Clipping Document

This is me carefully editing my manuscript

For those of you waiting for the next Caitlyn Jamison Mystery to be published, the good news is I am more than halfway through the second draft. The not so good news is that there is still much work to be done!

Editing a manuscript is a difficult, time consuming, and tedious job. Did I mention it is a necessary one? Reading a manuscript in a slow and careful manner allows the author to get into the flow of the book, the characters, and the plot lines. The author will find which characters need to be developed more, and what plot lines need further development. I also find many words and sentences that are not pulling their weight – I make my words work and those that don’t – Gone!

As I make my way through the second edit, I realized that the initial character for the genealogy subplot was not developed so that the reader could connect with her, and maybe even sympathize with her plight.

Actually she was. Early on in the book’s development I had written a chapter describing Edda van der Molen, putting her in time and place. But as the book’s other characters and plot lines were developed I felt the chapter featuring Edda was not what I wanted.

But it was a chapter and I hated the thought of deleting all that writing. I decided to put this chapter into a “clipping document.” The document would serve as a holding place for sentences, paragraphs, even chapters that for one reason or another didn’t work anymore. Why waste them? As I worked my way through the book, I have dipped into my clipping document and pulled out words and sentences that I tweaked enough to fit perfectly into the story line.

As for Edda, I had clipped her chapter into a separate document (thank goodness; easy to find), and labeled it “Edda.” When I realized I needed to flesh out Edda more, I copied and pasted the clipping into the manuscript and edited it down to give the details I needed.

Consequently, my advice to writers: When your creative writing doesn’t work, don’t throw it out – save it in a “Clipping Document,” (properly labeled). You never know when that piece of writing just might be the ticket for soup!

Go Where Life Takes You

Trumansburg Philomatic Library June 2016

We were in Upstate New York recently for a wedding and I stopped by the Trumansburg Library. Of course I had to peek in the mystery section to see if my book had arrived back on the shelf. And there it was. Never in my life’s plan did I imagine that a story I had written would be published, and read by so many. And that so many of those readers continually ask when is the next story coming out. It’s a strange feeling to think that the book was not only well received, but readers want more. 

And so I’m working on it. I am about two thirds the way through, and am in the process of editing the first chapters. The reason is because of sleepless nights when I realized what I had planned was too much. The prologue, setting up a subplot just wasn’t working. And so last week, that thousand word plus chapter was cut out. Not gone forever. I’ve learned that when things are working, don’t delete completely. Instead, set up a clipping document and park them there. You never know when you’ll need all or part of what you've previously written. In fact, things I cut early on, I went back and retrieved parts from my clipping document.

My writing journal contains the day's date, and at what page I should start editing the next day. It also contains notes on things I need to follow up on. And if a new character appears, I make careful note of that person and his/her purpose.

The most exciting news is that Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, New York took three of my books on consignment. If they sell, that will be a perfect venue for my Finger Lakes mysteries.

Finding my Voice

As I begin the second Caitlyn Jamison mystery I started to think more about voice. What is it exactly? What should it be? Is it something I have to learn, practice, develop? In a September 2013 Writer’s Digest article, Cris Freese states:

“To set your voice free, set your words free. Set your characters free. Most important, set your heart free. It is from the unknowable shadows of your subconscious that your stories will find their drive and from which they will draw their meaning. No one can loan that or teach you that. Your voice is your self in the story.”

The article confirmed what I believed, which is that my writing voice is mine alone, my personality coming through, and in that sense unique. It only alters when I get so “in the groove” that the characters take over, and that’s okay.

So where does writing style come in? Style is your particular use of sentence structure - long, short, complex, simple, imagery, conversational, etc. And that is what I need to work on in this next book. Developing a style that fits my voice, my personality, and is in a way uniquely me.

Why a Proof Copy is Necessary

CreateSpace strongly advises its authors to order a proof copy before they publish.  I strongly advise this as well.

Although I had been over my manuscript many times either on screen or with hard copy, reading it in real book form is a very different experience. I won’t try to describe it, because I can’t. Just take my word. The photo above is just the beginning of items I found that I wanted to change, tweak, say better, say differently, add, delete, checking for extra spaces, etc.

It is hard tedious work. But work that will make the book better as a result. I am painstakingly going through each page, noting changes with yellow stickies, and then after twenty or thirty pages, I make the edits in the document. I have about a hundred pages yet to go, so excuse me while I get back to editing the proof copy.

NANOWRIMO My Way

The start of NANOWRIMO2015 is only three days away. I encourage everyone to visit the website and view all the support that is available to writers.

I will be participating in NANOWRIMO again this year, but like last year I will be doing it my way.

It was the teaming up with a partner as we worked on our individual projects and being accountable to someone I respected and didn’t want to disappoint that kept me going to the finish line. We are teaming up again this year and I look forward to finishing another Caitlyn Jamison mystery by next summer.

Doing it my way veers somewhat from the goal of getting 50,000 words down in a month. I learned a number of things writing my first mystery, and am now applying them to my writing.

I am keeping a chapter outline, adjusting it as I make changes in each chapter.

Using the “Show all nonprinting characters” icon I am clearing out extra spaces, and making sure formatting is consistent.

Using contractions when needed.

My way might not reach the 50,000 word goal, but it sure will save me hours (days) of time when I reach the finish line.

It doesn’t matter how you participate NANOWRIMO, the bottom line is – write!

It Doesn't Happen by Magic

Starting a writing project is exciting.  All these characters and ideas are bouncing around in your head wanting to get out. The blank sheet of paper or blinking computer screen cursor is beckoning you to begin.

You are ready to start. Then reality hits. Some decisions should be made first  - if you want to save yourself a lot of time and effort later.

Gosh, this is getting to be work!

Plot Line: What is the main plot line? Will there be more than one? If so, will you be able to keep the thread going throughout the book? For first time writers, sticking with one or two is probably a good idea.

Protagonist: Develop and really get to know your protagonist and other major characters. A bio should be written for each that includes physical characteristics, background, occupation, any little detail that will bring each character to life and resonate with your readers.

Setting: Where does the action take place? The geographic location, if described well, enables the reader to connect with the story.

Description: This is something else I struggled with. Thankfully, my beta readers pushed me to a deeper level of writing when they each demanded more description of people and places.

Point of View:  This can be difficult, especially for a first time novelist – I know from experience. When two or more people are in a conversation, it’s easy to stray, so watch this.

Outline: There are different thoughts on whether or not to outline. As a beginner, it might be a good idea to at least sketch out where the story is going. You can always adjust the outline as the story develops.

Beware of your characters:  Don’t be alarmed when you are “in the groove” and your characters take over. It is an amazing feeling! There have been a few times when I have read what I had written a day or two before and thought – I didn’t write that. I never would have said that. Wow!

Enjoy the writing journey.