For Beginner Writers – Page 3 – Read First Chapter.com

Category: For Beginner Writers

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 1 – Organizing the Crime Tips

This is the second step in writing a new fiction novel.  In the first step, I start out with writing four potential storylines in FreeMind, which is a mind mapping software.  You can see that video here.

Once I finish four potential plotlines, one of them usually pops out and wants to be written.  I feel myself getting excited to write it.  This process, although it's hard to think of four different storylines, gives me confidence right from the beginning that I am writing the best book for me right now.  This whole process fills me with excitement to write.

OPEN SCRIVENER AND BEGIN:

I take my new plotline and open scrivener.  I open one document and plan the crime itself.  I'm presently writing a police procedural at this time, but even if you are writing a generic mystery, this technique will work.  Most great fiction has some level of mystery or suspense in it, so it would even work for generic fiction.

I make a chronological list of the crime as it happens.  When it happens, who it happens to, who the first witnesses will be, if any.  I also isolate in my mind an actual scene of the crime.  I put in all the evidence the cops or detectives will find at the scene.  This will begin the investigation.  In a mystery or crime novel, this is the inciting incident.

I also add to the list other suspects and what their motivation will be for the crime or mystery.  As you begin to add different suspects into the mix, you will most likely have to change your original plotline idea to accommodate these new suspects.

I go through this whole process adding, subtracting and changing up the suspects and plotline in this abbreviated format.  It should look like directions from Google maps or a long list of very short paragraphs.

A SECTION CALLED THE ENDING:

I have a section at the end called "How it will end".  My books never end the way I indicate in this section.  However, by having a solid idea of how I want it to end at this time, it gives me a direction and a destination.  Then during the creative process, when I get new and better ideas, I simple go down my list and/or scene outlines (we'll cover these in another installment) and change up the outline.  It's easy-peasy.

I do this for the entire storyline.  At the end, you will have a good idea what the story is about, but there won't be any nuance, or personality in the story yet, so if it seems dry, don't worry about it.  It is very dry at this point.  You are knitting together a skeleton and bones are dry.  You will breathe live into this as you get to the point of actual writing.

THE BENEFITS OF WRITING THIS OUTLINE:

writing for the trashcanMost new writers want to start writing scenes and dialogue.  They want to just get on with it.  But the dark side of working this way is that when you find out your clues won't work when you need to add a new suspect, you will have written two chapters already.  My process will save you from writing for the trashcan.

By going through this short one-liner outline in chronological order, anything in the story that won't work, it comes out in this layer of writing.  This saves you from throwing away already written work.

There is a video I made for YouTube below.  I go over some of these points but others tips and tricks as well.  For your convenience, I have time stamps below in case you want to just jump to the section you want to look at:

01:27 - Open Scrivener and open one document
01:45 - Other suspects, their motivation, red herring, etc.
02:15 - How it will End section
03:20 - Determining the framework of the script which will prevent writing for the trash can.
05:30 - Review of the layer elements
05:43 - Sneak peek into the next videos

Writing a Novel in Layers:

First - A Little About the Chronology of a Crime

Writing a Novel - Layer 1
Writing a Novel - Layer 2
Writing a Novel - Layer 3
Writing a Novel - Layer 4
Writing a Novel - Layer 5
Writing a Novel - Layer 6
Writing a Novel - Layer 7
Writing a Novel - Layer 8

Writing a Novel in Layers

writing-in-layers-short-list

Have a peek behind a real novel.

John Walsh is a successful funeral director with a loving family but he has a weakness for other women. The modern world thinks cheating is a victimless crime, but is it?

Click here to download a free copy for a limited time.

Movie Reviews



A Peek Behind the Novel Series – Writing in Layers – Chronology of a Crime

WHERE WE LEFT OFF:

In the first installment of the Peek Behind the Novel Series, I wrote about working four different plotlines before choosing one.  By working on four of them, it helps me 'improve' on some storylines and when I have four to choose from, I am able to go into the project knowing that I have chosen the best one.  It's a technique that I use to build my author confidence.

THE FIRST LAYER OF WRITING A NOVEL - THE CHRONOLOGY OF A CRIME

In the first layer of writing, I focus only on the crime or mystery.  I make a list of the chronology of the crime.  How it happens, who it happens to, how the detectives are assigned to the case.  I focus only on the crime.  I don't think of subplots, or dialogue or even the outcome.  Only on the crime itself, almost like a Forensic Files show.

This layer of writing is only a chronological list of the crime or mystery and how it plays out.  Mine looks like a list with small paragraphs and one line clues.  It could even look like a printout from Google maps!

