My Best Plotting Happens While Driving...

I do a lot of presentations and workshops about mysteries and writing, and one of the most frequently asked questions is, "Where do you get your ideas from?"

And my answer is always, "Everywhere." I'll read something or see a TV show that sparks an idea. (I record a lot of history, science, and home renovation show. Mythbusters is a wealth of information for mystery/thriller writers.) I've keep a notebook with me. I am always jotting down snippets of conversations, a cool name, or something unusual. I used to save newspaper clippings and magazine articles. Now, I add interesting pictures and links to my Pinterest boards.

Sometimes, a story or a plot line starts with an interesting location or event. I noodle on it for a while and come up with a plotline for a novel or a short story. When I visit places, I take pictures, so I can describe it later.

I usually outline my writing. I color code areas where humor, romance, and mysteries appear, so I can see if I spread them out enough. I tend to do my best plotting while I'm driving. There is a fairly straight stretch of interstate on my way home from the city. I've plotted many a mystery or murder during that commute. 

Google Maps is a great tool to find locations and to see what they look like. Is there a lake near that housing development? Does that road go through a specific town? Are their fields or mountains nearby? Where is a great place to hide a body? 

The Internet can be a big distraction. I went online to check something and ended up watching cute puppy videos. But it is a FABULOUS reservoir of information. It makes getting in touch with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) so much easier. Twitter is great for putting out ideas and receiving feedback from others. I've posted questions, and people in the know are always kind enough to respond. 

I know that I'm going to have to explain my Google searches one day. Honestly, I was just checking on that kind of poison for a mystery that I'm writing.

Life is full of experiences that make their way into my writing. Be observant. You'll never know what you'll encounter. 

Making the Most of Book/Writing Conferences

I just returned from Malice Domestic, a traditional mystery conference in Bethesda, Maryland for readers and writers. I had a fabulous time. I got to meet and mingle with so many talented writers and chat with mystery readers. Here are some things I've learned over the years...

Before the Event

1. Decide if you want to attend an event that focuses on writing (e.g. the craft, mechanics, etc.) or readers (e.g. programming geared for readers and fans). Look over the conference materials. You probably won't find book marketing and writing tips at a fan-based conference, and you usually won't find too many readers at an author-focused event.

2. Decide if you want to participate in a panel. If so, make sure that you sign up early (it's usually part of the registration information).

3. Make sure to fill out all registration and applications ahead of the deadline. If you miss early bird deadlines, the prices go up. 

4. Make sure to keep copies of all confirmation emails. I keep them in a folder, and I print them for the trip.

5. Many conferences sponsor an anthology of selected authors' short stories. If you're interested, make sure you're aware of the requirements and deadlines.

6. Many conferences have special events (e.g. banquets, luncheons, breakfasts, and other meet ups). Make sure you're aware of all the registration requirements, so you don't miss out.

7. Check out the website for the dress code for special events.

8. You're going to do a lot of walking. Make sure you have comfortable shoes.

9. If there is a book dealer, make sure that you contact him/her before the event to find out if your books will be there. Some do consignments with authors. Make sure you have all the details and know whether or not to bring books.

10. Always bring plenty of pens, bookmarks, and business cards. You'll never know who you'll meet.

During the Event

1. Get a copy of the schedule of events and plan your time. I attended one conference where the panels and book signings were in different hotels. I had to make sure I had enough time to get to the locations. 

2. If you're on panels or have book signings, make sure you know when and where you're supposed to be. Most panel moderators contact you before the event to review logistics and discussion topics. 

3. If you flew to the conference, most hotels have a business area where you can ship things back home. Many conferences provide give-aways (and lots of books). Some conferences have hospitality rooms where you can donate books that you don't want to travel with.

4. Find the "meet up" places (e.g. lobby, bar, and entry ways). These are usually great places to find old friends and meet new ones.

Best wishes with your next conference. I always have a great time at these events. And there are lots of choices out there, depending on your interests and genre. What else would you add to my list?

And you'll never know who you'll meet...

What's Involved in the Writing Life - A Post for New Authors

When I was younger, I thought writers worked in really cool places, wrote great books, and got lots of royalty checks. I had no idea about what it was really like -- writing, publishing, networking, and marketing. Here are some things I've learned along the way.

Blog/Website - You need to have a professional Internet presence. If you can't build and maintain it yourself, hire someone to help. If you do hire someone, make sure you can keep the content fresh. People don't return to your site if the content never changes. A blog (on your website) is a great way to have new content regularly. Decide what blogging schedule works with your writing life and commit to that. I used to blog three days a week, but it became too time-consuming. I post once every Friday now.

Social Media Presence - Time spent on social media sites can get out of control quickly. There are so many out there, and it takes time to develop relationships and followings on each of them. Figure out what works for you and your readers and focus your time on those. My primary social media sites are Facebook and Twitter. Previously, I used LinkedIn for my IT life, but I do promote my blog posts there now. I like Pinterest, so I hang out there for fun. I have a presence on Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, and BookBub.

