Plotting a Mystery (for Non-Mystery Writers)

One little admin note before we get down to business: I recently discovered that Google's insistence that I switch to Google+ comments was a VERY BAD IDEA. Hence, I've returned to default comments on Seeking the Write Life. So, please, when you've read Mary's AWESOME post here, get involved! Let us know what you think, or ask Mary questions. Technology will no longer be your gate keeper. Promise!

Now back to our previously scheduled viewing, fresh from the keyboard of Delacorte's Next Big Thing: Mary Elizabeth Summer.

Take it away, Mary!

Plotting a Mystery for Non-Mystery Writers

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m not really a mystery writer. Yes, I wrote a mystery, and yes Delacorte Press is publishing it, and yes I will write more mysteries in the future. But the truth is I accidentally fell into writing mystery. I always thought I’d be a sci-fi or fantasy writer. But then I had this crazy idea for a mystery story, and well, here we are.

I’ll let you in on another little secret. Writing a mystery is hard. You actually have to plot, like in advance. For a pantser like me, it was a steep learning curve. My point in writing this post is to give you a few tips that helped me write mystery. Because let’s face it, every book in every genre has some hint of mystery to it.

Preplanning, Planning, and Post-Planning

Writing a mystery by the seat of your pants is asking for trouble. Can you do it? Sure. Can you dig a hole by moving each individual grain of dirt by hand? Of course, but why would you want to? All writing is pantsed, whether you plot it out in advance or not. The difference is that plotters have figured out the shortcut to a well-structured draft.

Don’t panic, pantsers. You probably already plot and just don’t realize it. That was the case for me, anyway. All your scribbles and research and daydreaming while driving to work counts as preplanning. Plotters just formalize their preplanning by calling it that. For an exhaustive list of plotters’ tools, check out 25 Ways to Plot, Plan and Prep Your Story.

The preplanning/post-planning that works best for me:

·         Create a mind map (or multiple mind maps) of plot, theme, and character development before writing the first draft—this takes less time than you think.

·         Create and keep updated a storyboard while drafting (I use an Excel spreadsheet for this).

·         Create a reverse outline/timeline before drafting the end of the story to make sure every loose end is addressed.

Reversals, Twists, and the Unexpected

The best mysteries are the ones where you never saw it coming but you totally should have.

Example 1: In The Sixth Sense, **spoiler alert** the protagonist is actually dead himself and doesn’t know it until the end of the film. We as viewers should have guessed, since he never holds a conversation with any living person but the kid, and the kid gives us several clues during the film as well.

Example 2: In the Star Wars trilogy, we’re shocked when we find out Darth Vader is Luke’s father, but Obi Wan gives us foreshadowing about that in the first film by bringing up Luke’s father in the first place. We as viewers should have guessed that something was up with Luke’s dad, because enough time was spent discussing it in the first film to indicate its importance to the plot. The goal is to create effective reversals, twists, and the unexpected, to hint at it just enough in the beginning so that readers say ‘Oh, snap!’ when they get to the reveal.

It’s a balance, though. Don’t show readers all your cards. You have to give them bits of the truth, but lie your face off the rest of the time. Misdirection is the key.  Distract them with shiny bits of characterization, voice, subplots, etc. to keep them from seeing your evil author machinations. This is where scene layering is your best friend. Make every scene responsible for doing at least three things at once—for example, further the romance subplot, show the protagonist dealing with her identity crisis, and foreshadow plot-reveal #2.

In terms of coming up with reversals/the unexpected, I just ask myself, what is the craziest thing that could happen right now that would throw me, the protagonist, and the reader for a complete loop? For example, when I re-re-rewrote the first chapter of Trust Me, I’m Lying, I asked myself, what could Julep’s missing dad have left her as a clue that would absolutely turn her blood cold? The answer: a gun.

One giant, flashing-neon-lights warning in regard to reversals, et al. Do not make the antagonist the protagonist’s father. It’s been done. In general, avoid all cliché reveals, like ‘oh my gosh, the guy she likes is actually a vampire!’ because you’ll bore your reader. Instead, take conventions and turn them on their head. For example, change it to the much less obvious ‘oh my gosh, the protagonist is actually a vampire and the guy she likes is actually just lunch!’

