Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

Today I’d like to welcome fellow Midnight Ink author Joanna Campbell Slan to the blog. Joanna is an Agatha Award nominee and her Photo, Snap, Shot, the third book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, was released May 1.

Toying with the Idea of Writing a Book

By Joanna Campbell Slan

This isn’t the post I intended to write for Elizabeth. I’m no dummy. My job here—at least as far as I can tell—is to make you like me so you’ll want to buy my book. Failing that, I need to make you want to read my book, even if you don’t like me.

This might come under the heading: None of the above.

See, I was at a book signing last week with a bunch of other authors, and a man came up, leaned on the table, winked at me, and said, “I’m toying with the idea of writing a book.”

I believe with all my heart that he’s a very nice man. That actually, he’s lovely. That he’s kind and caring and thoughtful and smart. That he only meant to flirt a bit and to ignite a conversation.

Instead, he came very near to getting himself killed.

Okay, maybe I look like a middle-aged housewife who doesn’t get out much. Yes, my covers are bright and cheerful and scream, “Let’s have a good time!” I was sitting there like a dope with (what I hoped was) a perky smile on my face. And I did gussy up for the occasion.

But “toying with the idea of writing a book”?

I had to restrain myself.

So I counted. I counted up into the high numbers, numbers I’m not smart enough to multiply or divide.

And I waited. I hoped he’d say something I could respond to, something that would make me seem like a decent, good human being. A person I long to be.

Toying with the idea of writing a book?

I imagine he was hoping for a bit of encouragement. Perhaps I was supposed to say, “Good for you! I toyed with the idea, too, and now just look at me! Here I am, fifteen books later! Hoping you’ll give my newest book a try! Gosh, if a stupid cow like me can do it, so can you!”

Or maybe, “Oh, piffle, this is easy. I bet a big, strong, handsome fella like you could whip one of these suckers out in no time. Probably be an international bestseller, too.”

Instead I wanted to weep. I wanted to sob and say, “Mister, you have no idea. This is all I ever wanted to do in life. I put myself through four years of college and worked full-time to get a degree in journalism. I worked odd jobs to support myself doing anything in the field, just to get the practice of putting words on paper. I hate every minute that takes me away from the keyboard and my work. I love what I do and I am driven and passionate about it!”

And here’s more of what I should have said:

“I pray, sir, that you keep on toying with the idea of writing a book. I hope that for you, it never becomes anything serious. If you are lucky, you won’t really care one way or another if you get to write each day. If you are fortunate, it won’t matter if your work is good or bad. You won’t wake up each day determined to try harder than you did yesterday. That you won’t read everything you can and study every book you can and go to seminars, classes, and conferences hoping to pick up a crumb more of insight so you can someday be worthy of the printed page and your readers.”

I didn’t say any of that.

But I thought it.

***

Joanna Campbell Slan is really a very nice person, most of the time. Her most recent book—Photo, Snap, Shot—is the third book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. Publisher’s Weekly called Photo, Snap, Shot “a cut above the usual craft-themed cozy.” And Joanna is moderately happy with that. Visit her at www.JoannaSlan.com or at http://www.KillerHobbies.blogspot.com

I was at my son’s middle school last week, picking him up early for an appointment. I sat in the office with a clear view of the hall.

Whenever I’m able to see a middle school day in progress, I watch in a sort of horrified fascination.

My junior high years were my most un-favorite. Most of the kids were either really cliquey or really mean. I still haven’t gone back for a reunion. I might even have “murdered” a composite of several of them in my books. :)

If some mystical being offered to wave its magic wand and make me 13 again, I’d knock it into next week.

When the bell rang and a class change commenced, I saw a young kid…he must have been a 6th grader, although he looked younger.

My editor wouldn’t let me create a character like him because it would have been too stock: he was short, pudgy, wore glasses, wore clothes that were designed with a middle-aged man in mind, and carried a huge pile of books and notebooks which he proceeded to drop everywhere. Loose leaf notebook paper snowed down all over the hall.

There was some laughter from the other kids. I froze. My first instinct was to run help, but I wondered if that would make things even worse for him…having someone’s mommy rush out of the office to pick up his things.

