Process: When I Must Pretend

I'm at a fairly recognizable place in my manuscript.  I've been here before. It's the place where I'm suddenly unsure about the direction this manuscript is heading. It doesn't quite match up with what I'd planned, and I only know two things: it will either be better or it will be worse.

But in order to find out, I have to write it. I have to finish this first draft.

And here's where the pretending comes in. I need, right now, to pretend I'm a writer who knows what she's doing. I need to plow ahead with all the confidence of a Stephen King or a John Sandford or a Karin Slaughter or a J.K. Rowling.

Right now it's important not to let missing research pieces hold me up. Write the story, then fill in the holes and make the changes later. Trust the process.

Do you have stumbling places with your work? Places where you have to fake it until you make it?



It's all better with friends.

The Steps We Take

I was talking with another author recently and he was stunned at the myriad of steps I take before I consider my book ready to let go of. Well, ready to be willing to let go of.

I finished the first draft of FLAME GAME several days ago. This book took me forever to write and it's not all that complicated. 

Who knew?

My schedule has not only been backed into a corner, but shoved up the wall. Not pretty.

Here's how birthing a book happens in my world:

• Finish the first draft. This is by far the most difficult thing for me to do. During this phase I will do a lot of light edits. And I have a good friend who tries to read some bits and pieces in spurts. Not the most effective way to improve a story, but she's good and I take what I can get.
• Let it sit. If I'm luxuriously ahead of my schedule, 3-7 days is wonderful. With this book? 24 hours was all I had, and that was a stretch.
• My first self-edit is to read it through. Make notes, write stickies, try and answer all of the silly things that need answering. Incorporate those edits. This is where I begin to believe I have a book. This is where I really begin to love the process.
• Listen to it. The text-to-speech function is incredibly robotic and boring. But maybe that's the point. (This is the step I'll begin next.) Incorporate those edits. More loving.
• Beta Readers. These are the angels in my life. Writers and readers of my genre who are willing to read a manuscript that's still pretty raw. I have a general list ready for these angels to keep in mind as they read, but of course they're free to add whatever they desire. These take a little more time and evaluation, and there will more edits to incorporate. At this stage I've actually coughed my book out to readers.
• Professional edit. This is where I go when I can't possibly pull together a better story. When I need a professional to evaluate and probe and pick and push. It's a strange mix of collaboration and admonishment. I love it.
• Proofreading. With all of these edits there's likely to be details that are missed. A word that has been unintentionally deleted. Quotation marks that need to be adjusted.
• My cover designer and I have already been in communication. We're working to create a cover that will put my book in a place where a reader who's never heard of me might be compelled to take a closer look.

It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public." —Winston Churchill

I wish I could clearly identify where I am with my manuscript. My goal is to have the first draft completed by the time you read this post.

And then there are the rounds of edits.

And then as gory and bloody as it sounds, I will kill the monster and fling him to the public. I'll try and let you know when to duck.


It's all better with friends.

Any Time Now I Will Love to Write

I love to write.

I hate to write.

Let's start over: I love to create. I love to edit. I love to tell a story.

I love to have written book.

The writing part? Well, I'm pretty much on the hate side. Except for the times I love it. Which becomes kind of like a drug addiction. I'll work through days of hating it because I know—I just know—that I will love writing if for even just a few hours any time now.

Dangling carrot. The cocaine-high of effortless brilliance. The part where I get to play a kind of writing god where I create the world (in seven days? ha!), and I create the people and their backstories and their fears, and decide what fate has in store for them.

That's a lot of responsibility.

And even more work.

Writing my first draft is wild. They often begin like silk. The words flow. I can't possibly type fast enough.

"This is gonna be the fastest first draft (and perfect, by the way) in the universe. It's magic!"

Yeah, right.

Then comes the first speed bump. And the second.

