Adam Croft's Blog, page 17

Crime fiction – the plot conundrum

There is something of a conundrum to be dealt with when you are writing a crime fiction novel. Well. I suppose there are actually quite a few things that need to be dealt with when writing a crime novel, but today I am referring to the particular conundrum relating to plot.

Specifically, how complicated should your plot be?

There is a fine art to the complexities of crime novel plotting. Come up with something too complicated, and there’s a chance that even you won’t know how to sort it all out once you get to the end, and there will be plot holes and loose strands of story everywhere. On the other hand, there’s a risk in going too simple: if the outcome and how it is achieved are too easy to guess, the book is unlikely to hold a reader’s attention for long.

Getting the plot right is one of the main tasks of the crime writer, so this is an issue that definitely merits some attention when planning your novel. The plot should be complex and interesting enough that it can hold a reader’s attention for the entire book, and still contain a surprise or two once they get to the end, but it shouldn’t be so complicated it just ends up in a mess.

With this in mind, I think proper planning becomes even more important than normal. Planning is how we sort out not just who the characters are and what the general gist of the story is going to be, but how everything fits together to create a cohesive novel at the end of it. Sorting out the plot can be broken down into a few broad steps:

Decide on your main story arc – how it starts, the main points along the way, and how it resolves.
Decide on your subplots – how many you’re going to have, how they progress, and how they resolve.
Decide how it all goes together – how the subplots relate to the main plot, how they will influence each other and affect each other, how they will all drive your story onwards to the conclusion.

Of course, there is a lot of work that goes into each point, and in many ways they are all dependent on each other – an idea for a great subplot might require you to tweak a bit of the main plot, which then impacts on the final resolution, for instance – but looking at it like this helps to make sense of where everything fits in together.

A well-plotted, well-constructed crime novel has to be one of the true pleasures of the book world. Taking the time to get it right, and create a plot that is both intelligible and excitingly (but not bafflingly) complex, is definitely worth the effort.

6 ways to re-inject life into your writing blog

A writing blog can be a great way of promoting your work, connecting with fellow writers, and improving your skills as a writer. But what can you do if you find your writing blog becoming a little bit lifeless or a something of a chore to update? Luckily, there are plenty of ways to re-inject life into your writing blog. Here are some of the best.

Start a new series of blog posts

A great way of re-injecting interest into your blog – for both you and your readers – is to start a new series of blog posts. The topic could be related to what you already write about on your blog, or it could be significantly different, but the important thing is that it’s a topic you find interested and engaging, and that you want to write about. A series like this can be a good way of getting a regular post up on your blog, even if it’s just once a week or once a fortnight, helping you keep the new content coming while adding a new angle to proceedings.

Re-launch alongside your new book

If you are an author with a new book out soon, it could be a great opportunity for you to refresh your blog. For instance, you could consider changing the design of your blog to reflect the design of your new book, as well as using your blog as a prime marketing tool for the book.

Do something completely different

Sometimes, the best way to improve something is to do it completely differently. If you feel like you’ve got to the stage with your writing blog where more of the same or only small changes aren’t going to make any difference, it might be time to try something entirely new. If the things you used to write about on your blog aren’t as compelling anymore, think about what you do find compelling at the moment, and work out how it could be built into your writing blog.

Get a regular guest spot

If your writing blog is well-established with a good number of regular readers, you could consider adding an extra draw with a regular guest spot. For example, once a week, you could give your blog over to a writer you admire to write about a topic of their choosing. You could consider having just one regular guest writer, or if you have loads of contacts who are willing to write a guest post, you could use different writers. Just remember that the people who write the guest posts need to be getting something out of it too – think about how the exposure will help them, as well as how it could help your blog.

Start a new marketing campaign

Starting a new series of promotions for your blog can be a good way of looking at it through fresh eyes. Think about how you’d market it if you had just come across it for the first time. What marketing tactics haven’t you used before? Not only can this be a good way of boosting your blog, but it can also be a useful way of learning about new marketing techniques that could come in handy the next time you publish a book.

Create a calendar of actions

Coming up with a plan for what you want to do with your blog can help you to focus; it will make you think about what you want to achieve through the blog, and can be a good opportunity to think of different themes and topics you want to explore.

 

Amazon set to launch cover creator tool

Creating the perfect book cover can be a challenging aspect of getting your novel published, and I’m sure we have all seen books out there with covers that are less than wonderful. One option that many independent publishers take is to use a professional cover designer to get it exactly right.

However, this isn’t always an option, particularly when you’re just starting out in your career and might not have the funds to spare for cover design. This is why it’s great to hear that Amazon is set to launch a cover creator tool for authors who use the Kindle Direct Publishing programme.

The tool is currently in testing but is said to be set to roll out more widely soon. It has been reported that it will include thousands of images and pre-programmed options for authors to make use of, as well as allowing them to upload their own art.

You can read more about this development here. Will you use the Amazon KDP Cover Creator?

