Mystery Writing

Sentence Structure

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Variety  in sentences can reduce choppiness and smooth the narrative. #writetip

Early in my writing, one of my mentors (Joan Barfoot) suggested I work on variety in sentence structures. I decided to be methodical, about it and here is a method I use to check for variety.

Randomly choose a page of your novel.

Hit return after each sentence. Basically, you form a new paragraph with each line.

Run through the following checklist:

– Are the sentence lengths different? If not, you might want to vary the lengths.

– Do you ever use introductory phrases or clauses. If not, why not try it and see if it changes the sound of your writing.

– Do you use sentences that contain conjunctions? Are they different or do you repeat the same ones?

–  Short declarative sentences can be powerful, but if used to often can lose their power.

Where Ideas Come From

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

The hair salon? #writetip I went out for a hair cut and came back with a plot solution. The man who cuts my hair is chatty. He talked about his life, current events, etc. He’s funny, and I was enjoying his stories, and then it occurred to me he’d given me a solution for a plot problem I was having.

My problem: I still haven’t figured out how to politely pull out my notebook in the middle of someone’s sentence and write down what they’re saying.

Being a writer means you’re always working. Is there ever a time when you don’t think about your novel? When you are not hearing what others say and playing with it, altering it, and seeing where it might fit  in a story?

I guess it pays to  listen, no matter where you are.

Manuscript Feedback

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

How do you take high level comments and use them  to improve work? #writetip Early on, I received feedback from my agent, Margaret Hart, telling me the pacing near the end of my first novel slowed down. I hadn’t been able to see it until she pointed it out. Afterward, it was obvious.

So how was I going to fix it?

I reviewed each scene and asked myself, did I really (and I mean REALLY) need the scene. Just because I liked it was not a good enough reason. If it didn’t move the plot forward, reveal something, develop a character, I deleted it. That was hard. By then end my novel went for 86,000 works to 80,000, but the story is tighter.

For the remaining scenes, I reviewed first and last lines. Get in late, leave early.

I studied the narrative. Did I need the description? Was the place I described important to the story. If yes, I kept the details. If no, I either removed them or shortened them.

If you have thoughts on how to ” pick up the pace”, I’d love to hear them.

Writing While Traveling

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

How to write when your routine explodes? #writetip As the season changes from summer to fall, I think we all go through changes in routine.

I’m preparing to head south on my catamaran, Mattina, for a winter of sailing. This is a difficult time to write. Somewhere in the middle of the million items on my to-do list, I have to find the time.  While, I’m on the  move here are some things I do.

Print my novel to edit while driving (not while I’m at the wheel).

Read books on writing, so I feel like I’m working.

Have my notebook ready. If I’m not in a place where I can use my computer, I still remember how to use a pen.

Write something each day, even if it’s only one sentence, it’s still an accomplishment.

Is your protagonist likable?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

How do you know? #writetip I ask four or five early readers. On my first novel, my husband was my first reader. I expected him to tell me I was fabulous, my writing was great, and he’d never read anything better. Well, that’s what husbands are for. Right?

So after he did all the above, he said he didn’t like my protagonist. Wasn’t I surprised. She was whiny and negative. Not a great personality if you’re going to spend 300 pages with her. We had a detailed discussion about why he thought this and it was back to work for me. I liked her, but I had to think hard about why others might not.

Now, I ask all my early readers to tell me what they do and don’t like about my main characters. This helps me gain perspective on the characters and think about who I want them to be.

If you’ve read a few of my posts, you’ll know I depend on my early readers. I can’t thank them enough for helping me, spending their time reading my drafts, and being willing to comment. The conversations after they’d read my work are often invigorating. Who said writing was lonely?

Writing Schedules

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments
Dogs know how to have fun.

When do you write? #writetip My dog (updated cruising with dogs today) hasn’t noticed the water is cold or that it’s Friday. He doesn’t know we’re preparing to go cruising for the winter. And he doesn’t feel guilty about not writing.

I read somewhere once that “writing is like having homework for the rest of your life.” How true. To overcome this feeling, I write Monday to Friday and take the weekend off. Because I’m not trying to get words on the page every day of the week, my mind relaxes and sometimes a plot issue solves itself or the next scene pops into my head.

Everyone has different writing times. Find yours, but also find your time off.

Character Balloons

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purple latex balloon 24" in diameter with...
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How to organize your cast of characters quickly. #writetip I don’t draw, but this is an easy cartoon anyone can create. If you’re like me, you’ve kept a list of characters, however small the role, somewhere on your computer. Mine are in a spreadsheet.

I start with the protagonist,  putting her/his name in the center of a blank page and drawing a balloon around her/him.

Now the fun begins.

Add the antagonist. Don’t worry if you have more than one. Pick the character who has the largest interaction with your protagonist.

Draw a line between the protagonist and the antagonist. Then write their relationship on the line. Father/daughter. Boss/Employee. You can put any other relevant information in a balloon. Words like killer, victim etc.

Continue until you have all your characters on the page. Draw a line between balloons that hold characters who have some type of relationship. This can get messy. I use dotted lines if I have to cross through one balloon to get to the next.

Add then end, you’ll have a spiderweb of  balloons.

Now you can analyze it and “see” if all the connections make sense.

The drawing will show me if there are two characters I could fold into one or if I’ve confused any relationships. Best of all, it often gives me scene ideas. Here is where I can “see” if there are questions I need to answer or  story lines I’ve left unfinished. This is why I leave this exercise until I’m close to a first draft.

Have fun with this one. It’s an entertaining way to look at your novel.

Dialogue

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

How to write good dialogue is a popular topic for blogs this week. #writetip There is great advice out there.

Jody Hedlund describes Seven Ways to Develop Dazzling Dialogue.

Girls with Pens writes about 5 Basics About Dialogue You Need to Know.

But how do you know it’s good? You need to hear it. Grab a digital recorder and read the dialogue to yourself. This works for me. If I stumble over words I’m reading, I know it’s not right.

You get two shots at it. Once when reading, and once when playing the dialogue back to yourself on the recorder.

Repeat until you’re happy with how it sounds.

Literary Mentors

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

How do you get one? #writetip The Crime Writers of Canada(CWC) offers a mentorship program each fall. To apply all you have to do is send in an application, your bio, a synopsis and ten pages of your novel.

I’ve just been notified that my mentor is David Cole, author of the Laura Winslow Mysteries.

I’m using my third novel, (working title Burnt) for this program. David and I will work together on improving the first 50 pages.

My first experience with a mentorship program was the Humber School for Writers when I had Joan Barfoot as my mentor. I believe this helped me get my manuscript into shape and accepted by my agent, Margaret Hart.

The mentors from CWC offer up their time and knowledge for free, proving the  generosity in the writing community is unbounded. Thanks to David and the other mentors for helping those of us at earlier stages in our careers.

I’ll blog about what I learn and how this program works out for me.

– A very excited mentee signing off for a day of writing.

Proofreading A Novel

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Being asked to proofread someone else’s novel is a scary and flattering task. #writetip I’ve been asked to do this, and I started thinking about what this means.

I asked the author and myself the following questions:

What is the author looking for? Does he want comments on punctuation and grammar, characters, or plot line.

Does he use a style guide that I should consult?

What are my own talents? Being honest here is important. Can you pick up typos? Or does your eye easily breeze over them?

Do I have the time? It’s a big commitment to review a manuscript. It deserves my full attention. The author has spent many hours creating the manuscript, and it’s better to say no to reading than to rush through it.

With that said, I’d better get focussed and start reading.