I've found I write best when I have a bit of a roadmap—an idea of where I want to get to next. That doesn't mean that little bits of flotsam won't work through whatever filter I have in place and make its way onto my page. The magic part is... (are you ready?) I don't immediately delete those things that feel, at the moment, like dust-bunnies. Pieces of lint I'm eventually going to have to vacuum up.

Trusting the process is one of the key elements for a writer. My process can include a lot of deleting, but it can also include a lot of surprises.

"Oh, yes! I see the connection now between that earlier dust-bunny and this trigger for murder!"

Or:

"That dust-bunny sure set up a great metaphor for the overall theme of this story (which I rarely know about ahead of time): global terrorism!"

Which is part of the whole addiction.

You get my point. In case you haven't, it's to trust the process. Sometimes you've just got to let it flow.

Thanks to my Sisters in Crime sister, and good friend, Sheila Lowe, for encouraging me to write this post. You can read hers by clicking on her name. She writes an awesome series featuring a handwriting analyst. Which works really well for her because she is one. (And waving to Dennis Palumbo, whose fabulous book, PHANTOM LIMB, I finished reading this morning even before turning on the news. Yes, it's that good. And who, by the way, provided a beautiful endorsement for my last book, THE SACRIFICE.)

Check out another Sisters In Crime blog (and yeah, she's really my sister): Lala Corriere.

I'm at THAT Place and it SUCKS, sort of

When I talked with a writer friend earlier about my insecurity about where I am with this manuscript, her advice couldn't have been more clear... don't let on that writing a book isn't a natural flow of my creativity. In other words, pretend I come out of the starting gate with the book that gets published. First draft. I'm that good. 

Just smile.

That's not how I roll.

Writing a book, at least for me, is one of the most amazing processes ever. Mostly because I'm not that good. I struggle. I search. I regret. I chastise. I belittle. I get on my knees. 

I'm amazed at the words that came out of nowhere. Surely they didn't all come from me. The rotten ones? I remember writing those. They stunk then and they stink now. The brilliant ones? They surprise me as much as I hope they will ultimately surprise my readers.

The bad news? I feel like I'm floundering. There's a great thread (several, actually) that should weave this new story together perfectly. But as soon as I feel as if I have a grasp, they're teased away.  It's as if all of the planning and research I've done to get this point is a big pie in the face. Larry, Moe and Curly have nothing on me. I'm the butt-end of slapstick with the best of them. Or the worst of them. Or whatever.

The good news? This is my fourth (publishable) book. It's also the fourth time I've felt this way. Feeling like a fraud is part of what makes me close my eyes and trust the process. Move on. Push through. Let it happen.

Take a breath.

I trust that in the end, FLAME GAME will have an entertainment value that will resonate. In the meantime, I'll just keep writing. And then rewriting. And then rewriting some more.

It's what I do. 

In the meantime...

It's all better with friends.

The Writing Process Blog Hop

I confess that had I been asked by just about anyone other than former CFC blogmate and thriller-writer, A.M. Khalifa, to participate in a Blog Hop I would likely have taken a pass. But A.M. is a friend, he's talented, and I want to stay connected with talented friends and readers. To find out what A.M. had to say in a brilliant way, you can check it out here.

Everyone's writing process is unique (mine is always getting tweaked), but even after only three books, I have found some things that work well for me. I hope those of you who are writers can find something useful, and that readers will find something interesting.

At the end of this (way too long) post, I'll be passing the baton to some other writers so they can share their madness. Their posts will air on May 17th, so be looking for them. Each of us are answering the same four questions. So without further ado... because this is easily the longest blog post I've ever written...


1. What am I working on?

I love this question because it let's me express how incredibly lucky I am to have readers who not only enjoy the stories I write but have grown to care about the characters as well. Because of them (the readers more so than the characters), I'm writing what will ultimately be the third book in the Aspen Falls series. This one is called Flame Game.

FG will bring back Jamie Taylor and her dogs with a wonderful new addition who shines in the spotlight. Kaji, Japanese for fire, is an accelerant detection dog. In Red Tide, Jamie and her sister Jax were almost killed in a fire. Yes it was one they set, but they didn't have much choice. Kaji is a natural addition to Jamie's four-legged brood. We'll also get to know Terri Johnson a little more. Terri is a detective who, in The Missings, adopted the daughter of a woman who was a victim of domestic violence.

