by Lynne | Sep 14, 2015 | Uncategorized
Outlining is extremely important in my writing. A large part of the action in my mysteries take place in the past and have so darn many details, I can’t rely on my pea-brain to remember it all. I begin with my “jump-start” outline. I made up the term, so I can’t refer you to any book or manual. Since there are two separate story lines in my books–past and present–I actually have two “jump-start” outlines. But since both are similar I combined them for today’s blog.
Modern (and Past) Story Line
a. Broad overview of story, ie: Digital photographer searches for missing Van Gogh painting after her best friend is murdered (my last book.) The past story line will be a bit different since this is where the story begins.
Expand this to a paragraph if you like, but no more.
b. Characters: Snapshots of main characters, both protagonists and antagonists, to include physical description (so you can visualize them,) their likes, dislikes, what’s important to them . . . or not, education, occupation, you know, general stuff. Add in personality traits: stingy, obsessive, lazy, kooky. Use bullet points. They’ll grow organically as you write.
c. Setting: Where does most of the plot take place? In my last book, Washington, D.C. and Paris, France. Ooh la la. Get it right–go visit, don’t just look at pictures.
d. Major conflicts, ie: Is the main character getting divorced, in love with a loser, always fighting with her boss, her mother, her sister? Are her relationships getting in the way of her job success? These may only come up occasionally and in usually in sub-plots.
e. Ending: You may not always know this at the beginning, but at some point– early on–you do need to know what the ending will be. As a caveat, I will say that I had the ending for one of my books and my editor suggested a completely different one. I loved his idea, changed it and in doing so, ruined my follow-up book. (You’ll have to read it and see. Ha!)
With my “jump-start” outline I write a quick and dirty first draft. At this point, I have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t as far as plot, characters, etc. Now, I get into serious outlining. More detail on all the above, and even a chapter by chapter outline. What will happen next, next, and next.
I better define the characters in terms of personality and interactions with each other. I refine their conflicts. I add details to the settings.
Then I start again. Read the new draft out loud, cringe and re-write. Test the chapters out in my critique group, cringe, and re-write. I don’t usually re-outline unless the book isn’t working as a whole.
Hopefully, that first “jump-start” is all I need.
Ideas welcome.
by Lynne | Sep 8, 2015 | Uncategorized
Mystery writers have a tough decision: how to kill their fictional victims. There are far too many ways to murder to mention here. (If you want unusual methods, watch Criminal Minds.) I’ll mention one way that was based on a sad but true story.
One of the more gruesome aspects to my research for The Triangle Murders was learning about defenestration. This nasty means of murder is the act of throwing someone out the window or from a high place. The term comes from two centuries-old incidents in Prague. The first in 1419 when seven town officials were thrown from the Town Hall, no doubt precipitating the Hussite War. The second in 1618, when two Imperial governors and their secretary were thrown from Prague Castle, sparking the Thirty Years War. The latter was referred to as the Defenestration of Prague.
Now, while there’s something appealing about throwing political officials out of the window, remember that when they hit the ground the results are quite grim.
Falling as a cause of death can be very effective. There are two ways a person can fall. A vertical “controlled” fall is when the person lands upright and feet-first. An “uncontrolled” fall is when some other part of the body hits the ground first ie: head or back. Not pretty.
The vertical fall is survivable up to about 100 feet, but an uncontrolled fall can be fatal at very short distances such as from a stepladder. With a controlled fall, the initial energy transmits through the feet and legs and spares vital organs. The uncontrolled fall, however, can cause massive internal and head injuries.
146 people, mostly young women, died at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, in New York City, on March 25, 1911. Many chose jumping out the ninth-story windows to escape the raging fire. Safety nets were ineffective and bodies crashed right through them. Strictly speaking, defenestration was not the cause of death because they were not pushed out the windows. However, the result was the same. Death by impact on a hard surface.
Unrecognizable bodies lay on the sidewalk along Greene Street, together with hoses, fire rescue nets, and part of a wagon. All were drenched by the tons of water used to contain and extinguish the fire. Photographer: Brown Brothers, March 25, 1911. Photo courtesy of Kheel Center, Cornell University, http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/
I use defenestration as the actual cause of death in another book Pure Lies. It’s a clean way to murder (no blood on your hands) and allows easy escape for the killer. There is the problem, however, of actually shoving someone who might be bigger and heavier than you out the window.
But that’s a story for another blog. Ideas welcome.
by Lynne | Sep 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
Forgive me for taking the liberty to re-post this from a few years ago. The points I make are relevant today, however, and demonstrate how current events stories can become the elements for your next novel.
A brief story appeared on a local news station. It went something like this: Giant 11-ton wind turbine blade sheared off and flew hundreds of feet to land (luckily on no living creature) in the desert of Ocotillo, California.
The actual incident is under investigation, revealing a dark history of serious safety hazards including the wind company’s — Siemens — guilty pleas to corruption on a global scale including accusations of bribery and other serious charges in at least 20 countries.
