Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 154

How James Patterson Made 94 Million Dollars Last Year

by Gretchen Archer, @Gretchen_Archer





I don’t have a clue. He probably doesn’t
either. I’m sure there are forensic accountants, Schedule Cs, and colorful pie
charts with the secret formula for how this man, in today’s publishing climate,
earned so much money by simply putting pencil to paper (they say he
writes-outlines-edits long hand on legal pads), but I bet there’s no
one-sentence explanation. “Mr. Patterson, it was the Alex Cross fleece booties
that shot you from Forbes Stinking Rich to Forbes Obscenely Loaded.”

The only logical answer? James Patterson
supplies a high-demand product to an eager and willing consumer. That’s how he
does it. Who’s next? Who will be the next J.K., Danielle, John Grisham? I hope
it’s not me. I don’t want to be the next Gillian Flynn or E.L. James, either,
but for different reasons, and not because I hate going to the bank, something
they must be doing a lot of, too. It’s because, having read both Ms. Flynn and
Ms. James (kudos, ladies) I know I could never do what they’ve done (in the
first place) without giving up my life. For me to go that deep, I’d have to
shut off everything and everyone, and what if, when I dug out, everything and
everyone were gone?

Which brings me to a terrible confession:
I’m not in it for the money. I write with the luxury of knowing  there will be dinner on the table and lights
on in my house if I bring in Sandra Brown numbers or, like many other happy
writers, I don’t.



I’m in it for the fun. Writing is fun.

I write, entirely, for my own amusement.
While there’s an underlying message in my Davis Way Crime Caper Series—you
can’t have something for nothing—my solitary goal, when staring at the blank
screen, is to entertain myself.

Maybe I need to get out more.

Plot is fun. For whatever reasons,
because I couldn’t drum up a hotel sewing kit if James Patterson were standing
in front of me holding a critical runaway button, I think of plot in terms of
thousands of colorful strands of loose, wispy threads all around me, and my
goal is to gather and assemble and weave them in such a way that they come
together in a strong, affecting, and charming design. (Side note: I think of
editing as someone saying the light lavender strand, that I love, and spent
forever plaiting in, looks horrible.)

Characters are fun. I have the pleasure
of taking all the good I’m surrounded by and giving it to my characters. I do
the same with my bad guys. The parents who blame everything and everyone but
themselves for their child’s rotten grades-Sailor language-haircut—in the book.
The friend who won’t stop making harrowing relationship decisions—in the
book.  The desperate man having a very
public meltdown at the bank when he’s the one who bounced the checks—in the
book.

The research is fun, because learning is
fun. For DOUBLE DIP (Henery Press, January, 2014), I learned about French food,
slot tournaments, bananas, mega churches, and waste management. Which didn’t do
a thing for my cash flow, but I really enjoyed it.

Outside of the writing process, the
people are fun. If you’re not working with people who make your life and your
work a better place, get new ones. I’m surrounded by the greatest group of
people imaginable. I’d have never met them had it not been for the writing, and
they’re worth more to me than money. Above all, they’re fun.

You’ll read next week that Mr.
Patterson’s 18th release (this year)
has been knocked out of the NYT’s #1 spot by none other than Mr. Patterson
himself, with his 19th. Be happy for
him. Go, James, go! Rake it in! 





Gretchen Archer
is a Tennessee housewife who began writing when her daughters, seeking higher
educations, left her. She lives on Lookout Mountain with her husband, son,
and a Yorkie named Bently. DoubleWhammy is her first Davis Way Crime Caper. www.gretchenarcher.com








Double Whammy: Davis Way hits the jackpot
when she lands a job at the fabulous Bellissimo Resort and Casino, but only if
she can steer clear of her ex-ex husband, her evil twin, and pesky felony
indictments.

Twitterific

 by Elizabeth S. Craig,
@elizabethscraig




Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I
shared the previous week. The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base
search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which
has over 19,000 free articles on writing-related topics. It's the search engine
for writers.




Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top
contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.




Mike Fleming and author and writing coach
James Scott Bell are offering an online, interactive, writing program to help make
your next novel great. It's called "Knockout Novel" and you can learn
more about it at KnockoutNovel.com. Plus, all the data is stored in your Hiveword account for
easy access.



Strategies for Turning Impersonal Info
Dumps into Compelling Copy: http://bit.ly/18Ik5wb
@jodierennered

Stalking the Muse: http://bit.ly/13aqUa8 @ashkrafton

To Save Indies, Publishers Need to
ReConsider DRM: http://bit.ly/104KaVA
@dearauthor




Creating a reader-friendly website: http://bit.ly/11M96PW @ellenmgregg_nh

Why Literary Agents Attend Writers
Conferences: http://bit.ly/104KrHU
@KarenDionne

One Writers Conference Can Be All the
Catalyst You Need: http://bit.ly/11M9oX4
@hopeclark @bookbaby

How to Promote an Audiobook: http://bit.ly/104KBPI @dinasantorelli

Tips and an exercise for writing better
dialogue: http://bit.ly/11M9EoN
@hookedonnoir @kristenlambtx

Writing Tip: Clustering: http://bit.ly/104KQdr

Understanding screenwriting (analysis of
various movies and TV shows): http://bit.ly/11M9ONa
@slant_magazine

Using Language To Evoke Emotion: http://bit.ly/104LuaJ @woodwardkaren

Perils of the Writer: Clarity and
"Literary" Writing: http://bit.ly/11Mayln

Great Scene: "Fight Club": http://bit.ly/104LBTM @gointothestory

Book Marketing Using Paid Promotion:
Targeted Email Lists: http://bit.ly/11MaMZR
@thecreativepenn

Dealing with Bad Reviews: http://bit.ly/104LJCW @jakonrath

Creating Perks for a Crowdfunded Writing
Project: http://bit.ly/11MaUIN @jasonboog

Why Do We Keep Making Ebooks Like Paper
Books? http://bit.ly/11MbPst @gizmodo

The Joys of 1-Star Reviews: http://bit.ly/104MBHG

10 Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn
From Forrest Gump: http://bit.ly/11Mc7zG

When is it OK to Blog Your Book? http://bit.ly/11Mcb2x @annerallen

10 Literary Beers to Drink While Reading:
http://bit.ly/104MNXl @flavorpill

I Don't Need a Hero: The Kick-Ass
Heroines of Gaming: http://bit.ly/11Mcjit
@c_morgs65

A Look at a Middle Grade Query Letter: http://bit.ly/104MWtU @janice_hardy

How to Write a Screenplay in Nine (Not
So) Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/11Mcudy
@scriptmag

Why Suddenly Is a Four-Letter Word: http://bit.ly/104MZWA @KMWeiland

100 Things for Authors To Tweet About: http://bit.ly/11McJVT @authormedia

How to Write a Memorable Beginning and
Ending: http://bit.ly/104Ngsv
@write_practice

A look at 3rd person POV: http://bit.ly/11McSc4 @fictorians

Fiction Writing Exercises: Symbols and
Symbolism: http://bit.ly/104NnEx
@melissadonovan

Comfort food for the long wait: http://bit.ly/11McY3e

Don't Write A Drama Spec: http://bit.ly/104NrnQ

Tips for better blog posts: http://bit.ly/11Mfneu @EdieMelson

Songwriting Tip: Writing The Bridge: http://bit.ly/104Ploq @usasongs

What are agents looking for in a writer? http://bit.ly/11Mfuqd @carlywatters

Synopsis Writing 101: http://bit.ly/104PFDz @MyraJohnson

Thoughts on how subplots fit into the
main story: http://bit.ly/11MfPJM
@DeeWhiteauthor

Artists and writers: drop the confusion
and define your own labels: http://bit.ly/104QQTx
@originalimpulse

With More Authors Self-Publishing Each
Year, How Will Your Book Get Noticed? http://bit.ly/11MgVoS
@thecreativepenn

The Most Common Dialogue Errors In
Screenplays: http://bit.ly/104QZGH

How to Set Tone and Mood in Your Scenes: http://bit.ly/11Mh8Iz @janice_hardy

How To Guarantee Yourself a Rejection: http://bit.ly/104R4Kn @behlerpublish

Demystifying Contracts: Novels –
Discounted Royalties: http://bit.ly/11MhezM
@amazingstories0

