Mystery Writing

Don’t Rush The Ending

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

#writetip This week has been a big week for me. I’ m still basking in the joy of completing my novel, Burnt.

If you’ve been reading my blog this week, you know I recently completed the CWC mentorship program, and I want to share one thing I learned from Garry Ryan.

Don’t Rush the Ending.

He told me the reader has been waiting for the final scene so let them savour it.

I think I shorted my ending to get the book finished and not let it drag. I missed the importance of satisfying the reader with a deep and thoughtful final scene.

I’ve now re-written it, and thanks the mentorship program, I think (as usual – in my biased opinion) that it’s much better.

It seems like there is always something to learn when it comes to writing a novel. I guess that’s why people spend a lifetime writing.

First Draft: Then What?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment

#writetip Do you get to relax and celebrate when you finish a manuscript and are getting ready to send it to your agent or publisher? You probably deserve it, but if you’re anything like me, it’s time to get to the next activity.

Yesterday, I finished updating my 3rd novel, Burnt, based on comments from Garry Ryan. I’ve sent it off to be proofread, and now, I’m not going to look at it for a couple of weeks.

What am I going to do with my time?  Well . . .

  • Write a blurb
  • Write a synopsis
  • Figure out if Burnt is the best title for the novel
  • Update my website
  • Update the CWC website
  • Update my agent’s website (Margaret Hart at HSW Literary Agency)

And on and on it goes . . .

There is so much more to writing a novel than actually writing the novel.

Opening Scenes: Action or Summary?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

#writetip How do you start your novel? Are you a believer in action or summary? Me, I like to start with action, whether I’m reading or writing a novel.

In my humble opinion, the opening scene is where you get to “show” your stuff. An opening scene filled with action gives a writer the opportunity to show who their main character or villain is, what he/she is made of and how he/she behaves.

I find if I read a summary of a character in the first scene, I don’t tend to be that interested in the character or believe what the writer has to say about the character.

However, if the character is thrown into a situation, I get to learn through seeing and make my own decisions on what they are made of and then the writer has me, and I’m happy to go along for the ride.

A Story Worthy Problem

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

#writetip How do you know if you have a story worthy problem and why do you want one?

I guess it depends on whether you are writing short stories or novels. I write novels, but love to read short stories. Let’s say a novel is somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 words. Some can be more and some less.

For a reader to want to spend their time reading 70,000 words, there has to be a problem they are interested in and it has to be big enough to write that many words about.

Your main character needs to strive for something of they are just sitting around being boring. They need to come up against obstacles.

My idea is that you know you have a story worthy problem if you find yourself at 70,000 words (ish) and are still writing about it. If you run out of things to say, it might not be the story worthy.

Mystery Novel: Order of Clues

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

#writetip Are you writing a mystery novel and unsure of where to place your clues? Are you including red herrings in your novel? Me too.

One thing I learned working in the human resources field is that people tend to remember the last message you give them. So when I was giving feedback, I tried to end the meeting with a positive message, something the person could take away and be proud of.

I thought this could translate into writing a mystery novel. I give a “real” clue and follow it with a “false” clue. My hope is the reader will remember the second clue, forget the first clue but still have it in their mind, and not guess too early who the villain is.

What do you do?

Descriptions That Engage The Reader

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment

#writetip When you create the world your novel exists in, there are an infinite number of “things” you can describe. A daunting task! How do you choose what to write about and what to leave out?

One technique is to describe what the character cares about. Chances are if the character is interested in the “thing” being described then the reader will be to.

The character might be interested in something if it is relevant to their goal, if it is a danger to them, or if it shows something about their personality.

To show the reader your character cares about this “thing” you can have the character give their opinion in either speech or thought. You can have the character go to extreme to save this “thing.”

If their house was burning down, what would they save? Maybe that’s the “thing” you should be describing.

For everything you describe, ask yourself how what it means to your character. That should get you on way to deciding what in your new world to write about.

As usual, this is what works for me. If you have other methods, I love to hear about them.

Switching POVs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

#writetip. I find reading novels with multiple POVs entertaining and enjoyable. So what’s the trick to writing multiple POVs. As usual, this is only my opinion, so here’s what I think.

If you’re going to have multiple POVs in your novel, it’s important to let your reader know this early on in the story.

I could be jarring for a reader to get half way through a novel, and the POV is ripped from underneath their feet and a new character steps in.

Changing POVs in the first few chapters will warn the reader this is your style and hopefully they’ll enjoy your book more. They’ll expect different characters to have their say, to drive the novel, and to provide surprises. They won’t get so attached to one POV that they can’t bear the change and toss the novel aside.

Why Have A Literary Agent?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

#writetip I often get asked why I chose to work with a literary agent. I’m not going to talk about all the pros and cons as there a many articles/blogs on this subject.

What I want to talk about are two benefits that aren’t usually shared.

Benefit Number One: As soon as I signed with an agent my friends and family understood I was serious about making a career out of writing, that it wasn’t just a hobby. The support I received increased tremendously. This came in the form of: being left alone when I wanted to write, not offending anyone when I turned down an invitation, so I could write, having experts willing to spend time answering my questions, increasing the number of people willing to read my work and critique it.

Benefit Number Two: When my friends and family treated me like an author, I behaved more like one. I took myself seriously. I gave myself the time to write, the time to improve my writing, the time to research. Having an agent is a boost to the ever fragile ego and motivates me to keep working hard.

Margaret Hart of the HSW Literary Agent took me on as a first time author, and for that I must thank her.

Humber School For Writers Correspondence Course

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

#writetip The Humber School For Writers correspondence course for 2012 is now underway.

The students have sent their submissions to their mentors and the mentors are getting geared up to read them and send their comments back.

I attended the correspondence course in 2008 and had Joan Barfoot as my mentor.

The opportunity to have a professional read and comment on my work was irresistible.

The lessons I learned have stayed with me and I think made my writing better. If you are new to writing and want your work to be critiqued this might be a way for you to get it. Check it out at HSW.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Readers

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

#writetip Here are some of things to think about when having others read your drafts.

What you give your reader might depend on where you are in the process.

Early on, say after the first draft but well before you send it to an agent/publisher, you might want to give your reader smaller sections. This can be several scenes or a chapter.The value: Your reader can give you quick feedback on style, grammar, problems with story line, vacant scene, etc. You can then use this information to update the next section before sending it to them. Each section should be better than the last making you create a strong second draft.

When you think you have something you might send to an agent/publisher, this is the time to have a new reader (not the same person that read your early draft) to read your novel cover to cover.

The value: Your reader can comment on larger story issues, flow, pacing, believability, loose ends, etc.

Finally, don’t forget the phase of having someone other than yourself proofread. Here is where you need someone with attention to detail.

This works for me and I’m sure there are many ways to get the same result. I just can’t imagine sending out a manuscript without the help of others.