by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’d just finished my daily goal for my fourth Memphis book on Thursday when I had a sudden uneasy feeling about the third quilting mystery. When was that outline due again? (I have an editor who requires outlines for approval before the story is written. Y’all know I don’t ordinarily outline.)
In my head, that outline was due July 1, like the Memphis book. In fact, I’m pretty sure I told several people that I would be handing in an outline for Southern Quilting mystery 3 on July 1.
So what made me tear through the house and yank open a desk drawer and pull out my contract was an inkling way down in my totally-buried subconscious.
The contract said June 1.
Ugh.
So I guess you know what I’ll be doing after I finish my writing goal each day.
I’ll sit down and brainstorm my plot. This won’t be a book where I later sit on a panel and tell a lovely tale about how I was vacationing on a windswept beach and the muse spoke gently to me while I was meditating. Nope.
But that’s what most stories are, I think. At least they are for me with all the multiple deadlines—a focused and determined effort at brainstorming.
We all have gobs of ideas. We’re writers, after all. I get ideas all the day long…but they’re usually small ideas. I consciously sit and work on the big picture ideas (with the exception of a couple of my books earlier on.)
General tips for story development:
First of all, we have to know our genre. We should be a fan of our genre and read a lot of it. What story elements satisfy us most when we read our favorite genre? Do we like more action, more humor, really strong characters, flawed main characters, lots of internal conflict? What works best for your genre?
What do our readers like? This is where I read over my Word file where I’ve compiled both complaints and compliments for my past books. I provide more of what was successful (particular characters, particular situations, etc.) and less of what readers disliked or complained about in reviews.
Is this a big enough idea that you can develop it for at least 75,000 words? Can this idea carry a full-length plot?
Is the plot too derivative? If it’s too much like a hundred other books in your genre, what fresh take can you give it? Can you provide your character with a unique voice? Think of some fresh spin on the old plot?
How much trouble/tension/conflict can your story engender? Can you think of ways to add more? Will there be enough natural conflict to keep a fast pace?
Specific to mysteries:
For me it all starts with the victim—they’re the catalyst for everything. Why would someone want to kill this person?
Why would my sleuth (I’ve got an amateur, so this is an important question for me that wouldn’t be if you’re writing a police procedural or private eye story) get involved in this murder?
Who are the suspects? This question ties in very closely to the victim question since these are the characters who wanted to kill the victim. But this is where I decide if they’re male or female and how they all knew the victim.
What do these people have to hide? What are they trying to cover up?
What different kinds of motives could these suspects have? Again, this one ties into the victim question, but I actually list the motives out. My editors aren’t real crazy about having three different people who all wanted to seek revenge on the victim, for instance. Better to have a variety of motives: personal gain, jealousy, ambition, revenge, rage, etc.
How is the victim going to die? Who discovers the body? Who seems to have an alibi? Motive/means/opportunity.
Who is my second victim? How does this change the investigation?
Who did it? (And I do change this a lot. But for the purpose of handing in a proposal, I name a killer in the outline. Sometimes I’m asked to change the murderer…I changed it by editor request for the book I just finished May 1.)
And really, that’s all I need to know for this proposal/outline. And it’s all I need to know to write the book.
I frequently deviate off of an outline, but I know I can make changes if my editor isn’t wild about my deviation. :)
When you’ve got to develop a story idea (and quickly!), what’s your process like?
Photo by David Mellis, Flickr
Yikes, Elizabeth, June 1? You’re one of the few people I know that could do it well by then.
Thanks for another informative post. I read and reread hoping it will stick in my brain.
Teresa
Elizabeth – Oh, wow! Talk about deadline crunch! I know you can manage it but.. yikes!
Like you, I write mysteries, so I start with the victim. Who would get killed. What’s that person like? That also gives me ideas about that person’s friends, family and so on (more characters to create – suspects too). Sometimes I even get a good murder weapon idea from the kind of person the victim is! Then I try to figure out how my sleuth fits in; how would he get involved in the investigation (he’s not a cop). Those (to me anyway) are the keys to getting going. I wish you well!