When Should Writers Get Critiques? http://bit.ly/104RaS5 @jodyhedlund

Handling Story Problems: http://bit.ly/10cxbwT @mooderino

Colon review: http://bit.ly/104TR6j @missedperiods

The sexual jeopardy device in sf/f: http://bit.ly/10cxIPu @ThGalaxyExpress

"Indie First?" What Is Best In
Publishing? http://bit.ly/1380bxa
@chuckwendig

Beyond the same-old fantasy culture: Nine
authors worth reading: http://bit.ly/10cxPKO
@juliettewade

When Should You Send Your Short Story Out
For Critique? http://bit.ly/104UbC6
@woodwardkaren

Hugh Howey on Why Writers Need an Author
Platform: http://bit.ly/10cxWGr @hughhowey
@danblank

How To Create And Maintain The Habit Of
Writing: http://bit.ly/13Z2Wxx
@woodwardkaren

Use Relationship Marketing to Sell Books:
http://bit.ly/YAqHOi @bookmarketer

The Art of Modeling--How Other People's
Books Can Make Yours Better: http://bit.ly/13Z35Bf

7 lessons from 7+ years blogging: http://bit.ly/YAqUkg @amytschubert

Choosing your genre: http://bit.ly/13Z38Nk @JanetKGrant

How to Set Tone and Mood in Your Scenes: http://bit.ly/11Mh8Iz @Janice_Hardy

This Is The BEST Time To Be A Writer, If
You Work For It: http://bit.ly/YArbE2
@danblank

How to Write Multiple POVs: http://bit.ly/13Z3kvZ @ava_jae

How a marketing scientist wishes that
Amazon reviews worked: http://mz.cm/YArte2
@SEOmoz @dr_pete

1 trad. published author tells about her
positive self-pub experience: http://bit.ly/13Z3EuP
@ElisNaughton

Writing with Repercussions: http://bit.ly/13Z3NhH @susanjmorris

Publishing With A Small Press: Yes, No,
Maybe? http://bit.ly/13Z7Af7 @mollygreene

2Tips to Take Your Dialogue to a New
Level: http://bit.ly/YAwmnl @hookedonnoir
@kristenlambtx

Live First, Write Later: The Case for
Less Creative-Writing Schooling: http://bit.ly/13Z7V19
@Jon_Reiner

How to Stick with It When You're Learning
Something New On Your Own: http://bit.ly/YAwFOY
@lifehackorg

Digital publishing and the loss of
intimacy: http://oreil.ly/YAwOls
@fjdekermadec

How to get better feedback: http://bit.ly/13Z8eZR @berkun

5 Cases of
"Which"/"That" Confusion: http://bit.ly/YAwXFB
@writing_tips

The Author Solutions lawsuit--a time for
restraint: http://bit.ly/10EkFHH
@Porter_Anderson @sarahw @MickRooney7777 @DavidGaughran

7 things 1 new author has learned so far:
http://bit.ly/13Z8sAd @writersdigest

Tetris Effect + Genetics: Why We Write: http://bit.ly/YAxabN @poetrynews

A Complicated Genre– Telling Your Own
Story: http://bit.ly/13Z8EPY @wendylawton

The rejected writer: http://bit.ly/17JGn1Z @karencv

Saggy book middles: http://bit.ly/17JGqef @tarynalbright

Be precise but avoid unnecessary details:
http://bit.ly/17JGTwW

How to trim the fat from your story: http://bit.ly/17JGXNf @nickthacker

Tips for finding fresh ideas: http://bit.ly/17JHheS

Why Suddenly Is a Four-Letter Word: http://bit.ly/104MZWA @kmweiland

Marking Time with the Viewpoint
Character: http://bit.ly/ZNbvvH @noveleditor

Why Does Horror Have Such a Bad
Reputation? http://bit.ly/17JHAGE
@thisisdannyg

Triggers And Taboos In Fiction: http://bit.ly/ZNbND5 @VeronicaSicoe

Writing an epic--getting stuck: http://bit.ly/ZNc1dk @matty_gibbon

5 Tips for Submitting to Writing
Contests: http://bit.ly/17JI2EM
@EDFsChronicles

Freelance Writers--Building a Writer's
Portfolio: http://bit.ly/17JIa7s

Social Media Rule #1 for Writers – Be
Social: http://bit.ly/ZNcnR8
@DevourerofBooks

The Art of Asking People to Buy our
Books: http://bit.ly/17JInaC @Rachel_Aaron

What the heck does a book cost? http://bit.ly/17JIxyD @Scholarlykitchn

Remember the Quiet Moments: http://bit.ly/ZNcKez @Lydia_sharp

Social Media for Authors: Where Do You
Start? http://bit.ly/17JIFOI
@mybookshepherd

How to embed tweets and follow
conversations: http://bit.ly/ZNcSux
@stevebuttry

Emotions Belong To Readers: http://bit.ly/17JIJy4 @mooderino

10 Tips To Finish What You Start: http://bit.ly/ZNrVnU @lifehackorg

Creative Researching: http://bit.ly/ZNs2A1

Views on viewpoint: http://bit.ly/17JU0hP

A List of Things Scott Turow Doesn't Care
About: http://bit.ly/17JU8Or @davidgaughran

How To Get Out of the Slush Pile: http://bit.ly/17JUch7 @Martinaaboone

What's to love about Goodreads? http://bit.ly/ZNss9m @Indie_Jane

Reading as an Agent: http://bit.ly/ZNsuOD @martinaaboone

Communication Breakdown for your novel's
dialogue: http://bit.ly/17JUsMY
@DavidCorbett_CA

6 ways to market children's books: http://bit.ly/ZNsFt8 @LauraPepWu

Goals for You and for Your Characters: http://bit.ly/ZNsL48 @plotwhisperer

When you suspect you've been taken for a
ride by your publisher: http://bit.ly/ZNsSN8
@JapanLite

How to use the QueryTracker site: http://bit.ly/17JUMLA @janelebak

Diversity in Writing: http://bit.ly/ZNsXQO @martinaaboone

Does your book need an index? http://bit.ly/16h4maZ @SueCollier

Creating amid chaos: http://bit.ly/ZHuEM9 @JennaAvery

5 Ways to Stay Physically Healthy While
You Write: http://bit.ly/16hai3J
@chrisrobley

How to unlock personal truth through
intuitive writing: http://bit.ly/ZHBHoe
@justinemusk

Dan Brown has got readers. Has he got
talent? http://bit.ly/14ss93y
@Porter_Anderson @MichaelPDeacon @JakeKerridge @mollydriscoll

How To Punctuate Dialogue In Your Prose: http://bit.ly/16haJLw @writerscramp1

What's Your Character's Deal Breaker?: A
Key to Compelling Characters: http://bit.ly/16haRdV
@dannymanus

How Indie Authors can use NetGalley: http://bit.ly/ZHCfdI @BiblioCrunch

Impact character(s): http://bit.ly/ZHCMfz @glencstrathy

Tips for creating a viral book trailer: http://bit.ly/16hbRP6 @tferriss

Characters for hire: http://bit.ly/ZHJVws @ClayStafford

What Works in Real Life Works Just as
Well in Writing: http://bit.ly/17MIbYj
@EdieMelson

Roundtable on Unreliable Narrators: http://bit.ly/17MIpP1

A reader explains why readers don't owe
authors anything: http://bit.ly/YGkkJd
@mittenstrings

Joe Konrath responds to questions: http://bit.ly/17MIFNR @JAKonrath

How to beat a creative block: http://bit.ly/YGkrV5 @FortheCreators

Advice for writers waffling over whether
to start a project: http://bit.ly/17MIUIJ
@EdanL

Finding beta readers: http://bit.ly/17MJ0QR @goblinwriter

4 Ways Google+ Communities Help Authors
Build Their Platforms: http://bit.ly/YGkMXN
@genelempp

The Slow Death of The Old Paradigm
Author: http://bit.ly/17MJpCN
@kristenlambtx

5 Steps to Take Before You Publish Your
Blog Post: http://bit.ly/YGlbtr
@wherewriterswin

Time Management for Writers: http://bit.ly/17MJN4h @nancyjcohen

Just Get On With The Story? http://bit.ly/YGlvZ8 @mooderino

Scheduling options for freelancers: http://bit.ly/17MKbQi

Tips for taking your spec script to
market: http://bit.ly/YGlRii @gointothestory

Dos and Don'ts of Working with an Editor:
http://bit.ly/17MKryG @fictorians

Writers selling to writers: http://bit.ly/14bPCqj @Porter_Anderson
@PBSMediaShift @MissAdventuring  @ChuckWendig

Marking Time with the Viewpoint
Character: http://bit.ly/YGm5Gb @noveleditor

Writing advice from 14 spec fiction
authors: http://bit.ly/11UJZuc @22words

Spring Clean Your Writing: http://bit.ly/15vQZUY @howtowriteshop

At 9 p.m. EST, joining #indiechat to
discuss going from trad. pub to self-pub. 
@bibliocrunch

Falls (pushing) as a murder method in
crime fiction: http://bit.ly/10HKono
@mkinberg

The wages of platforming: http://bit.ly/13hjTRB @Porter_Anderson
@DonMaass @RLLaFevers

How to create a marketing plan for a
self-pubbed book: http://bit.ly/17uLR3c @NickThacker

Tips for putting your villain in a crisis
situation: http://bit.ly/11IC6NS
@WhiskySageMusic

Use of cars as a murder weapon in crime
fiction: http://bit.ly/108LPtP @mkinberg

The Process, or Lack Thereof

Guest Post by Mitzi Kelly, @ mitzi_kelly







I’d like to thank Elizabeth for giving me
a platform to discuss one of my favorite subjects:  the writing process. (Not!)