What the heck is foreshadowing anyway?

Well, I’m sure if you’re reading this, you already know that foreshadowing is a signal or indication of a future event. But how do you implement it effectively? What does it actually look like?

 The answer is it could look like anything. And chances are, if you’ve got some idea of where the protagonist is going to end up, you’ll plant little bits of foreshadowing without even meaning to as you draft. (See preplanning/post-planning tip above.) This actually happens to me all the time, so I’m speaking from experience here.

To give you an example, one of the side characters in Trust Me, I’m Lying has been betraying Julep from the beginning. I foreshadow the eventual reveal of her/his betrayal with small comments the person makes (or doesn’t make when she/he should), with facial expressions she/he makes during conversations with Julep, with seemingly inexplicable actions/reactions to things through the course of the story.

Here are some techniques I’ve used for foreshadowing:

·       Bring back a seemingly innocuous character in seemingly insignificant ways, i.e., mention him/her in one sentence every other scene or so.

·       Mention a significant person or plot point once in the beginning in an off-hand way (I call this technique the Obi-Wan-Kenobi).

·       Have the protagonist observe the (usually unexpected) facial expressions of the character they’re interacting with when said character is hiding information from the protagonist/reader.

·       Reveal something shocking about a character that is not THE reveal about that character so that readers think that character is already accounted for. Then BAM, hit them with the real reveal they’ll never see coming.

·       Sprinkle your secret antagonist’s name/signifier in innocuous places throughout the story (e.g., her name on a plaque on a wall, its symbol on canned goods in a marketplace, his face on a poster on the wall of the post office).

·       When all else fails, have your protagonist feel off about something, i.e., have her feel leery at first of a character who turns out to be shady, have her instincts warn her that something about what another character has just said is not quite right.

One final note about foreshadowing: it’s okay to come completely out of the blue with something, no foreshadowing or warning at all. But don’t do it more than once, and don’t do it for anything important to the main plot of the mystery. The reader is most satisfied when they could have figured out whodunit but didn’t until a page or two before the protagonist does.

The Tight End

Fiction is not real life for a reason. Real life is chaotic and random. Fiction (at least commercial fiction) is very much NOT random.

Everything in fiction has a purpose, a thread connecting it to The Way Things Are Meant To Be. That doesn’t mean chaos isn’t a force the protagonist fights against. And it doesn’t mean everything has to end up sunshine and roses.  What it means is that your story must end as it must inevitably end. Your job as the author is to get the reader to buy into your ending so that they feel satisfied and respected and will buy your next book.

The good news is that you get to decide what the inevitable ending is before you even start writing. Even if you don’t know all the logistics of how you’re going to get there, the ins and outs of everything that will transpire, or which hot guy your protagonist ends up with, you DO know (or should) what the resolution of the mystery is. You know whodunit before the thing ever got dunned. So now all you have to do is get your character to that same place of knowledge in the most twisty, convoluted way possible, throwing up roadblocks that would take Sisyphus light-years to remove.

When you’re drafting the end of Act II is when you need to start worrying about connecting all the dots to the conclusion. This is when I bust out the reverse timeline. The beauty of the reverse timeline is that it gives you a birds-eye view of where you are and where you need to go. Mapping the steps to get there is much easier when you see all the pieces at a distance.

For example: when I was drafting Trust Me, I’m Lying, I got to the last scavenger-hunt clue Julep’s dad has left her and I didn’t quite know how to wrap up all the subplots that had cropped up during the course of drafting the story up to that point. So I created a reverse timeline to see all the pieces I had dangling that needed resolution. I looked at those pieces and asked myself, if I were Julep and I knew everything that Julep knows, how would I use all these things to accomplish what I need to accomplish?

Then it hit me. Julep could actually use one of the subplots I’d developed for an entirely different reason to take down the antagonist and save the day. From a reader’s perspective, it looks like I developed the subplot specifically so Julep could use it at the end, but I actually did the reverse—I used an already existing subplot to help tie up the end.

