A new writer friend of mine approached me about this “blog-hop” idea a week (or so) ago and I thought it sounded like fun. It’s basically a cooler, more informative chain letter that one of his writer friends came up with. We all answer some questions and pass those questions on to a few more friends and pretty soon we have new friends and new blogs to follow. We also get a peek into the writing styles and motivations of others and that, to me, is always fun. So here goes!

What am I working on? I wrote a post about this a few entries back and I’m still pretty much there. I have worked out a few kinks with my main character and her “moment” of impact is coming along quite nicely. I’m hoping to have that story wrapped up by the end of the month, just in time to submit it for publication.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? I think the main way that my stories differ from other works of short fiction is mainly in their embrace of ambiguity and dissonance. I like to leave gaps, to allow the reader to draw their own conclusions, rather than wrap things up nice and neatly. Though I have to say, short stories vary a lot and there are other writers out there that delight in the same things!

Why do I write what I do? I love to write about loss. I know it’s weird but it is “the” thing that motivates almost all of my pieces. I think that the human heart is an amazingly beautiful and complicated place, which is also full of shadows. I try to write stories that connect to those shadow places in my readers and allow them to acknowledge the shadow, to process some of that darkness, and to shed some light on their own motivations. I find out new things about myself each time I write a story and I hope that my readers will join me in that.

How does my writing process work? It varies, based on the day. Some days, I have a story that I just have to get out and I can write the entire thing in a few hours. I let it rest and then go back for an edit. Other times, I have to think about and work through some things before finishing up the piece. The one constant is that I always write the first draft by hand; that way, I can edit when I type and get the flow a little smoother.

So there you have it! A few insights into the writing that happens in my neck of the woods. And if you are interested in reading more, check out the talented writers below and follow their amazing blogs!

Jim Landwehr is a poet, fiction, and non-fiction writer whose works have recently been published by The Tattooed Poets Project and Free Zombie Fiction. His upcoming non-fiction novel, Dirty Shirt: A Boundary Waters Memoir, will be coming out June 17, 2014. Keep yourself updated on his latest works at his blog, So it goes…

Jennings Wright has published several books, spanning the genres from historical romance to action/adventure to adolescent dystopian lit. You can purchase her books on Amazon.com or check out her musings on her blog, Words on the Page.