I have to admit, I doubt if many authors
approach a writing project with the same helter-skelter methods I use, but I’m
looking forward to the opportunity to analyze my lack of a strategy.  Or, I should say, my lack of an organized strategy.

It really is quite frustrating. From the
way I start a new manuscript, to the way it eventually ends up, are at such
different ends of the writing spectrum, it’s a mystery to me how I complete any
project.   Wait, I just thought about
something! This puzzle could provide the major plot theme in my next book in
the Silver Sleuths Mystery series!

My process really is that convoluted,
folks.  I could probably benefit from a
team of sleuths investigating it, but I’m going to give it my best shot.  Please bear with me as I try to describe my
creative process, because the key word here really is “creative.”




First of all, one of the easiest tasks
for me in beginning a manuscript is giving it a title.  In fact, in almost every instance, I have
thought of the title before I’ve even written “Chapter One.”  A fun phrase (the title) will pop into my
head, and then it’s just a case of what if
. . .

The second step for me is to clear my
desk, pull out pen and paper, and detail the physical and emotional traits of
my characters.  Yes, I actually do this
in longhand.  I use one sheet of paper
per character and I add tidbits, if necessary, as the story develops.  There’s something about writing down the
specifics that satisfies my imagination. 
Don’t ask me why because I certainly can’t explain it.

I then move on to the plot outline and a
chapter-by-chapter analysis, both of which are also done by longhand.  This is a time-consuming process, but I enjoy
it. By the time I’ve done all this ‘writing,’ I feel I have a good, strong
grasp on what my story is going to be, and it’s at this point I sit down at my
computer.

After a day of typing, that good, strong grasp feeling has evaporated
because somewhere in the middle of chapter one, my characters have taken over
and changed quite a bit of the initial outline, which also affects my
chapter-by-chapter analysis.  Out comes
the pen and, while muttering under my breath, I make the adjustments to the
story line. By the third time I have to do this, I’m no longer muttering under
my breath.  I’d be more specific, but you
get the picture . . .

And that, my dear friends, accurately
explains my writing process.  Weird? Yes.
A ton of wasted paper? Certainly. Fun? Most assuredly!  Because every writer’s goal is to get to the
point in the manuscript where you type “The End,” and it doesn’t really matter
how you get there.

Strange procedures, quirky habits and
ritualistic customs are all part of the process. A writer has to find a process
that works for him or her and just start writing. Um . . . I mean typing,
because our readers aren’t thinking about any of our strategies while they are
engrossed in our finished product.  I
mean, really, can you imagine what my readers would think if, while trying to
solve the latest crime in my novels, they knew what I had gone through to
create the darn thing!     



Mitzi Kelly grew up in
El Paso, Texas and now lives near San Antonio, Texas with her husband, John,
and son, John Lewis, and four dogs.  An
avid reader of all genres, she also enjoys intelligent political debate, and
especially time spent with family and friends.



She is the author of
the popular Silver Sleuths Mystery series published by Thomas &
Mercer.  The first two books, CLASSIC REVENGE and DEADLY POLICY are available at Amazon.com, and the third book in
the series will be released soon!  You
can contact her through her website at mitzi@mitzikelly.com.




            

What If? A Method for Developing Ideas

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig




MorgueFile--The Success


I’m one of those neighbors that would be
the perfect witness in a murder mystery. 
Because, if I’m not driving my kids and their friends around, I’m
staring blankly out the windows as I write.

One morning I saw our middle school
neighbor from across the street leave the house to walk to the school bus
stop.  His folks had put out a large
television for a charity to pick up and the remote sat on the top of the TV by
the street.  He walked past the
television, looking at it. Then he abruptly turned around, reached for the
remote, and pointed it at the television.  
You could just see what was going through his head: what if the
television suddenly turned on?

Writing is like that.  What if___happened?







You can brainstorm this way.  You can even outline this way.  You can get yourself out of plot holes this
way.

So I’m starting a new mystery.  Since I had such a disastrous pantster
experience for the last book, I’ve decided to put some time and thought into
planning this new book before I write.  I
don’t ordinarily like writing that way, but I will admit that out of the four
novels I’ve outlined, I’ve never had a major rewrite. 

This is Outlining Light.  So my process is something like this (and I
give myself permission to change it as I go along.)

I start out with my victim…because she
determines everything in a mystery.  Who
wants to kill her?  This is how suspects
are developed. What if she’s the kind of person who rubs everyone the wrong
way? What if she is responsible for breaking up someone’s marriage?  What if her neighbor was engaged in a
property dispute with her? What if she has a grown daughter living with her who
likes to cause trouble? 

The rest of the story develops in much
the same way.  What if Suspect 1 claims
she was somewhere else the night of the murder but Suspect 2 spotted her
arriving at the victim’s house when she was leaving it? What if Suspect 3 has a
secret that she’s desperate to protect…which has nothing to do with the murder?


This rambling what-if process can lead to
many different ideas.  I take all the
ideas.  I’ll take outlandish ones,
mediocre ones, great ones.  I list them
all on a separate document and look for the strongest ideas…the ones with the
most possibilities to develop.  Even
better if some of the ideas could intersect with each other in some way
(surprising connections between suspects, surprising facts about the victim
connected to one of the suspects.)

When I run into problems, I can
brainstorm my way out of it in the same way. 
In one of my recently finished books, I thought featuring two different
married couples was confusing…especially with similar motives involved.  Plus, there really wasn’t enough
conflict.  What if one of the couples
weren’t married?  What if one member of
the couple was in love and the other member just wanted out? It made the story
more complex and interesting and it was only a small tweak.

How do you brainstorm and plot?



And...I'm trying a new jump break (read more)  feature for my blog to make it easier to scroll through posts (since some posts are pretty long.)  Hoping this will make it easier for a visitor to my blog's homepage to scan blog titles.  Please let me know how it works for you.  Thanks!

Organic vs. Plotting—Waffling

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig




MorgueFile--Binks


What doesn’t matter about plotting? 
It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as it works for you.

If what you’re doing isn’t
working, have you ever tried something else?

I’ve always been a very happy
organic writer/pantster.  I make up my
mysteries as I went along.  My agent,
frankly, was rather horrified.  I’ve also
had an editor or two who were very surprised that I don’t outline. I have a
feeling that many traditionally published, prolific writers outline their books
and that I was the exception and not the rule.

I have one editor who requires
an outline for approval.  I had a
tremendous problem delivering her an outline at first.  The first outline was 24 pages long.  My poor editor.  But at first, that’s the only way I could do
them.  If I had
to write an outline, I was going all the way with it…outlining every scene.

The second outline went a lot
better.  I gave her three page “big
picture” of the story.  I left out the
minor details and just hit the high points, suspects, killer, and how my hook
(it’s a quilting mystery series) featured into the book.

The third outline was much like
the second for this editor.  The
difference was that I deviated from it nearly completely.  Once I started writing the story, it took off
into a different direction.  Wrapped up
in the story, I neglected to tell my editor about my deviation, which caused a
bit of a problem for an editorial meeting she was in and a cover meeting.  Ugh.  I
quickly filled her in and sent her the (unfinished) manuscript (which I usually
hate doing because at that point I’ve done zero editing…but it was better than
sending my long-suffering editor in blind to various conferences.)

So I’ve had some outlining
background.  And I always hated coming up
with these outlines.  But—I never ran into story issues when I’ve
outlined.  I might go off my outline, but I never end up with a huge
plot hole, a mess of a beginning, or a poorly paced book.