Remember, one of the secrets to tight, elevated, professional storytelling is to constantly keep bringing everything back to the center. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce every chapter to its essence by combining and deleting unnecessary scenes (same with sentences); reuse as many characters and plot elements you’ve introduced as you can; recycle subplots by using them for more than one purpose. The result is both a simpler and a much more intricate story, a world that feels as real as our own, and an ending that was inevitable from the very first word.

 

Mary Elizabeth Summer is an amazing writer who forgot to send Aimee her bio, so Aimee is just letting you know that she isn't the only one who thinks Mary Elizabeth is amazing: Mary Elizabeth's YA Mystery will be published by Delacorte Press next year. Because she's awesome. If you hadn't already noticed...

Your turn! Any questions for Mary Elizabeth? What do you do to create the mystery in your stories?

 

From a Finalist of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards 2012 - C.H. Griffin

As a finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, I’m a huge supporter of entering writing contests.  

I first heard about the ABNA contest from a critique partner in 2011 and entered my first novel.  When I made it as far as the quarterfinals, it was pretty encouraging, so it was a no-brainer to enter in 2012 with my YA novel DREAMCATCHERS.  To be honest, it wasn’t ready and I knew it.  It was really only a first draft.  But I thought, “Why not?”  I hate missing an opportunity.  Because you just never know.  Right?  

I remember the day I received THE phone call.  Actually, I stopped stressing over the contest after I’d made it past the quarterfinals, telling myself that I was happy with that. But it never even crossed my mind that I’d make it to the finals.  After I received the great news, I went into shock.  And I must have sounded that way because the rep on the phone suggested I sit down.     

Sure, I made it to the finals in Seattle and lost, but somehow I came away feeling like a winner.  I had a great experience, met some wonderful people, and got the attention needed to land my fantastic agent.  But there are pros and cons to entering each contest.   

So why is it BENEFICIAL to enter a contest?  You know, besides the obvious - winning prizes. 

·      Get noticed.  By readers, by writers, by agents, and editors.  Your name is out there now.  It’s attached to an actual piece of writing.  Even if you don’t win, you can meet others who have entered, start conversations, and build long-term connections and relationships with them.  That’s the beautiful thing about the writing community.  Writers love helping writers (that’s why I’m here talking to you today).  We support each other.  Yeah, everyone wants to win that contest, but others want to see you achieve your goals too. 

·      Gain publishing credits.  Even if it’s just getting published online or in a small periodical or collection of works, hey, congrats!  You’re still published.  You’ve now got bragging rights.  Even if you don’t win, the semi-finals is enough to gain some attention.

·      Pump up your resume.  Agents and publishers want to see that you’ve been active in the writing community.  That you’re not a complete and total newbie.  That you didn’t just jump on the “I think I’ll write a novel” bandwagon.  You’re a serious writer now.  You’ve got credentials - something other than “It’s a really great book.  I promise!” to put in your query letter.

·      Grow some ba… err, confidence.  It’s scary to put yourself out there.  It’s like your writing is going on a dating show.  Will people like it?  Or will it get voted off the island?  Hmm, I clearly don’t watch enough TV.  But seriously, it’s good practice for once you start querying agents, shopping for publishers, and attracting readers.  The publishing world is not for the faint of heart.  It is overflowing with rejection and ridicule.  At least with contests, you’ve never met the judges and probably never will.  You are just another faceless contestant.  So if you don’t make it, it doesn’t hurt quite as bad.  It helps prepare you for future rejections, which will inevitably become more brutal as you attract more attention to yourself and your writing.

·      Open doors.  Even if you don’t win, it can still create opportunities you didn’t expect.  By entering the Amazon contest, I came away with 5 new writing friends, some generous consolation prizes, and the attention of agents.  If that was considered losing, then I’m a happy loser.

 

BUT BE WARY.  Not all contests are made equal.  They can be a great opportunity, but don’t rush into it.  Do your research first, and familiarize yourself with the rules to protect yourself and your hard work.  

·      Is it legit?  Check out the company’s history and past contests held by the website.  Also look into past winners.  Maybe even contact them.  If they had a good experience, they will be more than willing to share.  It’s also a good sign if agents or other writers are involved in judging and are willing to put their names on the line.  If you’re having difficulty contacting any human beings associated with the contest, that’s a huge red flag.

