20120325-000433.jpgPat Concodora has published feature articles, trade magazine profiles, and business content. She is currently working on a memoir titled Untethered and a mystery novel titled The Hour to Reap.

Melissa P. Gay, author of the blog This Common Reader, chatted with Pat about her writing process in March 2012.

What is your “day job?”

For the past two years, writing has been my full time job. I didn’t quit my day job to write, I got laid off. While I looked for another job, I continued working on a travel memoir already in progress. When the job didn’t come in time, I decided to move. So, I untethered myself from all that had held me back and just let go. I put my stuff in storage and hit the road in search of another opportunity.

I became inspired to record my experiences and thoughts, which led to the beginning of writing another memoir. I kept coming back to the same hotel every time I returned to Richmond. I was busy working on the two memoirs when an idea for a mystery at a hotel came to me. The book is now finished and I’m looking for a day job!

What kind of writing do you do?

I’ve written both non-fiction and fiction. My non-fiction books arose out of a need to give others information I’d wished I had, and a text geared to women’s studies. My travel to the Canary Islands gave me the inspiration for the first memoir. Both memoirs were really about a journey within a journey. I love reading mysteries, and I’d wanted to write a mystery for about 15 years.

How long have you been writing? What influenced you to start?

I’ve been writing all my life. I was the student you hated because I loved researching and writing papers and couldn’t wait to begin. If you love learning in general, the task of researching becomes fun in itself.

I like telling stories and helping others raise their consciousness through my writing. I enjoy exploring the human psyche. In the mystery I just finished, I used a multi-layered plot to explore the choices each of the characters made that led them to do good or to do evil. We all want to see good triumph over evil in the end; that evil will reap what it deserves and justice will be served. I guess you could call it a karmic mystery.

How do your family and friends feel about your writing?

My mother was a mystery buff in particular and an ardent reader in general, so she obviously encouraged me. I instilled a love for reading in both my daughters, and while they believe in me as a writer and enjoy what I write, neither they nor my ex-husband considers writing a real job. My friends, who have read my work, offer me encouragement and support.

What is your “process?” What tricks and techniques help you be both creative and productive?

My process begins with handwriting the plot and overall arc of the story on a legal pad and then developing characters. Then, I outline my scenes on index cards. I like this approach because I can add, subtract or rearrange scenes as I need to.

When I’m actually writing the book on the computer, I usually can’t wait to get started each day. Once I sit down, I review what I wrote from the day before, especially paying attention to any notes I made to re-work certain areas.

Writing is a Zen activity for me, so I’m afraid once I get started, I have trouble remembering to get up and eat. I can write for as long as nine hours a day during the thick of the book, or as little as six. I’m a perfectionist, so I will go over and over something a million times to see if I could have said something in a better way, or to check on punctuation.

Writing is like oxygen to me and it brings me a great deal of joy. The downside is that I can get lost in my writing and forget to take a break and socialize. Writing is already a solitary activity. If you let it, it can consume you.

What is the best thing that has happened in your writing career thus far? How did you make it happen?

Living at the hotel opened up other opportunities for exposure as a writer, and not only in meeting people. It inspired me in writing a blog, which is a satire on living in a hotel. By posting on Twitter and Facebook I developed a following. My blog has been linked to other websites, and it has helped to increase my readers. They also want me to do a book signing at the hotel.

What is the worst thing that has happened to you, and how did you overcome it?

The worst thing was losing precious time while I’m undergoing one of life’s struggles and having to re-invent myself. But then, I also consider this a blessing in disguise because every time I’ve had a major life change: through divorce, moving to a different country, medical problems or losing a job; I’ve managed to get a book out of it.

Life’s a journey. Human beings come into consciousness through struggle. Whenever my life feels like it’s in chaos, I know it’s a good thing. It means I’ve grown and change is about to happen.

Have you ever seen a butterfly struggling to break free of its chrysalis? You can see it vibrating and twisting inside it, frantically trying to break free. Suddenly, when the time is right, it emerges metamorphosized from a pupa into a beautiful butterfly.

Any parting words of wisdom for other aspiring authors?

Writers write. Pay attention to the details going on around you and file them away in your head. Edit. Edit. Edit. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope when you write. Write about something that will change your perception and stretch you. Learn your craft. Invite criticism of your work. Believe in yourself without getting over- confident. Don’t take rejection personally. Do your research thoroughly. Know your audience. Remember writing is also a business. Have fun.

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