On the other hand, when I haven’t outlined, I’ve run into a big problem
about 30% of the time.  Not all the
time.  But enough to slow me down (and I
do hate being inefficient!)

I just had a terrible first
draft experience on a book I made up as I went along.  Bad enough that I’m outlining the novel I’m
about to start writing.  But I’m not excited about this—I’m simply thinking that
maybe it’s become a necessary evil for me.

What
I dislike about outlines:

I feel like the time spent
writing them is better spent writing the story, promoting another book, or some
other writing-related task.  This almost
embarrasses me to even admit…yes, I know outlines count as writing. But that’s
how I feel about them.

I feel that outlines have a
tendency to confine my creativity.

I don’t like picking the
murderer until the end of the story.

I don’t like picking names
until I get to know new characters better.

Outlines remind me of the more
unpleasant assignments in my English classes.

Outlining doesn’t come
particularly naturally to me.

I hate to admit this, too,
but…I can get bored with what I’m writing when I outline because I’m skipping
the process of discovery and brainstorming. 
Those are the most fun parts for me.

Pros
of outlining

I always know what I’m going to
write (I’ve always known what I was
going to write the following day, even as an organic writer.  But with an outline, I know what I’ll write
even after that.

I can immediately tell if the
story I intend to write will work or not. 
I can spot a bloated beginning, a saggy middle, and a bad ending right
off the bat.

I can tell if my original pick
for murderer will work or not.

I can keep better track of
various subplots, red herrings, clues, suspects, and other elements.

Where
I’ve made my peace with outlines:

I allow myself to deviate if
the story will benefit.

I don’t force myself to pick
character names for the outline if I don’t immediately have a name that I
like.  I put in AA or BB instead.

I brainstorm lots of
possibilities on a separate document before I start my outline.  I keep the brainstormed ideas and refer to
them in case I start running dry when following my outline.

So…this is where I am now.  Waffling back and forth between outlining and
skipping it.  Again, if you’ve got a
method that works for you—keep it.  I’m
experimenting only because my method is suddenly letting me down a little.

Do you outline?  Why or why not?

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig,
@elizabethscraig



 Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s
Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which
has over 19,000 free articles on writing related topics. It's the search engine
for writers.




Sign
up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top
contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Mike
Fleming worked with author and writing coach James Scott Bell to offer an
online, interactive, writing program to help make your next novel great. It's
called "Knockout Novel" and you can learn more about it at Knockout Novel.com.


20 Great Writers on the Art of Revision: http://bit.ly/11XgcBu @flavorpill

Discovery of a Character – Finding,
Building, Creating: http://bit.ly/12ZRDGy
@scriptmag

9 Ingredients of Character Development: http://bit.ly/12ZRUt8 @TomPawlik

Character Archetypes 101: The Innocent: http://bit.ly/11XkMzI  @jeanniecampbell

10 Ways Proven to Draw Readers to Your
Novel's Website: http://bit.ly/12ZSA1w
@authormedia

The Charles Dickens school of character
naming: http://bit.ly/11Xl5uq @indie_jane

90 writing tools in a single post: http://bit.ly/12ZT9Z9 @galleycat

Repairing a 'broken' manuscript: http://bit.ly/12ZTo6u @carlywatters

Need a favor? Here are 6 ways to boost
your odds of hearing yes: http://bit.ly/11XlCwl
@tawnafenske

Follow your heart and do what you love: http://bit.ly/12ZU4J0 @writeloud

Query tip: do your research: http://bit.ly/12ZUv68 @ava_jae

Indie Author Branding: How to Figure Out
How to Brand Yourself: http://bit.ly/11XoskT
@passivevoiceblg

Write the Ending First: http://bit.ly/11XoNEr @LAMysteryWriter

The importance of asking 'why': http://bit.ly/12ZYakz @phillywriters

4 helpful tools for writers: http://bit.ly/11Xp7mz @MADaboutWords

Art & Failure: Why the Two Go
Together: http://bit.ly/11XpcXj @jeffgoins
@MattTCoNP

The Foolish Writer and the Wise: http://bit.ly/11XpuNP @JaelMchenry

10 Overused Fantasy Cliches: http://bit.ly/12ZYSON @shaunduke

Writers and their creative spaces: http://bit.ly/101AJYv @fcmalby

Are a Media kit and a press kit the same
thing? http://bit.ly/1337NOo @melissabreau

New Literary Forms for Self-Publishers: http://bit.ly/101BaSA @indieauthoralli

Industrialization in Epic Fantasy: http://bit.ly/1338mI1 @BrianTMcClellan
@MadHatterReview

10 Writerly Riddles: http://bit.ly/101BAIw @elspethwrites

Keep Your BIC Out of My Erogenous Zones: http://bit.ly/1339bkd @bourbonista

The Psychology of Language: Why Are Some
Words More Persuasive Than Others? http://bit.ly/101DjO4
@lifehackorg

How to Choose the Right Conference: http://bit.ly/133bofp @diymfa

4 Ways to Build Healthy Relationships
with Your Readers: http://bit.ly/101DER0
@mattmikalatos

What You Won't Learn from Writers'
Letters: http://nyr.kr/133cHej
@BenjaminHedin

Info with Attitude: http://bit.ly/101EWvb @jodierennered

All about urban fantasy: http://bit.ly/133eeRH @EmApocalyptic

Last rites for the campus novel: http://bit.ly/101Fp0h @guardianbooks

The One and Only Way To Success? http://bit.ly/133eUX0 @indieauthoralli

50 pieces of writing advice from authors:
http://bit.ly/101FT6L @shortlist

Capitalization Rules for Names of
Historical Periods and Movements: http://bit.ly/133fap8
@writing_tips

The Surprising Thing About Book
Influencers: http://bit.ly/101GXYc
@LucilleZ

Defying Decomposition: The Enduring
Zombie: http://bit.ly/133fEeP @rajanyk

A Writer's Guide to Types of Publishing
Companies: http://bit.ly/101HdGA
@melissadonova

Self-Publishing Overview in 30 Minutes
and 50 Seconds: http://bit.ly/133fO5X
@jfbookman

Why Hire an Editor? http://bit.ly/109IpTX @cathryanhoward

9 Fantasy Characters Who Ultimately
Regret Their Final Decisions: http://bit.ly/18ibLpN
@MildlyAmused @buzzfeed

Do You Suffer From Shiny Object Syndrome?
http://bit.ly/109JaMy @joelrunyon

5 ways to practice the art of double-duty
writing: http://bit.ly/18icS8I
@SusanSquires

Using Close-Up Shots to Give Sensory
Detail: http://bit.ly/109K2AW
@livewritethrive

Dear Younger Writing Self: http://bit.ly/109Km2y

Making scenes go deeper--a checklist: http://bit.ly/18idpaO @WriterLor

What authors think about KDP select: http://bit.ly/109LvqP @ashkrafton

Tips for finding a niche as an author: http://bit.ly/123PF71 @tferriss

6 Types Of Poems To Banish Writers Block:
http://bit.ly/15gRQZz @kimber_regator

First Sentences of Great Books: http://bit.ly/123PW9L @chrisrobley

4 ways to enchant others: http://bit.ly/15gS7vn @woodwardkaren

1 writer is a self-pub failure: http://bit.ly/123Q9Kj @salon

Should we let a website re-run our posts
for free? http://bit.ly/15gSbLJ
@MichelleRafter

21 Ways to Develop Fresh Content Ideas
for Your Blog: http://bit.ly/15gSmXu
@lifehackorg

Memorize Poetry with a Free App: http://bit.ly/123QCvT @mediabistro

Differentiating Through Dialogue: http://bit.ly/123QFYC @mooderino

Crafting Teen Characters with Respect and
Authenticity: http://bit.ly/15gTXg1
@ingridsundberg

Dos and Don'ts for poets: http://bit.ly/123S5SV @poetrynews

5 Ways First Pages Go Wrong: http://bit.ly/15gUcrn @fictionnotes

Why 1 writer avoids 1st person POV: http://bit.ly/102BSxp @vgrefer

What's your vision for your story? http://bit.ly/10aeo5j @storyfix

Is craft killing your creativity? http://bit.ly/15hetfW @jammer0501

5 Common Problems in Your Young Adult
Manuscript: http://bit.ly/10zm5SH
@howtowriteshop

Top 10 Storytelling Cliches: http://bit.ly/15i5ITe @robwhart

Words to cut in our manuscripts: http://bit.ly/125kB6C @ScottTheWriter

Engaging A Reader's Interest: Offering
Something Strange: http://bit.ly/125kRCR
@woodwardkaren