5 ways to improve your creativity

Thinking creatively is central to the role of a writer – without it, our work would get stale pretty quickly. There will always be times when we feel less creative than usual, but there are some tricks we can make use of to help improve our creativity.

Don’t worry about not being an expert in something. You might have a great idea for a story, but be put off writing it because you don’t know a huge amount about the subject matter, which in turn makes you feel less creative about how you could approach it. Instead of seeing it as a hindrance, try and see it as a positive thing; as you’re not an expert, you can be more open-minded about how you approach the topic, and come at it from any angle you want. You can fill in any gaps later; for now, let your imagination go where it wants.
Don’t analyse while you’re creating. One of the things many writers do is to analyse their work as they’re writing it. There comes a point where this analytical ability is important, but when you’re in the act of writing a first draft – a time when you need to be creative – try and put it to one side. Don’t think about the logic of what you’re creating; just go with it and see where your mind takes you.
Don’t worry about failing. Fear of failure is common to writers, and it can leave us stifling our creativity in case we make a wrong decision. It’s hard to put fear of failing to one side, but if you can accept that not all of your ideas will pan out as you hoped – but equally, that some of them will work better than you ever dreamed they might – it will allow you to think more freely and, hopefully, creatively.
Be confident. In short, don’t worry about your creativity or lack of it. Be confident that you have the ability to be creative and come up with interesting ideas.
Don’t limit yourself. It can be tempting to limit yourself as a writer – however unconsciously – as you might think that only certain things will work with the story you’re trying to write. In doing this, you can end up shutting down good, creative ideas that could work because you’re so concerned about everything fitting together. Don’t worry – that can come later. For now, let your creativity go where it wants.

What are your tips for being more creative as a writer?

4 mistakes to cut from your writing

All writers make their own share of mistakes, and we all make them in our own special ways. There are, however, some mistakes that regularly crop up – not just in the work of new writers, but also writers who have some experience under their belt.

Dull writing. This can be hard to define, not least because different people like different styles of writing, but it’s a common mistake to see writing that just seems lifeless. Being grammatically correct and getting the mechanics right is one thing, but writing in a way that is engaging and interesting is something else entirely.
Too much unnecessary detail. Not every sentence of your novel will move the plot on. Not every sentence will add anything to the development of your characters. However, too many sentences that don’t add anything to your novel is a big mistake, and it’s one that writers often make. It’s easily done. Often when we want to see our word count increasing, it can be all too easy to just write anything – even if it doesn’t really do anything for the story – telling ourselves we’ll edit it out later, only for it to be left. Cutting words out of your novel can be hard, but it’s important – be ruthless in editing.
Lack of pace. The pace of your novel won’t always be consistent – sometimes you might spend several pages on a relatively small moment, while at other times things might rattle along at a fair old lick. That’s fine – you have to go with what the story demands. However, a story without any pace, or a pace that doesn’t make sense for the tale you’re trying to tell, definitely counts as a mistake.
Lack of structure. When you write the first draft of your novel, it might not have much of a structure as you’re still trying to sort out the story. However, as you progress with the writing process, a structure should start to emerge. It might not be obvious, but it ought to be there; you should be to identify the key points of the beginning, middle and end.

 

5 steps to building suspense in crime fiction

Suspense is a key component of crime fiction – done right, and a crime novel will grip you from start to finish. It is one of the things that keep us coming back to the genre as readers, so it’s worth it as writers to take the time to get it just right.

With this in mind, here are some of the key steps to successfully building suspense in crime fiction.

Make sure the reader cares

Before you do almost anything else, you need to know that the reader will care about the story you are creating. This means that the premise needs to be sufficiently inviting, and your protagonist (or other characters involved in the suspense) needs to be if not likeable, then in some way sympathetic.

Get your timing right

Whatever is going to create the suspense in your novel – a killer on the loose, someone being stalked, a personal threat or issue hanging over the protagonist – needs to be introduced at the right time. This will, of course, vary from novel to novel, so it’s worth doing some planning to make sure you choose the right moment.

Place your clues carefully

One of the great things about suspense in crime fiction is that it keeps us guessing – there is often a drip-feed of information and clues throughout the novel, which leaves us wanting more and trying to figure out what’s going on. Make sure things keep building.

Provide answers and then take them away

One of the classic ways of building suspense is to give your protagonist a victory – and then take it away, only to ratchet up the pressure once again. For instance, the detective thinks that they’ve worked how who the murderer is, only for another murder to take place while the original suspect is in custody – the personal error and grave consequences raise the stakes and help to drive the story forward.

Don’t give the game away too soon

But when you do give the game away, make sure it packs a punch. Don’t kill the suspense by revealing too much in advance or making it too easy to guess what’s going on – keep at least a couple of things up your sleeve until the end. The success of suspense in crime fiction doesn’t just depend on the process of it throughout the novel, but also on the resolution; it needs to be satisfying, and worth all the time spent on it throughout the rest of the book.

