Creating a Production Plan

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile000786402730

I’ve come to the conclusion that production plans are important for any prolific writer, whether they’re self-published, traditionally published, or a hybrid writer.

I was lucky enough with the deadlines for the two traditionally published series that the drafting didn’t (usually) happen at the same time.  Only once that I can remember did I have two books for two different series due at once.  That was…not fun.

But adding a third series into the mix meant I had even more stuff to juggle.  And with self-pub, you have to add other elements onto your calendar apart from the writing: contacting your team, approving a cover, going through the editing process with a freelancer, getting the book formatted, writing cover copy…it’s a lot.

A week ago, one of the members of my self-pub team contacted me to ask when she should put me on her calendar for editing this year.  This made me stop and think.  Production would certainly go a lot faster and smoother and launch deadlines would become firmer if I figured out my calendar for the year, got my team onboard with my calendar, and then simply followed the schedule I’d set.Continue reading

The Ignorance Factor

by Barry Knister, @barryknisterbooks_by_bw_knister~~element60

When I first decided to write a mystery series, the initial problem I faced didn’t have to do with writing. It had to do with the crime business.

I’m not talking about the myriad ways in which crime is the business of criminals; I mean the crime-fighting experts who zigzag their way through a landscape littered with clues, in search of answers. We all know who the usual suspects are: police and CSI technicians, private investigators, FBI and CIA agents, medical examiners, lawyers, computer whizzes, etc.

But what if the writer is none of these things, and has no connections with such people? Continue reading

Assessing Pros and Cons of Outlining

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigfile8631274967187

It must have been 2011 when I was first asked to write an outline of a book for an editor.  At that point I’d written four or five books with no outline at all and the request completely freaked me out, although I tried not to let on.  I handed in an outline that was something like 20 pages long and probably took me as long to write as a book would have.

At that point, I decided I’d outline just that series, just for that editor (Southern Quilting Mysteries) and use my regular, organic process for my Memphis Barbeque series (Penguin, but different editor) and my Myrtle Clover series (self-pubbed).Continue reading

Ask Questions to Find Your Story

 by C. S. Lakin, @CSLakinSay What front cover

I ask a lot of questions in my line of work as a professional manuscript critiquer and copyeditor. Sure, I also give a lot of suggestions and fix badly constructed sentences. But it’s the questions that get to the heart of the story. Asking authors questions helps them get thinking about what they’re writing and why.

So much important information seems to be missing in so many novels—especially first novels by aspiring authors. Novel writing is tricky; there are countless essential components that all need to mesh cohesively. To me, the key to reaching that goal is to ask a lot of questions.

Questions Create Story

Starting a novel is asking a question. What if . . .? What would someone do if . . .? What if the world was like this and this happened . . .? Then those initial questions lead to more questions, which shape and bring life to characters and story. Questions are the key.Continue reading

Choosing Our Mystery’s Murderer

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigDSCN8976

Mystery writers that I’ve met tend to fall into a couple of different groups—writers who have picked their killer before they start writing their story (or early in their draft) and those who decide by the end of the book who the killer will be.

I’m a fan of picking my murderer at the end of the book.  The only problem is the fact that I’ve (fairly recently) started outlining. When I outline, I lay out the murderer…but I leave it open to change.  For my Penguin books, however, the outline goes to my editor so that she has an opportunity to weigh in.  I’ve changed the killer a couple of times for my editor and once I dramatically changed a character’s personality and manner in order to keep the character as the murderer.Continue reading

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