·      Does it cost anything?  Most contests have an entry fee.  That’s usually where the winnings come from when it’s a low-profile contest.  It’s not unreasonable.  Holding and judging a contest can be a time-consuming, gruelling event.  But if the cost is outrageous, or the math doesn’t seem to work out (ie. not all the prize money goes to the winners), I’d be doing a little more research before handing over my Visa.  Also, make sure that once you win, you’re not obligated to spend more money, like an agency offering representation to the winner… for a small fee.  

·      What’s the fine print?  Make sure you read the rules thoroughly.  This is your baby we’re talking about here.  If you win, what rights do you keep or lose?  How long before they revert back to you?  Can you search for other publishers in the meantime?  Or is your search on hold?  This is not unusual, but again, make sure it’s reasonable.

After the ABNA finals in Seattle, I began to query agents.  As an unpublished author, it’s tough to get attention in today’s overloaded market.  You need something that makes you stand out.  And now I had it.  As a writer, you pray to the publishing gods for just one interested agent, but to have several requests for partials and fulls was better than I had anticipated.

Do you think I would have had the same response without those contest credentials?  Probably not.  It’s easy to get lost in the slush pile.  As one of the top three novels chosen out of thousands worldwide in a contest run by major players like Amazon and Penguin, I was able to turn a few heads.  It was like having a reference letter from someone in the industry.  In the end, I signed with wonderful Pooja Menon of Kimberley Cameron and Associates and have been moving forward ever since.  

The publishing industry is tough to break in to.  So why not give yourself the best chance possible?There are so many opportunities out there for writers.  You just need to put yourself out there.  Happy writing and good luck!

Your Turn: Have you entered any writing competitions? What were your experiences? Do you have any advice for other writers thinking about the same competition themselves? 

CH Griffin is a true geek at heart, enjoying anything from Star Trek expos to comic conventions on her days off from driving 400 ton dump trucks in Northern Alberta.  As a jack of all trades with a resume boasting registered nurse, English teacher, and photographer, writing is the one thing that is here to stay.  She was a finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest for her novel Dreamcatchers.  She writes YA fiction and is represented by Pooja Menon from Kimberley Cameron and Associates.

You can find Cassandra at: CHGriffin.com or tweet her @chgriffinauthor

 

 

"The Rules" - Understand Them Before You Break Them - EM Castellan

Hello everyone, and my thanks to Aimee for having me on her blog! Today we’re talking a little bit about the rules for writing, about why they exist and what we, writers, should do with them.

Rule # 1: Don’t start your novel with a prologue

Why the rule exists: Usually, prologues delay the start of the story by giving background information, introducing characters or points of view that will play little part in the novel itself or mentioning facts that could be mentioned later.

When should you ignore it? If you can promise your prologue is not info-dumping, backstory or you showing off your writing skills, you can keep it. If not, go with the rule and delete it. Once you’ve sold as many books as GRR Martin, you will be able to get away with a prologue too.

Rule #2: Never start your story with your character waking up and going about his business as usual.

Why the rule exists: Because it’s boring. You need to hook your reader from the first few pages (actually, from the first page). Delaying the inciting incident by describing mundane acts will put the reader off.

When should you ignore it? If it’s the day everything changes for the character. 'The Hunger Games' begins with Katniss waking up on the day of the Reaping. And we’re hooked from Line 2.

Rule # 3: Never start your novel with a dream sequence, or a fight scene, or a dialogue, or in the middle if the action.

Why the rule exists: The reader needs to care about the characters before seeing them thrown into the action. All of the above won’t allow for that: the reader has no idea what’s going on, therefore he can’t identify with the characters.

When should you ignore it? When the action or the dream gives an insight into the character’s personality. The movie 'Gladiator' is a good example of this: it starts with a battle, but is used to introduce the main character.

Rule #4: Never start your story with a character looking in the mirror.

Why the rule exists: Because it’s lazy. Writers use this as a device to describe their character, when really there’s no need for a full, detailed physical description. You should weave these details into the story, not bang the reader on the head with them.

