What's next?

That is an interesting question. What's next?

Given that I am 75 percent through my current novel, I have to start thinking about the next step. First I will go through it and try to clean in up, add anything that I need to research, fix any continuity problems and specifically consider who to have read it. I am pretty certain I will ask at least one of two writers in my writers group. Perhaps both.

And the rewriting will begin.

But the search for an agent for this book will also begin. Assuming that the first draft of the book is done by then, I should have my query letter for the book written by mid-June. And after I vet it with a couple of writers, I should start sending it out by late June.

I will take a different approach to this letter than I did for the letter for "Fighting Chaos." I plan to write it like it the blurb for a movie. Then I will add some background on me. I hope to catch an agent's eye immediately.

In addition, I hope to attend a conference in late July and perhaps connect with an agent there. But that is still months ago. What is important is that I am thinking about such things and planning.

It doesn't, however, answer my first question. What next? I am thinking about tackling a non-fiction book teen drug addiction. It will be a shorter book than the fiction I have written and will require far more research, reporting and interviewing. But that is what is currently in my mind.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

That word

There was a great news satire television program in the 1960s called "That Was The Week That Was." To people who remember it, it is just called TW3.

It is a great title for the program although it uses the word 'that,' one of the most overused words in the English language. The problem is it doesn't have much meaning yet is so often used. While I was in college, I remember the editor of our college paper lecturing us on eliminating the word from our writing. And it is something I have tried to do.

So imagine my surprise last Saturday when one of the other writers in my writing group who was conducting a critique on the first two chapters of my book cautioned me about using 'that' too often. I didn't realize it was a problem.

Well, apparently it is __ I checked.

In the nearly 57,000 words I have written for "Death at the Jungle-bunny Journal" I used the word 'that' 647 times, which is nearly twice as many times as I use the name 'Jason,' which appears 396 times. And Jason is the main character in the book.

I highlighted every time I use 'that' and plan to go through and examine each case. But because it will be so time-consuming, I won't do it until before I start the second draft.

So be careful with 'that.' It may fit perfectly in TW3, but in other places it is overused and unnecessary.

Thanks for reading and have a great evening. And most of all, don't give up on writing.

Critiques

I joined a writers group last month and have read a couple of chapters of three other authors in the last month. It has been very helpful in seeing how other writers work and how they produce. All of the others are in my local chapter of Sisters in Crime and they are published.

What is good about being in the group is that I see that I'm not suffering alone with plot, character development and dialogue. And that is a huge help.

And today, for the first time, I got feedback on the first two chapters of "Death at the Jungle-bunny Journal." The comments were generally positive and provided a perspective that I just can't get alone at my laptop.

Some of the more minor suggestions I will implement immediately by doing a search and replace throughout the text. But others will require some hard thinking on my part. For the latter, I will let the comment in my brain until I start my second draft and consider them in my detail then.

One such suggestion is that I switch the order of the first two chapters. That may work but then it may also relay the real narrative of the story.

Like I said __ it will require some hard thinking.

However, that is always good. It is difficult, if not impossible, to get out of one's skin and look objectively at one's work.

Well, that's all for the moment. Sorry I haven't written more this week. I promise to get back on the stick next week.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

POV

I am a journalist by both training and occupation. And for virtually my entire career as an editor and as a reporter, I have approached writing from one point of view __ third person. As far as I can remember, I have written fewer than a hand full of news or feature stories in first person. The only real exceptions were when I was on a newspaper's editorial staff and wrote editorials but those, while in first person, were plural, not singular.

(I did write three first person stories for United Press International __ two on racing and one at the Franklin Institute when I took part in an egg experiment. And I really got into each story and enjoyed them tremendously.)

Thus when I started writing fiction I never gave any real thought to writing a story in first person. Frankly, the prospect of writing in first person terrified me.

Some say the first-person narrative is easier to write and as well as easier to read. I don't know about the former but the latter isn't true for me. When reading, I find first-person narrative distracting. I immediately note that it is from only one person's POV and often wonder what is going on that the protagonist (and the author) don't see.

But I am also amazed that writers can pull it off successfully. It can often provide the character a stronger voice. Two of the three critiques I have done for the writers group to which I belong were in first person. And though I found some fault with their writing (that's the editor in me), it wasn't because of the POV.

I think the third-person narrative fits me because of my ego. As the author, I am the god of the universe in which my characters live. If they prayed, in effect, it would be to me. In my narratives, I know everything that any character does or thinks. I generally know it before they do, although they do sometimes surprise me.

But most importantly, it is how I have always written.

One day, when I decide to be brave, I may write some fiction in first person, just to give it a try. I think I will try a short story first, however. But for the most part, you will generally see me in third-person narrative.

Thanks for reading, enjoy your day and don't forget to keep writing.

Characters

While I was on vacation I discovered a mystery series that is already in my house. It is the Stephanie Plum series by author Janet Evanovich. My daughters read her books but I didn't think they'd interest me so I had never read one.

But while we were in the car, we played an audio version of "High Five" on the CD player. And I was hooked. Evanovich's characters are funny and vivid and interesting and well-written and well-developed. The good thing about the book was that it can stand alone. I didn't have to read all four of the previous books to understand the major characters. I loved it so much, we purchased another audio book __ seven or eight, I think __ and I started reading Book six.

Then to my surprise last weekend when I was at the public library, I saw a book written by Evanovich called "How I Write. Secrets of a Bestselling Author." So I checked it out of the library.