A press conference was called and the following facts emerged:
- Wind turbines kill more than 573,000 birds (and bats) every year. Many are endangered birds like eagles and condors.
- Wind turbines are not efficient sources of energy. They can only operate within a very narrow window of wind speed (not too much, not too little) and when they are outside this window they must shut down. However, when they are down they still need electricity to power them, thus “peaker” plants run by electric companies actually generate the power. Very inefficient as an energy source.
- The wind turbines themselves are making life difficult for those living nearby. The noise is creating health concerns for people and animals. Chickens are not laying eggs, dogs are cowering in the corners, children are developing headaches.
- The company (that purchased and installed the turbines) cares nothing for the environment. In the case of Ocotillo, they have bulldozed the desert and not replaced the plants, including Ocotillos, a rare and protected desert cactus.
- This same company has shown complete disrespect for Indian culture. They have desecrated ancient Indian sacred sites with barely an apology.
So what the heck am I going on about? Think about the possibilities for your next mystery or thriller. Small, desert town (with, would you believe, a Lazy Lizard Saloon) is besieged by corporate giant. Lives ruined, litigation ensues, people are murdered to keep the corporate secrets. And what about the environmental effects? Animal rights? Indian sacred site desecration? Local people going mad from the noise and vibration? Not to mention the danger of a blade shearing off and cutting them in half (like it did to some poor fellow in Oregon. It’s true. What a story!)
Now if that’s not enough, here’s the clincher. The company in question here, Siemens, a German company, has a lurid past. The BBC reported that they have past collaborations with Nazis. They used slave labor from concentration camps including Ravensbruck and Auschwitz. These slaves reportedly built electric switches for the Siemens-manufactured V-2 rockets used to bomb the allies during WWII. More recently Siemens sought to register the trademark “Zyklon,” the poison gas insecticide used in Nazi gas chambers.
Is this a thriller or what? Ideas welcome.
by Lynne | Aug 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
Writing is not what it used to be. You’ve heard this many times from many different sources. Writing must include marketing, in one form or another, even if you’re a traditionally published author.
A good deal of “free” marketing is done on social media and it works – hmm, reasonably well for the cost. So here’s a tip that may help you stay out in front of the crowd: Google Alerts. Here are two ways I use them:
- Visibility
I set Google Alerts for any topic or key words related to my books. Example: Civil War photography, digital photography, lost art, stolen art, Triangle Factory fire, labor disputes, Salem witches, witchcraft, hunt for missing Van Gogh, WWII plunder, etc., etc.
Almost every day some article from around the country (world) comes in related to one or more of these topics. Sometimes they’re far afield, for instance, for the Triangle Factory fire, I kept getting stories of a new musical created around the story of the fire. Or for the Salem witch trials, a new trailer on a movie called The Witch, kept popping up.
I don’t ignore these simply because they’re not directly on topic. In fact, I send them out to the social media groups that would find anything on the topic interesting. Believe it or not, I get many comments and likes in response. On The Witch trailer, I got close to 100 likes and/or comments within a few hours.
So what’s the point? Whenever you send something out, there is the chance that one of the readers will click on your name and mosey over to your website.
Also, because the blog or alert is online, anyone out there in the universe may chance upon it by entering those keywords. In fact, try Googling: “Hunt for missing Van Gogh.” You should find a link to my website.
- Promotion
I also send out book promos to my FB, Linked-In, Google + and Twitter fans regularly. Here’s one I sent yesterday: “A 1940’s photograph leads a digital photographer on a hunt for a missing Van Gogh.” I later Googled “missing Van Gogh” and the link to my website came right up. If I Googled “Hunt for missing Van Gogh,” I’m even higher up in the search results.
Two days ago, I sent this out: “Were the Salem Witch Trials rooted in a deadly conspiracy of greed and malice?” When I later Googled “Salem Witch Trials” my site popped right up. Sometimes in a search, I use Google key words closer to those in my promo ie: “Salem witch trials conspiracy and greed.” Then the link appears higher up in search results.
As time goes by, the link moves further down the list. Still, it’s there for anyone seriously searching. Pretty sweet, I say.
A caveat, however. The key here is Google +. My blogs and posts on Google + (not Facebook or Twitter) seem to lead directly to Google. Duh. Also, the same key words don’t come up as often or consistently on Bing or Firefox as they do on Google. Double duh.
Writers, consider posting on Google +.
The bottom line is: Google Alerts can help in your marketing efforts. Give them a try.
Ideas welcome as always.
by Lynne | Aug 18, 2015 | Uncategorized
Writing a good book is the first step. The most important one. Publishing it so it looks professional is step two. The third–marketing.
I’ve read books on Indie marketing and ideas range from developing a top-notch website, creating YouTubes, or audiobooks, and taking advantage of free social media, or paying for advertising, both digital and in print. So far, I’ve got a really good website. No YouTubes or audiobooks, yet. I use social media a great deal, but not paid advertising.
What I did do, however, on one of my books, was write a press release. But I didn’t write the release about my book per se. I took a concept from my book and capitalized on that. I found a “hook,” that I thought would be of interest to a wide audience.
