime and just visit GREATBABAOFSOLUTION.blogspot.com and see so many people testifying about his good and wonderful work. Just contact him and he will help you solve all your problems. Once again thank you Great Baba Thank you, thank you.

Unknown said...

Dr Lordtigo is like a father to the fatherless.. i never believed these will really make a change in my marriage, and i never have it in my thought that i could ever been with my husband Mr Devis after divorcing and ending our 33years marriage.... My life was upset i never knew where to start from when my husband broke up with me.....My name is Tanisha Devis from Poland but got married and live in Chicago USA, LORDTINGOTEMPLE@GMAIL.COM or call +2348077922360,is the right email address to contact for an urgent help in getting your lover back.... My husband and I have been together for 33years before he divorced me and i was so upset because i thought i have lost my marriage forever... i did all i could to please for my husband to bring me back home but all to be in vain.. i had to travel away from my state because i was not having anywhere to stay because my home was not conducive for me to stay because my husband want me out of th house, i travel to a friend of mine in California, one night, when i was searching on a good spell caster results that help in bringing back lost lover's and husband's, i found an interesting story that was shared by Santana Valdez From Texas Huston, about a good spell caster called Dr Malawi,and how he helped her in getting her husband back home, and i decided to put a try in contacting him... he replied me back.. i thought at first these was just normal and he told me that i was going to get back my husband after a period of 28hours i still doubted him.... But today as i am sharing these good news is for me to express my experience to all the whole universe that these is a good spell caster that helps in bringing back lost lovers.I am happily with my husband and my 3 kids, TARRY, WENDY, JEFF... great LORDTINGO i thank you for helping me to get my family back.... his email address is (LORDTINGOTEMPLE@GMAIL.COM or call +2348077922360 )


Anonymous said...

I want to quickly tell the world that there is a real on line spell caster that is powerful and genuine,this is unbelievable!! I still cant believe how Dr AKUBU brought my ex husband back to me in just 24hours.. I actually did not believe that i would one day be writing this testimony. because I was the world’s biggest skeptic. I never believed in magic spells or anything like that, but I was told by a trustworthy source by my friend,that Dr AKUBU is a very devoted, talented, and gifted spell caster, and after much cajole she got me to visit his websites: http://drakubuspelltemple.webs.com/It was one of the most excellent thing I have ever done in my whole life. My husband life was in total mess after my husband dumped me for another woman. I had been through two divorces and was on the brink of a third. I just couldn't face another divorce, and I wanted to try harder to make our relationship work, but my husband didn't seem to care. So, with nothing but my pride to lose, I checked it out. I was flabbergasted. This man is for REAL. He did whatever magic he does, and and behold – no more than 24 hours later, I had my husband back! It was like a miracle! many people have problem like mine but there is nobody like you to help them solve their problem like you do, if anyone need the help of this nice man contact him now:drakubuspelltemple@yahoo.com thank you Dr AKUBU and may your gods ever reward you for your good deeds..so contact him urgent by his email address:drakubuspelltemple@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I want to quickly tell the world that there is a real on line spell caster that is powerful and genuine,this is unbelievable!! I still cant believe how Dr AKUBU brought my ex husband back to me in just 24hours.. I actually did not believe that i would one day be writing this testimony. because I was the world’s biggest skeptic. I never believed in magic spells or anything like that, but I was told by a trustworthy source by my friend,that Dr AKUBU is a very devoted, talented, and gifted spell caster, and after much cajole she got me to visit his websites: http://drakubuspelltemple.webs.com/It was one of the most excellent thing I have ever done in my whole life. My husband life was in total mess after my husband dumped me for another woman. I had been through two divorces and was on the brink of a third. I just couldn't face another divorce, and I wanted to try harder to make our relationship work, but my husband didn't seem to care. So, with nothing but my pride to lose, I checked it out. I was flabbergasted. This man is for REAL. He did whatever magic he does, and and behold – no more than 24 hours later, I had my husband back! It was like a miracle! many people have problem like mine but there is nobody like you to help them solve their problem like you do, if anyone need the help of this nice man contact him now:drakubuspelltemple@yahoo.com thank you Dr AKUBU and may your gods ever reward you for your good deeds..so contact him urgent by his email address:drakubuspelltemple@yahoo.com..

Unknown said...

I am joes candra, I promise to share this testimony all over the world once my boyfriend return back to me, and today with all due respect i want to thank DR.OSAUYI for bringing joy and happiness to my relationship and my family. I want to inform you all that there is a spell caster that is real and genuine. I never believed in any of these things until i loosed my boyfriend, I required help until i found a grate spell caster, And he cast a love spell for me, and he assured me that I will get my boyfriend back in two days after the spell has been cast. Three days later, my phone rang, and so shockingly, it was my boyfriend who has not called me for past 6 years now, and made an apology for the heart break, and told me that he is ready to be my back bone till the rest of his life with me. DR.OSAUYI released him up to know how much i loved and wanted him. And opened his eyes to picture how much we have share together. As I`m writing this testimony right now I`m the most happiest girl on earth and me and my boyfriend is living a happy life and our love is now stronger than how it were even before our break up. So that`s why I promised to share my testimony all over the universe.All thanks goes to DR.OSAUYI for the excessive work that he has done for me. Below is the email address in any situation you are undergoing a heart break, and I assure you that as he has done mine for me, he will definitely help you too. OSAUYILOVESPELL@YAHOO.COM that is his email address bye or you can call is hot line on +2347064294395

Unknown said...

I am joes candra, I promise to share this testimony all over the world once my boyfriend return back to me, and today with all due respect i want to thank DR.OSAUYI for bringing joy and happiness to my relationship and my family. I want to inform you all that there is a spell caster that is real and genuine. I never believed in any of these things until i loosed my boyfriend, I required help until i found a grate spell caster, And he cast a love spell for me, and he assured me that I will get my boyfriend back in two days after the spell has been cast. Three days later, my phone rang, and so shockingly, it was my boyfriend who has not called me for past 6 years now, and made an apology for the heart break, and told me that he is ready to be my back bone till the rest of his life with me. DR.OSAUYI released him up to know how much i loved and wanted him. And opened his eyes to picture how much we have share together. As I`m writing this testimony right now I`m the most happiest girl on earth and me and my boyfriend is living a happy life and our love is now stronger than how it were even before our break up. So that`s why I promised to share my testimony all over the universe.All thanks goes to DR.OSAUYI for the excessive work that he has done for me. Below is the email address in any situation you are undergoing a heart break, and I assure you that as he has done mine for me, he will definitely help you too. OSAUYILOVESPELL@YAHOO.COM that is his email address bye or you can call is hot line on +2347064294395

Dr Ogudugu Solution Temple said...

Hello everyone am Flora Sylvia i want to share a live testimony on how Dr Ogudugu was able to bring my husband back to me, myself and my husband were on a serious breakup, even before then we were always quarreling fighting and doing different ungodly act.. My husband packed his things out of the house and we had to live in different area, despite all this i was looking for a way to re_unite with my husband, not until i met Dr Ogudugu the great spell caster who was able to bring my husband back home, and he assured me that my husband will come back to me within 48hours hours after he has finish the preparation of the love spell.I am very glade today to tell the world that Doctor Ogudugu is truly a man of his word because my husband came back to me and fell on his knees begging me to forgive him and accept him back....Today my family is back again and we are happy living fine and healthy, with Dr Ogudugu all my dream came through in re_uniting my marriage, friends in case you need the help of Dr Ogudugu kindly mail him on(GREATOGUDUGU@GMAIL.COM) or call him on +2348066421534, Sir i will forever recommend you!!!