DIVIDE AND CONQUER:

Once I have the chronology of the crime, I begin to break the chronology into four parts.  Nothing fancy; just Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.  By breaking the crime up into four sections, I'm preparing it to be plugged into the 'four-act play' format.  I never took to the three-act play because the center section is too unstructured and it's twice as long as the other sections.  It's called one part, but it's really two parts in one.  It was too asymmetrical for me.   So rather than using a three act structure, I break Act 2 into two separate parts.

PART 1 - Introduction to the Detectives and Normal Life:

In Part 1, the detectives hear about the crime or mystery and are somehow assigned to it.  That assignment is different in each case.  I start in their normal working lives and have them pulled into the crime.

This part also entails the scene of the crime and whatever clues may or may not be present.  One or maybe two suspects will arise at the scene or shortly thereafter.

Part 1 - The Inciting Incident:

In a police procedural, being assigned to the case is the inciting incident.  They are called into this crime investigation whether they want to be or not.  Part 1 will end with the inciting incident.  They have seen the scene of the crime and have gathered their first clue or clues.  They are now off on a quest to solve the crime.

Part 2 - The Investigation Begins:

murder-in-the-sanctuary-book-coverThe Jack Nolan Detective Series is about two detectives, Jack and Fiona, who have personal lives that are also in flux.  Part 2 introduces the subplots about the detectives and the early investigations they go off on.

The facts as well as clues begin to trickle into the storyline so that the reader can start trying to10 guess who committed the mystery or crime.

The end of Part 2 is the midpoint of the story, so I try to have a twist or a revelation that changes the direction of the investigation in some way.

Part 3 - The Truth Begins to Seep Out:

Early in Part 3, the last suspect will appear and the detectives will be trying to figure out who has the greater motivation.  Or which of the suspects had the time and opportunity to commit the crime.  Also in part 3, the masks on the suspects begin to fall and their secrets are exposed and a couple even are caught in a lie or two.

The end of Part 3 is the equivalent of a Dark Night of the Soul.  This is a place where maybe the detectives can't figure out who did it, or they know but can't find proof, or there is a chance the bag guy or girl will get away with it for one reason or another.  It is a low point.  This could also coincide with a low point in one of the detective's personal lives.

Part 3 ends on this darker moment.  I want the reader to be worried that the detectives won't solve it in time, or the bad guy will get away with something.

PART 4 - The Big Reveal

The beginning of Part 4 is the big reveal.  There is one clue or one revelation that confirms the guilt of whatever the real bad guy is.  This sets up a situation where the bad guy is going to get away, or the detectives have to trap him or her -- however you choose to 'solve' the case.

The second part of Part 4 is where I as the author, very quickly, wrap up the whole crime.  I like to do this in case my readers are reading with one eye open.  People are busy today and often they may miss something.  So I like to spell it out very quickly -- because I don't want to bore the readers who were paying attention -- how the crime occurred and how the evidence was there all along.

Next you wrap up the subplots and resolve and reveal anything that is hanging in the air, like the red herring, or how other suspects couldn't have done it.  You also want to wrap up the subplots on a satisfying note.

IF YOU ARE WRITING A SERIES:

My series are four or more books, so the personal lives are written a bit like a soap opera.  The characters do have a full character arc in each novel.  They learn something in that book that I reflect on in the end, but I also drop a clue at the end of the mystery/crime that the story will continue in the next book.

I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF MYSELF:

I've just given you a bird's eye view of how the book will proceed when marrying all four parts of it together.  But this first layer is only the chronology of the crime.

I also end this layer with a section I call "How it will end".  It never ends the way I think it will, but committing to an end this early at least gives me a direction and a destination.  It's easy enough to change the chronology when the story takes a natural turn or changes within the creative process.

Writing a Novel in Layers:

First - A Little About the Chronology of a Crime

Writing a Novel - Layer 1
Writing a Novel - Layer 2
Writing a Novel - Layer 3
Writing a Novel - Layer 4
Writing a Novel - Layer 5
Writing a Novel - Layer 6
Writing a Novel - Layer 7
Writing a Novel - Layer 8



Author’s Diary – Sneak Peek behind the Novel – Scene Template

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A SCENE TEMPLATE?

An Example of a starting template in Darius - A Vampire Story

I learned most of what I know about writing and self-publishing from several authors who graciously shared their knowledge on YouTube and on their blogs.  I'm not an expert in writing novels by any means.  I'm beginning my 11th novel, so I can say I managed to write 10 novels and get their published on KDP!

I consider myself a plotter, but I have a system that allows for a lot of creative stretching even within a pretty rigid system.  I consider my writing template to be only guardrails.   The main purpose of these guardrails is to stay on point, stay on the story, and prevent me from wandering off into some dead end or corner that I can't write my way out of.  This system does help me stay focused.



