Plotter, Pantser, or Something Else?

I hated doing formal outlines in English class. It felt too overblown and detailed when all I wanted to do was write. When I wrote my first mystery series, I was pretty much a pantser (I wrote by the seat of my pants).

I wrote myself in a lot of corners and had to go back and rewrite large swaths of chapters to make sure the mystery flowed. I also had days when I was stuck and didn’t know what to write next. It took me over five years to write the first novel. I knew I had to write faster, and I had to find ways to make that happen.

I’ve been in IT for the past twenty years, and I decided to apply some of the tools to my writing life. I love spreadsheets and project plans. Since I have limited writing time, I have to make the most of each session.

Now, before I start a new book, I spend a few weeks plotting out the entire book chapter by chapter. It’s an outline, but it’s a narrative of what happens in each chapter. I make sure I have motives, clues, and a story that flows. When I start to write, I have each segment defined. I also do a lot of my research during this time, and that keeps me from getting bogged down when I’m writing. I usually stick to my outline, but there are times when I change something, so my paper copy always has some handwritten notes and scratch outs.

This is the process that works for me. It gives me a plan for each writing session where I’ve done the basic research and already worked for the plot holes.

You need to find a process that works with your style and schedule. Give it a try to see if it makes you more productive.

Why Writers Need to be Readers

When a teacher told us to read silently in class, I was the happiest kid. I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. Most writers are readers, too, but every once in a while, I encounter a new writer who says he/she doesn’t read very much.

Here is why reading is important to writers:

• It improves your writing skills.

• It’s research.

• It expands your vocabulary.

• It broadens your horizons and allows you to experience new things.

• It gives you an insight into what books are being published and how genres are classified.

• It stimulates your brain and reduces stress.

• It boosts your critical thinking.

• It improves your imagination.

• It enhances your communication skills.

• It helps you concentrate.

• It improves memory.

• It develops independent learning skills.

What are you reading for fun?

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?

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?