Although I don't write romantic suspense, relationships will always play a role in my books because they play a role in our lives. In FG, the pairings that showed some promise in my first two books are continued, and there might be a new one in the offing. Just sayin'.

And since I have your attention, my fourth book, The Sacrifice, will also be turned into a series thanks to reader interest. The Sacrifice was a finalist for an award from Colorado Authors' League and is also a finalist for the Colorado Book Awards. Both acknowledgments provided affirmation that fed my own fire. I'm hoping to put some of my international travel to good use in the next installments, 'cause Mex Anderson is just that kind of guy.


2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

As a thriller writer who happens to be a woman my books are going to automatically differ from the norm. My female characters might be flawed, but they're strong.

And while the plot is critical, the connection to the people I toss into the plot is as important.

Another thing I try to do with each book is to expose a relevant social issue. For example, in The Missings, topics include illegal immigration and organ donation. In The Sacrifice, I attempt to take depression out of the closet and highlight its manageability. All while still providing an entertaining escape for my readers.


3. Why do I write what I do?

In a much earlier incarnation, The Missings was women's fiction as opposed to a thriller. Say what? Yep. I was about to submit it to a contest when it occurred to me that I might actually win. And if I did I might be stuck writing women's fiction. Not that there's anything wrong with women's fiction. I love Anne Rivers Siddon and Maeve Binchy and many others. But writing it? Again and again? It would have been wrong for me.

The night I made the decision to not submit my manuscript and to rewrite it as crime fiction was one of the best night's sleep I'd had in months.


4. How does my writing process work?

For the longest time I thought I was obviously wrong. I'm not the kind of writer who can sit down at my computer and create a great story with no planning. And I'm not the kind of writer who can keep things fresh while working from a detailed outline. It might be fresh for the reader but it certainly wouldn't be fresh for me. I sort of think that in the end, stale will tell.

Here's what works for me at this moment (and remember, if you quote me, date me... things change):

SOC for Flame Game 

This is my favorite part: Ideas come constantly. The trick is to figure out which ideas are big enough for an entire book and which are best suited for short stories. Or a blog post. So I need to kick ideas around for a bit. If one sets its hooks in my head and I can feel a book in its bones, I sit down and write a free-form stream-of-consciousness blowout. I type (or write longhand) like a madwoman. I'll ask questions and answer them. I'll pose a possibility and veto it then move on to something else. It's the messiest bunch of seemingly disjointed thoughts you'd ever want to see. And believe me, you probably wouldn't. But for me, it confirms that the idea will stretch and hold.

This is my favorite part: From my SOC document (Stream of Consciousness) I'll get a ton of stuff I need to research. The cool thing about research is that it often leads to new plot ideas. And I learn so much! From just the few books I've written, I've learned about human remains detection dogs and how they search; about a special algae and drones; about organ donation and depression and prisons. And now I'm learning more about fire and accelerant detection dogs. How cool (or hot) is that?

Scene List for Flame Game

This is my favorite part: Developing a Scene List. A fluid and incredibly delicious roadmap. I know I want to get from one plot point to another but I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get there and I'm completely open to taking a side road. When I sit down to put flesh on those scenes and bring them to life is when the magic happens. Sometime I just sit back and become a recorder of events. Those are the days when writing is especially invigorating.

Timeline for Flame Game

This is my favorite part: After I finish the first draft, I read and revise and rewrite and delete and buildup and add and well... really write the book. I do my best to check for flow and timelines and bumps and holes. If I don't completely hate the story after hammering and cutting and stretching and barfing occasionally, I know it holds promise. I'm not at this stage for Flame Game, but I've learned one of the things that always trips me up is my timeline. And I'm visual. So the windows by my desk get converted. By the end of the first draft it will look like a weird stained-glass sticky-not window.