Power-of-templates-bar

THE TEMPLATE IS SIMPLE:

POV:
TIME/LOCATION:
PURPOSE/CLUES:

Each scene starts with these three lines.  I have a sample of a starting scene template from one of my vampire books, Darius, A Vampire Story.  It's permafree on Amazon and Kobo.

In the example above, I default to using numbers, but in all honesty, I wind up adding things and swapping positions on thing, so you may want to use bullet points instead.

Below I have a made-up version of a scene using bullet points.

    •  The main characters, John and Mary,  meet & begin a conversation about work or a shared interest.
    • They hear a loud gunshot.  Mary is startled and John reaches out to comfort her.
    • I continue on listing in a bit of detail everything that needs to happen in the scene.  I don't get into any conversation, or any detail.  Just a plot point, so to speak.  This list is more of a to do list that I can keep in my mind when I'm writing, and it then becomes a checklist to make sure I put everything in the scene that I need to.
    • All things must have a purpose in the scene.  (More on this below)
    • In the beginning, you may also choose to highlight the dropping of any and all clues.

POINT OF VIEW:

The Battle for Point of View

When I begin to write the scene, I don't know whose point of view the scene will be in.  I don't pick a point of view.  I allow myself to write within the framework of the guardrails listed above until the scene comes to life.  During this time, one character claims the scene.  This allows me great creative freedom even within the framework of these guardrails.

Once I determine whose seen it is, then I can make sure that the scene is all in that person's point of view.  This is easy enough to do in the second level of writing.

DAY | TIME | TIMING:

In writing mystery romances and police procedurals, it's important to keep track of time for a few reasons.  One reason is that it's too easy to get lost in the writing and forget the time line.  It may be morning in one scene and in the next scene you're referring to something happening at 4PM.  Problems like these are very tedious to clean up after you're done writing.  It's easier easier to track the timing while you create the scene, while you write.

Another reason to track time is to make sure that a reasonable amount of action takes place in a day.  Very often, the subplot action takes place at night or afterhours, so knowing when a workday begins and ends and when personal time or evening begins is important.

Another reason is in police procedurals, they need judges to sign warrants and that's an issue of timing.  The witnesses work jobs and police tend to do things during the day.  They also tend to work long shifts and have case loads, etc.  I use the timing to keep things real, I guess you could say.



LOCATION:

I add the location of each scene to make sure that this is also taken into account.  If they are one hour away from home or two hours away from the police department, then I have to remember that -- because if I don't, some sharp reader will!

I also log the location so that when I come back to my second and third layers -- I write in layers -- I can add details about the location into the scene.

PURPOSE:

I talked about this above, how important it is to only write into the scene things that move the drama, character arcs or the story itself forward.  This is the most important guardrail.  I take this instruction or advice literally and I make sure that everything in the scene has a purpose and/or reason to be there.

Very often the purpose is to drop clues, throw in a red herring, or move the subplots along.  But every scene has at least one specific purpose.

Clues:

In writing mysteries, these are your breadcrumbs that will be dropped one by one during the story.  By keeping track of the clues and where they are dropped, you can also look later on and make sure that you are disbursing them along the way at a nice pace.  You don't want to dump four clues in one scene and then follow it with two boring chapters with nothing going on.

LAYERS:

I mentioned writing in layers above.  This is a secondary technique that I will blog about as I move along in my present book.  I'll also give you a sneak peek behind the novel to see what levels I write in.

I'll just say that writing the initial scenes is the first level of writing.  I write the outlines and then begin to write the scene.  I NEVER LOOK BACK!  That means I don't correct verb tense.  I don't worry about typos.  I don't worry about polishing anything.  It's all raw and it's supposed to be raw.  Just get the story out on paper.

I don't exert one ounce of energy proofreading or polishing until I know I have an actual manuscript.  At the end of this first layer, I won't have a manuscript.  I'll have a good, strong skeleton of a story, but it won't be a manuscript -- or anything close to one.  But having a good strong skeleton is important.

I hope this helps someone new!



Writers Tip – Initial Proofreading in Scrivener – Part 1

PROOFREADING WHILE STILL IN SCRIVENER:

There are two levels of proofreading.  The first level is proofreading for plot context to make sure the novel is complete.  Before I leave Scrivener, I go over the different chapters and scenes and mark the following beats and make sure that everything is included.

Before I post the checklist, I need to say that I did not invent these ideas below.  I have been listening to videos by other authors for several years now and I have taken copious notes and somewhere along the way I took a little from one author and a little from another.   I think them all for their generosity in sharing their experience and knowhow.