What are your tips for creating suspense in crime fiction?

6 things you can do to improve your writing

Trying to become a better writer is a task that never stops. There are always improvements that can be made and things that we can do to try and get better. With this in mind, here are a few things that you can do to improve your writing.

Find a writing partner. Find someone who loves writing just as much as you do and with whom you click – someone who won’t be afraid to tell you what’s wrong with your writing but who will also offer support and ideas when it comes to improving and developing your work. Critiquing their work will also improve your skills; as you learn how to be constructively critical of someone else’s work, it helps to open your eyes to how you can also improve your own.
Write a story in 100 words. Having so few words in which to tell your tale forces you to think about the key points; nothing can be wasted, and precisely the right words have to be chosen in order to convey what you want to convey. And, if you’re feeling really up for a challenge, write a story in the length of a tweet (140 characters).
Blog regularly. Blogging is a different style of writing to a novel, but it also helps to improve your writing by encouraging you to do it regularly and making you think about how to keep things interesting over a sustained period.
Increase your knowledge about the world. This doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an expert in everything, but rather seeking out new ideas, learning what other people think, and finding out what’s going on around you. Having a greater bank of knowledge – both factual and about what makes people tick – to draw on will help to add depth and interest to your writing.
Take your time. It can be so tempting to rush through your writing, to get to the end as quickly as possible so you can move on to the business of publishing. However, sometimes taking your time can make a huge difference – thinking carefully about which word to use instead of using the first one that comes to mind, and being careful to get the story just right, will make you a better writer in the long run.
Get straight to the point. While taking your time to get your writing perfect is useful, it also helps to get straight to the point, to the heart of what you are doing; don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t add anything to the story you are trying to tell – think about what you are trying to say in a scene, and make sure say it.

What are your tips for becoming a better writer?

Never self-publish your book too soon

There is no denying that self-publishing – when done properly – is hard work. It is also, however, easier than it used to be, largely thanks to developments in technology that have enabled more authors to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.

In the early days of writing, it can be tempting to want to take advantage of these opportunities too soon; it’s only natural to want to get your work out there ASAP, but there is a strong argument against self-publishing your book too soon. Having a backlist can help you as an author, but if that backlist includes early efforts that aren’t quite up to scratch, it is unlikely to bring you the benefits you’re hoping for.

One of the big reasons for holding off on self-publishing for a while is that period before you publish for the first time is precious. As keen as you might be to get on with things, you can never get that time back – that time when you have the luxury of being able to make mistakes in private and learn about writing in your own time.

It’s worth taking the time to develop your skills as a writer, learn the kind of things you like to write about, and develop your own voice. Hardly anyone produces amazing work right from the start, so that period where you essentially learn how to produce good, publishable work that people want to read is vital.

Your books will be much better for it, and you’ll be much more confident when the time does come to self-publish. So as tempting as it might be to hit that publish button as soon as you write the final full-stop of your first novel, don’t be too hasty. Taking that extra little bit of time could have fantastic benefits in the long run.

 

Amazon set to purchase Goodreads

A couple of days ago, it was announced that Amazon intends to buy Goodreads, which is one of the primary online communities for readers. It’s an interesting development, not least due to Amazon’s huge reach around the world.

It’s thought that the deal is set to be finalised within the next few months, and it will definitely be interesting to see the direction that the venture takes once it has gone through. The co-founder of Goodreads has said that the deal should help the company speed up the process of taking its user experience to people around the world, while Amazon has said that the two companies share a passion for reinventing reading.

In the meantime, you can read more about the Amazon/Goodreads deal here.

Reasons to write a novel

As wonderful as writing often is, it isn’t always fun. In fact, it’s not that uncommon to hear writers – sometimes very successful writers – say that they’re struggling with a novel draft and/or not particularly enjoying the writing process.

So why do we still do it? Even though it’s difficult and sometimes akin to trying to get water from a stone, we still carry on. We still want to do it and willingly put ourselves through the pain.

There are, I think, several reasons for this.

One is that we have something to say and we’re determined to say it through a novel, no matter how long it takes or how hard we have to work to do it. We have a story to tell or an issue we want to explore, and our commitment to the idea is more than enough to see us through the tough times.

Another reason is that when we do get to the end of the writing process, there is the immense satisfaction of a job well done. Finishing a novel you’ve spent months or even years writing is pretty amazing, and there is nothing quite like the sense of achievement. The buzz that you feel when you get to the end is more than reason enough to carry on whatever happens.

Also, there is often a practical side to continuing writing even though it’s not always completely enjoyable. If writing is part of your career and your income – even if just a small part of your income – depends on you getting your novel finished and published, there is a strong reason to carrying on writing.

Plus writing is just one of those things we have to do. It might be painful at times and we might sometimes wonder why we ever started it in the first place, but once you’ve got the bug, there’s not really any getting over it. We just have to write a novel. Whatever it takes, we’ll get there in the end.