Suffolk Mystery Authors' Festival

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Virginia is for Mysteries authors hosted three panels at the Suffolk Mystery Festival last weekend. I had the pleasure of presenting "The History of the Mystery" with Maggie King and Teresa Inge.

It was fun to meet all of the cozy mystery readers and writers at the Suffolk Cultural Arts Center.


What Words Are Off-limits in Your Writing?

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How good are you at self-editing? I'm a great editor for others, but I don't see mistakes in my work. That's why my critique group is invaluable. Each member has his/her own specialties. When my stories or manuscripts make it through this group, I know they are ready for the next steps.

I've learned from this group that I have some crutch words. I've created a list, and when I'm editing, I go back and look for ways to remove these.

Here are my biggest offenders...

  • Just
  • Only
  • That
  • This
  • Was
  • Were
  • Said

I also tend to overuse names and colors.

Now that I've stared my list of things to look for, my writing is tighter before it gets to the critiquers.

Happy writing.

Writing Stuff...

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It's raining here in Central Virginia. It's a good day to work on my manuscript. I'm editing chapter thirty-one. I also made a gift basket for Virginia is for Mysteries for the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC). It's full of mugs, hot chocolate, chocolate candies, other goodies, and a copy of our VIFM anthology.

Disney and Riley also tried on parts of their Halloween costumes. They were not that enthusiastic about the entire ordeal. They only hung out because they were promised treats.

I hope you have a great weekend. Happy writing and reading!

My Two Cents about Writing...

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This month, I'm participating with other bloggers in the Sisters in Crime Blog Hop.

What are some things that new writers need to know?

1. Good writing is work. If you want to be a writer, you need to make time to improve your craft. This means writing and rewriting.

2. Write. Write. Write. Keep writing. Dreaming about being an author doesn't cut it.

3. Spend time proofreading and editing. If you're not good at it, find someone who is.

4. Find a good critique group. You need people to read your draft and provide constructive feedback. I love my mystery group (SinC-Central Virginia). It's made up of readers and writers. They don't pull punches, and that's what I need to improve.

5. Use social media to network with other writers, agents, and readers. Build your platform. But balance your networking and writing time.

6. Be strong. There are going to be rejections, bad critiques, and not so favorable reviews. Learn from them and move on. It stings, but take what you can, and don't dwell on them. And don't obsess about your number of followers, sales, and reviews. It will make you crazy.

7. Have fun. Enjoy what you do and every step in the process. I can't explain the joy that comes when you see your author's copy or your name on the cover.

For more writing blogs, check out Maggie King's site. Also see #SinCBlogHop and #SinC-Up.

You can find me on Twitter @CrazyforWords13 and on Facebook.

 

What's Your Writing Playlist?

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I love music, and it's a part of just about everything I do. I even have a "Play it Loud" list for driving on the interstate in the red Mustang.

 I was asked recently what's on my playlist for writing. And it depends...

With fifteen different, themed playlists with hundreds of hours of music, I usually listen to rock or country with a fast pace and uplifting words. I write and edit better when there's a beat. These are my favorites right now:

  • Kid Rock
  • Florida Georgia Line
  • Train
  • Pharrell Williams (He's from Virginia Beach too.)
  • Colbie Caillat
  • Neon Trees
  • Fun.
  • Bruno Mars
  • Sara Bareilles
  • Uncle Kracker

But, I also often go back to old friends:

  • Van Halen
  • Elvis
  • UB40
  • Prince
  • Billy Joel
  • Elton John
  • Culture Club
  • Duran Duran

And if you're a mystery writer who's stuck, put on Train's "50 Ways to Say Goodbye." He offers a variety of ways to get rid of that annoying character.

What do you listen to when you write? Is there a specific genre that works best for you?

For more blogs about writing, check out author, Maggie King.

#SinC-up and #SinCBlogHop

 

 

Catch Phrase: A Lesson for Writers

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My nieces introduced me to Catch Phrase this weekend. It's a timed game where you have to describe a word or phrase without using any part of it. So, not only do you have to know what the thing is; you've got to find a way to communicate it to your team in a way that they will understand. It's frustrating when your team doesn't get what you're describing.

It's the same with basic business communications. To pass on a idea to your readers, you need to:

  • Be clear and concise.
  • Use words that are understandable to your audience.
  • Look for common experiences.
  • Present the material in an organized fashion.
  • And proofread to make sure that your message is clear.

Best wishes with your writing. It's often harder to write in a plain, clear fashion. It often takes several revisions and some editing.