Professional Photo - If you're going to invest in something for your writing career, get a good headshot that you can use for your branding. Put your photo on your website, blog, and social media sites. And if you haven't updated your photo in the last ten years, it's time. 

Press Kit - Put together a press kit (photo, short and long biography, book list) and make it accessible on your website. Have two to three biographies of different lengths. When you're asked to do events, the hosts want this information. Make sure that you keep your biography current.

Press Releases and Blurbs - For me, these are harder to write than the book. If it's not your strength, find help or resources on the Internet. You will need these. And it's better to have them written and ready.

Public Speaking - I enjoy panels, workshops, and interviews, but I've been a teacher, trainer, and Toastmaster through the years. I was surprised at the amount of public speaking that I'm asked to do. If you're shy or don't like to speak in front of groups, you may want to try Toastmasters. It's a friendly environment to practice in with constructive feedback. Many libraries and book groups ask for speakers. 

Time Management - There is a lot involved in the writing life. I'm in two writers groups and two critique groups. I work, blog, write, volunteer, and do family stuff. Sometimes, it's a challenge to balance everything. Watch your time. Make sure that you make time for writing and revising. Book marketing and social media can take up a lot of your resources.

Happy writing!

Google Maps for Writers

Writers, if you haven't used Google Maps or Google Earth to help you with your work's location, you're missing out on a valuable resource.

Maps - Use the mapping to get a view of your locale. I created a fictional town for a story near Charlottesville, Virginia. I used the map to find a great spot for it. I wanted it west of Charlottesville in a valley. Even though it's a made up location, I wanted real streets and highways in the surrounding areas. 

The maps also provide local place names for color and charm. You can right-click on the map and access features like getting directions, locating sites, or measuring distances.

Satellite - Switch to the satellite view to see an aerial view. Google maps will also highlight historic sites, nearby attractions, and other businesses. You can quickly see driving routes and nearby locations. I love the bird's eye view.

Photos - Many locations have photos attached, and this provides you a visual of what the area or building looks like.

Street View - Many locations have the street view option. This gives you a three hundred and sixty degree view of the surroundings. This is helpful if you haven't been to an area or aren't familiar with the terrain.

My writer friend used this feature to find a good location, just off an interstate for a murder scene in her book. 

I've set stories in nearby cities, and I use this feature to find neighborhoods that match my story. Plus, you can add realism by including true locations or street names. This feature gives you a good look at the flavor and style of the neighborhood.

If I'm planning a murder or a horrific crime in a story, I don't use a real location. I make it up, but this feature helps me find neighborhoods that fit my imagination.

You can also see the date (month and year) of the image in Street View. The date appears in the status bar at the bottom, so you can tell how old the image is.

This is one of my go-to resources when I'm plotting a story and looking for a setting.

(Sensible) Writing Quotas Do Work

I admire writers who set and hit their daily word counts. I beat myself up about being a slow writer. My first novel took about three years when I really settled in to write and revise it. (There are also two other novels in a drawer that will probably never see the light of day.) My second mystery took about a year and a half, so my speed is improving. And I've learned a lot along the way.

I'm doing an experiment with my current WIP (work in progress). I set a weekly (weekend) word goal of 4,000 words, and then any other writing I get done during the week is extra. The first draft of this book will be finished in months, not years. Writing every day does make a difference. However, work and life get in the way sometimes. During this project, I've been able to stick to my weekend word counts, and I'm making good progress. (18,000 words to go). I have also been able to keep my momentum in this book. I call my past efforts binge writing. I'd write thousands of words one week, and then nothing for weeks on end. By the time I picked the manuscript up again, I had to refamiliarize myself by rereading chapters.

My excuse was always that I work long hours in IT, and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was to sit down at my computer. I do try to write every day at lunch. I am also not doing major revisions in this WIP during the first draft. I make notes of things I want to change or add. So far, this is working for me, and I'll have something in a month or so to go to my critique group. Here's what I've learned from this experiment:

• Set goals that work for you. If you find that it's too easy, then increase it. 
• Just write. Worry about editing  later.
• Strive to finish your first draft with the goals you set.
• If you know you have plans and won't be able to write, bank some word count ahead of time. It's easier than trying to make up word counts later. Plus, it feels better to be a head than playing catch up.
• Stop if you just don't feel like writing. Take a break and do something to get your energy or creativity recharged.
• Be kind to yourself. Progress is progress. A paragraph is more than you had when you started.

And remember, you need to find the style and process that works for you. Try something. If it's not working, then try something else. There's no right or wrong way. You just need to find a way to make steady progress. Happy writing!

What I Learned from Jane Friedman about Author Platforms

I attended a presentation by Jane Friedman at the Virginia Romance Writers' meeting. Friedman is a wealth of knowledge about book marketing and the publishing industry. Check out her website, blog, and newsletters. It's well worth your time.

