Make Sure You Make Time to Recharge

We just got back from a wonderful week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and it was a great change of pace from our normal lives. What a difference a recharge week can make. We get so busy in our daily lives that we forget that we do need a break from the hustle, bustle, and stress.

I am a beach girl, so any trip to the ocean is a reset. The sound of the ocean waves, the tangy salty air, and fresh breeze centers me. I could sit in the sand for hours and listen to the sounds of the ocean.

Whether you take a stay-cation or a trip to some amazing place, make sure you do make the time to relax. Here are some things that can help you recharge:

• Spend time with family and friends.

• Mingle and talk to others. We met tourists and locals from all over the world.

• Spend your off time without a schedule. (That is hard for the project manager in me who wants to schedule everything.)

• Visit new or favorite places.

• Take pictures. You’re making memories.

• Take walks or do other activities that you don’t get to do in your regular life.

• Learn or try something new.

• Have fun and be a little silly.

Resets for your health, sanity, and your writing life are important.

My Editing Process

After I type those wonderful words, “the end,” the biggest part (and probably the most important part) of my writing process begins. The editing and revising parts are key to creating a good book. Agents and publishers are looking for manuscripts that are well polished. This is the process that works for me.

• When I finish the first draft of the manuscript, I read through it two, three, or maybe four times from beginning to end to make sure my word count is on target. I also want to make sure that I didn’t leave any plotholes, things that are not plausible, and clues or situations that are not completely explained.

  • This is also where I check for boo boos like she had lunch twice on the same day or her boyfriend’s eye color changed midway through the book.

  • One of my series has Jules as the sleuth, and another has Jade. I always have to check to make sure the gals are in the right book. I also have to make sure that the place names are also in the correct series.

  • If I change any character names, I have to make sure that I changed it everywhere.

• After every major revision, I run a spellcheck and a grammar check to make sure I didn’t create any other issues.

  • I also have a list of my over-used words and phrases that I go through and correct.

• Then I send the manuscript to beta readers and my critique group. When the comments come back, I review and make another round of edits.

• If my agent is querying this manuscript, then I send it to her, and her team reads it and provides feedback. (Another round of revising)

• About six months before the book is due, I do one or two more rereads to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

• Then about a month before the deadline, I do one more last read before sending it to the publisher.

This is the process that works for me. I used to hire an independent editor for an early review and feedback, but I usually only do that now for a new series.

My editing buddies through the years (Riley, Disney, and Cooper).

What Was Going on During the Writing of the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries?

When I proposed the glamping mysteries to my agent, I wanted my amateur sleuth to have a job where she wasn’t tied to an office. By giving Jules her own business with a team of helpers, I was able to give her the opportunity to sneak out and poke around for clues. I am an 80s girl, who loves pop culture. Jules gets her name from Demi Moore’s character in St. Elmo’s Fire. Jake gets his name from Michael Schoeffling’s character in Sixteen Candles.

My aunt and uncle owned a traditional campground in the 1970s at Crabtree Falls in Virginia, and it was such a fun place. I based Jules’s campground on this one with the addition of posh trailers and tiny houses for the glamping experience.

The mystery in the first book, Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers, came to me at an IT data and security conference in Orlando, Florida in 2012. I went to a session on Bluetooth technologies and learned how easy it was for bad actors to hijack all kinds of smart devices, including medical ones. And hence, I now had the crime and a motive for some really bad deeds. I love technology, but sometimes, it makes me want to hide under the bed.

I was writing the third book in the series during Covid, and we were streaming so many things on Netflix and other services. I was definitely watching The Tiger King during this time, and the name for book three, Christmas Lights and Catfights, was born. Plus, wouldn’t it just make you scratch your head to figure out why a big cat tamer would register for the town’s Christmas parade?

And at the time I was writing Teddy Bears and Ghostly Lairs, my Chessie Sisters in Crime chapter had a presentation with a group of paranormal explorers, and they provided some ideas for a ghost search. I am also fascinated with an abandoned hotel/motel site on Afton Mountain near Charlottesville. The crumbling site sits high above the mountain top that you can see from I-64. That made the perfect location for a paranormal exploration that I turned deadly, when Jules and the gang encountered a dead body instead of something other worldly.

All of the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries are available at your favorite bookstore.

Spotting Overused Words and Phrases

When I’m creating early drafts of a book, I often overuse certain words or phrases. Sometimes, I’m not even aware that I’m doing it until later reads make it glaringly obvious. My biggest offenders are “just,” “that,” “made a beeline for,” and “hustled.”

Here are some ways I try to combat the repetition.

• Create a list of your overused items. When you start reviewing and revising, search and do some rewrites.

• When my critique groups or editors mark words that are too repetitive, I add them to my list to check for.

• When revising, use your search feature to find how many times you used the words on your list. Since I’ve been paying attention to my offenders, I use “just” and “that” less often than I used to. You’ll be shocked when certain words show up multiple times on the same page.

• Run a spellcheck after each major editing session to catch typos and other boo boos.

• Use your word processor’s “read aloud” button to listen to your work. (In Word, it’s on the Review tab (Read Aloud).) More often than not, you will heard your overused or misused words.

What would you add to my list?

Why Writers Need Public Speaking Skills

If you read studies about universal human fears, public speaking is always on the list. In high school and college, I was terrified of it, and it took years for me to overcome that. My company sponsored a Toastmasters group when I was a technical writer, and I signed up. The good thing was that the group was new, and everyone was a novice. We bonded over a “we’re in this together” vibe, and it was the best training that I’ve ever invested time in.

