Gina and I met in The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Deep Dive Series. We were in many Romance break out rooms together. Gina is funny, warm, and quick with comps! I’m thrilled I got to ask her some questions about her process.
Gina Daly Photo by Sheila Garvey
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why do you find this the best way for you to write?
I'm definitely more on the plotter side of the equation but even when I outline all the beats on the Save the Cat beat sheet, I like to leave some room for interpreting how to get to a certain point in the story. When outlining, I first start with the Save the Cat beats and then overlay the Romancing the Beat onto that structure. Savannah Gilbo also has a helpful guide on outlining a romance.
What does your drafting process look like? Do you write scenes in order?
My first drafts tend to be fast and messy. I took a fast drafting course by Jessica Brody that I swear by (available here). I try not to be precious about the words and find it's easier to push through until the end. I'm a big believer in revising forward, meaning if I decide, for example, that the main character needs a brother, I will add the brother starting on the page I decide they need one and make a note to add the brother in earlier on my next draft. I write the scenes in order and have to complete an entire draft before go back to the beginning. Just like the reader, I want to know how the story ends and often think about the cascading effect when drafting. If scene X happens, what must happen in scene Y as a result? I like to do first drafts in Scrivener using the Save the Cat beat sheet template (available here) so I know about how many scenes happen in each beat. After the first draft, I revise in Microsoft Word.
Please walk us through a little of what your revision process looks like?
Revision is a very iterative process for me. The first few drafts are major lifts where I'm still working on the overall story. Later drafts are more about turning dials up or down or weaving in themes more intentionally. The second draft is where the hard work begins and I have to figure out what I was trying to do with the first draft. Often in the second draft, I will create a reverse outline, which is essentially creating a new outline for the story as I've written it, which might be substantially different than my original outline. I rely on my critique partners to review draft three to see if my story is making sense and if there are developmental edits that need to occur before I feel like the story is where it should be. Once I think I have the overall arcs down, I focus on polishing the draft, looking for my crutch words and analyzing each chapter to ensure it has an inciting incident, progressive complications, a climax, and a resolution. Once the developmental edits are complete with my manuscript, I work with trusted beta-readers (met through The Shit About Writing Deep Dive series and the Bookstagram community) to review my draft and provide comments. I ask for line-level comments only from other romance writers. For romance readers or writers in other genres, I have them fill out an anonymous questionnaire to provide comments on the overall story.
How do you know when your story is done?
When it's published?? This is a very tricky question because you could revise your novel an infinite number of times--and some authors do! Jasmine Guillory once said that if the only changes you are making are the flavor of the sparkling water your characters are drinking, then it's time to admit you are finished. For me, it's when I have taken the story as far as it can go and people who I trust say that it is where it needs to be.
How many beta readers do you typically have for a project? Does anyone read all the versions?
This has changed substantially for each project. I've written three books and for each book I used fewer beta-readers. For my first book, I was a brand new writer and didn't have a strong writing community so I relied a lot on friends until I got matched with my critique partners through Bianca Marais' Beta Reader Match Up. That was a game-changer for my writing! My CPs Olga and Christine were at the same stage of writing as I was and we all got agented in 2023 and were on submission at the same time too. Having writers who are at the same stage as you is absolutely critical.
For Books 1 and 2, I also hired the amazing Savannah Gilbo to do a developmental edit. She helped both stories immensely, but it was very clear how much my writing ability and storytelling improved between Books 1 and 2. Savannah was OBSESSED with Book 2, and only a couple of months after receiving her developmental edit notes, I got agented and went on submission with the book. I used about 10 beta-readers for Book 2, which ended up being too much. I think there's a bit of danger in asking for too many eyes on your work because the more you try to accommodate everyone, the farther it gets from your vision. I learned from the experience that I needed beta-readers who understood my writing and what I was trying to achieve AND would push me to dig deeper, do better, etc. A good rule of thumb is if two people give you similar feedback, it's an issue you need to address. With all feedback, I take what resonates with me and incorporate it. If you don't know how to fix a problem identified by a beta-reader, going on a walk or putting the draft aside for a few days can help.
Book 3 was my first time writing with an agent, so that was a new experience as well. I did drafts 1 and 2 on my own and had my CP Christine read draft 3 and give me developmental notes on it. After making those changes, I shared draft 4 with my agent Joanna, and she gave me pretty substantial notes on what needed to change. I scrapped about 50% of my book, changing entire storylines, stakes, and the inciting incident. After I finished, I shared draft (5) with my CP Olga. And after making her recommended changes, shared it with two trusted beta-readers (Mara and Sophie) who gave me incredible feedback. After completing that revision, it's back with my agent.
What are you currently working on now?
I'm working on finishing Book 3, a rom-com reimagining of the Christopher Guest movie Waiting for Guffman, and have started working on my next book. I like to do a lot of research and character work before I start drafting so I'm still in the noodling stage where I'm imagining who the FMC and MMC are and how they will interact with each other in the story. Once my agent thinks we are finished with Book 3, I'll be ready to pivot to Book 4.
Do you have a favorite book on the craft of writing?
Save the Cat by Jessica Brody and Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. I also like to use Valerie Howard's 1,000 Strong Verbs and Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi's The Emotion Thesaurus when revising. I'm also a huge advocate for taking CeCe Lyra's writing classes. I have taken her classes on emotion, interiority, tension, line level, putting the hook in your book, the perfect first five pages, and writing relationships. They are universally excellent!
Anything else you’d like to share? Where can we find you?
Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Take the time to continually improve your craft and find writing friends who will help you level up. Rejection is unfortunately part of the publishing process and you must do what you can to stay motivated and not take it too personally. Be a good literary citizen. Support your local indie. Read widely in and out of your genre. Celebrate your fellow writers' success. One quote I think about often is: Competition happens at the bottom. Collaboration happens at the top.
I can be found @GinaBanksBooks on Instagram and Threads. I write a Substack every two weeks called HEAs & Other Obsessions about writing and other pop culture obsessions. My website is www.ginabanksbooks.com.
Thanks so much for interviewing me!