Mystery Writing

Narrative: It’s all in the details

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Do you have too much detail? #writetip I received a very insightful comment on my second novel from an acquiring editor. Here’s what I got out of it.

When describing “something” in a novel, that “something” should be related to the story. For instance, it is the murder weapon? Then perhaps it deserves a lot of attention.

It is “something” used during the novel, but not key to the plot? Then perhaps a little less detail.

It is “something” not related to the story? Then perhaps remove it.

There is so much to remember when editing a novel. Maybe it’s time I started another spreadsheet.

Eye Colour and Your Characters

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

How many ways are there to describe eye colour? #writetip So My handy spreadsheet tells me I like brown eyes.  A character’s eye colour is important and there are only so many different colour of eyes out there.

Here’s what I discovered. Paint companies love to name their paints all kinds of fascinating things. Go to a paint store, pick up a whole bunch of cards  that show colours similar to eye colour, and bring them home. When you need to describe a new character here is your pool of colours.

Writing Under Way

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Sailing and writing together again. #writetip #sailing Off watch is the best time to write. I find when I’m on watch, there are too many distractions and I can’t focus on the words. Maybe I can do some editing ion watch, but not always.

A catamaran provides many spots to sit and write. If the seas are calm, lying on my trampoline always inspires ideas. This is where my digital recorder comes in handy.

If it’s too hot and sunny, I hide in our main salon. If the bimini is providing good shade, I’ll write while sitting in the cockpit. The one constant when I’m writing: Farley is always at my feet.

I guess the message is sailing and being underway is not an excuse to miss out on writing.

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Scenes and Sequels

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

How do you intermix them? #writetip I don’t think about scenes or sequels when I’m writing my first draft. But when it’s done, I sure do.

After a fast paced scene, sometimes the reader needs a break. This is a good time for a sequel. You can get into your characters heads, share a little about them, and give the reader time to catch their breath.

Too many scenes and the reader loses touch with the character.

Too many sequels and the reader gets bored.

Somewhere in there is a balance, and I guess that’s where the artistic talent comes in.

Today is a big day for us. We are staging to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. It feels like a scene/sequel scenario. We’ve spent the last month in a fast paced life, getting ready to go. Now we get to hoist the sails and do some sailing. The sequel.

Should Punctuation Show Emotion?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Is it better to use punctuation or dialogue tags? #writetip Here is a very simple example.

“Stop nagging at me!” Jane loomed over her husband and glared.

or

“Stop nagging at me,” Jane yelled. She loomed over her husband and glared.

or

“Stop nagging at me.” Jane loomed over her husband and glared.

I thought the goal was to eliminate exclamation marks. Now, I’ve been given other advice and I’m not so sure.

Any views on this one?

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The Mentorship Begins . . .

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment

Yesterday I got my first feedback from Garry Ryan. #writetip Garry is an author from Calgary, Alberta. He writes the Detective Lane series. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, I wrote about the Crime Writer’s of Canada mentorship program. I didn’t end of partnering with David Cole, but all has worked out and the program is underway. Garry has volunteered his time to help my make my novel better.

I won’t bore you with the details, but I want to mention one highlight in his comments. There has been talk about series writing this week on some of the writing blogs. Well, my novels aren’t a series, but I do have characters that are in all three novels.

Garry pointed out to me that I don’t describe my characters in the opening scene. Seems obvious, but for me, I’ve lived with them through three novels, so I know what they look like. I just forgot to tell the reader.

Garry is the first person to read my third novel who hasn’t read the first two. I’m not sure my readers who read the first two would have picked up on this omission. I guess it’s good to find readers that haven’t read all your work. You never know what improvement you might be able to make. Thanks Garry.

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Does Every Character Deserve a Name?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

How do you know if you should name your character? #writetip There are loads of writing books that tell you not to name a character unless that character has a significant part in your novel. Well, how to you know?

I name all characters in the first draft. I don’t always understand what role a character might play until I’ve finished the novel.

At the first draft stage, I review each scene for characters that appear only once. For example, I might need a lift attendant at a ski lift for a given scene to work. If that attendant only shows up once, I remove their name. I call them by their title at work, function in the scene, whatever works to identify them.

This is also the stage where I discover who I thought might be a minor character, a walk-on, is really someone significant to the story. Since I’ve already named them, I don’t have to change anything.

I’m sure there are many ways to accomplish this, but this method works for me.

First Draft Readers

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Am I nervous? #writetip Of course I am. I have a new reader for my third novel. I decided I needed someone to read my novel that hadn’t read the first two. So what did I do to prepare my reader? A reader has different responsibilities at each stage of the  novel.

For the first draft I give the reader a list of suggestions and questions.

1. Don’t worry about proofreading for typos. That will come later.

2. Each time you suspect a character of committing the crime, write it in the margin. This allows me to see if I’ve dropped too few or too many hints.

3. Did you start to skim anywhere? This is how I find out if I’ve put too much detail.

4. Are you unsure who is speaking? This means I didn’t add enough dialogue tags.

5. Sometimes a character doesn’t appear for a few chapters. When they reappear, do you remember who they are or do I have to add a reminder?

6. Is there anything you didn’t understand or that was confusing?

And finally I ask them to comment on any passages they liked. To me this is just as important as finding out what didn’t work. Then I can review that passage and understand why they liked it. Okay, and it’s a nice boost to the ego.

Testing: Equipment and Scenes

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

As we get ready to head offshore we test all our equipment. #writetip Before you send your manuscript off to an agent or publisher, you should test it too. I can’t imagine going to sea unprepared or unsure that everything, and I mean everything, is working. Here we are testing bring the sail up and down, repeatedly.

I use several test people at different stages of my novel. I have a two very important test phases.

One is at first draft. Here you need a test reader that will work with you chapter by chapter and tell you what they like and what they don’t like.

Two is at the final stage before sending. Here you need a reader that has an amazing eye for detail. This is the person that will proofread for you. The one that will find all the typos your eye can no longer see.

If I’ve significantly changed a scene from when one of my experts read it, I will ask them to read one more time.  This is asking a lot, but I want to make sure I didn’t inadvertently put in a technical error.

I’m sure there are many ways to do this, but this is what works for me.

The Beginning: The End

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

How important is it to come full circle in your novel? #writetip

I find myself at the first draft stage of my third novel. This is a good opportunity for me to check that the ending fits with the first chapter.

Here are some important questions you can ask:

1. Do you close off on any problems you created for your protagonist or other main characters?

2. Do you answer any questions you left hanging in the first chapter?

3. What reasons did you give the reader to keep reading after chapter one? There must be closure to these issues.

4. Do the first and last chapter have something in common?

I like a novel to feel rounded. I want to know there was a point to the first chapter and that the author wrote it as part of a story and not a gimmick to get me reading.  The questions help me ensure my novel offers the reader the same courtesy.