Here's what I learned about author platforms.

1. As a writer, your platform grows out of your body of work. Your website and blog should be the center of this. Also, your website and blog should be on the same website.

2. Use your website, blog, newsletter, and your social media sites to build readership. Your platform is not just your social media sites.

3. Know who your readers are. It shouldn't be "the whole world." You need to be narrow and focused (e.g. cozy mystery readers, romantic suspense, etc.). She described this with a funnel diagram. It's wide at the opening, but you want to narrow it down at the bottom to your specific readers. Those are the folks you need to focus on.

4. Identify authors who are similar to you. Look at their websites, blogs, and Amazon author pages. See how they brand themselves.

5. The key is to build your audience. Readers like interaction and engagement.

6. Plan your give-aways strategically. These should be lead magnets (to generate new leads and new readers). Afterwards, look back to see how successful the contest was.

7. Be patient. It takes a while to grow an audience. Keep writing.

8. Check out Wattpad and Instapoets on Instagram. These are two interesting ways to promote writing.

9. Make sure your posts and newsletters reflect you and your personality. Talk to your readers on a personal level.

10. Make sure your name, tagline, and brand are clear on all your sites. Make sure that your website is linked to all of your social media sites.

11. Friedman suggested that you have a separate page on your website for each book to optimize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Make sure you include buy buttons for all key retailers.

12. Make sure your website has a clean presentation. The most important thing should be the biggest and be first. All things on your front page shouldn't be of equal size/importance.

13. It takes time to find the right approach for you. This is a continual process that you'll refine over time.

14. Show up every day and be engaged.

15. Build your body of work. 

l to r: Lee Wells, Me, Cynthia Price, Maggie King, Jane Friedman, Frances Aylor, Fiona Quinn, and Tina Glasneck

Avoiding the Distractions - Tips for Writers

There are so many distractions these days. A recent article by NBC News reported that students feel they need to check their phones about every two minutes. Like it or not, we're in a world where we are bombarded with data, alerts, pictures, and emails. It happens all the time. I grab my phone or tablet to check something, and I find myself an hour later cruising the Internet and looking at funny pet videos. Between work and home, I get about 500 emails a day. Your productivity is affected by the distractions and interruptions. Here are some ideas to help you focus on your writing.

1. I heard an interview recently with Woodward and Bernstein, and they declare an Internet Sabbath from time to time to get their writing done. They'll pick a block of time where they turn off the distractions and write.

2. Set aside a specific time for checking email and social media feeds. When that time is up, shut it down and get back to your writing.

3. Writing, editing, and proofreading are hard work, and you do need to get up and move around from time to time. Just don't let the breaks take over the work time. I have a writer friend who uses an egg timer to alert her when physical and Internet breaks are over.

4. Look at all the applications and websites that notify you of something. Pare them down and turn off unnecessary alerts and notifications. 

5. Clean up your email box. Create folders and rules for notifications that you don't need to read immediately. Keep your email box organized and tamed. It takes more time to go in and review/delete hundreds of emails. Unsubscribe to unnecessary feeds that clutter your inbox.

6. Turn off your phone or leave it in another room for a set period of writing time. If it's not there, you're tempted less.

7. Keep your physical writing space organized. If you can find the things you need, you spend less time cleaning up, organizing, or searching for that one important sticky note.

8. I have never tried any of the applications, but there are quite a few out there that will monitor your Internet time and let you know how much you're spending on what sites. There are also other applications that will limit or block you from websites. If you've tried them, let me know how they work.

What else works for you? I'd love to hear from you.

What I Learned from a Plotting Party...

My Sisters in Crime chapter had a plotting party for our annual (before the) holiday get-together. Everybody brought ideas or stories they were working on, and we brainstormed as a group. We had fun, fellowship, and food (and lots of chocolate). Here's what I learned...

1. Always have chocolate when you're plotting your story! 

2. When you start to plot a book or short story, start with a character and his or her motivations. why would he/she do something?

3. Give all of your characters a quirk or some unique feature that makes them memorable.

4. Tame the number of characters. You don't want to confuse your readers.

5. For mysteries, hide clues in plain site.

6. Name your characters names with different first letters. Make sure that you don't have sound-alikes like Chris, Kristine, and Crissy. 

7. Don't reveal everything to your readers at once.

8. Everything in your plot needs to advance the story. If it doesn't, it needs to be cut.

9. Your characters need to be at a crossroad in the story from time to time. They'll have to make decisions.

10. If you get stuck, relax and do something else. Your subconscious mind will help you guide your characters. You'll come up with where the story needs to go.

11. Your sleuth needs to be in jeopardy. There needs to be conflict.

I've never been to a plot party before, and I learned a lot about how others' write and organize their work. Writing is usually a solitary sport, so it was fun to get together with other writers.