Ask the Author
First book I sent to a professional editor
The main reason for seeking out an editor was simple. Did I have any talent? Was I good enough? Self-doubt had crept in.
Sometime in 2012, I finished my first manuscript. It had a beginning, middle and end. After sending it through spellcheck and grammar check, I realized I was pretty good at both and decided to search for an editor. At this point, I had never heard of critique groups or manuscript swaps or Mystery Writers of America or Sisters in Crime or any other local or national writing group.
I was beginning to get comfortable with the internet and the concept of looking for information on a computer instead of going to the library. So, I googled “editor” and discovered there were many kinds of editors. Developmental editor, line by line editor, proofreader, copy editor, beta reader, content editor, fact-checker, and so on and so forth. After reading many articles, I narrowed down my search to a content or copy editor. I wanted someone to look at the overall picture. Are my characters believable? Are there any plot holes? Is the formatting correct? And most importantly, how much will this cost?
Sticker shock.
After saving for many months, I hired an editor and waited anxiously for his critique. Three weeks later, I printed out a document that was seventy-one, single-spaced pages. My first critique. Fortunately, the first ten pages were devoted to formatting. I had it all wrong and he adjusted my manuscript and formatted it correctly.
The next section was brief. Spelling and grammar. I got an A+ and only had one dangling modifier. I didn’t know what a dangling modifier was and still don’t.
The next section was also brief. I had no settings in any scene. None. In my head, I knew where the scene took place, but I failed to mention it to the Reader.
As I continued to read, several sentences gave me confidence and are the reason why I continued to write.
“I don’t know whether you are aware of this concept because you have studied writing, or whether you do it naturally without thinking, …, but either way, congratulations.”
“This is professional-level writing, a pleasure to read.”
“Here’s the technique, one which you did excellently: the walkaway should be short.”
“Concise writing—that allows the reader to see the story rather than be brought up by the words on the page—is a wonderful talent to have, and you have it.”
At that time, I had never taken a writing class or been to a conference. Nothing.
At the end of the critique, the editor listed fifteen reference books. I didn’t know there were books about writing. I immediately got in the car and drove to Barnes and Noble, found the writing section and stood there and gawked. On that trip, I probably bought six or seven books and over the next year bought everything BN sold. You can’t imagine the joy of seeing my first book, Bones Under the Ice in the local BN. Full circle indeed.
Where do I begin?
There are three things I have to know before I put pen to paper. And, yes, I do write the rough draft in longhand on a yellow legal pad. Cursive, too.
Who dies?
Who killed the victim?
And why did he/she kill this person?
These three questions can take months to figure out and the answers can change every day. What takes me so long?
Murder mysteries have been around for centuries. As of today, the Mystery genre is outranked/outsold only by the Romance genre. Within the Mystery genre there are cozies, whodunits, police procedurals, thrillers (domestic and international), legal, medical, private investigator mysteries, historical, paranormal, and so on and so forth. Some writers believe that all fiction is a mystery of one type or another. With all that is being written, it is extremely important for a writer to read extensively in their chosen genre. Sometimes it’s a springboard for a new idea.
Early on, in writing Bones Under the Ice, I did a manuscript swap with an author from England. It was very clear to me this author had never read anything written by John Grisham. Her plot was almost exactly the same as one of his most famous novels. How was I going to tell this author that she shouldn’t attempt to publish her work because it was borderline plagiarism. I agonized for a week before writing her critique because I know how much time it takes and how hard it is to write a full-length novel. She may have been working on it for a year or more. I started and ended with the strong suggestion to read Grisham’s book before doing any more work. Sadly, I never heard from her again.
After I have a good idea of the answers to the above questions, I start writing. Some authors write outlines. Others write by the seat of their pants. They’re called pantsters. I’m a pantster. I write in scenes. And they’re never in order. And because I’m a pantster, I’ve always got an additional fifty thousand words or so in my throwaway file. I write a scene and type it up the next day which then produces another scene which I write and then type up the next day, and so on and so forth until I have about fifty thousand words. At that point, I stop and put all the scenes in chronological order. Then I start a new document called “Master Outline” and I write a brief sentence/phrase about what’s in that scene. (Have I now turned into an outliner? Possibly.) This document helps me see plot holes and shows pacing. I know in my head the jump I made, but did I tell the Reader? Have I spent one hundred pages interviewing people? Where do I need to insert an action scene? Where should the subplots go? Are the subplots connected to the main plot or are they superfluous?
So many questions.
The entire process from thinking about those three questions to typing “THE END” can take a year. Sometimes longer. Never less.
Where did my protagonist’s name come from?
This is the most important person in all my books. The one who solves the riddle, fights the bad guy, and wins the battle. After I decided to write a police procedural and set it in rural Indiana, I needed my main character. For months I tried to make another character the protagonist, but it wasn’t working. After struggling for hours one day, I gave up and decided to work on the sheriff. The minute that thought entered my mind, I knew I had found my protagonist and I instantly decided on a female. And not a young female. There are lots of young, tough, female cops in books and on tv. I decided on a more mature character. Someone in their early to mid-fifties, just seeing signs of gray and wrinkles. Someone who had been through a few trials of her own. She didn’t win all those battles, but as someone once told me “I’m not out to win all the battles, just the war.”
Now, she needed a name.
In researching the setting, I discovered a lot of French Canadians had settled in the area where I placed the town of Field’s Crossing, Indiana. I immediately decided she needed a French last name. I don’t know any French last names. So, like everyone else, I googled “popular French sur names.” From there, I wrote down ten names that I liked, read them aloud, and eliminated several. The name has to flow off the tongue for two reasons. Someday, maybe my book will be on audio and the narrator has to be able to say the name easily, and second, Readers need to be able to pronounce the name in their head. Most people don’t read books aloud except to children. We hear the voice in our heads.
So, now I have a few last name possibilities. What about the first name?
Again, I wanted something a little different. A little off, but not too far off and a name that no one else has ever used. My protagonist needs to stand out including her name. As many of you know, I am a huge sports fan. I love to watch sports on tv. Women’s college volleyball and softball are two of my favorites. As I sit and watch, I keep a pen and paper on the side table and write down names that I like. One of the names I wrote down was Jonna.
It was close, but not quite right. I changed it to Jonny.
Closer. Jonni.
Closer. How about Jhonni?
Sheriff Jhonni Laurent was born.