Books: You Can Write A Mystery

You Can Write A Mystery by Gillian Roberts
My Verdict: Own It

If you have a mystery idea spinning around in your brain, but aren't sure if you've thought it all out, this book is extremely helpful. Take out a notebook, and, as you read through, pretend that every segment is a question directed at you, about your idea. When you finish reading you'll have all the bare bones of your novel assembled (and maybe some organs you fleshed out because you couldn't put down your pen).

Roberts covers:

• Mystery Sub-genres (noir, humorous, hard-boiled, cozy, puzzle, and suspense [psychological, thriller, romantic])
• Seven C’s of basic story elements (Characters, Conflict, Causality, Complications, Change, Crisis, Closure)
• How to choose between: Amateur Sleuth, Semi-Professional, or Professional
• How to choose between: Series or Stand-Alone novel

And all the other basics to writing a good novel.

If you are ever going to write a mystery – Own this book.

If you are ever going to write – Read this book.

If you've never written a mystery (or any genre) this is a nice book for beginners. It keeps on point and wastes no words.

If you want to remind yourself about mystery (because you've been writing other genres) this will be a relaxing refresher course.

If you are a published mystery writer, you might be bored (unless you like remembering the basics).

Your homework: pick out your favorite mystery novel and decide why it is the best you've ever read.

Rating Scale: Keep on Desk, Own It, Read It, Skim It, Don’t Bother

Books: Booklife

Booklife by Jeff Vandermeer
My Verdict: Keep on Desk

Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer by Jeff Vandermeer is a great resource for understanding how technology has changed the public's view of an author. Vandermeer states, “The perfect writer exists between imagination and discipline.” This is completely true and if you need a guideline for how to discipline yourself, this is your book.

The book is divided into two sections: Public and Private.

Public deals with issues like social media, options for your own web platform, networking, PR, dealing with Editors, Agents, and Publishers.

Private is more about understanding what you need as a writer and finding a balance between what the public needs from you, and what you need for yourself.

He goes through a number of Internet platforms, but states that above all you must choose your own level of involvement. If you try for too much you can’t keep up, if you are not consistent people will lose interest, if you are aggressive or nonresponsive you might turn off viewers. Yet, at the same time, you are able to reach out to many people through the internet - often those you wouldn't see at conferences or book signings. You can even guest blog for people that are outside your normal audience in order to gather more followers. Above all: only do what you are comfortable with.

The main advice that he really lays down: be the same person online that you are offline. Otherwise, when people meet you in the real world, the effect can be jarring/upsetting.

Also, networking isn't just about you telling other people what you've been working on, you have to go out there and listen to what others are saying and see if you can help them out.

This is not a book you read cover to cover in a few days. At most read a chapter a day so that you can really digest and think about the topics he discusses. Each section requires you to make an opinion on the subject, and, if a lot of this is new to you (or challenging your preconceptions) it will require your time and effort. It’s also a great book to pick up every couple weeks and skim for advice.

Vandermeer advocates persistence, imagination, discipline, and gives you permission to fail. No one can be perfect, but you can always strive to be better.

Your homework: write up a list of Career and Creative Goals, both short term and long term (plus dates to finish them by). Make sure to include: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years down the road.

Rating Scale: Keep on Desk, Own It, Read It, Skim It, Don’t Bother

Suggestion: Know Your Genre

As a writer, you strive to be a genius. You want readers to walk away thinking your novel was the best they've ever read. One way to do that is to know your genre. 

Anyone can change the setting to Ancient Egypt, 1900's London, or Outer Space 3030, but the setting is not the only thing that defines a genre. There’s also:

Pacing

Characters that are not cliché stereotypes

Theme (example for Scifi: what does it mean to be human?)

Historical events

Objects (like technology)

Culture

Your job is to make the world Engaging and Fun, even though many other authors have dealt with these topics. You must read enough in the genre to know how your story is the same, or different from, what your readers have read before. Twilight fans will think of vampires very differently than fans from Sookie Stackhouse, or Dracula. 

Pick out three contemporaries that your fans will probably also read. By knowing them, you can set yourself apart, but not so different that you lose readers. You might realize you can cross genre to pick up new readers (like Young Adult or Romance). 

Finish your first draft, find your genre comparisons, then revise with confidence and think about PR and Networking opportunities.

Why do this after your first draft? Because you might start out by writing a fantasy, but by the end of your first draft (and genre research) discover that it would be better suited as steampunk. Examine every choice you make and spend time deliberating if it is the best choice for your story and the message you want to get across.

In short: read more books in the genre you are currently writing.

Books: Bird by Bird

Bird by Bird
My Verdict: Don't Bother

If you want to read about the personal woes of being a writer, then Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is the book for you. Otherwise, skip it.

The title comes from some short advice early on which can also be conveyed as "take it one step at a time". Most of the book, when not relating personal stories (which is often), is spent on lengthier (and I suppose to some people funnier) ways to convey normal advice.

Such as:
Perfection will drive you crazy.
Treat others as you wish to be treated (especially critiquing).
The difference is in the details.
No one wants to spend time with a boring narrator.
Be mean to your characters (to watch them grow).
Make sure your characters fit your plot.
Write passionately or you'll never bother to finish it.
Write what you know (how people act, not necessarily their jobs).
Imagination is just as necessary as rational plans.
Perseverance is the only way to finish your novel.