When should you ignore it? If the character’s appearance has suddenly changed and you need to describe it before carrying on with the story. For example, in 'The Vampire Lestat', the main character looks at himself in a mirror after being turned into a vampire.

Rule #5: Don't Use Adjectives and/or Adverbs

Why the rule exists: Because adverbs and adjectives are signs you are TELLING instead of SHOWING. Don’t tell your reader your character is angry. Show the action that reveals this emotion.

When should you ignore it? When the adjective or adverb is NOT used to tell the reader something.

So now that you know the rules, and why they’re here, you can play with them. Don’t ignore them altogether, but treat them as they are: guidelines for fledgling writers. The more experienced you are, the easier it will be to avoid the aforementioned pitfalls and to find
your voice, and forget about the rules.

Happy writing!

Your Turn: What rules do you loathe? And which do you abide by?

EM Castellan is a writer of YA Fantasy novels. She lives in an English castle, travels extensively, reads voraciously, listens to music bands few people have heard of and watches too many movies to count. In case you are wondering, she also has a full-time job, so she mostly writes at odd hours and drinks a lot of tea. She is a member of the British Fantasy Society as well as SCBWI British Isles. She also writes at There And Draft Again – A Fellowship of Fantasy Writers.

You can find Eve at: www.emcastellan.com, www.facebook.com/EMCastellan, www.pinterest.com/emcastellan, or tweet her @EMCastellan
 

Why Unpublished Writers Should Attend Writer’s Conferences - Liz O'Connor

 St. Patrick’s Day. March 17, 2012. That was the day I finished the first draft of my first novel.

*bells-whistles-confetti*

As a new writer who had worked on and off for over two years writing a book on a whim, my knowledge of publishing was a big fat zero. Of course, like most newly-minted writers, I assumed the next step was to send my manuscript to agents. Other than knowing how to spell the words “query”, “synopsis”, and “pitch”, I didn’t have a clue what those words meant within the context of publishing.

My inner voice told me to research first, query second. In retrospect, I’m happy I did. I learned quickly how difficult it would be to find an agent and how it could take years to get traditionally published. During my research, I learned that I would need to put forth my best work, which meant my manuscript needed to be edited.

So, I signed up for a one-on-one tutorial with a fiction editor through New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Education. When I asked her about publication, she recommended the NYC Writer’s Workshop Perfect Pitch Conference. Attendance is limited and you must be accepted. The conference runs twice a year, April and November, in Manhattan.

By July, I was armed and dangerous and sent my application in for the November conference, receiving an acceptance within an hour. The five months that followed were spent working with two professional editors, beta readers, and my critique group to polish my manuscript and to draft a pitch. 

Agents queried thus far: Zero

During the 3-day conference, we honed our pitches with our facilitator, a published author, and then pitched to three publishers. For those of you who may not have pitched before, the closest thing I can compare it to is speed dating. We literally had 90 seconds (approximately 300 words) to pitch our books. In a nutshell, your pitch is the 'synopsis' part of your query letter. If you're interested in the mechanics of constructing a pitch, please visit my website (www.lgoconnor.com) for a complete post on pitching. It's currently running in my featured posts section.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about the NYC Writer’s Workshop Conference. Not only did I make connections with other writers that I consider part of my core writing community, but the experience was plain fabulous.

However, the point of this whole story: I received a request from the Executive Editor of a Big Six publisher for my full manuscript.

 

*bells-whistles-confetti*

A few key lessons I learned during the critiquing and construction phase of this process:

• Know the genre of the book, and be able to come up with comparable titles that are were the hottest on the market (i.e., Harry Potter, Hunger Games, The Da Vinci Code, etc.). This is important because it ties to the potential marketability of your book. No market could equal no interest.

• Okay, bear with me here, but make sure your novel is complete before you pitch it. Pitch sessions are not a place to come to bounce ideas off of agents / publishers. If they are interested, they will want to see your partial or full manuscripts pronto.

• Short formula for the pitch: Main character, Conflict, Resolution. In that order.