  1. Proofread and make sure you indicate where the following items are
    a. The Hook  - This is the thing or the event that will hook the reader's interest.
    b. The Setup - This includes the setting where the story will take place.  It also includes an introduction to the main protagonist/hero and what his or her wants or needs are in life, so to speak.  This is the starting point of the quest.  (The Quest)
    c. Identify the subplot.  Be clear on how the subplot affects the plot.
    d. Inciting incident - This is the point where the story has it's first twist or turn.  The Hero is pulled into a quest that he starts out not really wanting to go on.  This is going in a different direction than "the setting".
    e. Setback(s):  Depending upon what type of novel you are writing, you will have one or more setbacks that create conflict and drama that move the story forward.  You may want to clearly mark these as well.
    f.  Major setback:  about 75% of the way through the book, the big setback happens when things look like they are not going to work out.
    g. The final battle/The Climax - In high suspense novels, this can be a physical battle for life and death.  In a less dramatic story, this is where the hero has to conquer himself or herself in order to be able to pull off their quest.
    h. All is lost - Right before the Hero gets their second wind and has a breakthrough, they will have a moment of despair where all will seem lost.
    i. The glorious/surprise ending - Hero wins/gets what they want
    j. The aftermath - 99% point of the story - This is where the story wraps up and you see the "new normal" now that the hero has broken through their fears and saved things.
  2.  Check the following about the subplot:
    k. "Subplot Development" - any crisis, suspense, etc.
    l. Any plot twists or pathway turns for the subplot
    m. Point out where subplot reaches high tension
    n. Point out where the subplot is setback or fails, or feels at a standstill
    o. Scene that resolves the whole story
  3. Make a document to check your background and descriptions
    p. Make sure you don't repeat information in multiple places.  Make a separate sheet and record which chapters your descriptions and background info is at.  This way you can make sure you have included everything and also make sure you haven't repeated anything.
    q. For the series books, make sure you include enough background
    for it to be a stand-alone book.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CHEAT SHEET WITH THIS INFO:



Scrivener Tips for Beginner Authors

PLOTTING IN EXCEL:

novel-plotting-sheet

My plotting is done in Excel and then highlighted and taped together so I can see a bird's-eye-view of the entire story.   After I have a working plot, I then go to Scrivener to begin writing the story.

FROM PLOTTING TO FIRST DRAFT

The video below is one that gives a new novelist, a true beginner, some tips that can help you with organizing your writing and keeping track of clues, background drops, character relationships and more.  This system can be customized to whatever you as a new author needs in terms of tracking.   For example, in my first novel, Groomed for Marriage, I dropped most background at least twice, and sometimes three times!  That's how I came up with a way to be able to keep track of it in it's own section in Scrivener.

I hope you enjoy the video.  If you have any suggestions for future videos about scrivener or anything else about "new authors", leave it below and I'll check it out.

 



How to Submit Novel to CatholicReads.com

WHY SUBMIT YOUR BOOK TO CATHOLICREADS.COM

catholic-reads-logoIf you are writing novels with a Catholic or Christian theme or backdrop, you may want to consider submitting the book to CatholicReads.com for review.  They have a list of over 600 people who are signed up as already interested in Catholic books and Christian books.  This is a niche market and one that may be a good fit for your novel.

SUBMISSION RULES:

  • Book is priced at 50% off or less
  • Must be on a combination: ebook & paperback or Paperback and Hardcover
  • Sale period is minimum of 24 hours and maximum of 2 weeks
  • It can be on any online store or on your own website
  • Books don’t have to be religious, but they need to be Christian and Catholic friendly.
  • You can submit more than one book at a time.
  • If it is part of a series, you need to request that they review the first book.
  • If they don’t agree to review your book on the first submission, they are not likely to review any other books by the author. (Pretty harsh???)

WHAT DOES CATHOLICREADS.COM DO FOR THE AUTHOR?

Once they review and accept your book, they will send the book in one fo their emails that they send to the list of over 600 Catholic and Christian-friendly book readers.  This will lead to book sales, and/or author recognition.

Submission is easy, although it can be a little time consuming and it is best to know the rules and steps of submission which I am going over here for your review and convenience.

HOW TO ACTUALLY SUBMIT THE BOOK:

1. You need to go to their reviewers page (the about page on the website) and pick the person you think would most enjoy your book and jot down their name(s).  In other words, if you have a romance novel, you probably wouldn’t want a science fiction fan to be the one to read and review your book.

