Savannah Suspense

This is the first book where I haven’t had a title pop into my head before the book was started. Having said that, each of the other three book titles changed by the end of the book, so I should count myself lucky.

This new project is fun and very different from what I’ve written in the past. I’m learning a new sub-genre, and have developed characters that I’m giving free rein to on the story. I have no idea where the plot is going, and I’m not concerned. When I get in the groove with the characters, each chapter writes itself. So I’m taking it just one chapter at a time.

In talking with one of my beta readers and mentioning how difficult it was to manage a large manuscript, he suggested I keep the chapters as separate documents. I’m trying that with the Savannah suspense, and so far I like it. When I think of something to add to a chapter, I don’t have to scroll until I find it. I just pop into that chapter and add what I want.

Each chapter has a short description title so I know exactly what it is about. I am also keeping a timeline document with a short synopsis of each chapter to keep careful track of what day it is and what happened. To add another level of tension, the story is set around a holiday, so to get things to work out, I’ve already had to back up the dates. Easy to do with individual chapters and a timeline.

I’m on Chapter Seven, where protagonist Alaina Carter and her former CDC partner Denton Parker are part of a team to help the city as it faces a potential crisis. They are meeting with the city’s emergency team to put plans in place should the possible scenario play out. Stay tuned.

A Busy But Productive Summer

It appears I’ve maintained blog silence this summer, though I did keep up the blog on my website. There are only so many hours in the day.

I received the beta readers’ comments early in the summer and diligently worked for weeks addressing their concerns/corrections/additions to the manuscript. When that was done, I went through and edited more. When I couldn’t look at it again, I gave it to my second beta reader. She went through with a fine-tooth comb and found a few more issues, and she also gave me areas that I could flesh out more. After working in her suggestions, I went through the manuscript again. It was at that point that I gave the book to my husband to read. He spent all day Sunday reading, marking little things. A couple of typos, a couple of missing words, and suggested I explain why the government and utility companies were pointing fingers at each other. Excellent suggestion.

I was pretty stressed out that day. I am so close to publishing, but thought what if he finds a major problem that will take weeks to work out?

The stress released when he put it down and said, “Well, you’ve done it again. It’s a page turner.”

On Monday I finished my Author’s note, the front matter is ready, and I sent the cover text files and photo off to a graphic artist. (She loves the photo).

The Death of Cassie White is almost ready to launch. It will be a bittersweet moment. I’ll be glad to have the book done, but sad to not spend more time with Caitlyn, Ethan and the rest of the gang—at least not until next time.

Riverside Writers Presentation - Do what's right for you

On Saturday, 8 June 2019 a Sister in Crime, Mary Behre, and I did a mini panel on writing to the members of the Riverside Writers group in Fredericksburg, VA. Mary writes The Tidewater Series, Humor, Suspense, and a Psychic Love-Connection. She has traditionally published four books and I have self-published two, working on two more. 

The panel worked well due to the fact of our age difference, publishing preference, and varied experiences with marketing. 

We took turns introducing ourselves and sharing how we got into writing. We then went into our personal writing process, publishing, and marketing.

The message I conveyed to the group was to do their homework when considering publishing options. Understand what the author is responsible for, what the royalties will be, and when they are paid. Mary and I stressed the fact that no matter how you decide to publish, the AUTHOR has to do their own marketing. If the author is not out there doing signings, presentations, active with social media, the books will not be sold; the author will not be paid. Someone asked where Mary had done signings and she listed several states. When that person asked if her publisher set those up, Mary laughed. Not - she had to do the work herself. 

I shared a recent experience with KDP. I realized that my first book, An Unexpected Death, only showed a Kindle version on Amazon. Months ago I had successfully brought my books over from CreateSpace to KDP. How did that happen? At 4:30 p.m. I sent an email off to KDP. At 6:30 I received a phone call, but when I saw it was a Seattle number, I thought it was a Robo call and I didn't answer. A message was left. A rep from KDP wanted more information on my issue. He said he would keep working and would send an email. At 8:30 p.m. I received an email telling me the issue was resolved. My trade paperback and Kindle weren't linked-an Amazon website problem. But the point is, I've had only great customer service experience with CreateSpace and now KDP. 

When I talked about formatting, and how I format as I go since I'm a visual person, Mary asked if I used Scrivener. She does; I don't. I'm happy with Word, and have heard reports that there is a learning curve with Scrivener, which was confirmed by someone in the audience. If one has the time and patience, then Scrivener is deemed to be a great product. 

I think we left the Riverside Writers group with a lot to think about and I hope we were helpful.  

* Do your homework before you make publishing decisions and do what's right for you.

Book Progress Update

 

We were in the Adirondacks in May for a fundraising hike with our daughter. About every three miles there was an Oasis with water, fruit, and a porta potty. At the second Oasis a woman approached me and said, "How is the next book coming?" The pressure is on :).