DEADLY PROVENANCE is about the Nazi confiscation of art and a missing Van Gogh painting. It is actually still missing so I decided to go on a hunt for it. Seemed like a good angle: “Mystery Writer on Hunt for Missing Van Gogh.” Now what?
I created a press release, weaving my book concept into this “hook” so it didn’t appear to be just a “buy my book” message. Now, what do I do with it? I can send it to local papers and news stations. Not too hard. Find the feature editors, senior editors, etc. But what about a more widespread release? Throughout the city, state, country?
I investigated some marketing companies. I found one called PRWeb.com and decided to go with them. For under $500, they helped me tune up my release, target my audience, and release it on a certain date to many thousands of publications around the country. They also followed up with analytics to show who picked it up, how many hits, impressions, interactives (forwards, prints, etc.) took place.
How did I do? I was somewhat disappointed in the results. Most of the sites that picked up the story were online journals and digital newsletters. Certainly not the New York Times. A couple of biggies did pick it up: Miami Herald and the Boston Globe. But when I clicked on the sites and tried to find the article, they didn’t show up. Hmmm. Using Google and Google Alerts, I tried to find who picked up my press release. Still not a clear picture. Maybe I’m just tech-challenged.
My next step was to take the release and blast it to local press avenues. There I had more success. I snagged a radio interview at KPBS and astoundingly, landed on the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune. Terrific story by an excellent columnist who took my press release, interviewed me and then wrote his own article. I was flying high. Although anyone who knows San Diego’s U/T would probably laugh.
Then it was over. In one day, I was no longer a cover story. I was back to being one author amongst many. What now? Peddle the press release along with my one day of fame, to new sites or repeat sites? Write a new press release? Or do I hire a publicist who knows the appropriate next steps?
At this point, I have focused on writing the best books I could: delving into the research, creating new plots and interesting characters, and using social media to market. I’m not a New York Times bestselling author yet, but I’ve done pretty well. More important–I’ve enjoyed the entire process!
Ideas welcome!
by Lynne | Aug 11, 2015 | Uncategorized
I’ve heard that when writing fiction, anything goes. You can kill a character off in one book, bring him back in another. You can change locations, character occupations, family history, personality traits, hair color and even their choice of Ben and Jerry’s, from one page to another. Easy.
But what happens when you take (inconvenient) historic events and twist them to fit your story? Unless you explain your deviation from fact as an afterword to your book, you might engender reader outrage.
Anne Perry writes mysteries of Victorian England in which the Pitts, a policeman and his wife, a clever sleuth in her own right, solve crimes. Perry makes it clear that the wife, Charlotte, must face myriad obstacles to insert her ideas into the case. After all, except for the society columns, women weren’t even allowed to read the newspapers. Perry gives us a true picture of the attitudes of the times.
Several other books come to mind that portray history authentically. The Sharon Kay Penman Justin De Quincy series of mysteries is well-researched (like her other historical novels) and you get a true, albeit, grim sense of the medieval English times.
In my own mysteries, I used actual events in real times to create a fictional story. In TIME EXPOSURE, I fashioned a tale woven around Civil War photography. The characters were real, the battles were real, the locations were real. The killer was not. Plus, I created an alternative ending to history as we know it. I did add an author’s note at the end, however, to own up to my fiction vs. fact.
Authentic history can lend atmosphere, suspense, and incredibly interesting real characters to a novel. It can give readers a feeling for the time, a revelatory understanding of people of the time, and a sense of how we’ve come to be who we are as a culture today. This is why some books do us a disservice in this area. They portray a time period as something other than it was. I know some of you will be horrified by my suggestion here, but, to me, GONE WITH THE WIND, is just such a book.
GONE WITH THE WIND, while in some ways, an engrossing read, is not the true story of the Civil War. First of all, less than one percent of the southerners portrayed owned plantations. Even fewer than that treated their slaves as depicted (all one big happy family). There were other inconsistencies with historical fact that I will not go into here, but I was sadly discouraged when I got a note from a reader on a Civil War site in which he claimed that he learned everything he knew about the Civil War from Margaret Mitchell’s book.
When I talk about twisting history in a novel, I’m not referring to fantasy books like the OUTLANDER series, or ABE LINCOLN, VAMPIRE SLAYER. These books, while they may use history as a backdrop, have a more fantastical story to tell.
Nor am I thinking of books like THE DAVINCI CODE, or NATIONAL TREASURE. These are thrillers that use bits and pieces of history (true or not) to build a suspenseful, action-packed story that makes a great movie.
Novels can give us an authentic feel for the past. Here are a few great books that I believe stay true to history: PILLARS OF THE EARTH, LONESOME DOVE, THE OTHER BOLYN GIRL, and COLD MOUNTAIN. Please share others. Ideas always welcome.
Modern (and Past) Story Line
With my “jump-start” outline I write a quick and dirty first draft. At this point, I have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t as far as plot, characters, etc. Now, I get into serious outlining. More detail on all the above, and even a chapter by chapter outline. What will happen next, next, and next.