I think I’d freak if I had to turn in an outline. On a deadline. (Not that I’d turn down a multi-book contract should the occasion arise. I’d figure something out.)
Right now, the working “outline” for my next Mapleton mystery is that it has to be a cold case. I didn’t want to have too many dead bodies in my quiet little town, when the first book stressed that the murder in that book was the first one the town had seen in collective memory.
I’m about 17,000 words in, and don’t really know who died way back when, or who killed him/her, or why the bones were discovered where they were. But that’s the fun of discovery for me. Plot points arise as I work on the book.
Terry
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Good luck on the deadline! I’m sure you’ll not only make it, but produce something wonderful. :)
Thank you for this post. By the way, I’ve never thought of keeping kudos and complaints in a Word doc to review what to do more of – or not. Great idea! (Although I’m not published, I have crit partners and beta readers who give feedback.)
One week? You can do it.
If I had to come up with something in a hurry, I’d go back to one of my many ideas from years past and start expanding on the idea. Or pray I had a really good dream that night. (That’s where my series of five came from.)
Oh, man–that is totally something I would do. i think when I get to multiple deadlines, I will need a big wall calendar. At least though, it is the OUTLINE instead of the BOOK! Good luck getting it done!
I love seeing other author’s processes. I’ve never had to write an outline to sell a book, so my outlining process is much lighter than yours. I answer most of the questions as I write the first draft.
One of your points rang truly for me, though. ‘Is the idea big enough to develop it for at least 75,000 words’.
I outline to make sure I have enough of an idea. If I don’t, I seem to run out of story at around 35,000 words.
Good luck, I’m sure you can make it.
So lucky your subconscious nudged you! That’s not a lot of time – but I know you’ll pull it off!
I like to let the story idea wander around in my subconscious for a while before I start writing. Haven’t had a deadline yet, so I don’t know what will happen when I do :)
Journaling Woman–Well, it’ll be pretty bare-bones. But at least the *book* isn’t due until next year. That I can handle. But, boy, this deadline was a surprise….
Margot–Oh, I’m kicking myself. Believe me!
I like your idea about connecting the murder weapon with the type of victim…I’ll have to mull that over!
Diane–
I never have cool dreams like y’all do! Mine all revolve around being back in high school and not knowing my locker combination.
Hart–Yes! A big wall calendar. Or the least I could do would be to put ALL the deadlines on my phone calendar. Bleh. I think I thought I was doing well just to put the book deadlines on there. But this throws a wrench into the works…
Terry–Yep. I freaked out for the first 2 outlines I turned in and emailed my editor repeatedly…as well as my agent, as well as a writing friend who also outlines for the same editor. I think I’ve gotten more in the rhythm of it now, but it wasn’t fun getting to this point!
I love cold case books. Let me know when yours is ready to buy! That’s a good way to work around the Cabot Cove syndrome of small town mysteries.
Exactly right–it’s much more FUN not to outline.
An outline by June 1? No pressure, huh?
What do I do? Dive into some cool science fiction movies. If that doesn’t work, then I panic.
Tracy–Thanks! I’ve got my fingers crossed. :)
A file of your crit partners’ ideas sounds like a great idea!
P A Wilson–That’s the worst–realizing you’ve written your story, have nothing more to add, and it’s too short! I had to do a major revision on one of mine when that happened…
Jemi–I made some good progress on it today. No character names yet, though–ha!
Alex–I like your plan! Yeah, no pressure…
Just channel Indiana Jones as he grabs for his hat when the big door is slamming down in the tomb. Maybe you can use a whip.
Leslie–Perfect! That’s *exactly* what I need to be channeling. :)
I love outlining and I like your questions to raise when planning the mystery novel. I usually just list about 40 things that ‘could’ happen in the story and then bounce off the ones I like.
Second body, huh? Is that almost necessary for either the editor or the 75,000 words? If so, I may be a body short in my outline, tho I did put in an attempted murder of my MC at the end. Thanks for posting your process.