As a writer, you are often asked to do panels, teach workshops, do readings, and speak to groups. The more you practice, the better you will get. If you get the opportunity to join Toastmasters, I highly recommend it. After several certifications, I finally felt comfortable giving speeches or speaking up in group discussions. Here are some things I learned that have helped me along the way.

• Don’t have anything in your hands or put your hands in your pockets. People tend to jiggle their keys or change and play with pens or things in their hands. Don’t clutch the microphone, lectern, or table. It makes you look like you’re hanging on for dear life.

• Practice what you’re going to say in front of a mirror or record it, so you can see if you’re making faces or tripping over certain words. You want to look natural and sound authentic.

• Make sure you’re looking at the audience. If it terrifies you, look at the top of their heads. They think you’re looking at them, and you’re not staring them in the eyes.

• Don’t read your PowerPoint slides verbatim to the audience. Talk about key points and provide examples. And don’t turn your back on the audience to read your slides.

• Watch the “errrrs” and “ummms.” A lot of times, you say them or crutch words (like “you know,” “you see,” or lots of “ands.”) People start paying attention if there are too many, and they listen for them and ignore your message.

• Know your material. It’s okay to have index cards or a few notes (like bulleted items), but don’t take a copy of what you’re going to say verbatim. You will go to where you are most comfortable, and you’ll end up reading your text, and that is the fastest way to put people to sleep.

• If you lose your thought, take a breath or a pause and continue.

• And if you’re on a panel, be a good citizen. Don’t hog the time or the microphone. If you agree with what someone else said, give them a shout out. Be attentive and listen to your fellow panelists’ answers.

Writers who are able to be panelists, guest speakers, or workshop leaders will have more opportunities, and it’s nice to be invited to be a presenter.

Ways to Build Your Author Network

Writing is often a lonely endeavor. You need a network of writer friends to celebrate the amazing times and help you when things aren’t so great. Here are some ideas of ways that you can build or add to your network of writers.

• Follow other writers (especially ones in your genre) online. Sign up for their newsletter.

• Look at the other authors who share your agent.

• Look at the other authors who you share your publisher.

• Meet other authors who live near you.

• Join a writing group. This was the best thing that I did for my writing career. They offered book events, all kinds of training, and camaraderie.

• When you meet an author, follow them on social media. Make sure to add them to your contacts.

Here are some things your network can help you with

• Partner together for in-person and online events.

• Find writing opportunities like anthologies and upcoming events.

• Share each other’s social media announcements.

• Promote each other's events and help them celebrate.

• Partner for newsletter swaps, guest blogs, or other promotional ideas.

• Build up a group who could help you with blurbs.

• Find advice and recommendations on writing, publishing, and agents.

What You Can Learn from Setbacks

The writing journey is really a rollercoaster ride with a lot of highs and lows. Everyone experiences the great and the not-so-great moments. No one likes the latter, but there are things you can learn from them.

• When something disappointing happens, see what advice you can glean from it. Can you make improvements in something you’re doing?

• Allow yourself time to process bad news and to grieve. Sometimes, the news is devastating.

• Don’t reply or respond when you are upset or angry. Take some time to process and craft your response.

• Rejection Slips - If you’re fortunate enough that the agent or publisher provides you with feedback about the reason your work was not accepted, read it when you’re not emotionally charged. See if you can incorporate the advice to improve for next time.

• Bad Reviews - Everyone gets them. You can have hundreds of good reviews, and that one bad one often sends writers into a tailspin. Reviews are nice, but they are mainly for other readers. If you read them, see if there is a nugget of wisdom in the response. If not, ignore it and move on. You will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and you don’t like every book you read. Don’t reply or argue with the reviewer.

• Critique Group Feedback - You will get lots of feedback from your critique groups or partners. Read it when you are not emotional. Change what is wrong or what needs to be improved. But you don’t have to make every change that is mentioned. Make sure you’re not losing your voice in the rewrites.

What have you learned from a setback?

Valuable Lessons Learned from Critique Groups

One of the best things I did early in my career was to find a critique group to help me hone my writing skills and to test out plots. I’ve been in several of all sizes through the years. Some were in person, and others were virtual. Here’s what I learned and what worked for me.

• I write cozy mysteries, and I focus on groups that are made up of mystery writers. I read mysteries and thrillers, and I understand the conventions. I am able to provide good feedback on others’ work when I know the genre.

• When I was starting out, my first critique was a mixed group of published and pre-published folks like me. That was helpful. I was in the same boat as the newer writers. The people with more experience had great insights and ideas to share. As the years went by, critique groups come and go for different reasons. My last two groups have been with published mystery writers, and that helps me at this stage in my journey.

• You will get a lot of feedback and comments about your writing. It took me a while to figure out what changes I should listen to. In the end, it is your work and your voice. If it’s a procedural thing or a plot hole suggestion, then I usually make the change. In my first group, there were fifteen members. When we would go around the table for comments, half would say change something, and then the other half said don’t change it. It was confusing. I finally had to go with the change that would best mesh with where I wanted the story to go.

• You cannot take the critiques personally. It’s hard. You have worked so long on your manuscript, and now someone is tearing it apart. But my goal was always to improve my work and make it the best it could possibly be. It did take a while to build up a thick skin that I could listen to it and not get my feelings hurt.

• It helps to set the rules of the group before you start. For my groups, if you see grammar or spelling errors, point them out in your notes, but don’t spend the group time talking about them. Save your comments for plot holes and the craft of writing.

• Getting a variety of feedback helps me as a writer, and it prepared me for editor, agent, and publisher feedback and reader reviews.

What would you add to my list?