She stressed in the introduction that the book was from questions asked of her over a 10-year period on her website and that it was from her "personal experience." "I haven't attempted to produce the definitive book on creative novel writing."

However, she has lots of helpful hints and tips for writers, and particularly for me as an aspiring author. That's not to say that I agree with everything. In fact, we disagree, at least in part, on one aspect of building characters.

Asked whether characters ever surprise her, she wrote: "NO! What does surprise me is that people say this happens. This is fiction. Your character doesn't do anything you don't want him to do!"

While I wholeheartedly agree that characters can't do anything the author doesn't allow them to do, I still think characters can do surprising things.

The author is the god the universe in which his character dwell. The author's job is to breath live into the characters and let them live out lives. In a sense, the author instills in his characters free-will. In that way, the writer can at times be surprised in actions characters take or words characters say. But in the end, it all has to fit into the course that the author has decided the universe must take. In that way, the author always has the final say.

A good example for me is in the use of curse words. Now anyone who knows me knows I use foul language sometimes. But never in the narrative of my novels. However, I do allow my characters to use curse words __ particularly bad words, in fact. If it fits the character, their background and the situation, I allow it.

An area where I draw a line, however, is in taking the Lord's name in vain. That I do not allow whether a character is going to say it or not.

So I think characters should sometimes surprise the author. If they can surprise and entertain their creator, who would know them best, then it can do the same for the reader. And to me, that is a good thing.

(Now I hope Evanovich doesn't ever read this an write me a nasty note telling me I'm an idiot. But as the creator of the blog, I can choose not to allow it.)

Thanks for reading and enjoy a beautiful spring day. And above all, keep writing.

Reading Like a Writer

While I was on vacation last week, my wife and I were in a bookstore and she saw a book that she thought I should get. It's called, "Reading Like A Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books And For Those Who Want To Write Them." It's by Francine Prose. (Good name, by the way.)

I purchased a copy, not the least of which because it was deeply discounted. And it is a fascinating book on reading books slower and more closely to learn how authors construct their writing. The book is better than a creative-writing workshop because it assumes the reader likes to read and that writers like to read.

There are chapters in words, and on sentences, and on paragraphs, and then some. I particularly like the chapter on dialogue, although it was a little too long after she made her point. One of the things I do when writing dialogue is I try to hear it in my head and then put it down. It then can sound like informal speech that is spoke, sometimes choppy and directionless, and with incomplete sentences.

But when writing a novel, she says dialogue should be like spoken speech only better. There should be an economy of words to express a thought. That makes sense, which means I will have to reexamine all of my dialogue moving forward and when I get around to later drafts.

It is should a wonderful book I have suggested it to another aspiring novelist, even going as far as buying her a copy that I am sending tomorrow.

But like in all things, one shouldn't let reading a book get in the way of writing a book. There are tons and tons and tons of useful book on bookshelves around the globe. And if you try to glean every bit of knowledge out of them before you write, you will never get any writing done. And I plan to continue getting writing done.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

On writing

I am on vacation this week and have tried successfully to connect with a friend. But getting down to her office in the middle of the day has proven to be a problem. My vacation is going to be extended an additional day and hopefully I will hook up with my friend tomorrow.

This is particularly important to me for two reasons: 1, She provided me with the idea for "Death at the Jungle-bunny Journal" and suggested the murder weapon. And 2, she told me she wants to write a novel.

When we didn't hook up for lunch today, she wrote me to say, "I've got some pieces to my novel. It's about relationships. It's the next Catcher in the Rye. Ha! It involves family, murder and business. I know that sounds boring, but... I just have to get started."

I wrote her back and this, in part, is what I said in response.

Writing your novel will take a lot of discipline and determination, far more than I can even begin to explain. That is because people will cheer you on and say they support you but when your writing inconveniences them to the slightest degree, they will turn on you.

Several suggestions:

1, To begin with, you will need to write EVERYDAY. If you decide to take a day off, it should be the same day every week, say Sunday. That is up to you. But it will be important to dedicate yourself to writing everyday.

2, Set a goal of how much you intend to write everyday and stick to it. Even if you feel like you are stuck, write anyway. Get something down on paper, regardless of how good or bad it is, everyday.

3, Pick a time and place where you can be alone and most likely won't be bothered. In your case, I'd suggest getting up early in the morning and writing before work. You must cut the distractions down to a minimum.

4, Write even when you don't think you have much to say. The important thing is to write __ getting it all down on paper (so to speak). It won't matter if the first draft is crappy. You can improve it later, which you will do even if it isn't crappy.

5, Join a writer's group. Other writers will encourage you and your writing, will help hold you accountable for getting it done, and will provide informative insights into your work-in-progress. But be careful not to focus so much on what you have written that you don't move forward and write what comes next.

6, Write what you know. Anything that you don't know, make a notation in the text and move on. You can do the research on that part later and then add what you need to add.

Lastly, you just have to eliminate or deal with anything that will distract you from finishing. Distractions are EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE! They include, but are not exclusive to, your boyfriend, your job, your friends, the enormity of the task, your own laziness and willingness to make excuses for yourself.

That last one is particularly important because you might be able to eliminate most of the other distractions but that last one will always be there.

It took me years to finish writing my first novel. And I had good reasons for it taking so long but in the end, it was laziness and a willingness to make excuses.

I encourage you to do it. Believe me, you will feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment once you finish your first draft. It's a great feeling.



So that's what I wrote my friend. I think it is good advice for all novice writers.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.