A while back I joined the Sisters in Crime organization. (No, we don’t commit crimes. It’s a support group for mystery/thriller reader/writers.) One of the major reasons was because they have a sub group that helps mentor writers called the Guppies. There are many perks to being a Guppy, but the one I wanted to take advantage of was the critique group composed of all thriller/mystery writers. And finally it has happened. *Cue the heavenly music and the spotlight beaming down from above.*
We are still in our infancy. In fact, we just barely uploaded our first ten pages. However, I’ve had the opportunity to read the other four member’s pages. There is one member who writes brilliantly. Her writing is crisp, clear, and engaging. It reads like an already published book. After I read her work, I almost jumped up and down. I was saying “WOWZA”, “Holy Freaking Cow,”A-M-A-Z-I-N-G”, and my personal favorite that my mother hates, “Crap On A Cracker”. I was also thinking, “I want to write like that. I want to be that good.” Of course, it also led to a little self-doubt, but I’m still saying “You go, girl”, to her. I know that one day the world will get to read her words, her story, and when you do, be prepared to say, “Holy Freaking Cow.”
On Sunday, we ate dinner with my husband’s father and his step-mom. It was enjoyable and his step-mom worked hard to provide us with the perfect meal; spinach lasagna, pear salad, garlic bread and a special dessert of homemade strawberry shortcake. She made the biscuits from scratch!
It was last May that I decided to take writing seriously. That I would try to get this manuscript published. It was also when I realized that I wanted to be a career author, one who wrote until she died. Before this, I had only written thirty pages of this story, which of course, are no longer included. So, I parked my tush in a chair and wrote the first draft, which I completed in November. I loved writing my plot and my characters. And I loved watching the story come alive.
If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know that my baby sis. is a high school chemistry teacher and part of her curriculum is a forensic science course. On Tuesday, she had a member of the bomb squad speak. Here’s what she and her principal did not think about; the reaction of the parents dropping off their kids at school. Needless to say, the school received quite a few calls from concerned parents.
Last week, I changed two major plot points, which required me to follow the threads through the first two hundred and sixty pages. Painful but necessary. On Saturday, I realized that the last one hundred pages will need to be scrapped and that I will be writing it from scratch. I’ve outlined fifty pages of it, a first for me since I write by the seat of my pants. I feel confident that it will make it a stronger ending and a better manuscript over all.
At the Pikes Peak Conference, I took a class by debut author Marie Wu called Heroes, Villians, and Sidekicks. She asked us “what makes a book memorable?” The answer: it is plot or characters. And strong characters linger longer in our minds than a strong plot. Her tips are helpful for first time writers and for those who are trying to add more complexity to their characters. Here are the tidbits that I thought were important:
I have an aunt who is not just an aunt. She moved into my house and heart when I was five years old and never left. Last year, she was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer and for the last three months she has been in and out of the hospital. The night before I left for the Pikes Peak conference, she fell and broke her femur. The doctor told my parents that he would need to install several pins and rods into the bone for it to properly heal. A concern because her body is chemo-compromised. The day I pitched my manuscript, I prayed for her, that whatever was meant to happen, would. She survived. However, the doctor found severe osteoporosis, which will speed the cancer’s destruction.