My Writing Process--A Blog Tour

Rae Francoeur invited me to join this blog tour. You can read her entry at http://www.freefallrae.blogspot.com where you’ll find links to other entries.

I’ve written about my writing process so often, in various interviews, that much of what I have to say feels rote: I sit in a chair and write. As I read through Rae’s post, however, I realized that I do have a process that I barely think about. I too write in complete sentences. If I’m struggling with one, I sometimes turn to a pad of paper beside my computer and try out different forms of the sentence using a pen. I scratch out what I don’t like, try something different, add a word or phrase, and keep working till I get something that works. Sometimes the sentence changes dramatically, and sometimes I end up changing only a single phrase or word. I type this in and keep going.

I also care about vocabulary. In the middle of a sentence I will stop and check the dictionary, looking for a better word or checking out the definition of a well-known term, looking for a particular nuance. Perhaps this is procrastination, but I love spending time with the dictionary. I write popular fiction but I see no reason not to write the best English that I can. I don’t write to impress but I do want to be precise. This becomes especially important for me when I write about locations outside the United States. My current book, due out in May, is set in South India, a gorgeous part of the world that I want to convey accurately for the reader.

I care about paragraphing also. One sentence is not a paragraph, and neither are two sentences. The paragraph exists to enable the writer to develop and discuss a specific point, and doing away with paragraphs creates shallow stories. This in turn leads to shallow-thinking. I don’t like it as a reader and I don’t like it as a writer. I take the time to develop paragraphs in order to deepen the story and the reader’s understanding.

There is a trend now to using many short chapters in mystery novels. In some cases this works, but not in all. Chapters shape a story, cover particular periods in the arc, and telegraph to the reader where they are in its development. Long chapters do not put me off, but dozens of short ones do. The make the book feel choppy and needlessly like bolting along a bumpy road.

The emphasis on short chapters, plot over all else, means that I as a reader often get to the end of the story swiftly but the villain’s motives equally often turn out to be stupid, ludicrous, impossible, or still unknown. As a writer, when I set out to tell a story I like to think through why someone would do something instead of charging ahead with a plot and coming up with something at the end, to cover the bizarre and deadly behavior of one or two characters.

With this larger context for my writing process, I offer answers to the four questions that go along with this blog tour.

1.     What am I working on?

I’ve been revising a mystery novel for several weeks, trying to tighten the writing and the story. This is a stand-alone about a woman recently released from prison whose husband dies while she is away. The cause of death was given as a drug overdose but she knows that her husband never used drugs. She knew he was worried about something when he visited her a few times in prison before his death, but he never mentioned anything for fear of worrying her. This story is a lot harder edged than what I usually write, and I’ve been enjoying working on it.

2.     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I write two mystery series. The first features Chief of Police Joe Silva in the Mellingham series. This series is a standard cozy, set in New England and exploring life in a small coastal community. The second series features Indian American photographer Anita Ray who lives in India at her aunt’s tourist hotel. This series gives me the opportunity to explore questions of tradition and modernity, what happens to people who have grown up in a traditional culture who are suddenly and relentlessly faced with a fast, confusing modern world.

I like to use the mystery novel also to raise questions about justice and our perception of justice, of criminal behavior and social issues. Crime fiction is more than plot. This genre is still a form of the novel with room to explore ideas, to investigate assumptions and challenges to our way of looking at life.

I also occasionally write short fiction outside the crime genre. These are stories that usually have been brewing for some time and allow me to explore the lives of other people, usually in rural communities. I recently completed three stories in a collection I think of as Backwoods Stories, and hope to write a few more before looking for a publisher for them.

3.     Why do I write what I do?

 

I write the stories that come to me. Once in a while I’ll get an idea for a short story featuring Chief Joe Silva, and these are usually quick and easy to write. Joe discovers a crime, investigates, and catches the guilty party. They’re fun to write and, I hope, fun to read.

I don’t sit down and invent the stories on a blank page. Ideas come to me all the time, and I pick one to focus on. I keep notes on the others and sometimes return to one of them later. Once I’ve chosen an idea to focus on, I let the story develop as I begin writing. I’m a pantser, so I never try to work things out before I start writing. That would take the life and joy out of the story for me. I like the process of discovery as I write.