This is my favorite part: I send the manuscript out to beta readers for their input. My beta readers are like a critique group on steroids. They help me push my story to the next level.

And then truly, this is my very favorite part: I hire a fabulous editor who can easily catch my vision. Who pushes and prods and questions and hardly ever gives me a high-five. Who, in the end, is as much responsible for the success of my book as I am.

Oh, wait... another favorite part: Working with a talented cover designer to come up with a cover that reflects the story with a quick pass of an eye.

Can you tell I love what I do? And I'm so grateful to the readers who make it possible. You're as much a part of the writing process as anything!

NEXT WEEK, look for some more fun and secrets from Michael Sherer and Leslie Budewitz on their blogs. You won't be disappointed!

Michael W. Sherer is the author of Night Tide and soon-to-be-released Night Drop. The first book in the Seattle-based Blake Sanders series, Night Blind, was nominated for an ITW Thriller Award in 2013. His other books include the award-winning Emerson Ward mystery series, the stand-alone suspense novel, Island Life, and the Tess Barrett YA thriller series. He and his family now reside in the Seattle area.

Please visit him at www.michaelwsherer.com or you can follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thrillerauthor and on Twitter @MysteryNovelist.

Leslie Budewitz is the bestselling author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, featuring Erin Murphy, manager of a local foods market in Jewel Bay, Montana. Death al Dente, first in the series, won the 2013 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. In Crime Rib, a hot new TV show comes to town to film the annual steak grill-off. When a contestant is killed, Erin must investigate to keep the town’s reputation from going up in smoke. (Out July 1---available for preorder now.)

Visit her at www.LeslieBudewitz.com

It's all better with friends.

Conception through Birth (for Books)

by Peg Brantley
Evocative Characters. Intriguing Crime. Compelling Stories.




Every author has his or her own process. This is mine. (At least for now.)

Idea. Mull. Mull some more. "What if" a little bit. Stream of consciousness plot concept. Research.

If it hasn't fallen apart by this point, I might have a book.

Then I'm on to character development. What makes him tick? Who is he? What life events have formed him? This applies to both the good guys and the bad guys. This step, for me, is extremely gratifying.

If my concept and my characters are strong enough to carry an entire novel, I set to work.

I'm not a pantster (someone who just sits down and lets their fingers fly without a thought ahead of time). I've tried "pantsing" it from time to time and although it's kind of fun and liberating, I end up with a manuscript that's more like a Rorschach test than an actual story. I'm also not a detailed plotter, although I sometimes think this would be the way to go, I just can't seem to get there. I write more like a bloodhound. I know what the general issue is. I know a few elements I need to track. I sense the trail and follow it, not always knowing where it's leading me, but trusting my abilities to sniff it out.

So then I'm done. I have a beginning, a middle and an end.

But does it work?

Then I do a quick read-through, looking for obvious issues. I hate when I find them, but the more books I write, the more issues I find. This is the first round of edits.

And then I do an audio edit. I employ my text to speech feature and try to pay attention to that mechanical voice as he points out my overuse of words and phrases and the occasional word that makes it past spellcheck but is absolutely not right.

I finished this phase this afternoon for THE SACRIFICE.

My next step are my beta readers. These are the readers that are almost, if not more, trusted than any member of my family or friend-circles. These guys are gonna read my manuscript in an almost raw state. It's far from polished. No editor has seen it. The bloodhound has made a report, but it doesn't always make sense.

Once my betas have had their say and I've evaluated their input, I revise for the third, fourth, seventh time. Then it's off to my editor.

(Did I tell you about my editor for THE SACRIFICE? I think I'll post about that very soon. I'm stoked.)

After my editor is finished (and I've made yet another round of revisions) it's time for my detail-oriented copyeditors/proofreaders to take a gander. A chapter that may have been without typo flaws before editing can undergo horrendous upheaval and end up with all kinds of issues. Editing can create its own subset of problems.