Redundancies to avoid: http://bit.ly/15i6ek9 @livewritethrive

Tips for finding an agent: http://bit.ly/15i6jo9 @elisabethweed

Slicebooks Aims to Take Re-mixable Ebooks
Mainstream: http://bit.ly/15i6nEe
@pubperspectives

Unsolicited Writing Advice to Never
Follow: http://bit.ly/125lf47 @EdieMelson

Master Class: http://bit.ly/125llc9 @KHill0 @parisreview

Give readers what they want? http://bit.ly/125lqfV @rachellegardner

How to write for the jugular: http://bit.ly/125mgJF @ScottTheWriter
@write_hook

How to Read Poetry 101: Whys and
Wherefores: http://bit.ly/15i7rrM @tithenai
@tordotcom

Writing Horror: Inevitable
Misconceptions: http://bit.ly/15i8Sq4
@amylukavics

Writers who Murder Main Characters: http://bit.ly/15i8VCs

Dreams, Reality and Writing: http://bit.ly/15i8WpX @jamesscottbell

The Risky Middle Realm of Character: http://bit.ly/15i9bkQ @storyfix

Physical Attributes Entry: Cheeks: http://bit.ly/125pTiF @beccapuglisi

Libraries matter: 5  library infographics: http://bit.ly/125pZH6 @ebookfriendly

8 Dialogue Tips: http://bit.ly/125q6Cx

Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make on Facebook
and How to Avoid Them: http://bit.ly/125qf8X
@MarcyKennedy

50 Ways to Build Your Platform in 5
Minutes a Day: http://bit.ly/sTO0GA
@writersdigest

Book Launch Tips for Authors: http://bit.ly/125qoJn @jeanoram

If kittens rule the Internet, why do
puppies reign in print? http://slate.me/15i9NHh
@slate @danengber

3 steps to act on what you read in books
and blogs: http://bit.ly/125qAIO @tomewer

Using Sensory Language: http://bit.ly/15i9V9I @woodwardkaren

When you're faced with unexpected
revision: http://bit.ly/125qGQx
@robertleebrewer @NicholeLReber

Great Character: Renton
("Trainspotting"): http://bit.ly/125qKjk
@gointothestory

The Best and the Worst of the Writing
Life: http://bit.ly/15ia6li @andyholloman
@ScottTheWriter

We don't have to get it all done: http://bit.ly/125r5md @InkyBites

Songwriting Tip: The Money Angle: http://bit.ly/125r7dC @usasong

Tips for writers who need to make
introductions at conferences: http://bit.ly/125rcy5

Five Things 1 Writer Wishes She'd Known
Before Publishing a Book: http://bit.ly/125ri8R
@sarahpekkanen

7 Things Editors at Children's Book
Publishers Wish Writers Knew: http://bit.ly/11DyBmN
@write4kids

Why you'll never be ready (and what to do
about it): http://bit.ly/ZmBkTk
@FortheCreators

Cultivating The Observer: http://bit.ly/12MuNSt @BarbaraONeal

Sex and the Literary Writer: http://bit.ly/12NdeSy @the_millions

Don't think of Pinterest as social media:
http://bit.ly/ZcCVrn @rachellegardner

Courting Your Long-Lost Writing: http://bit.ly/ZcF2eM @pshares

Why you'll never be ready (and what to do
about it): http://bit.ly/ZmBkTk
@FortheCreators

Plot problems--weak black moments and
unsatisfying endings: http://bit.ly/18I5jFH
@karalennox

Everything you ever needed to know about
screenwriting: http://ind.pn/13ajVhD
@independent

Fight Scenes and Motivations: http://bit.ly/18IdEJM @Owlkenpowriter
@patbertram

5 Tips for Self-published Authors to
Maximize Rights and Licensing Deals: http://bit.ly/13anmF5
@pubperspectives

How To Start Your Best Writing Day Ever: http://bit.ly/18Ie4zL @ollinmorales

The Writer and Money: http://bit.ly/18IeCWa @passivevoiceblg

On the Exigencies of Translation: http://bit.ly/13anR1H

10 tips for better stories: http://bit.ly/18IeWV7 @joebunting

How to Write Backstory: http://bit.ly/13anYdQ @shalvatzis

The Doubts and Resolve of a Midlister: http://bit.ly/18If7Qf @davidbcoe

5 Ideas for Using Pinterest as an Author:
http://bit.ly/13ao5WI @amandaluedeke)

Reading Like A Writer: http://bit.ly/18Ig8Ym @tabithaolson

Character Archetypes--The Orphan: http://bit.ly/13aoGYB @jeanniecampbell

What 'front matter' consists of: http://bit.ly/18Igrm4 @SueCollier

Publishing poetry online: http://bit.ly/13aoPLm @poetrynews

Why Ideas Pop Into Your Head When You're
Trying to Fall Asleep: http://bit.ly/18IgD4T
@lifehackorg

Romantic timing: http://bit.ly/13aoZm3 @heroesnhearts

Create your characters from different
molds: http://bit.ly/18IgT3E
@dirtywhitecandy

Tips for better book launches: http://bit.ly/18Ih0MJ @angelaackerman

7 Reasons Your Manuscript Might be
Rejected: http://bit.ly/13apc8M
@fictionnotes

10 Benefits of Traveling to a Writing
Retreat: http://bit.ly/18IhceM

Dealing With Editorial Letters: http://bit.ly/13apjkS @emmapass

Should Being Creative Feel Good? http://bit.ly/18Ihv9q @brandenbarnett

12 Tips for Writing a Book Title that
Sells Books: http://bit.ly/13aptIZ
@authopublisher

1 writer is sick of promo: http://bit.ly/ZmLN12 @katdish

Falling in Love with Words: A Tragic
Romance: http://bit.ly/18IiFC6
@boydmorrison

When platforming overwhelms
you--floundering: http://bit.ly/13aqjFG
@StevieLibra @robertleebrewer

Is Amazon's KDP Select Worthwhile for
Writers? http://bit.ly/18IjdHV
@cjlyonswriter

Getting Started with Poetry: Make Words
Your Playground: http://bit.ly/13aqAZ2
@CMKellerWrites

How Novelists Can Steal Marketing Ideas
from Their Non-Fiction Friends: http://bit.ly/18IjF92+|+Duolit%29
@duolit

Character Types – Neanderthal to Alien: http://bit.ly/13aqGQv @scriptmag

Ten ways self-publishing has changed the
books world: http://bit.ly/18IjTgz
@guardianbooks

Why You Should Steer Clear Of Dual
Protagonists: http://bit.ly/13aqOiN






Journalism in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/ZAtfqT
@mkinberg


Execution-style murders in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/17JiTKr
@mkinberg




(Just for fun)--Having trouble writing your bio? A
generator offers help: http://bit.ly/ZMPu03 @artybollocks




Analysis of the sudden shut down of @timoreilly 's
TOC:  http://bit.ly/17JpX9Y @Porter_Anderson @brianoleary @samatlounge @EdNawotka 




What Authors Need to Know About Crowdfunding: http://bit.ly/16hotWo
@pubslush




Deep Third, Demonstrated: http://bit.ly/16hMjkV
@TamaraHogan1 




Inspiring speeches from last weekend’s Grub Street con.: http://bit.ly/13jxLhF
@AmandaPalmer @Porter_Anderson @GrubWriters




Judging Book Covers by Their Sexism: http://bit.ly/1953C5A
@Porter_Anderson @maureenjohnson @esheepcomix @mfumarolo 




Sometimes the little extras in a mystery are the most
memorable elements of the story: http://bit.ly/15voRBt @mkinberg

Single Point of Failure

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig




Morgue File--JDurham


It’s definitely nice to be needed.  Recently, however, I’ve been needed pretty
frequently.  I took on additional
responsibilities and additional projects.

I was filling my husband in on all the
things I was in charge of and responsible for. 
He listened, nodding, as I listed everything.

He’s a computer engineer and has a
different take on the world.  “Do you
know what we call that at work?”

I shook my head.

“Single point of failure.” 

Apparently, there was a whole world of
instances of SPOF (single point of failure) that I knew very little about.  Wikipedia
describes SPOF as:  a part of a system
that, if it fails, will stop the entire system from working. (1:
Designing Large-scale LANs – Page 31, K. Dooley, O'Reilly, 2002)

So, if I were hit by a train on the way
to the grocery store, it would result in the failure of a whole bunch of things
that I was responsible for.

