Writing Mysteries: Keeping the Story Straight, Part II
I began the book in the fall, as part of NaNoWriMo, but not really. I worked on it in big spurts over Christmas, spring break, and after the spring semester is over. I have never been one to be able to write 15 minutes a day. I can't get any traction or in the zone. I do have a 45- to 50-hour a week plus job and other responsiblities, like most people. I gave up on the guilt about the 15-minute day failure a long time ago. I still produce. I finished the total first draft in late April
I belong to two writers groups, so they read the first part (50 pages) of my novel. (It is in three parts, or acts.) Then I had four betareaders read the whole thing, three of whom gave good input. Then I did a second draft where I put in their comments. Then a third draft where I edited for wordiness and such, but in that process, I found a lot of gaffes in the plot. What I mean is (a) places where people give contradictory information, (b) places where characters know things they couldn't know, and (c) places where the information is given more than once for no apparent reason. I found a lot of that.
One of the elements of a mystery is time line. I chose with this book to start every chapter with a note of whose point of view was in the chapter and when it took place. I did that for the reader but also for me. The time line is extremely important, to ranges of ten minutes in some places. But in executing that, on my third and fourth drafts, I saw a lot of errors I had missed and my betareaders had, since they were not as involved as I. So I hope I found them all.
My point is that fiction writing is all about keeping the story straight. Some witty person once said that if you are going to be a liar, you have to keep your story straight. In that sense, fiction is a type of well-meaning, creative "lying" in the service, we hope, of a greater truth. In a mystery told from multiple points of view (I have six in this one), that becomes even harder because some people know some facts and some do not, and cannot). Also, of course, a character dies. On top of that is trying to avoid any head hopping in a scene, which I found on the fourth draft. (Head hopping means changes in point of view, a phrase I have come to love and hate.)
So, my take aways: Other readers are great, but they are not emotionally invested and some are better than others. A professional editor isn't either but they are getting paid (but I would ask how can you trust them if you aren't a savvy editor yourself in the first place?). A publishing editor has a particularly close investment. But only the writer has the most; unfortunately, we are not always honest with ourselves. I struggled with it being ready more than any other. I know there is a typo or two (or more) in it still. I am a stickler on punctuation. However, I never did print the book out, wanting to save paper, so the 20 copies I ordered today may be a revelation.
I belong to two writers groups, so they read the first part (50 pages) of my novel. (It is in three parts, or acts.) Then I had four betareaders read the whole thing, three of whom gave good input. Then I did a second draft where I put in their comments. Then a third draft where I edited for wordiness and such, but in that process, I found a lot of gaffes in the plot. What I mean is (a) places where people give contradictory information, (b) places where characters know things they couldn't know, and (c) places where the information is given more than once for no apparent reason. I found a lot of that.
One of the elements of a mystery is time line. I chose with this book to start every chapter with a note of whose point of view was in the chapter and when it took place. I did that for the reader but also for me. The time line is extremely important, to ranges of ten minutes in some places. But in executing that, on my third and fourth drafts, I saw a lot of errors I had missed and my betareaders had, since they were not as involved as I. So I hope I found them all.
My point is that fiction writing is all about keeping the story straight. Some witty person once said that if you are going to be a liar, you have to keep your story straight. In that sense, fiction is a type of well-meaning, creative "lying" in the service, we hope, of a greater truth. In a mystery told from multiple points of view (I have six in this one), that becomes even harder because some people know some facts and some do not, and cannot). Also, of course, a character dies. On top of that is trying to avoid any head hopping in a scene, which I found on the fourth draft. (Head hopping means changes in point of view, a phrase I have come to love and hate.)
So, my take aways: Other readers are great, but they are not emotionally invested and some are better than others. A professional editor isn't either but they are getting paid (but I would ask how can you trust them if you aren't a savvy editor yourself in the first place?). A publishing editor has a particularly close investment. But only the writer has the most; unfortunately, we are not always honest with ourselves. I struggled with it being ready more than any other. I know there is a typo or two (or more) in it still. I am a stickler on punctuation. However, I never did print the book out, wanting to save paper, so the 20 copies I ordered today may be a revelation.
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