2. Email readcatholic@gmail.com with the submission line:  “Submission: Book Title”.

3.  DO NOT ATTACH YOUR BOOK TO THE EMAIL.  They will ask for it later in the process.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE EMAIL:

1. Name of Book
2. Book Blurb (You may want to choose  your longer book blurb to give the reviewer a little more information that would convince them that your book would be a good read and a good fit for their reader base.)
3. Why you think it would be a good fit for the Catholic Reads audience.
4. List of the themes explored in your book. (Confession, sin, annulment, abortion, etc.)
5. If you think this book would be particularly fit for a specific reviewer on
our team, let us know. (Choose a person you think is a good fit for your book.  The reviewers are on the About Page of the website.)
6. If your novel is part of a series, you need to mention that as well.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SUBMISSION?

They will contact you with a request for the book once the submission has reached the top of their list. You can email and ask what number your submission is on the list.

Once your book passes that process, then you will be contacted about submitting the copy of the book, AFTER the vetting process.

WHERE IN THE MARKETING PROCESS IS CATHOLICREADS.COM?

Because you will be offering the book for a reduced amount, it should be before you join Kindle Unlimited and you may decide to run this the minute you get it back from the proofreader and it is ready for final publication. This could be the first thing after the Proofreader is finished, as you are making the changes to the book as there is a waiting period.

A Simple Mystery Plot

TEMPLATE – SIMPLE MYSTERY PLOT

I spent a lot of time in researching novel templates and wound up getting more confused than organized.  I may have a mental block on this, or if you are a beginner, you may find the same difficulties in getting your plot or story line to fit exactly over a template outline.

Below is a general and loose outline that I put together after writing my first draft and reverse engineering my two favorite books.  I hope this will help you get organized in writing your first novel.

ACT ONE

PRESENT THE CRIME – HOOK  

You will need something to happen or raise a question or mysterious circumstance in the initial first chapter to grab the reader’s attention and make they want to find out what you are talking about.  This is called a “hook”.  This is different from the “inciting incident”.

INTRODUCE THE SLEUTH:
Introduce the sleuth and mention his/her weakness that will be overcome  while solving the crime.  Introduce what inner conflict is bothering him/her, and what he wants in life or his profession.  Keep in mind this character’s arc (where he starts out, how he changes, and where he ends up).
Introduce the sluth’s helper, sidekick or mentor.  You can also introduce the romantic interest in this first section of the book if it fits.  How he or she wanders into the story.

INTRODUCE OBVIOUS SUSPECTS (minimum 2)
INTRODUCE CRIME COMPLICATIONS

INTRODUCE PRIVATE LIFE/SUBPLOT:
Introduce Hero’s home conflicts, work conflicts or or inner conflicts.
Introduce the Sleuth’s romantic interest, which in a mystery romance is the subplot.

In the beginning, something happens that will call the Hero into action.  This is called the “inciting incident”.  This interrupts “normal life” and presents a situation that the hero doesn’t want to bother with or think she can handle it simply and quickly.  He/She is expecting this will not disrupt life as he/she knows it.  (In a mystery romance, it’s usually the first dead body!)

ACT TWO

Act two is the longest act and this is where all of the mystery investigation will take place.  The sleuth will begin to collect evidence, question witnesses, suspect some people and think others are innocent.

This will include the initial police investigations and early forensics (medical examiner, bullistics reports, etc.)

Working from your Reverse Engineering Worksheet, decide how you will drop the clues into the various scenes.  You will want a minimum of two suspects that both look guilty.  Depending upon your plot line, you can have any number of people who could be a suspect.  All of your scenes will revolve around the investigator finding clues and following them to the next clue, and you dropping them for the reader.

There could be another murder, the disappearance of a suspect, and any number of tension-building things that can happen.  You always want to keep the drama moving, especially in this middle section where books tend to lag.

Raise the stakes:  If they don’t find this killer soon, what will happen?  If the killer gets away, what will happen or not happen?  Make sure you write in the stakes, the risk and why the sleuth needs to find the murderer.

WEAVING THE ROMANCE – During the first and second acts, you will also be weaving the romantic beats of the story throughout the action.  Before writing the romantic parts, have in mind the “development of the romance”.  You need to know where it begins, where it goes and how it ends up.  For example:  They couple starts out as trying to be professionals on the case and hiding their attraction, maybe having a conflict on how they see the case, and then the heat or being together makes one of them make a move, they both admit they are attracted to each out, and in the end, they both find true love.  In today’s world, you can find something a little more enticing that this flat example, but you get  my point; you need to know where they are starting, how they will both change with romance, and where they end up.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL/ALL IS LOST:

At the end of Act 2, the investigation of the crime is not working out or things seem to be going against the sleuth and any of his helpers.  He/she or they reach their darkest moment, they feel like they should give up, their “Dark Night of the Soul”.

ACT THREE

SLEUTH RISES LIKE THE PHOENIX, REGAINS HIS/HER ENERGY AND MOVES FORWARD.