Writing a single book and hanging our
entire writing career on that book, for instance, is a SPOF.

I’ve written on this topic before, most
recently on Wednesday.  That’s because I
know a couple of writers who loved
writing.  Avid readers, avid
writers.  They wrote and published (both
traditionally) the “book of their hearts.” 
Unfortunately, the books sold poorly and they were dropped by their
publishers.  They both gave up writing.

If you love to write, if you really want
to be published and have any sort of success, it’s important to keep writing,
keep learning, keep improving at the craft. 
There are many reasons why a book might not resonate with readers—some
of them are even the fault of the publisher (cover design, distribution).  Maybe the timing was wrong for the book—it
wasn’t a popular genre at the time.  Or maybe
the fault was in our writing—the characters didn’t connect with the reader,
there wasn’t enough conflict, there was too much backstory.  The only way to solve problems with our
writing is to continue practicing. 

Another great thing about working on a
second book is that it keeps us distracted while we’re in the process of
querying or waiting for publication of the first.  It’s also a nice way to keep from obsessing
over a single book’s sales figures (checking our book’s ranking too much can
drive us nutty.)

What are you working on now? 

Minimizing Risk as a Writer—a Guide for the Risk-Adverse

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







MorgueFile--MitchLee83

When I was a kid, my favorite part on
Sesame Street was a
segment where the baker fell down the stairs.  I’d call my parents or just yank them into
our living room so that they could watch it with me.  It was a counting to ten song and the grand
finale was a mustachioed baker singing, “Ten chocolate layer cakes!” and then
tumbling down a staircase.  Yes, it took
little to amuse me.

I think the reason this segment resonated
so much with me is because I’m desperately clumsy and have been my entire
life.  I regularly fall down the stairs
in my house (my husband just shakes his head and says, “We’re moving to a
garden home in the next ten years….”), walk smack into doorjambs, and have
wrecks with my cart in the grocery store. 


There are things that I’ve done to
minimize my risk of getting hurt, knowing what I know about myself.  I won’t walk down our stairs while holding
things in both hands.  I don’t get up on
skis of any kind.  I don’t ride
horses.  I wouldn’t dream of getting on a
bike without a helmet or walking a treadmill without that stupid safety clip
attached to my waistband.

Being a fairly cautious person, I’ve
approached risk the same way with my writing career.  A note—this won’t apply to every writer and
you probably won’t enjoy this unless you’re super-cautious like I am. There are
many creative free spirits who will thrive by forging their own path.  I’m just not one of them.

Minimizing
risk of failure and rejection as a writer:

Traditional publishing and
self-publishing.  I do both.  I’m hedging my bets, covering my bases,
whatever cliché you want to use. :)

Deciding what to write.  I learned that the books I most enjoyed
reading were in strong demand and considered commercially viable.  I read more of them to learn more about how
the books were structured and paced.  In
addition, I learned that genre books were easier to sell to publishers because
the books already had an established audience…readers who were dedicated
“regulars” for a particular genre and loyally purchased books each month that
fit that category.

Finding a traditional publisher.  I did my market research by going to the
bookstore, flipping through the new mysteries and finding out who published and
edited them (editor is in the acknowledgments unless author forgot.)  Reading the books gave me a sense of what was
currently selling. This helped me minimize my risk of rejection by seeing who
was buying and editing what.

Querying agents.  I ignored any “no simultaneous submissions”
and targeted as many agents who stated they handled my subgenre as possible.

Querying publishers.  After racking up an impressive number of
rejections from agents, I queried targeted publishers (using the research I’d
gathered in the bookstore as well as online and in my copy of Writer’s Market.)   If they were closed to submissions…I sent
something off to their slush pile anyway (blushes.)   Here again, I was just covering my bases
with both agents and publishers.  And if
you’re sending to a slush pile (a repository of unrequested queries, samples,
and submissions), the process will take forever anyway.

Promo. 
As a risk-adverse person, the idea of doing aggressive promo made me
shudder.  Wouldn’t this turn potential
readers off?  I couldn’t take that risk,
so I went with indirect promo/platform building.

Self-publishing.  What was risky for self-publishing?  Having a lousy cover.  It seemed that I would have a higher chance
for success with a professional-looking cover, formatting, and editing.   The cheaper approach seemed at a higher risk
for failure.

Series were selling well for
self-publishing.  I decided to continue
writing a discontinued series instead of starting something new…again, the
least-risky approach.

Reader expectations.  Cozy mystery readers are loyal readers and
very interactive ones.  I have generally
taken their lead when they tell me what they like and don’t like about my
books…tweaking future books to make them more appealing and to give them more
of what they like and less of what they didn’t. 
I also follow my genre’s general guidelines in terms of content…keeping
the necessary violence in a mystery toned down.

Researching.  Admittedly, I’m a researching nut.  I’m not going to try the waters of anything unless I’ve got information
(preferably hard data) on it.  Trying out
ACX/audiobooks?  Exploring print as a
self-pubber? Backing off from traditional publishing and devoting more time
into self-pub?  I’m reading everything I
can on the subjects: dos and don’ts, tips, disaster stories, success stories,
etc.  And I follow publishing news
closely, to see what might be coming around the bend at us.

Creative exploration.  I’m getting to the point where I’ll likely
start branching out and experimenting…cautiously, I’ve no doubt.  And…more than likely with a pen name since my
name has become so associated with traditional mysteries.

The biggest risk of all?  Pinning all your hopes and dreams on a single
book.  More about this on Friday.

Let’s face it…being an artist is a risky
enough proposition without making things worse—especially for us cautious
types.  While I don't enjoy failure, I do learn from it and analyze what went wrong so I can perform better the next time.  That being said...I'd rather avoid it when I can.

Now I’d like to hear from y’all on
this…my free spirited, risk-taking friends, too!  What’s your approach to writing and
publishing?  Has it changed at all?

Fixing a Bad Beginning and Pacing Mysteries (and Probably Other Genres, too)

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig









MorgueFile--


jppi


I finished a book last week that I’d started
several months ago.  I’ve mentioned
before that every book I’ve worked on has been different…some are harder to write
than others.  This was my twelfth book
and the fifth in a series.  You’d think that it would have been a snap to
write.  It wasn’t.




I talked a little about all the trouble the
book was giving me in
this post.  I mentioned that I was
planning on finishing the draft, then figuring out what the problem with the
book was.  When I
wrote this post I’d put my finger on the problem with the book—I’d given
too much away at the beginning of the book (particularly troublesome with a
mystery…where the whole point is for the reader to help figure out the
crime.)  In that post, I outlined ways to
prevent yourself from getting in that predicament to begin with.




Since I’d already
put myself in a tight spot, and I never revise books until I’ve finished the
first draft, I had to fix the book later. 
In case anybody else is facing the same type of revision, I thought I’d
do a quick overview on how I was able to fix the problem quickly (the revisions
took less than a week…working about one to two hours a day. With a sick child
in the house…sigh. So, not a huge time investment on my part.)




If you realize, as you’re writing your first
draft, that you’ve got a problem, change course where you are and write the
rest of the book with the fix already in place. First of all, I made notes as I
was writing to indicate where I was starting off writing the revised text.  I had a character who had a financial motive
to murder the victim.  I gave away that
motive way too soon.  So, when I realized
that as I was drafting the book, I abruptly started writing the rest of the
story acting as if I hadn’t given
that information away to the reader. 
Then I reached the point, two-thirds of the way through the book where I
introduced it as a motive.  I marked my manuscript
with Word’s highlighter function and made a comment with Track Changes to
indicate that point in the story.




I had several of those problems, so I marked
the manuscript in several places.  After
I was done with the first draft, I returned to the beginning of the book and
took every reference to those early motives out and pasted them on a separate
Word doc.




I decided the beginning of the book was
slowly-paced and I copy/cut up to page 70 and then pasted the text on that
separate document. 




I wrote a new beginning for the book.  And now the murder occurred in the second
chapter. 

  

I returned to the cut text and found spots in
the manuscript to work in the various discoveries (motive, character secrets,
etc.) later in the document.  




Some of the original text was scrapped and
never added to the document.  Most of the
text, however, I added later to the book.




The most important thing, when you chop up
your book like this, is to make sure that you read the story through (ad nausem) to ensure that you don’t have
anything happening out of sequence.  That’s
going to be the biggest problem you face.




