It's All About the Content

Horror stories…

I’ve heard horror stories about authors who got pages and pages of content edits back from their editors. Deep down, I’ve secretly been biting my fingernails to nubs thinking I’d be one of them. Worse, I had visions of my editor contacting me and apologetically informing me she’d been wrong--my plot was terrible, my writing weak, and she was mistaken to ever have signed me.

Instead…

My first ever content edit came back surprisingly free of any major revisions. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got corrections to make, but nowhere near what I’d feared. On top of that, my fabulous editor offered wonderful suggestions for clearing up some of the problem areas.

So what does a content editor do, you ask? Well, these hard working people check for inconsistencies, plot weaknesses, and character development. They mark areas in the manuscript that could be made stronger and highlight places where characters acted or spoke in a way not in keeping with their beliefs. All in all, a content editor can be your best friend when it comes to helping you put together a story that flows well and is free of glaring errors that would otherwise trouble your readers. They make sure you’ve been careful to tie up all the loose ends, answered all the questions, and created sufficient conflict to keep the reader turning pages to the very end. In short, they read. And if anything stops them, they let you know it.

Whew. I’m past one hurdle. On to the line edits!

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Death Becomes Her - Research

It's hard to believe we're into our last week already! Hopefully, this last lesson will cement everything we've gone over so far, as well as tie up any loose ends we still have hanging out there. And speaking of tying up the loose ends...

Part of any good novel is believability. If the plot isn't believable, or the resolution isn't believable, the reader is going to walk away feeling cheated. So, how do we make our crimes believable? You guessed it...research. I don't know a whole lot about police procedures, so when it comes to making sure my hero gets his facts straight, I call in the experts, namely a friendly police sergeant from Beaumont.

Here is your first assignment: Make a list of possible websites, resources (such as books or articles), or people whom you can contact to help you in your research. TV shows like CSI don't count, because believe it or not, you really can't rely on them for accuracy.

Here a few of my favorites to get you started:

Books:

Deadly Doses, A Writer's Guide to Poisons
The Writer's Complete Crime Reference Book by Martin Roth


Websites:

www.keepmeinsuspense.com
www.mysterywriters.org
www.crimelabproject.com
www.forensicfiles.com
www.policewriter.com
www.sistersincrime.org
www.police-writers.com
http://manuscriptediting.com/MysteryResources.htm http://www.writers.com/resources_mystery.html
www.dplylemd.com

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Death Becomes Her - Plotting

Plotting can be an awful word--depending on whether or not you are step-by-step, plot out your whole story kinda gal, or a SOTP (seat of the pants) type of writer. Either way, mysteries can throw a monkey wrench into the best laid plans, especially if you aren't careful to keep notes on where your story is going. Here are three important keys to developing a solid plot:

Creating a list of suspects:

Part of plotting out your story is creating a list of suspects, adding a link that connects them to the crime, and giving each suspect a motive. This adds layers to your story and makes your overall plot richer. When creating your list of suspects, include the character's name, the character's secret, their link to the crime, and their motive for committing the crime.

Creating an outline:

Most writers think plotting is a long, tedious process with very little benefits. That may be true. However, having something as simple as a basic outline can help you keep your story on track and ensure that you don’t forget to tie up any loose ends. Here are just a few sample items to include in your outline:

One sentence premise

One paragraph summary

One paragraph setting description

Character sketches

Creating believable clues:

Believe it or not, part of creating a solid mystery means dreaming up believable clues and planting them in strategic places throughout the story. It’s not enough just to have your sleuth stumbling on facts and drumming up evidence. Without clues and red herrings, your reader will be left wondering how in the world the sleuth was able to arrive at the answer. Here again, is another reason why completing a detailed outline is so important.

How about you? Are you a plotter, or as SOTP writer? Why? How do you keep track of your list of suspects and their connection to the crime?

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Death Becomes Her - Introduction

Welcome! I’m so glad you’ve decided to stop by. For the next four weeks, I am completely at your disposal. Pick my brain. Ask questions. Post comments. I’ll be glad to help you in any way I can.

As we all know, the market for mysteries has really opened up in recent years, and cozy mysteries are one of the fastest selling of all mystery genres. If you’ve been considering trying your hand at writing a cozy, this series of lessons is designed just for you. I’m going to give you some practical tools for plotting out your story, incorporating red herrings, even give you some tips for making your villain believable.