4.     How does your writing process work?

I write every day. I am at my desk every weekday at nine o’clock, and later on the weekends. I write every day, review what I’ve written, edit if I’m not composing, and revise, revise, revise. In the afternoon I may do more revision, read, write a blog post, like this one, answer emails and FB, or do other things that are related to the writing business. But the key to the whole thing is writing every day.

 To learn more about my books click on any of the books in the column on the left.

Next up is Edith Maxwell. I first met Edith when she joined a writers’ group I held in my home. She was interested in setting a story on an organic farm. She eventually set the story aside to change her day job, and returned to it years later. It is now a successful first novel in a new series. Edith is the author of two series, and writes from her home in Amesbury, MA. You can learn more about Edith and her books at www.edithmaxwell.com

This is about a toaster

I started writing this several days ago, when I was lying in bed wondering why I hadn’t fallen asleep. The opening sentences I imagined seemed to work, I was pleased, and I fell asleep. When I woke up at my usual time, I’d forgotten the opening. But it doesn’t matter. This is really about a toaster.

Our toaster died a few weeks ago. It wasn’t a special toaster, and it wasn’t expensive when it was new. The toaster was a simple two-slice, pop-up GE toaster, steel body, plastic sides and lever. My husband’s friends pooled their meager funds and purchased the toaster as a wedding gift—in 1967. Yes, the toaster lasted for 47 years.

This household appliance didn’t simply stop working. As will happen with most of us when the time comes, the toaster broke down piece by piece. Instead of popping up automatically when the toast was done, it continued toasting. We knew the toast was ready when streams of smoke undulated upward. Fortunately, the lever still worked manually, better than it ever had before. When we hit the lever, the toast popped up and went into orbit, flying over the counter and the stove and landing on the floor, almost in the front hall. Like the toaster, I suppose I’ll disintegrate one part at a time and land at the doorway of another world, barely functioning.

Forty-seven years is a long time for anything. No other appliance in our home has lasted as long, and neither has much else. During all those years, we have lived in seven apartments (in five cities) and one house (in a sixth). We have owned six cars and several bicycles. (The motorcycle I had before we married doesn’t count.) We’ve had two cats and two dogs.

Most marriages don’t fare as well as our old toaster. The median duration of first marriages that end in divorce is 7.8 years for men and 7.9 years for women. (And no, I don’t know why women get an extra month or so of marriage. Are we reluctant to let go, even after the divorce decree?) But we’re quicker on the second marriage. The median duration of second marriages that end in divorce is 7.3 years for men and 6.8 years for women. (The second time around it’s the men who can’t let go.)

It gets worse when we look at the statistics for people who have been married for more than ten years. The percentage of married people who reach their 25th, 35th, and 50th anniversaries is 33%, 20%, and 5%, respectively. I’m saddened just looking at the figures.

I’m beginning to get a glimmer of where the idea of planned obsolescence came from. Manufacturers were obviously onto something before the US Census Bureau caught up with them. The men and women who design and make toasters, stoves, sofas, and all the rest of the stuff we fit into our homes knew before anyone else that marriages were getting shorter, so why make products meant to last? Advertisers are now telling people they should be replacing their mattresses and furniture every seven years.

This marketing scheme makes me wonder if changing your home furnishings so completely undermines the marriage by taking away whatever was stable and familiar, and replacing it with something new and, truly, unnecessary. Perhaps it is this practice that nudges couples toward divorce. Perhaps those who keep the old stuff fare better. When I take my daily walk I pass the detritus of this thinking—sofas that barely lasted three years and one child or one dog, bookcases that collapsed under the weight of packed shelves, old televisions bought only three years ago, and all sorts of odds and ends no one wants anymore.

I’m going to miss my toaster. It was a constant in my life, but we knew it wouldn’t last forever. We purchased a backup some years ago, knowing what was coming. That one was white plastic and barely got the job done. So, when the end came, we decided to splurge and bought a two-slice toaster designed for long slices of bread. This one is sturdy but mostly plastic. I won’t be around for another 47 years, but I do hope this is the last toaster I ever have to buy. At this point in my life, I don’t want to be reminded how easy it is to throw out the old and buy everything new. I don’t like contemplating my own mortality. I’ll stick to toasters.