One way I double-checked myself was to do a
Ctrl F for references.  For example, all
the references in my book to life insurance should be in a particular sequence.  So I made a search on Word for life insurance and then made sure all
the references were in sequential order. 
So it needed to look like:  police
indicate there may have been a policy, 
rumors are that this was a significant policy, policy was on the
wife/victim only, husband was having financial difficulty, etc.  




Sometimes I've been in such a spot before that I've just rewritten the entire first 1/4 of the book and not even tried to salvage anything.  That can be quicker, depending on how fast you write or how bad the original beginning of the book is.  In this case, though, I figured most of what I'd written still worked...it simply needed to be inserted later in the story.




A note on the pacing of traditional mysteries.  I’ve read a good deal of
variation with the body’s discovery, introduction of suspects, introduction of
motives, etc….but I know that my own editors for my two traditionally published
series have particular expectations. 
They would like to have a body by page 30.  They would like to have the suspects fairly
rapidly in place, but they don’t want the process to be confusing.  They don’t want a bunch of names dumped on
the reader all at once.  One editor was
happy with 5 or 6 suspects, as long as one of those suspects was bumped
off.  This does affect your pace, if you
choose to have this many—you’ve not only got to set them up as suspects
(introduction, introduction of motive, opportunity), but you’ve also got to
interview them.  And you need to have
other suspects talk about them.  




The other editor likes fewer suspects…she
would actually be delighted with 3 solid suspects (starting out with four and
perhaps losing one along the way. )  This makes things sail along pretty quickly…sometimes
too quickly, unless you figure out some interesting red herrings, secrets,
unanswered questions/smaller mysteries,  sleuth
endangerment, to bulk it up a little. 




How do you fix a bad beginning?  Start over from scratch?  Cut and paste?  Save what you can and pitch the rest?  How do you keep the story moving in your own
book?

Twitterific

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Twitterific
links are fed into the Writer’s
Knowledge Base search engine (developed by
writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 19,000 free articles
on writing related topics. It's the search engine for writers.

Sign up for
our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top
contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Mike Fleming
worked with author and writing coach James Scott Bell to offer an online,
interactive, writing program to help make your next novel great. It's called
"Knockout Novel" and you can learn more about it at Knockout Novel.com.


A free
directory of cover designers, formatters, freelance editors, and more: http://bit.ly/nolbXq

The Search
Engine for Writers: http://hiveword.com/wkb/search

Types of
story planning for writers: http://bit.ly/10038Z3 @mythicscribes

10
Proofreading Tips For Self-Publishers: http://to.pbs.org/XGpa6H @completelynovel

10 Tips for
the Debut Author: http://bit.ly/10h9p9V @KelseyBrowning

5 Industry
Trends Requiring Every Writer's Attention: http://bit.ly/ZCxwsx @janefriedman

Konrath on
KDP Select: http://bit.ly/176LOb5 @JAKonrath

Easy Steps to
First-pass Revision: http://bit.ly/11qExPW @lindasclare

Tips for
teaching writing: http://bit.ly/Z9gzv4 @nadinekenney

Query Advice:
Always be ready to move on: http://bit.ly/11DwbEF @meaganspooner

7
Writing-Based Ways to Fund Your Fiction: http://bit.ly/10zluY7 @robdyoungwrites

Scene
Selection: http://bit.ly/11Dwq2G @juliemusil

Time
Management for Writers: http://bit.ly/10zlG9Q @write4kids

Change How
You Create To Please The Market?  http://bit.ly/11DwKOL
@atrueblood5

Why ebooks
are a different genre from print: http://bit.ly/11Dx5ko @guardianbooks

Why your play
was rejected: http://bit.ly/10zmc7L @melissaimpact

Liberating
the Essay: http://bit.ly/11Dxzan @the_millions

For the
Reluctant Writer: 5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Action: http://bit.ly/11DxN12

Killing Off a
Character: http://bit.ly/10zmImj @LJSellers

When was
science fiction's genesis? http://bit.ly/11DyeIJ @amazingstories0

Creating
Emotional Frustration in Your Characters: http://bit.ly/10zn6kM @writersdigest

What Makes a
Reader Like a Character? http://bit.ly/11DywPO @hopeclark

7 Things
Editors at Children's Book Publishers Wish Writers Knew: http://bit.ly/11DyBmN
@write4kids

Tips for A
Successful Book Launch: http://bit.ly/10zouUz @Casey_McCormick

Creative book
signings: http://bit.ly/10zoPqi @authopublisher

Kindle
Numbers: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing – Joe Konrath: http://bit.ly/ZmAzcV
@JAKonrath

Plot Holes
and Why Should You Avoid Them: http://bit.ly/13wOv3J @write_practice

Creating
Emotion Within Dialogue: http://bit.ly/ZmAGFl @ingridsundberg

Creating
Flawed (But Likeable) Characters: http://bit.ly/ZmATs3 @ALSowards @rlbelliston

Why you'll
never be ready (and what to do about it): http://bit.ly/ZmBkTk @FortheCreators

Poetry's
tense relationship with e-readers: http://wapo.st/13wPyjW @MrDanZak

Famous
Authors as Teenagers: http://bit.ly/ZmCIVS @flavorwire

Science
weighs in on the Shakespeare authorship question: http://nydn.us/13wRgls @iliablinderman

8 Ways To
Channel The Power Of Your Unconscious Into Your Writing: http://bit.ly/13wRn0o
@woodwardkaren

Why 1 reader
loves going to book readings: http://bit.ly/13wRysp @BooksAreMyBFs

Write first: http://bit.ly/13wRSYd
@LiaKeyes

Getting to
know the agents you're querying: http://bit.ly/13wS35Q @cavalcar

Keeping the
creative momentum going: http://bit.ly/ZmE7fl @boydmorrison

Cheat Sheet
for Social Media Cover Photo Dimensions: http://bit.ly/ZmEeaK @hubspot

The Many
Meanings of The Book Club: http://bit.ly/13wSxca @Nathan_S_Scott

Can you spot
a Charles Dickens sentence? http://bit.ly/13wXvpq @guardianbooks

Never pity
the adverb: http://bit.ly/13wXLVr @amercad9 @rlbelliston

4 tips for
completing your manuscript: http://bit.ly/13wXUIw @shewritesdotcom

1 writer is
sick of promo: http://bit.ly/ZmLN12 @katdish

The real
journey of a writer: http://bit.ly/ZmLYt6 @justinemusk

Noir as
Everyday Life: http://bit.ly/13wYgi9 @NMamatas

Do not
misunderstand Kickstarter: http://bit.ly/13wYx4F @chuckwendig

Quirky Works
in Indie Publishing: http://bit.ly/ZmMvvl @erikwecks

Author Visits
that Impress and Inspire: http://bit.ly/ZmSmAB @wenger13

Kickstarter:
Is it right for you? http://bit.ly/13x53Zj

The 2 types
of TV stories: http://bit.ly/ZmSBM2 @scriptmag

Tips on
Finding Your Writing Motivation: http://bit.ly/ZmSLTG  @KarenCV

The Creative
Writing Gene: http://bit.ly/ZmSTCy @fcmalby @MWheelaghan

Do You Have A
Premise or a Plot? http://bit.ly/13x5TVO @Janice_hardy

5 Examples of
Dangling Modifiers: http://bit.ly/13x5Yc2 @writing_tips

25 Ways To Be
A Happy Writer (Or, At Least, Happier): http://bit.ly/ZmT94x @chuckwendig {lang}

Beating a
Dead Horse (for writers): http://bit.ly/13x6fM8 @JulieLCasey

Writing the
High ROI Screenplay: http://bit.ly/12MrYRr @ozzywood

How to Add
Amazon's Send to Kindle Button to Your Website: http://bit.ly/12Ms2Rj
@wherewriterswin

How Boxing
Can Make Us Better Writers–Endurance: http://bit.ly/12Ms77r @kristenlambtx

Pimp Your
Premise: http://bit.ly/12Ms6AC @kid_lit

Your Secret
Weapon Against Story Coincidences: http://bit.ly/10h2Flf @KMWeiland

12 Ideas for
Email Updates that You'll Actually Enjoy Writing: http://bit.ly/10h2Mxe
@duolit

An Interview
with a Hybrid Author: http://bit.ly/12MsyPg @DigiBookWorld

How Many
Spaces After a Period? Ending the Debate: http://bit.ly/12MsIGa @daveBricker