In this section, the sleuth regains his energy and his will and he/she decides that he/she is all in, is going to fight to the death to prove this case no matter what.  He goes back to the beginning, reviews his clues, re-evaluates things, and finds something that was overlooked in Act 1 that suddenly has greater significance.  This will be the new avenue of approach and this will lead to the ultimate solving of the crime and hopefully to justice.

CONFRONTATION OF THE PERPETRATOR:

At the end of the mystery, as it is solved, you may well have a confrontation of the perpetrator by the sleuth or there will be a scene where the cops run in and take him down, depending upon who your sleuth is.

RESOLUTION OF THE SUBPLOT/RETURN TO NORMAL:

Once the crime is solved, the sleuth will be a better person, he/she will have grown through their character arc, an they will be at a better place, more sure of who they are.  If it is a mystery romance, this will also contain a scene or two of how romance has now changed his/her life for the better.

You may also have a scene where your sleuth is explaining the whole plot to someone who still doesn’t understand.  Most books no longer have this, but I like it when the author “ties it up” in the end.  I think it makes the book more satisfying to go over the plot and see and hear it summarized.  I maybe old school, but I just think this adds to the experience of the story.  I don’t have to tell you how much I dislike these movies and stories where the readers decides what the book means?  I feel like throwing the book at the wall, so I like to have a summation, so to speak.

I hope this helps you if you too are just beginning to write stories.

 

Reverse Engineering Books

REVERSE ENGINEERING BOOKS AS A SELF-LEARNING METHOD:

reverse-engineering-for-books-graphicThe one area on YouTube that I never found any ‘work flow’ videos on was the method of reverse engineering story in order to learn the craft. I reread two or three of my favorite novels and reversed engineered them myself. I wanted to see what this method would teach me in terms of how these favorite stories fell into these novel format templates I was finding.

I had trouble, and still have trouble understanding what a first plot point is compared to a second plot point, or the mid-story point. If your story is about someone setting off on an actual journey or adventure, I think it is easy to fit this plot line onto these templates, but if you story is a slice of life backdrop with a mystery and romance, it was harder for me to see how this all fit into these templates.

This dilemma is what led me to reverse engineer a few of my favorite books.

WHY WOULD YOU REVERSE ENGINEER A STORY?

My purpose in reverse engineering the stories was to find out how these stories fit into these template structures. I wanted more clarity in identifying various plot points and pinch points and how that was different from the mid-point. That was my only purpose when I took on this task.

HOW DID YOU DO THE REVERSE ENGINEERING?

reverse-engineering-chapters-exampleI re-read the book, and during and after each chapter, I wrote down what happened and where I thought this fit in the template. I also tried to identify the conflicts and obstacles, and anything else I thought was relevant to the story.

Having done this a few times now, I believe it is easier to do the reverse engineering with a book you have already read so you can read for structural understanding instead of trying to understand the story.  It is also easier if you choose a book you enjoyed.  You will enjoy it even more as you begin to see how the author structured the books and laid out the clues, etc.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM REVERSE ENGINEERING A BOOK?

What I learned from the process was different from what I thought I would learn. First of all, I found the stories I liked didn’t really fit into these “journey format templates” either. I could identify the resistance to the call to action, the call to action itself, and the setbacks. I still couldn’t tell you which was was a plot point or a pinch point, even to this day and I’ve been at it now for three years, which is not that long, but I want to be honest. The clarity I got from this process was not what I had set out for.

What I did end up learning was that I picked up so much more from the story than I did the first time I read the story. The act of recording a summary after each chapter added a layer of understanding that allowed me to enjoy the books even more.

I also learned  that “conflict” didn’t have to be a huge hostility between characters, it could be a sore spot, or a difference of opinion, conflict can be of the subtle kind. This freed me to understand that small deep inner conflicts were enough to write into the story. This was important because I don’t enjoy stories with these abrasive and brash personalities at play. I don’t like these people in real life and I don’t like them any more in print. So that was a big eye opener.

The other thing I learned was that as a newbie, I had to operate on the premise that I was only able to identify the inciting incident, call to action, refusal of the call to action, the circumstances that changed the call to action from a choice to almost a moral obligation. This would have to do until I got more experience under my belt.

But I noticed in my reverse engineering that in the long mid-act of the book, it is important to never led the book lag. So in lieu of operating with the pinch points and plot points, I focused on making each chapter have a purpose, drop some clues, and have some level of character development going on. This way, I figured the story was always moving and going forward. Only time will tell if this is enough.

WHAT IS THE REVERSE ENGINEERING OF A BOOK PROCESS?