But before we do all that, it’s important to understand the basic concept behind a cozy mystery. What makes a mystery. . .well. . .cozy? How does it differ from other novels in similar genres?

Let’s start by laying them all out. Among the types of mystery related novels are:

Thrillers
Suspense
Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Gothic Mystery

And the list goes on. So how do we pinpoint the differences? Lets start by matching them with the movies. Wondering why I chose to compare movies to book titles? It is always easier to pick out ideas from someone else’s work before you see it in your own. Movies are an excellent (and fast way—since most movies only last an hour and a half) example of what differentiates one type of genre from another.

First on the list: Thrillers. These are stories that can involve elements of suspense and mystery, but the key ingredient is DANGER. It's the kind of edge of your seat thrill ride that makes MI: 3 and The Bourne Identity so popular. There's a mystery to solve, a main character driving the plot, but bottom line? It's all about the action.

Then there's “Cape Fear” with Robert DeNiro. What made this movie a suspense was that the villain was clearly defined from the get go. I knew who the bad guy was, I just didn’t know if he would be successful in his quest to kill the hero/heroine. The entire movie was based on the question: Will the hero/heroine defeat the known villain?

Are the edges getting a little clearer now? Let's try one more. Cozy mysterys involve an amateur sleuth, quirky characters, and a comfortable "small town" feel. Take the TNT series "Monk" for example. What better crime solver than a former detective with OCD tendencies? LOL!

Seriously though, the crime in a cozy is usually void of the blood and gore that might be found in edgier genres, and while it oftentimes involves a murder, it's not the kind of in your face crime that make up a suspense or thriller.

To sum up, a cozy mystery is a story with a small town feel. It involves quirky characters and an amatuer sleuth. The crime usually occurs "off stage" and it is void of the violence and gore that might be found in other genres. While an element of danger does exist, it is not the driving force behind the story. Best of all, there are plenty of clues and red herrings the reader has to sort through in order to solve the crime!

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Death Becomes Her - Basic Elements for Writing a Cozy Mystery

Cozy Mystery is one of the fastest growing areas in CBA. More and more people are discovering the fun, quirky characters and twisted tales that make up the genre. But what distinguishes a cozy mystery? What makes a cozy…well, cozy? In an effort to help readers better understand the genre, and also assist authors interested in trying their hand in writing one, I’ll be offering a four week course on writing the cozy mystery. The best part? It’s absolutely free! Here’s what you can expect:


I. WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION

A. What is a cozy mystery?
B. How does a cozy mystery differ from other genres?

I will offer a definition of a cozy mystery, and include
information regarding how a cozy mystery differs from other genres similar in nature.


II. WEEK 2: CHARACTERIZATION AND SETTING

A. Developing believable characters using Goals, Motivation, and Conflict
B. Choosing a setting

I will write a paragraph showing an effective use of setting. I will also teach you how to write a detailed character sketch which includes any backstory
important to helping understand the goal and motivation of the primary character.


III. WEEK 3: PLOTTING

A. The importance of a detailed outline
B. Planting clues, red herrings, and suspects

The best way to avoid plot holes is to use a detailed outline. I’ll provide a basic outline and show you the best tools for filling it in.


IV. WEEK 4: TYING UP THE LOOSE ENDS

A. Conducting proper research
B. Penalty, perjury, and prejudice—knowing the correct police procedures

In mysteries, it is very important to determine the exact penalty and police procedure for the crime determined in your outline. If the crime in an old one, I’ll show you how to determine the statute of limitations, as well as provide you with the best links for conducting proper research.

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Lifehouse Everything Skit

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Do I Look Tense To You?

Simple. Progressive. Perfect. Perfect Progressive. Where is all this tension coming from?

(Laughing) Okay, it’s about tenses, not tension, but if you’re like me, one can easily lead to the other. To better understand what makes writing active vs. passive, one must understand the tenses and all their various forms. I’m still learning, but here are a couple of websites that have really helped me see the difference.

http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/usetense.html

Home of the University of Ottawa, this extensive website lists all of the tense forms, and a few easy to understand examples of each.

Another good resource can be found at http://www.englishpage.com/index.html. Click on the Verb page and you’re on your way! And if you still think writing is easy, check out the Gerund page. It’s full of fun exercises to help you keep from splitting those infinitives.

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