Paths to Publication: Sisters in Crime, New England, Workshop

I used to go to Decorators’ Show Houses with a friend to marvel at the ways other people could spend their money. I never expected to have a room like anything I saw in one of the houses. I went just for fun. My friend, on the other hand, went to pick up ideas. She wanted to get one or two ideas each year that she could try out in her own home. I thought that was realistic.

On Saturday, March 29, 2014, Sisters in Crime New England held a daylong workshop on the many paths to publication—traditional, small press, self-publishing, or a combination of two or all of these. Writers on five panels talked about their experiences finding agents, working with editors, choosing to self-publish, learning the ups and downs of going it alone as an Indie, marketing, and more. They shared their experiences, discoveries, advice, and support.

I’ve been published in all three ways, beginning with a reference work in 1988 followed with 8 novels from commercial presses and 1 as an Indie, but I knew I would learn something. And I did. I picked up two or three ideas to try out in my own writing and publishing career. Not all of the ideas suggested would work for every writer, but there was, I think, something for everyone, the beginner, intermediate, and expert (whatever that one is). So, here are the ideas I liked best for my career and I plan to try them on my new Anita Ray mystery coming out in May 2014. For the Love of Parvati is set in the hills of central Kerala during the monsoon. The story features a family estate, a very lucky goat, a temple, and a leopard, along with the rains.

First, I liked the idea of a marketing giveaway. Many writers do bookmarks, so it’s hard to make mine stand out in the pile. One writer puts a miniature of her book cover on a matchbox. Another made small seed packets with her book cover and planting information. I decided to go back to an earlier idea I’d had and set aside, but this time approach more realistically—recipe cards. I can cards for the many dishes mentioned in the Anita Ray books. I love Indian food and I know I’m not the only one, so I think a few simple recipes on recipe cards might be fun.

Second, several writers talked about the groups they belong to, and how they can extend their advertising reach by getting a mention in the organization newsletters or magazines. I like that idea, so I’m looking at unconventional sites for reviews or mentions of the book. A dear friend has a cooking blog and plans to showcase the book along with a recipe for an Indian dish. He came up with the idea when I told him about the book, and I’m grateful to him for the offer and for sparking the idea.

Third, I’m used to handing out bookmarks whenever I do an event, putting them on chairs and sliding them into any book I sell, and leaving them with booksellers. All that is standard procedure. But I am now going to experiment with adding them to everything I mail—bills, donations, etc. I’m curious to see if that has any effect on sales or what kind of feedback I’ll get.

These are not very original ideas, but they will give me a new way to reach readers and, I hope, stimulate me to think of more ways.

  

Not for Writers Only: The Other Kind of Interview

My next novel, For the Love of Parvati: An Anita Ray Mystery, will be published in May 2014, so of course I’m thinking about promotion and events. A mainstay of the writer’s life is the interview, especially on a blog or in a newspaper. We are used to the long list of questions about how we write, where we get our ideas, how do we do research, what are our goals, favorite characters, and how did we get our agent or publisher. Then come the questions on favorite colors or vacation spots or clothing that are meant to reveal something about our personal character and quirks. The questions leave room for answers about our pets and families. I’ve answered and asked variations on these questions dozens of times, but there is another interview that we hear less about.

New writers may get their first exposure through an interview on cable TV. This may not go farther than the hometown but it can be excellent practice for something bigger. After appearing on a number of local shows and watching other writers and speakers on various topics, I have a few suggestions.

First, keep your hands in your lap. Many of us are expressive, enthusiastic types and our hands fly up at the first hint of something interesting. We wave our hands, spread out our fingers, turn our palms upward our outward, all in tune with our words. Our hands are the baton of the speaker, leading the audience in response. But they are a distraction. Hold your hands loosely together and keep them in your lap.

Second, come prepared with questions. I expect the interviewer to have done his or her job, but many don’t get a chance to read the book you’ve written or research the social issue you want to talk about, or even care about the charity event you’re promoting. If you don’t come prepared with solid questions for the interviewer to ask, you may face a very uncomfortable fifteen minutes or even longer. I generally come with a fact sheet or some printed material I can give the interviewer, just to make her job easier. She’ll thank you and she’ll remember you the next time you call to ask for a segment of her show.