For those of you who want a real how-to, I opened the books from Amazon.com on my computer and I had a notepad document opened and I put the summary for each chapter under the Chapter heading, so that after it was done, I could see this outline on the one document. Then I printed it and tried to figure out the plot points, pinch points, etc.  Again, like I said earlier, the plot points and pinch points still evade me, but I was able to learn how the author laid out the clues and kept the story moving.  I may have a blind spot regarding this plot point vs. pinch point because I am new to this, or it hasn't sunk in yet. If you have any tricks or tips you want to share about recognizing these in writing, please let me know and I can feature you in a blog post coming up!

FOR THE CURIOUS:

nelson-demille-the-gold-coast-book-coverdominick-dunne-an-inconvenient-woman-coverThe books I reverse engineered were The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille and An Inconvenient Woman by Dominick Dunne  I would recommend both of these writers and both of these books!  They are linked with my associate links to the left or above.

 

 

Studying Writing v. Reverse Engineering

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE STARTING FROM:

are-you-a-new-authorI am a new writer myself and by no means do I hold myself out to be any type of an expert.  But I am still very close to the "very beginner status" and still understand some of the obstacles only a brand new writer is faced with.

The experts can't remember having "two left hands" anymore, but I sure can.  My purpose is to blog as I move through the learning process, so I can share my experience and research and save other newbies research time as there is so much to learn!

Some new authors will already have studied writing or may be young  enough to decide to study writing in a college or a formal learning environment. Hopefully, the institute or teacher you have will have circularized the information you need to know and you will be taking it all in in some organized way.

Others may be writing as a hobby or a second career, or like myself, preparing for a busy retirement. Either way, it’s important to know where you are beginning and what you even know about writing. Having gone to parochial schools, I had English classes until I was just about drown in them. So that is one of my strong points. However, I never took a creative writing lesson in my life and so writing a novel, specifically, I had no clue when I started out.

I worked as a court reporter and legal assistant for many years and although I am not a lawyer, I sat in more trials than many real lawyers, know what the court office of a Judge looks and feels like, what a busy lawyers office looks and feels like, and many more “mini-careers” like this. So I bring a broad spectrum of experience and a bit of legal understanding to my writing. I consider that a strong point too.

KNOW WHAT TYPE OF BOOKS YOU WANT TO WRITE:

I have always loved shows that use the church or the Vatican or some other religious theme as a background. Unfortunately, hollywood and the publishing world in general are very disrespectful to religious symbols and this always took away from the enjoyment of the stories. I knew I wanted to use a church backdrop of some kind, but leave out all the blasphemy and spittle.

I also knew that I loved to read mystery, suspense and they usually have at least a splash of romance in them. So this too would be where I would concentrate.

KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO:

So the first task was to figure out how to go from wanting to write a mystery romance with a church/Christian backdrop to actually writing a novel of this kind. My legal skills or grammar skills were not going to get me there, so what is a person to do? I went to YouTube an began watching videos, and there are thousands of them, written by successful authors as well as young college-educated editors. I got a mix of people sharing about creative writing, story beats, plots points, etc., to successful authors who, like me, started with one book and self-published their books on their own.

KNOW WHAT SKILLS YOU HAVE AND WHAT SKILLS YOU NEED:

I needed to learn what a mystery romance novel needed, story structure, how to break up the story, how to pace the story, plot points, story beats, pretty much everything.  So for about a year and a half, I dedicated myself to simply learning about writing to see if it was something I could do, as I did learn very early on that one simple phrase of “I want to write a book” encompasses so many skills that must be acquired or paid for, that it can be an overwhelming process.

My first area of focus was structuring a story. How to organize the story seemed to be the first over-whelming obstacle for me so I began reading books on structuring a story.

story-engineering-by-Larry-BrooksStory Engineering by Larry Brooks was my favorite as he was, I believe, an engineer by trade before becoming an author and he has a very organized mind and he laid out planning a novel with an overview that I found most helpful as a newbie. I have an associates link below to the book.

I would recommend this book because I needed an overview of the process, like a birds-eye view, in order to even have the files to hold the information I was taking in watching various YouTube videos. You can learn anything on YouTube, but you need to learn to circularize your own course. You need to figure out how to take in the information so it all makes sense.

Writing a Mystery Novel – Where To Begin

DON'T DO WHAT I FIRST DID!

In preparation to write my first mystery novel, I watched random videos on YouTube by successful authors and successful book marketers, all of whom had great information about how to write books. The videos usually take one subject at a time, and when you watch videos in some random fashion, which I did, you wind up overwhelmed with information and no way to organize it or process it.  The purpose of this blog post is to give some tips from one beginner to another.  This is more like a how not to do things vs. how to do things.  The purpose of this post is to help you not waste time and energy and to get right down to business, which I wish I did.