In mid-March, I attended a one-day writer’s conference, Create Something Magical, with the opportunity to pitch to agents and publishers. I volunteered to work the agent / publisher room as a timekeeper using my iPhone. Each appointment was ten minutes in length. What fun! Watching as others pitched made the process so much less nerve-wracking, as well as gave me a feel for the agents and publishers as they interacted with authors. As a late addition to the conference, I could only secure two appointments, but both resulted in a request for a synopsis and the first three chapters of my book. But my time as a timekeeper gave me a glimpse into who I might want to query in the future.

Finally, I attended the Writer’s Digest Conference East the first weekend in April, which included an agent Pitch Slam. The conference had some excellent panels with both agents and publishers answering questions about the state of industry and practical advice for writers pursuing either traditional or self-publishing options.

The most important things I learned after attending these conferences?

Agents and editors want to hear what you have to say. They participate in pitch sessions to find potential clients, and there's no reason it can't be you if your work is good and fits their list.

Most importantly, materials submitted as a result of conferences will get you higher in their pile with faster responses and more attention that just arriving as part of a slush pile. You also have the opportunity to get some feedback directly on your pitch and your book if time permits.

Agent queried as of today: 1

Scorecard after three Conferences:

• Publishers pitched: 4 - Requests: 1 full MS, 1 partial MS, 1 referral

• Agents pitched: 8 - Requests: 5 partial MS, 1 referral (to the 1 agent I queried)

So, if at all possible, I highly recommend attending a conference or two to fast-track your journey to publication.

Your Turn: Have you attended any conferences lately that you would recommend? What has been your experience?  

 

LG O’Connor is an adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance writer living in the New York City area with her husband and two Whippet children, Chloe and Nevada. She is the author of the series, The Angelorum Twelve Chronicles. The first book TRINITY STONES is currently on submission. In the meantime, the second book, The WANDERER'S CHILDREN will be completed this summer. She is also working on a New Adult novella which will serve as a prequel to the series and be published as an eBook.

You can find Liz at: http://www.lgoconnor.com/  or on Twitter as @lgoconnor1 

 

 

 

 

How to Watch Grass Grow

I've invited writer and short story-zine publisher, Emily Wenstrom, to guest post today. If you're struggling for focus or perserverance in your writing journey, you'll want to hear what she has to say:
 

Sometimes, as a writer—particularly an unpublished, aspiring writer—you get the feeling that you're not getting anywhere. You hustle, hustle, hustle, but never seem to make any real progress.

 

Writing can be slow work! I've been writing my manuscript for over two years, and still have a ways to go before it will be query-ready.

 

Authors who succeed know that persistence is one of the most critical elements to the writing process. But how do you keep from being discouraged?

 

Set bite-size goals. My goal? Simply to write 100 words a day. I'm a pretty slow writer. It used to frustrate me when I read author interviews about writers who get caught by an idea, write through the night, and resurface at the end with a complete first draft. I simply can't operate that way. But this small, reasonable goal keeps me steadily moving toward my completed manuscript. Every day I know I'm taking another baby step forward. Find your own comfortable pace, and then stick with it. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

Make it routine. I know that if I'm going to get to my manuscript every day, it's got to happen in the morning before other pressing needs demand my attention. So I wake up at 5 to make sure that I can. Pay attention to when you do your best work, and then arrange your schedule to take advantage of that time. Stick to it no matter what. It will get easier over time—habit is a powerful thing.

 

Celebrate the small victories. I have been know to dance in my bathrobe at 5:30 a.m. upon the completion of a chapter. Finding your own way to celebrate these small victories is critical to keeping up your morale and momentum. So go ahead, splurge on that fancy latte to celebrate a finished draft. Keep some dark chocolate on hand. Do what you gotta do.

 

Keep it fresh. For me, this takes many forms. It's as small as moving to a new scene when I get creatively blocked, and as big as taking occasional writing classes to sharpen my skills. I've built relationships with other writers with whom I trade critiques, and I've joined a writers group for additional support and community. These activities keep me focused, but more importantly, they keep me challenged and highly engaged.

 

Look back. When it feels like my best efforts barely make a dent toward reaching my goals, I look back and remember how far I've come. This includes checking my word count and thinking back to where I was a few months ago, reviewing earlier drafts to remind myself of how much my characters and plot have grown, etc. These flashbacks remind me that, even if it feels that I write slower than grass grows, my persistent efforts compile and DO in fact amount to something over time.