Third, know how to move the interview along. I once faced an interviewer I knew and liked but he wanted to know exactly where my novel was set. I explained that the relevant part of South India was subtropical, very close to the equator, but that wasn’t enough for him. Was it like Florida? No, hotter. How hot? I gave a few temperatures. But every time I thought we were done with this, he asked another question about weather. I was sucked into a downward spiral. I still look back on that interview with confusion. I don’t know what more I could have done to answer the question, but I do know I could have come prepared to change the direction of the discussion.

Fourth, experienced interviewers will tell you that when you are ready to make a direct pitch, look straight into the camera, and talk face to face, so to speak, to the audience, the person sitting at home and watching. It felt very odd to me to do this, but I figured the interviewer knew his business. After all, it was his show. So, when the time came, I swallowed my nervousness, looked directly into the camera, and asked the people watching me to make a donation. (I wasn’t promoting a book this time; I was asking for support for a charity.) If you prepare for this, you’ll look less uncomfortable to the audience, and they will be more likely to respond positively.

Fifth, keep in mind that your audience can be people who have little or no interest in you or your book or your cause. I imagined the audience of cable TV shows or off-hours local commercial TV shows to be sitting at home watching TV while someone made dinner, folded the laundry, or waited for a better show to come on. This was my audience. I was wrong. A friend who was taking a writing class at night told me that she and her fellow students were hanging out in a bar when my interview was scheduled to run. They persuaded the bartender to turn the channel to the show and the entire crowd in the waterfront bar watched me talk about a novel set in India. I can’t vouch for the level of attention but it certainly taught me an unexpected lesson. Your words will be heard in the oddest places. Choose them carefully.

Check out my books at www.susanoleksiw.com or on Amazon.

The Book Launch: Selling the Book Today

On a recent evening I had the pleasure of listening to Tempa Pagel discuss her new book, They Danced by the Light of the Moon, the second in her Andy Gammon series. I’ve known Tempa for twenty years, when she signed up for a writing workshop in New Hampshire and later joined a writers’ group I started. We still meet as a group, and watching her success is especially pleasing.

Launching a new book is work, as is the follow-up of establishing an audience for it and its sequel. As different as we may be as writers, we all face the same challenge—finding readers. Tempa held a book launch and party at a local bookstore, and invited everyone she knew in the area. She gave a brief talk, about forty minutes, and then took questions and later signed books. The bookstore owner provided refreshments for a wine and cheese evening. Tempa began her talk with a joke, talked about the origins of the story and her research, which involved learning about two historic buildings in the area, and historical events that informed her novel. She maintained a balance between information and humor.

Twenty years ago the book launch would be followed by events at other bookstores and libraries and interviews for radio, television, and newspapers. New writers might send hundreds of postcards to libraries throughout the country, and visit area bookstores, offering to “sign stock,” as it was called. Writers offered (and still do) writing workshops and classroom visits. For all but the most successful writers, selling a book was a person to person job. It meant getting in the car and making contact with owners of bookstores and buyers at libraries. The writer was in a sense following the path of the book salesman, who went with catalogues to individual bookstores recommending specific titles because he knew the bookstores' clientele, knew what people in the area bought. These sales people are all but gone now.

With the advent of the Internet, selling books changed dramatically, so much so that some writers never have to leave the house to establish a readership and sell thousands of copies a year or a month. They establish a presence on Facebook and sites where readers gather—Goodreads, Librarything, or the Reading Room, among others. They post stories to interest readers on Wattpad and other sites, and they network wherever readers gather to discuss books and find recommendations. They email libraries with book flyers, send out newsletters, and hold virtual book launches without ever buying a stamp, a bottle of wine, or a piece of paper.

Every writer finds a way to find readers, but we are always learning more. James Moushon queried dozens of writers to identify what writers use now. It’s interesting to read through and see the number of resources writers have come up with. Not everyone follows the same path; most writers use a mix of social media, finding the ones they’re most comfortable with and focusing on those. But all of those interviewed agreed on one point—finding readers is about building relationships. Each reader tells another, and on it goes. We might do much of the work in front of a screen now, but in the end it is still a person to person job.

The writers interviewed mention several sites that might be of interest. The survey and its link are given below.

Your Book Launch: Marketing Methods and Ideas Used by Outstanding Authors – A Study

http://bit.ly/1luAbo3