I’m embarrassed to see that I haven’t posted a book progress report on this blog since mid-December. So what have I been doing?

The answer is: Writing.

Over the last five months I’ve worked hard to finish the third Caitlyn Jamison mystery. Readers have not been shy about asking how I’m coming on the next book. What they don’t realize is that each book gets harder to write—developing new (interesting) plot line(s), new (interesting) characters, and the challenge of meeting reader expectations. Last week I finished a draft that I felt good enough to share with three beta readers.

Prior to that, I edited the manuscript on my computer screen, had the UPS store run a hard copy (233 8-1/2 x 11 pages), read it aloud, and made notes on items that had to be checked or resolved. I found several overused words: so, able, know, was, photo, think, skeletal. I'm sure there are more, and I will keep looking.

 

I started with the last chapter and put each through Prowritingaid.com software for diagnostics. Prowritingaid caught issues that I hadn't, and I really appreciate the fact it now picks up missing end quotes.

What else?

 

In a previous post I mentioned a new character residing on my shoulder and wanted her story told. The character’s name evolved to “Alaina.” Alaina is retired special ops and lives in Savannah, Georgia. Her former partner draws her back into action and the story takes off. While CJ3 is with beta readers, I hope to make great progress on this new suspense story. It doesn’t have a title, so I’m calling it my Savannah story.

For more information check my website: Memaki.com. I have a blog and Caitlyn’s News on the site.

Memoirs

First Memoir Book birth to marriage

In 2004 I belonged to a memoir writing group at the C.H.Booth Library in Newtown, CT. The group was comprised of about six women. Each had a different story to tell; each had their own particular style and voice. Without saying we understood what was shared stayed in that room. 

It is now fifteen years later and I've successfully convinced the Central Rappahannock Regional Library to start a memoir writing group. The library has a growing Inklings Writing Group, Fiction Critique Group, Poetry Writing Group and Science Fiction Writing Group. Each of those has between four and ten participants. When the Memoir Group did a soft launch to a limited audience, seventeen people immediately signed up. I missed the first session held in March, but attended the second one in April. Ten women attended and it was the most inspiring meeting. The librarian in charge did an amazing job of laying down the ground rules. Besides the "stays in the room" rule, she explained the critique as the "sandwich effect." First a positive comment, then suggestions/questions on how the piece could be improved or clarified, and finish with another positive comment, i.e. "Love your piece. Can't wait to hear more."

I've found that a level of trust has to be gained before I will share my work. With this group I jumped right in. I felt secure as did others as they shared some of their most emotional events. I left the session energized, so much so that I purchased a colorful 3-ring binder, section dividers, developed a draft table of contents of writing prompt ideas, chose a title and photo for the front of my binder. 

I pulled out my notes from November 2004 and will share them at the next session. Some of those memoir writing notes are: Writing journal for ideas, images, dreams. Make a timeline of your life, starting at birth to present day. Note major events. What are you passionate about? What event happened in your life that "changed everything." Think of themes-jobs, houses you lived in, sibling relationships. 

Consider the scenes that make up your life. This can be in the form of a table of contents as I have done, or an outline that you can drill down on as memories come flooding back. 

I'm capturing memories of fifty years ago, so my first draft was just that. It took time for more memories to come back that provided more detail for my piece. I revised my memoir piece several times and it will probably be revised even more as details come to mind. I next have to see if I've saved photos/postcards from our life in Chicago and our California trip.

Writing is Like Painting a Beautiful Picture

Like a fine painting, an author adds layers of details through each subsequent draft.

When the first draft of the third Caitlyn Jamison mystery was complete, I converted the manuscript into 6 x 9 format – the same size the finished book will be. The benefit of size conversion is to see how the paragraphs look on the page, check for widows and orphans, see how dialogue appears, and to have an accurate final page count. It allows the author to read like a "reader," and not like a "writer."

Reading a 6 x 9 format allows for better layering. Like a fine painting, an author adds layers of details through each subsequent draft. And like a painting, each layer of detail and description makes the book fuller, richer, more vibrant.

This process allows the author to better know the characters, which can create problems if that character doesn’t turn out how the author originally intended. In Fatal Dose, as I added layers to the story, some characters demanded different roles. And too, with this third in the series, The Death of Cassie White, one character was only a means to an end. But as I layer on the "colors" of the story, I need to develop this character more fully. 

So for an author who loves the writing process, this is all in a day’s work.

Writing Handout with things I learned along the way

Writing hints and stuff I learned along the way

© Mary Maki 2018

From where do ideas come? Anywhere – Newspaper/magazine articles, Television/Radio shows, trending social issues, life experiences, and your imagination.

What are you passionate about? What’s your story really about? What’s at stake for each character?