 

I've heard it said that writers are masochists—by our choice of hobby, we set ourselves up for a lifetime of agonizing hard work and long hours. But if you ask me, writers simply know better than most that some things are worth the hard work. Always keep an eye on the prize, and slowly but surely, you'll make your way there.

 

Lit addict, movie junkie, writer. Emily Wenstrom blogs about creativity in art and career at Creative Juicer. She is also the founder and editor of wordhaus, a short story zine built for the digital age and now seeking submissions.

Behind the Scenes: Timeframes and The Editing Process

Guest Post: Welcome back, Lamar! Lamar (L. R. Giles) has visited Seeking the Write Life a few times, and we always enjoy hearing from him. He secured a big six publishing contract last year...but I'll let him tell you the story:

A little over a year ago, Aimee allowed me to give a lengthy account of how I came to sell my debut YA Thriller FAKE ID (formerly WHISPERTOWN) to HarperCollins. She and I chat often on Twitter, and I asked if there was anything her readers might be interested in hearing about post-sale? She barely hesitated when she said, "The editorial process".

What Aimee wants she gets…

Before I start, a couple of quick notes:

*For the purposes of this post, I’m going with a broad interpretation of “editorial”, meaning everything that me, my editor, and my agent deal with jointly, not just the specifics of manuscript revisions. All of it is intertwined. Also, since the timeline aspect of my last post seemed to go over well, I’ll stick with the familiar.

*Because I’m giving you my in-the-moment experiences and reactions, some things may seems less than positive because that’s how it felt at the time. Let me be clear, I work with AMAZING people in this industry. I’ve gone on at length in other forums about my incredible agent, and I need to extol the virtues of my editor, too. My book is a better book because of their guidance. By telling you of various delays that occur when you’re a debut writer, I’m not indicting anyone. I simply want you to understand that every part of this process is a SLOW GRIND that you have very little control over. When it’s your turn, be prepared to hurry up and wait.

September 2011

I get the first half of my advance. My wife takes a picture of me holding the check in a Heisman pose. (I’m not going to show you the picture.) With this money comes a set of dates that I’m contractually obligated to meet. My next draft of WHISPERTOWN is due on 1/23/2012. My editor expects to give me revision notes sometime in November. That means a two-month turnaround. Intimidating, but I’m a pro and I’m ready.

November 2011

My birthday comes. I’m 32, and I realize that by the time my novel debuts in summer 2013 I’ll be 33 and a half (or so I think). Wow. Seems far and close at the same time. I enjoy a good dinner and some cake with my family while mentally preparing to meet my writing obligations. My Edit Letter will be coming any day now.

December 2011

No Edit Letter yet. My agent assures me this is normal. “But, what about that date in my contract, the one that says I have to turn in a new draft in January or legal armaggedon will come to pass?” My agent says, “Lamar, I’m pregnant, and the baby is, like, tap dancing on my kidney right now. We’re fine, and I’m going to make sure I don’t have any internal damage. More soon.” Really, that’s not what my agent said, though she was pregnant at the time. She let me know that the dates in contracts are flexible because things change on a dime in publishing. Fair enough. Less stress during the holidays.

January 2012

Still no Edit Letter. My agent is on maternity leave and I’ve heard little to nothing from my editor since signing my contract in August because she is SWAMPED. Surprise, surprise, I’m not the only book on the HarperCollins list in 2013. It takes a long time to edit a book, longer to edit it well. My editor is a seasoned pro responsible for a lot of things; some of those things take precedence over me.*

My contracted revision deadline comes and goes. I’m not overly concerned because my agent told me this was normal, and many of my writer friends are experiencing similar shifts in their revision dates. I’m lying if I say I’m not a little annoyed about the delays, but what can be done?

*No one likes waiting, but good notes from a good editor are worth the time. Maybe twice in my career, I’ve heard a writer say their editor got back to them quickly and had no notes because their manuscript was perfect. It’s great if that works for those scribes, but I’d probably have a panic attack if my editor gave me no notes. I’d think they either don’t care, or the manuscript is SOOO bad it’s not even worth the effort of small improvements. It’s better to wait than rush here.