Then I saw this beautiful girl stop. She was very tall, probably an 8th grader, and absolutely stunning. I thought, “Oh noooo.” Because I remembered girls like that.

I was fiercely indignant and about to go into the hall and defend the nerdy looking boy from any taunting.

But she stooped and quickly picked up all the papers she could reach while he fumbled with his books. He looked at her, bewildered, and she smiled at him and walked on to class.

It really just blew me away; it was so far out of the norm for what I’d observed during my own middle school years.

If I’d written the story, it wouldn’t have turned out that way.

The girl would have been cruel. The scene would have gotten ugly.

It made me realize that I need to take my ‘what iffing’ a little farther sometimes.

Not just “What if there was an awkward kid who dropped all his stuff during a class change…and what if this beautiful girl came along and bullied him?” but “What if it turned out differently than that?”

It also reminded me that I don’t need to let my personal experiences and history get in the way of my imagination, or limit me.

How strongly do your personal experiences color your writing?

Since I’m working up a new book, I’ve got to have a brand-new, completely different protagonist.

When I’m working on a protagonist, one of two things usually happens…the protagonist is just immediately known to me (this happens when I’ve got a composite image in my head based on several people I actually know), or else I go through and build up a protagonist based on traits I admire as a reader.

I’m definitely operating from the second method this time and building up a main character from scratch.

Different writers look for different traits for their protagonist. And, depending on the plot, some traits would be more useful than others. Are you writing a traditional romance? Need a warrior for an epic battle in a fantasy? Your protagonists may need to have radically different abilities and characteristics.

What I’m usually looking for is an ordinary person put into an extraordinary situation, but who is able to resolve the conflict by being proactive and clever.

I want someone who is interesting but ordinary. Intrinsically good, but flawed.

I want someone who has challenges and internal conflict.

I want someone who can be changed…and can grow.

The protagonist doesn’t have to be nice, but shouldn’t be mean.

I like a main character with a sense of humor and a sense of adventure.

I want someone who can help me propel my plot and not just react to things that happen.

So now we’ve got the traits I’m looking for. How else can I nail this imaginary person down?

I’ll spend a few minutes with a character questionnaire like this one, then I’ll write up a description and move on to the plotting.

How about you? What are you looking for in your current protagonist?

I’m not an outliner.

And I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had to write a synopsis for a couple of years.

But suddenly I’ve been requested to write a full synopsis and 3 chapters for a possible new series.

A synopsis…of material I haven’t actually written? Sounds very like an outline to me….only it won’t lay out the story chapter by chapter.

Seems like a good time to learn to write from an outline. :) In publishing it pays to adapt.

I’m thinking they’ll be looking for about three, double-spaced, single-sided pages. Since the book would be sold on the synopsis, before it’s written, though, they might want to see more. After I write the three pages, I’ll elaborate for a longer, more detailed synopsis, in case they want it.

Here’s my plan:

I’ll brainstorm my story the way I always do…with my first victim, then the suspects. I’ve already gotten my sleuth nailed down, so I think I’m good there. When I’ve gotten a handle on my victims and suspects, I think I’ll be ready to start writing the synopsis.

I’m going to take key points of the story as I brainstorm, and jot them down, working out the plot with my usual what-iffing. I’ll pretend I’m giving someone a long summary of the book instead of the usual elevator pitch I give folks who ask about it.

I have a feeling that as I’m dreaming the plot up, I’ll be getting subplot ideas and probably secondary character ideas. I’m going to put those in a Word file and not in my synopsis unless the subplots or minor characters tie into the main plot in a major way at the end (mine sometimes do.)

Minor character tie-ins aside, I’ll include only main characters. I’ll probably briefly describe the character– something along the lines of “Ann asks JIM why he was near the crime scene. Jim, the victim’s emotionally-dependent only child, responded that…”

I’ll be dealing with suspects, so I’ll be explaining how they react during the investigation—if they’re evasive, misleading, etc. That’ll show, not tell what they’re like. When I name a main character for the first time in the synopsis, I’ll put it in all caps. Most minor characters will just be tagged in my synopsis– the neighbor, friend, police officer, etc.

