Goodreads asked Lisa M. Lilly:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Lisa M. Lilly If you have an idea for a novel and have written some scenes, but aren't sure where to go with it, choose your favorite book in the genre in which you are writing and reread it. Then do a plot outline. It doesn't need to be detailed, but write down how the novel opens, when we first see the main character, and what happens about one-quarter of the way through the book, at the midway point, at the three-quarter mark, and at the climax. This will give you an idea of the story structure. Think about why you were interested in the characters and in the story. Was there a question you wanted answered? If so, look at when the book first raised that question and how. Did you identify with one or more of the characters? Figure out what the character did or said or thought that triggered that reaction. Then look at how what you learned can be applied to the story you want to write. I did this with Stephen King's The Dead Zone, and it helped me plot out my first suspense novel.

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