ARE YOU A PANTSER OR A PLOTTER?

pantser-or-plotterWhen I began to hear terms like “panters and/or plotter” I didn’t even know what they were talking about. A pantser, if you don’t know if someone who just sits down and begins to write “by the seat of their pants” without any organization and without any plot line. They approach the writing from a completely creative process. I imagine that “natural writers” would take this approach. Maybe people who like chaos would take this route. But I would wind up staring at a blank page all day if I didn’t have at least an outline.

I knew I was going to be a plotter right from the beginning. So your first order of business in writing a novel is to then have your plot line. That sounds easy enough, right? Well, depending up on what type of book you are writing, this will determine what type of plot line you will need. For example: If you are writing a true crime novel, you have a chronology of events that is pretty much written in stone. So you will have a ready-made plot line. If you are writing a fictional novel, then you have to write a chronological plotline and you need to determine where to drop clues, where to begin subplots, where to hide subtle clues as to the real villian, where to throw in a red herring or two, etc. This is where it can get a little tricky.

MYSTERIES BEGIN WITH A CRIME AND ARE PLOTTED BACKWARDS:

It took me awhile to realize that it is too easy to write yourself into a corner with no way out if you start writing from the characters. Many of the how-to videos I watched in the beginning said that it all beings with characters and conflict. This is true that each story has characters and conflict, but most mysteries have some kind of a crime and/or injustice. Once I realized that it is easier to begin with the crime and plot backwards, this made things much easier.

REVERSE ENGINEERING A CRIME/MURDER:

1. How is the victim killed and/or harmed?
2. Who is responsible? (This gives you your murderer)
3. Who else in the story has motive to kill the victim? (This gives you your multiple suspects)
4. Who is completely innocent but looks really guilty? (This gives you your red herring)
5. Where does the plot/murder take place? (factory, park, someone’s house, outside a bar?)
6. Who ultimately solves the crime? (This gives you your protagonist)
7. Who is working against the solving fo the crime? (This gives you at least one antagonist)
8. Who wanders in and winds up having a romance with the protagonist? (This gives you your romantic subplot)

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE CRIME/MURDER:

pix-courtroomIt is best as a beginner to choose a location and setting that you are familiar with. It will cut down on the research you need to do, as you will need to do at least some forensic and police procedure research. For example: I used to be a court reporter for 11 years and I have experience working on criminal cases, how prisoners are moved around the courthouse, how sheriff’s officers and prison guards are different from cops, what goes on in a Judge’s chambers on breaks and after the jury goes home. So this is a good setting for me to write about.

Let’s say you worked in a bar and restaurant when you were in college. You know the intricacies of this setting. Wherever you worked will be a good setting to work with because you already have intricate knowledge about how it all works. This cuts down on wresting with too much in your first novel.

THE MAIN CHARACTER:

sherlock-holmes-graphicOne of the biggest mistakes I made in the beginning was focusing too much on the main character. With a mystery, you need to have a unique crime that hasn’t been done before. Because there are millions of mystery books, your specific crime may have been done, but you want to make sure you don’t pick on that has been “done to death”.

So all of the thinking I did regarding who the main character would be was for naught. It was a waste of time. It all started with the mystery/murder and the motive and antagonist. That’s where I ultimately started -- after I had to wipe out a lot of the erroneous information I had taken in about the lead character being the main focus. In a mystery novel, in the planning stages, the mystery/murder is the genesis of the story.

Once you have your crime and a group of suspects, the protagonist almost creates him or herself. It comes down to who would likely solve this crime? Is it a cozy mystery with an Aunt Mildred as the top sleuth or is it a police procedural mystery where it will be all about how the cops outwit the murderer? In my case, I chose a private investigator as I wanted him to be someone who had a friendship with a priest so I could have a Christian/Catholic backdrop to the story. By picking a private investigator, I also allowed for a little leeway on police procedure. A PI is more likely to break the rules and go rogue than a cop these days and the police procedures are so technical now that unless you are an ex cop or you have someone you can literally call a few times a week to run things by them, then you will have a lot of research to do.

WHERE TO GET INSPIRATION FOR CRIMES?

I watched Forensic Files for awhile and paid particular attention to the chronology of how they solved the crimes, what the cops did, and what the scientists did. They have such unusual crimes on these shows and such an array of them, this is a good source of inspiration. I tried checking my local papers, but 95% of the cases are drug cases or random shootings and they don’t make interesting plot lines by themselves.

If you have any other advice for us beginning writers and wish to share with us, please contact me and I would be happy to do a blog post or video featuring your lesson or tips for us.