And then finally, it's time to let it go. Push my book out into the world.

Readers, are you interested in this process? Writers, how does yours differ?


It's all better with friends.

When Something Doesn't Feel Quite Right

Well, I finished my first draft of the new manuscript on Thursday. I posted a little about the emotional aspects on Crime Fiction Collective today. I'd love for you to pop in and comment.

But here, at Suspense Novelist, I'd like to focus a little bit on how I got there. How I was able to finish it in the first place. What my process was.

Writing the last few scenes sat in front of me for days. I didn't exactly ignore them, but I wasn't completely on board with a couple of the aspects I'd carried over from the original manuscript to try and use again with the new one. I didn't really know I felt this way until I realized there was something making me reticent to keep writing. Something felt off.

As writers, we need to pay attention to our instincts. To our own bodies. When we feel uncomfortable, we're probably on to something important. Rather than muddle through and end up with something I hated (and readers would hate at least as much), I took a little time and tried to figure out what felt "icky."

Most of my ending felt great. It hummed. It connected. But one little element felt contrived and totally amateur. Something my husband would hate. With the help of my morning pages brainstorming session, I came up with an alternative. Not nearly as melodramatic, but equally absorbing. At least I hope so.

The take-away here is to have a plan, but be willing to veer from that plan when necessary. Pay attention to whatever reluctance you might have about a part of your plot, or a character, or a setting. Examine it. Decide whether it even merits a place in your story. When you are fighting something, there's probably a very good reason.


CR: California Fire and Life by Don Winslow.

It's all better with friends.

The Wisdom of Ralph

"The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson



Sometimes, when you're all-in, with no more chips in front of you, amazing things happen. When your brain is sufficiently enough on auto-pilot your fingers fly along of their own accord, connected somehow to that place where you stopped trying. Just beyond the place where your ego fell to the ground, dried out and useless.

I love that place.

Anyone else?



CR: I'm on the very last bit of The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan, Edgar nominee for the amazing The Queen of Patpong. If you want to see what I thought of this book, read here.

It's all better with friends.

Kirby Larson Interview

Believe in yourself.

Writer's Police Academy: Personal Highlight

If the photograph was of me alone, it would be destined for the delete key (one of the most amazing elements of digital photography in my estimation), but because Jeffery Deaver is in it, it's a keeper.

Jeffery Deaver was the keynote speaker at this year's WPA. Not only that, he attended the workshops! No kidding.

I was sitting in the workshop presented by Richard Helms examing the difference between inductive and deductive criminal profiling when Jeff Deaver walked in and took a seat. I thought Dr. Helms would either bust a gut or float off into never-never land when that happened. To his credit, the instructor recovered and probably not too many people noted his Fluster Moment.

For those of you who may have missed it, here's a post from the past regarding Jeffery Deaver's writing process.



CR: Breathing Water by Timothy Hallinan on my Kindle.

It's all better with friends.

Just Give Me Crayons

Do you remember when you were four, and all you needed was some paper and crayons to be an artist? You could sit down and draw whatever you imagined. Your house, a dog, a butterfly—each one a masterpiece.

My mother-in-law is an amazing woman. She is grace and dignity personified. She never goes out in public without being put together. She's never too loud or demonstrative. She's a classy lady. Know someone like her?

She also plays the piano. Well, sorta. Everything she plays sounds the same. But to watch her? Her eyes are closed and if you dare follow where she leads, she's giving a performance worthy of a concert pianist. Watch her closed eyes long enough and you can begin to hear the perfection. Sometimes I can even hear the string section that's backing her up. My ninety-three year old mother-in-law channels her inner four-year-old and brings her forth into the world. She is a concert pianist and there's no taking it away.

So, yesterday, I found myself in the middle of a scene that was bound to be a bit complicated, and was concerned the details might be a bit off. Without creating an Information Dump, the pieces needed to convey an authority that would generate trust in my reader.

Initially, I crumbled.

And then, I found my four-year old. The one that could only create a masterpiece. Failure was not only not an option, it wasn't even a word I understood.