February/March 2012

Nothing to see here. Move along.

April 2012

Let’s talk about going from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds. On 4/16/2012 I get an email from my agent. It’s an annotated PDF of WHISPERTOWN—essentially a scanned copy of my novel featuring all of my editor’s handwritten margin notes. It comes with a promise that a long-form Edit Letter is on the way. The date doesn’t stand out to me because of the sudden publishing activity. It’s the date I get laid off from my day job of 10 years. I want to take a moment to reflect on that…

If you’ve experienced a layoff (I hope you haven’t, but if you have…) you may understand how devastating/humiliating/depressing the process can be. In his memoir ON WRITING, and to a greater extent, in his novel DUMA KEY, Stephen King posits that there is healing power in art, writing and painting respectively. Now I have a reason to agree with him. As hard as it is to lose my job, there’s comfort in knowing I still have work to do. Also, I learn a humbling lesson.

My annoyance at the shifting dates was unjust. If I’d gotten my revisions any sooner, I wouldn’t have had the divinely timed comfort of getting my first set of editorial notes on the same day my company gives me a pink slip. If I’d gotten them any later, I would have undoubtedly suffered from the anxiety of being unemployed AND in publishing limbo. Everything happens when it’s supposed to. This is a lesson I have to remind myself of in May when I get more news I’m not really enthusiastic about.

May 2012

Have a 2-hour call with my editor to discuss my long-form Edit Letter (9 pages, single-spaced…YIKES!) and how I will tackle WHISPERTOWN revisions. It’s a great talk overall, but there are moments of panic and sadness.

Panic – My editor feels I need a major rewrite due to a pacing issue. Two primary characters only know each other for a week in the original draft. They need more time together to justify later events. The expansion of this relationship sends ripples through the ENTIRE novel. There’s no way to cut and paste around this (not that you should ever do that anyway—maybe more on that in another post). This is just ONE change. Remember, my letter is 9-pages long.

Sadness – Due to my shifting revision dates, it’s almost guaranteed that WHISPERTOWN will not be done in time to make a Summer 2013 release. And Fall 2013 is a tough time to break out debut authors. Winter (Early) 2014 is looking like my window. This is the part where I have to remember the prior month’s lesson. Everything happens when it’s supposed to.

My new revision deadline is 07/31/2012. I get my attitude in check and get to work.

June 2012

I get a new day job. It’s a blessing. Not even unemployed a full 2 months. A bigger blessing, because the first few weeks at a new job can be slow with orientation stuff, I’m off by 5 every day with plenty of time and energy to rewrite WHISPERTOWN in the evenings.

July 2012

New day job is picking up, but I still beat my WHISPERTOWN deadline by 2 days. It’s a good month.

August 2012

I’m told to brainstorm title ideas. WHISPERTOWN is going away. I’m not surprised. Based on previous conversations over the last 14 months, I know HarperCollins wants to call the book something else. I’m cool with that, though I can’t seem to come up with anything that POPS. I find I have a knack for truly terrible titles, though, to the point that my wife and I make a game of inventing bad ones. No, I’m not sharing.

September 2012

My editor comes up with a title that is both obvious and perfect…I’m ashamed I didn’t think of it myself. WHISPERTOWN becomes FAKE ID. And, she’s pleased with my revision. Great news. Of course there’s still some tweaking to do, which is customary, but no more complete overhauls, which is splendid.

October 2012

I’m told there may be an opportunity to write a prequel short story for FAKE ID, start thinking of some ideas. The day job is hectic all-consuming this month, but there’s always time to plot during coffee breaks!

November 2012

The month just started, and I’m sharing my story with you great folks. Life’s good and I’m thankful for you and Aimee. The journey continues…for all us.

Any questions? Let me know at either of my social media stops:

LRGilesWriter on Facebook

@LRGiles on Twitter

Thanks for stopping by, Lamar - and I can't wait to see FAKE ID on  my bookshelf! (Please make sure Seeking the Write Life is part of your launch tour... please?!)

Your Turn: Does Lamar's story include any surprises for you? If you have any questions for Lamar, you can ask them in the comments below, or on his twitter / facebook profiles.