Decisions:

Genre (Where will your book be placed in a bookstore or library?), setting, characters, plot line (s), and timeframe. Will you be a plotter or pantser or both?

Character Development

Elizabeth George’s book On Writing, states, “Story is Character.” Give them flaws; have them doubt themselves. Let them grow and change by the end of the book. Write a bio for each character. You need to know everything about the characters—physical attributes (hair and eye color, height, weight, age, etc.) mental condition, family background, and occupation. Think of character analysis as physical, psychological and sociological. Once you have created a bio for your main characters you will know how they will respond in different situations. Secondary characters are just as important to develop. They should be strong. Avoid stereotypes. Don’t be surprised when characters take over.

Scenes – Think three-act play – When setting up your story think of it in three parts, beginning when you set up the action, middle when the action peaks, and end when story lines are brought to fruition. Within the acts are the scenes where the action takes place. Every scene has to move the story forward.

Point of View

Point of view is the distance between your characters and your readers.

First Person is the most intimate point of view and will draw readers emotionally into our character’s experience. “I” pronoun is used.

Second Person is even more intimate because readers get into the characters’ thoughts. It is used to draw readers in close. “You” pronoun is used.

Third Person is recognized by the use of “she” or “he.” This point of view is divided into two forms: Omniscient and limited. Third person limited is the most practical as it sticks to one character’s point of view at a time.

** The challenge is to not mix and match point of view so that the readers don’t get confused as to who is talking. One POV per scene.

Dialogue

Dialogue moves the story forward, sets the tone, creates tension, and a sense of time and place. It provides information and action. Dialogue reflects the speaker, their vocabulary, and speech patterns.

Pacing

“Pacing is the heartbeat of your story. It’s the rhythm that keeps your narrative on track, scene after scene.”[1]

Think of your story as having hills and valleys. As you ramp up the tension with conflicts, you also need to provide readers relief from that stress. [This could be when your subplot comes in.] Paragraphs should be kept short with various sentence lengths. Paragraphs should not bog down in the middle. When forming sentences watch for excess baggage, i.e. information not needed. Look for unnecessary words and phrases, and get rid of them. Make every word work!

Editing – Listen to the Music

Read out loud: That’s where the music comes in. Writing is not only visual. “The words you write make sounds, and when the sounds satisfy the reader’s ear, your writing works.”  The combination of correct words and length in a sentence creates a sound that will please a reader’s ear. When reading your manuscript aloud, you will hear the sour notes.

Publishing – Main Stream (Traditional) or Self-Publish – Or don’t publish at all– It’s a personal choice

Mainstream Publishing

You will need an agent. Check the library’s edition of The Writer’s Market for agents accepting queries in your genre. Read the instructions carefully. What kind of books does the agency represent? Follow directions to the letter. Learn how to write query letters. (How to Write Attention-grabbing Query & Cover Letters, by John Wood, 808.02 Wo) Be ready to accept rejection and most of all keep trying. When an agent accepts your manuscript, he/she will shop your book to publishing houses. If one of them buys the book, you will then face contract negotiations. You may need to hire a lawyer to protect your interests. Your book will be put in the queue and you may wait a year or more to publication.

Self-Publishing with CreateSpace

CreateSpace is an excellent option for self-publishing. The site offers easy step-by-step instructions for loading the manuscript and cover. It provides excellent customer service, shows the royalty structure, and distribution options. CreateSpace’s internal review process alerts the author to issues that might effect publication. [Set up a separate bank account for royalties to be deposited.] Downside: It is up to you to have a perfect manuscript and cover art. If you don’t have qualified beta readers, hire an editor.

Marketing – That other hat to wear

Whether you mainstream publish or self publish, you will have to do your own marketing. This is where social media is important. Author website, blog, LinkedIn, email contacts of family/friends, guest blogs, book festivals, craft fairs, newspaper articles, library author tables/presentations. Wherever you can get your name and books out to connect with readers.

My Writing Toolbox

Bell, James Scott, Plot and Structure. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2004.

George, Elizabeth, Write Away. Harper Collins, New York, NY, 2004.

King, Stephen, On Writing; A memoir of the Craft. Scribner, New York, 2000.

Mills, Elizabeth Shown, Evidence Explained; Citing history sources form artifacts to cyberspace.

     Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD, 2009.

Munier, Paula, Plot Perfect.  Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2014.

Munier, Paula, Writing with Quiet Hands. Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2015.

Provost, Gary, Make Your Words Work. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1990.

Roberts, Gillian, You Can Write a Mystery. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1999.

Rosenfeld, Jordan, Make a Scene. Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2017.

Writer’s Digest – Subscribe to get all the latest information on the writing process.

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[1] Pereira, Gabriela. “Climax and Conclusion,” Writer’s Digest, October 2016, p. 54.