I don’t usually decide who did it until close to the end of the book. Clearly, I won’t be doing that this time. Instead, I’ll still have all my suspects have equal motive, means, and opportunity. I can decide at the end of the synopsis who did it, but when writing the story from the synopsis/outline, obviously I’ll write it knowing who the killer is from page one.

As always, synopses are 3rd person, present tense. It’ll tell the story in a conversational style, including the key plot points from the beginning of the book to the ending—and, yes, the ending will name whodunit and why-dunit.

With the genre I’m writing (cozy mystery), the setting is important, but not overblown descriptions of the setting. Instead, I’ll be giving a town name and a pithy description of the area. So, something like: “The story takes place in Bradley, North Carolina, a tiny town where neighbors keep a close eye on each other.”

I love dialogue.

There will be no dialogue in the synopsis.

I’ve got some ideas that I think will work. I’m going to just hunker down this week and work through them and figure out my plan for the book. This process is definitely a little different from my norm, but I like trying new things.

Have you ever crossed over and written via an outline when you haven’t before? Or vice-versa? How did it work out?

I’ll say straight out that non-writers are frequently not sure what to make of the writing life.

Why would someone put so much time, research, and energy into something that pays so little?

Why would someone open themselves up (repeatedly) to hurt from rejections or snarky reviewers?

Honestly, it’s really not something that makes a lot of sense. Most writers feel driven to write…and it’s important enough to us to ignore the long hours, low pay, and potentially harsh feedback from first readers, agents, and editors.

But having a little support is very helpful. And maybe you’ve got it with your family and friends… maybe you don’t.

If you’ve got zero support or if people don’t even know you write, I’d definitely recommend the online writing community. Blogs are great places to connect with other writers (find active blogs to follow, then branch out and follow folks in their blog rolls. Don’t lurk!) , but so are forums like Absolute Write and Writers Net which connect writers with each other and with resources and information.There are also Yahoo Groups that operate on an email loop (or you can choose to visit the group’s board). Just go to http://groups.yahoo.com/ and search for “writing” or the genre of your choice.

You can find writers on social media, too. We’re all over Facebook. If you befriend me (and I’ll friend just about anyone), then you can easily find friends in my friends’ list who write. You can do the same for any writer out there.

Twitter has tons of writers on it. If you put #amwriting or #writetips or #writechat into the search box on your home page, you’ll find writing tweeter

If you’re looking for in-person support, try local writers’ groups. Even small towns frequently have them now. Do a Google search: “Your hometown+writers groups.” You can also ask your local library—the research librarian will know, for sure. Several of the staff at my local bookstores (both independent and chain) are well-connected with the writing community, too, I’ve noticed.

Friends and family might not exactly understand why you’re writing, but can be supportive in small ways.

I don’t think it’s necessarily important that they understand the “why.” I’m not sure that anyone who doesn’t write would get it unless they have an equally time-consuming activity that they’re passionate about. But family can be supportive in different ways.

My husband has functioned as my patron of the arts. :) The small income I make from writing isn’t enough to make a living on, but he’s always provided the resources (and, with the resources, comes time to write).

My children promote me to their friends and their friends’ parents—while I usually don’t mention my writing to others. Their pride has led to many sales I wouldn’t otherwise have made.

Maybe your support came from long ago. A teacher could have let you know you had talent. A grandmother or father might have engendered a love of books by reading to you. I was lucky enough to have both encouraging teachers and a family that promoted books and reading.

And, since today is Mother’s Day in the States, I want to make a shout-out to the mothers out there…many of whom are incredibly supportive.

My mother made sure that daily reading was incorporated into my day when I was growing up. She understood where my talents lay and didn’t chide me for mathematical incomprehension (although she set up tutors to help me.) She cheered me on when I got internships at magazines and then writing jobs at magazines. She encouraged me to start back writing after I’d had a dry spell with my first child was born.

She’s my only first reader now and does a great job steering me in the right direction. She’s also a tireless promoter— arranging book signings for me, a book club talk, and a library presentation. And she talks me up to her friends…and maybe even people who don’t want to hear about me and my books. :)

Thanks Mama. Happy Mother’s Day.