Instead of being in the editing section at Barnes and Noble it should be in the biography area.

Your homework: decide which beginning writing book is your favorite.


Rating Scale: Keep on Desk, Own It, Read It, Skim It, Don’t Bother

Lexicon: Save the Cat

      Save the Cat: is a book (by Blake Snyder), but also a term relating to the moment the reader connects with the main character. Maybe they literally save a cat, or just try to do the right thing, either way the reader is now rooting the main character on for the rest of the book. 

      This is your moral gut-check. Most readers want a main character they can understand (and doesn’t bore them). If you’re more than five to ten pages into the story and can’t decide if you like the main character, then the gut-check didn’t work (some people will argue this gut check should occur in the first two pages).

Lexicon: Synopsis

      Synopsis: a summary of a narrative. This details the entire plot and does not hide anything (it should answer questions, not pose any). 

      

      Most often you will need to have three kinds ready for your book at any given time (memorized would be helpful for the first two): Log Line, Back of Book Blurb, and a One Page Synopsis. Yes, by writing a One Page Synopsis there will be details that are left out – but all the beats necessary to accomplish your major arc should be in there, and most minor arcs. 

Lexicon: Indigenous Fantasy

      Indigenous Fantasy: a real world setting that has unexplainable elements (by scientific methods). 

      Elements like species (werewolves, vampires, faries) or magic (incantations, wands, places of power). Indigenous Fantasy is the opposite setting of High Fantasy and often confused with Urban Fantasy (which takes place in cities, and the city itself must play a role in the story [as in, it could not be just any city]).

      Examples: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

Lexicon: Back of Book Blurb

     Back of Book Blurb: a paragraph (maybe two) that sets up your main character, interior and exterior conflict, and setting (hint at genre). 

      This crucial paragraph often holds the fate of whether someone will or won’t buy your novel. Make sure every word counts. You have to capture the reader’s interest and cause doubt as to how everything will turn out for your character. 

Lexicon: Cold Read

Cold read: to read without prior knowledge of the contents.

After all your rewrites, how can you be sure that crucial information is not missing? Ask friends to cold read your novel.

Shameless Plug or Useful Advice Section: Upcoming Guest - Aileen Erin

Wordsmith's Key First Guest will be Aileen Erin!


Hugely successful writer Aileen Erin has published five novels with Ink Monster and has another coming this fall. Her Alpha series (four books and counting) is heartfelt and tension packed. Cipher is the first in the Shadow Ravens series and a thrilling page turner. Check out where to buy these and more at: http://inkmonster.net/books

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd—from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

 Ask her your own questions by filling out a form here: http://www.wordsmithskey.com/survival-guide.html

Suggestion: Create Character Profiles.

Even if you are not writing a series, a character profile is a great way to get to know your characters. Why bother? To make your characters more alive and it will be easier to crawl back into your world.

Keep it digital or go old school by making a folder or shoe box full of mementos and lists.

You can use anything to make up the profiles, but here are some suggestions to get you started:

Name
Age
Appearance
Job
Goal in life
Biggest Fear
Talents (good at talking to strangers)
Hobbies (plays an instrument)

Family
Friends
Rivals
Pets

A music playlist
Photos of favorite things or places

List Favorite:
- band, tv show, movie, book
- meal, candy, drink
- makeup, clothes, hats, shoes
- phrases or words

In short: spend time day dreaming and brainstorming about all your characters.

Books: Save the Cat

Save the Cat 
My Verdict: Keep on Desk

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder has been one of the best books I've read about writing because of just one chapter, focused around one idea: The Beat Sheet. Yes, this book is technically for screenwriters, and yes, the author talks a little too much with the audience, and sure, most of the rest of the book I don't bother with, but the beat sheet is gold.

Everyone will talk about how the character arcs in your novel need to unfold, and how to make your characters real, but this book will tell you when. He names each stage, gives you a paragraph to understand what that stage should be doing, and gives examples from different movies. At the end of the chapter, he beats out the entire movie Miss Congeniality.

Each part of the beat sheet is important, but let me pick one at random to examine: #8 Fun and Games - nearly 30 pages of a 110 page screenplay. It's honestly one of the easiest things to pick out in a movie (or notice when it's done wrong). This is mostly where the preview clips come from. Your main character is trying their hardest to fit into the new role they've been given and figure out how everything works. Even when it's a tense, serious movie, it's the part where you really start cheering for them not to mess up. In most cases it will also be one of the most memorable moments.

I am not saying that the Beat Sheet is easy. While this is a formula, all rules are meant to be broken, and I'll be honest, when you're writing your novel you might have two different scenes that seem to apply to "Fun and Games" in opposite parts of the novel. But, maybe, there's a reason you're still trying to figure out how to finish your novel - maybe the beats aren't hitting at the right time or with enough impact.

Your Homework: go watch Edge of Tomorrow and beat it out.

Rating Scale: Keep on Desk, Own It, Read It, Skim It, Don’t Bother

Lexicon: Log Line

Log line: a one sentence summary of your novel.

Often compared to an elevator pitch, which is a quick and simple description that anyone can understand.