This morning when I read the words I wrote? One of those 'love it' moments. That wee bit of confidence gave me the power to forge on. This afternoon, I'm almost certain I penned a symphony. Or, the very least, drew a pretty good likeness to a dog.



CR: Rain Gods by James Lee Burke. I restarted this book last night because my schedule had forced me to put it down, and Burke requires more from me. Do you see how quickly he trains his readers? This is my first book of his. A little bit of power?

It's all better with friends.

Diana Gabaldon's Writing Process

What is easy and natural to one person is devilishly impossible to another.

I'm wondering if my writing process will change as I get more experience under my belt. I can't imagine ever plotting every single point (Jeffery Deaver). Any more than I can imagine coming up with a cohesive story allowing myself to just sit and write.

I can, however, identify with her concept of a kernel.

Enjoy.








CR: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I'll want to read this one again at Halloween!

And I recently finished 212 by Alafair Burke. Read this. Between it and Angel's Tip, I have developed a Nutella habit. Thanks, Alafair.

It's all better with friends.

Writing Winner

This is the second in a series of guest posts by novelist Kelly Irvin. Kelly's first novel will hit the stands next month.

A Deadly Wilderness garnered a review by Publishers Weekly who called it a "solid romantic suspense debut" with an antagonist who is "all too chillingly real."

Today she shares a little of the process.

Writing—What I Learned Along the Way

The closer I get to having a published copy of A Deadly Wilderness in my hands, the more I seem to reflect on how it happened. One minute, like the refrain goes, I’m wishing and hoping and dreaming, the next I’m looking at an advance review copy that has my name on it and my words in it. An overnight success? Hardly. So I’m looking back at the circuitous road that brought me here and sharing with those of you who are still jogging out there some thoughts on how to get across the finish line.

It started with six years of butt-in-chair in front of a laptop, tears, rejections, rewrites of rewrites, and more than one attempt to quit. I discovered I couldn’t quit. No matter how low I got, I still kept writing. And that’s where I start my advice to other writers still looking to be published. Don’t quit. Unless you can. If you can, stop torturing yourself. If you keep writing, allow yourself the joy of writing for itself. Yes, most of us want to get published, but we shouldn’t let that rob us of the sheer joy of getting the story on paper.

The next stumbling block in the road for many of us is time—the time to write. Not many of us can quit our day jobs. I’m a public relations professional which means I work 40-plus hours a week. I also do contract proofreading for two district court reporters. And I have a husband, two teenage children, two cats and a tank full of gold fish. When do I write? At six in the morning before work, for an hour at lunch (as I’m doing now), and whenever I can on nights and weekends. I’ve learned to sit down at the laptop, put fingers on the keys and simply go. Take advantage of whatever time you have. Do this every day until you have a finished manuscript.

I thought once I finished my first manuscript, I was ready to hit the big time. After a few rejections, reality set in. Just because I could put words on paper, didn’t mean they were good. I had to learn to embrace the rewriting process and seek ways to improve my work. A critique group is an absolute necessity. Without Peg and Susan and Angela, I would still be waiting for a contract. Writing conferences are helpful. Contests can be helpful. Anything you can do to improve your writing, do it. Finish the book and then polish it. Lovingly and thoughtfully and carefully.

The next step is to seek an agent. Today few publishers are accepting unsolicited manuscripts. I found my agent through on-line research. I queried her, she asked for fifty pages and a synopsis (have one ready to go), then she asked for a full manuscript. A few months later I had a contract. An agent gets your work in front of publishers. That’s the bottom line. The only time you can do that is at conferences when you get a fifteen minute pitching slot. Agents can do it year around.

Now I have a publisher. All done? Nope. It’s a one-book deal. Yes, I’m thrilled that A Deadly Wilderness has been reviewed favorably by Publisher’s Weekly. That bodes well for sales and has even resulted in film rights being sought in some cases. It’s all very exciting, but in the meantime, I’m still sitting down at my laptop everyday and writing. Because that’s where the real joy is. So enjoy the journey. See you at the finish line!