Does this
novel seem crowded to you? http://bit.ly/12MsKOt @NovelMatters

Cultivating
The Observer: http://bit.ly/12MuNSt @BarbaraONeal

10 Twitter
Tips for Authors: http://bit.ly/10h4yOO @meghancward

Self-publishing--the
nuts and bolts: http://bit.ly/12MuWFK

A closer look
at Scrivener: http://bit.ly/10h4KO0 @SA_Larsen

4 Things 1
Writer Learned About Writing from Playing World of Warcraft: http://bit.ly/12MviMk
@TiceWrites

Tension in
every scene: http://bit.ly/10hG7AW @JordanMcCollum

Is the Agent
Pitch Session an Effective Tool or Could it use a Tweak? http://bit.ly/12NbloR
@SaraMegibow

Tips for
rewrites: http://bit.ly/12NcOvc @diymfa

7 things one
debut author has learned: http://bit.ly/12NcXPj @Jeanne_Ryan

he Origins of
5 Common Literary Allusions: http://bit.ly/10hHBuU @writerscramp1

Sex and the
Literary Writer: http://bit.ly/12NdeSy @the_millions

The wrong
time to query an editor (comic): http://bit.ly/168eR02 @inkyelbows

Submission
Fees: What are They Good For? http://bit.ly/Zcya0J @thereviewreview

Why 1 Writer
Chose An Assisted Self-Publishing Service: http://bit.ly/168fpTw
@indieauthoralli

Grimdark as a
fantasy subgenre: http://bit.ly/ZczBwr @amazingstories0

Professionalization
in Creative Writing: http://bit.ly/168fExN @daycathy

5 Headaches
of Modern Publishing: http://bit.ly/ZcAfKm @joshsternberg

A poet says
goodbye to poetry: http://bit.ly/168gkDi @scholars_rogues

Proofreading,
and How to Hire an Editor: http://bit.ly/168h8YY

Don't think
of Pinterest as social media: http://bit.ly/ZcCVrn @rachellegardner

The Logic
Behind Self Publishing: http://bit.ly/168htej @kristinerusch

How to Write
(Honestly) About Our Kids: http://bit.ly/ZcELZ6 @shewritesdotcom

How to be
your own book doctor: http://bit.ly/ZcEYeM @woodwardkaren @Janice_Hardy

Courting Your
Long-Lost Writing: http://bit.ly/ZcF2eM @pshares

Answers to
questions on ISBN, EIN, releasiing an updated version of a book: http://bit.ly/18bgUgr
@cathyanhoward

How To Be
Creative When Your Brain Doesn't Want To Play: http://bit.ly/107wTrx

10 Reasons
Why We Struggle With Creativity: http://onforb.es/ZQiofm @Neuronarrative @forbes

How To Write
A Great Opening For Your Story: http://bit.ly/ZQiWlp @woodwardkaren

Physical
Attributes Entry: Faces: http://bit.ly/ZQj2te @beccapuglisi

5 Lessons 1
Writer Has Learned About Writing From Her Special Needs Children: http://bit.ly/ZQj6cl
@insidea_mm

3 Act
Structure: A Pair of Spanx for Your Novel: http://bit.ly/18biT4i
@scarabs

The Balancing
Act of the Writer: http://bit.ly/ZQjXdd @CarrieCuinn

Why we
write…or don't: http://bit.ly/18bllYy @scholars_rogues

Christianity
vs. Science Fiction: http://bit.ly/ZQkmMF @amazingstories0

Fantasy
protagonists with pets: http://bit.ly/18bmlvG @sfsignal

When You Want
to Quit Writing: http://bit.ly/ZQktYD @write_practice

Helping
Characters Gain Confidence: http://bit.ly/18bmLCq @jeanniecampbell

Writer's
block? Some techniques 1 writer has used to break through: http://bit.ly/17vv1P6
@BTMargins @JustBethanne

How to Manage
Your Story's Characters: http://bit.ly/15X9H7b @SHalvatzis

How
Kickstarter is replacing the traditional publisher: http://bit.ly/17vvkJG
@author_sullivan @adribbleofink

4 Obstacles
to Self-Publishing Success: http://bit.ly/15Xa8P0 @jfbookman

Entering
Writing Competitions?  Six Tips: http://bit.ly/17vvGjC
@buddhapuss

Visual beat
screenwriting--write from one info beat to another: http://bit.ly/15XaHrZ
@scriptmag @clivefrayne

Maintaining
Passion for a Story: http://bit.ly/17vw01J @stdennard

12 tips to
help you gather "just enough" details for your story: http://bit.ly/17vw8OF
@sdwriter

Tips for
overcoming writer's block: http://bit.ly/11WFS1X @RuthHarrisBooks

7 Starting
Tips for Adapting Your Own Novel: http://bit.ly/14IXvqS @ChuckSambuchino

Scene
Selection: http://bit.ly/11Dwq2G @juliemusil

Why you'll
never be ready (and what to do about it): http://bit.ly/ZmBkTk @FortheCreators

Killing Your
Darlings is Not Enough: http://bit.ly/17vxvgo @diymfa

10
Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn From "Trainspotting": http://bit.ly/17vxybY

6 Questions
To Ask Before You Self-Publish: http://bit.ly/15XcRI0 @indieauthoralli

Benefits of
Digital Journaling: http://bit.ly/15Xd1iO @J4Creativity

Justification
Bias and the Responsibility of the Writer: http://bit.ly/17vxSrp
@RobDYoungWrites

Let Your
Characters Live and Breathe: http://bit.ly/15Xdbqo @jamesscottbell

One Simple
Trick That Makes Editing Less Painful: http://bit.ly/11fItCP @jodyhedlund

Why Fairy
Tales? http://bit.ly/15XdjGn @jules_writes

Sweet
Jane…and the problems of writing: http://bit.ly/15XdlOm @scholars_rogues

Book Design
Elements And Interior Formatting: http://bit.ly/15XdBNq @thecreativepenn

Drawing
Inspiration From Other Genres: http://bit.ly/17vyjC4 @theredraftagain

ANTI-Realism
in SF/F: http://bit.ly/15XdSju

How To Use
Twitter Lists: http://bit.ly/17vysoZ @Rhonda_Hopkins

Zombies: Fine
and Decomposing Art: http://bit.ly/17vyuNz @gerrimahn

Improv rules
to help your writing: http://bit.ly/15Xe5Db @scriptmag @StephanyFolsom

7 Things
Editors at Children's Book Publishers Wish Writers Knew: http://bit.ly/11DyBmN
@write4kids

Why go to
writing cons? http://bit.ly/17vyGN1 @grubwriters @jenna_blum

Drowning as a
murder method in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/ZvawAe @mkinberg

Info Dumps,
Lectures, and Other Author Intrusions: http://bit.ly/15Xbwkq @JodieRennerEd

Publishers
should pick their battles with Amazon. Top battle to pick--reader data:  http://bit.ly/15XmiHu
@doctorow @Porter_Anderson

Enjoying strong ebook
sales? Don't get too comfortable:
publishingperspectives.com/2013/04/et...
@Porter_Anderson @NathanBransford

Using
Pinterest as Inspiration: http://bit.ly/102TOoo @kendel_lynn

Authors Sue
Self-Publishing Service Author Solutions: http://bit.ly/103ER5p @AndrewRichard @PublishersWkly

Do readers
have a stake in a writer's series?  Should they? To what extent? http://bit.ly/102TLsK
@mkinberg

Tor a year
after ditching DRM: ‘No Dis­cernible Increase in Piracy’: http://bit.ly/12ZN5Qr
@Porter_Anderson @julieacrisp @tobiasbuckell

Hachette
Makes Full E-book Catalog Available to Libraries http://pwne.ws/1036qLm @PublishersWkly

When Is It
Time to Quit Social Media? http://bit.ly/11CUTot @JanetBoyer

Podcast
covering how authors can best use Pinterest for promo: http://bit.ly/103ALKP
@JeffRutherford

'Find what
you love and let it kill you': http://bit.ly/11DsLBu
@JRhodesPianist via @designerdaze

Writers and
the Magpie Syndrome: http://bit.ly/16t6ZpO @JanetBoy

Libraries,
publishers, and ebooks--an overview: http://bit.ly/107qbCh @Porter_Anderson @MikeShatzkin @BarbaraAGenco @hitalie

Writing a
Historical Thriller: A Journey: http://bit.ly/16yHLXa @LeFrenchBook