* * *

In September, Kelly and I attended a conference together. While we were there, Kelly learned that another of her manuscripts had been turned down by a publisher.

We stood in a bathroom in the Marriott and the tears rolled. The tears expressed her passion for the story she'd written, and the vulnerability we all have in this business.

When the tears dried, they'd left her skin a little thicker and her determination a little deeper.

When I asked Kelly if it was okay to share this with you, she replied:

Feel free. I’ve spilled a lot of tears over the last six years over rejections and I know it won’t be the last time. Lot of other writers probably experienced the same heartbreak at the conference. We’re all in it together.

Kelly Irvin

www (dot) kellyirvin (dot) com

A Deadly Wilderness, January 2010

from Five Star / Gale / Cengage

CR: Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

It's all better with friends.

The Rewrite Process

One of the things every writer needs to figure out is the process that works for them.

How much needs to be worked out in the beginning? A detailed plot, or a vague concept? Characters? Setting? GMC?

Is organization tactile and/or visual, or does the work flow so quickly organization is unnecessary?

What to research first, what as the story is being written, and what can wait for later?

I think the reason one writes in order to learn how to write is as much about finding process as it is about learning craft.

Here's what seems to be working for rewrites at the moment:

I write in scenes rather than chapters. Scrivener (the writing software I LOVE and the driving reason behind my getting a Mac) let's me color-code POV's and save all of my scenes in a binder. By writing in scenes, I can shift them around and easily insert new ones that support my sub-plots.

I printed out my entire SFD. To rewrite, I grab a chunk of it to rewrite the scenes and form chapters—two at a time. (Six done today!) I have a notepad to remind myself of things that need to be tied up and then make the changes in the Scrivener program. My notes are outrageously messy. Ruled paper? What's that for?

Another printout, another review, and a ship to my critique partners for their input.

After this is done, I envision it sitting for a week or two, then a final read-through on my own.

That should give me enough time to have a polished manuscript for the full I'm just sure will be requested at some point after the sit-downs I've got scheduled with agents and editors next week. (From my lips . . .)

OT: Had a wonderful, romantic trip to San Antonio with the Love of My Life to celebrate our anniversary. If you haven't been to the Riverwalk, put it on your list. Just be sure and go during the week, and avoid holidays.

CR: Paranoia by Joseph Finder on my Kindle and loving it. (Marketing note: This was a free download for a period of time as Joe had a new book releasing. He certainly has a new fan in me.)

It's all better with friends.

Post-Partum SFD Paralysis

"When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth."

~Kurt Vonnegut

I'm looking at a toppling pile of notebooks and papers and books, to which I'm refusing to add anything else. Unless I'm willing to accept the consequence of insanity. Which I don't have time for.

The pile is dedicated to information related to rewrites.

My psyche is dedicated, at the moment, to self-destruction.

At the time I began amassing this amess, or amessing this amass, I told myself, "Not now. Right now, you need to write your SFD ('Shitty First Draft' ala Anne Lamott). Time to learn all about this later."

What a dope.

No longer stricken with post-partum SFD paralysis, here's where I'm heading:

• I've determined that whatever I decide, the first step will be daunting. Get over it.

• Like trying to eat the elephant in the room, I will handle the task one bite at a time. (Who in the world is responsible for morphing the idea of an elephant in the room into something I would like to eat? They should be shot. Then eaten.)

• I'm smart enough to learn forever. I'm not smart enough to get it all figured out this afternoon.

• Figuring out a system that worked for me to write an SFD took some trial and error, and so will figuring out a system to rewrite. I will heed what those who've gone before me advise, but ultimately it will become a personal blend of what works and what doesn't.

And so . . . there's no time like the present.

CR: About to finish Relentless by Dean Koontz. It's about an author running for his life and a lunatic book critic stalker. Don't you wonder where he got the idea?

It's all better with friends.