I was asked to participate in our local high school’s career day back in September. However, due to some unique circumstances, I was unable to attend. However, that was after I put together a flyer for students who were interested in my writing process. In the flyer, I explained that my genre is cozy mystery…a subgenre of crime fiction. In a cozy mystery, the detective is usually an amateur sleuth who works with someone else to solve the crime. The setting is usually a small, socially intimate community…meaning everyone knows everyone else.
I must explain that in the first five books I published, I deviated from this description, but in the new series I am working on, A Touch of Home Mysteries, the reader will see a proper cozy mystery. The rest of the flyer explains my process of going from an idea to the final product.
I wish I had taken a copy of the flyer with me when I attended my high school class reunion in early October. Due to Covid, we could not hold our 55th reunion, so we decided to call this meeting of the minds our 75th Birthday Bash. At our age, you never know when we will lose a classmate, so we wanted to celebrate while we could.
We met on two separate nights: a Friday night get-together and a Saturday night dinner. I am so glad I attended both nights, as I was able to reconnect with some of my classmates I haven’t seen in years. At the Friday night celebration, about fifty of us gathered in a local restaurant of the city near where we graduated. That’s 50 out of a graduating class of 512.
On Friday night, I discovered that one of my former classmates is an avid fan of the mystery books I write. She has read them all and told me she couldn’t wait for the next one. She wanted us to find a quiet corner so she could ask me about my writing. She wanted to know where I came up with my ideas, why my stories took place in the location they did, and how I went about writing and publishing them. While we talked, a few other classmates joined us, and I was honored that my friend boasted about my books and told everyone she talked to that they needed to read them. I must say, I was also flattered by her positive comments and her enthusiasm.
When I got home after the long weekend, I sat down and thought about the questions she asked. I decided to share the writing process that I put together in the flyer in this January newsletter. It’s all about how I go from idea to actual book. Below are all the steps I take to decide what to write and how to write it as I decide on setting, characters and plot.
The setting may be somewhere I have been which then involves researching to make sure my facts are correct. In my new series, I created a town and drew a map which means all I have to do is make sure what I write is historically accurate. The town map is taped to the back of my office door for reference. If a house or houses are prominent in my story, I draw floor plans and keep them in a notebook for reference.
Creating my book characters is always fun. I give them names that fit the time period and the plot. I use Pinterest for inspiration as I find photos that look like I picture my character in my mind. I have fun creating backstories for each important character or in the case of my new series, characters.
Most of the plot creation is done in a notebook as I map out the various chapters. Do I stick to what I map out? Rarely as better plot ideas come to me as I write or as I work around the house. I always have a notebook with me to add little details I think of as we travel and sometimes record my inspirations on my i-phone. Isn’t technology grand?
In the first novel I wrote, I found myself having to keep going back to the beginning of the book or to previous chapters to keep my days in line. Now, I use a calendar to chart days and events so I can avoid plot holes. With all the above compete, I am ready to write.
My first draft is me telling myself the story. I don’t worry about grammar or sentence structure. Since I write mysteries, I have to confess something. I am often near the end of the book before I know “who done it.” Oh, I have an idea when I begin the book, but as I write, the suspects change, and in the end, the story tells me who the guilty person is. Once I have told myself the story, it’s time to begin the long edit process, and I do mean long. I just finished my first draft of Murder at Delaney House. It will take me another two months or maybe more to get the book to where I feel it is ready to publish.
In my first edit, I start from the very beginning and begin to fill in details and bring my characters to life, and I don’t do this for only my main characters. Since my new series takes place in a small town, there will be many reoccurring characters. They need substance and also have a story to tell. I reread and re-edit until I think I have the storyline where I want it.
In edits number six or seven or more, I open my grammar program called Grammarly and copy edit. In this process, I correct spelling errors I have missed, use of words, sentence structure, active vs. passive sentences, and so on. Once this is complete, I go back to the beginning again and reread everything.
My final edit is the most important for me. I print out the book, which takes a lot of ink and paper, and read through it one more time, hand-editing anything I don’t like. Then I go back into my computer, make the needed changes, and run the story through Grammarly again. Finally, I am ready to download my manuscript into Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) for the e-book version.
I open my KDP program on my computer and download the e-version of the book, including the e-book cover I purchased from SelfPubbookCovers.com. However, I don’t publish my e-book yet. Instead, I go back to my manuscript on my computer, add the graphic to the top of each chapter, and then download the template for the paperback version of the book. It is here that I have to decide what dimensions I will choose. Usually, I publish my books with the dimensions of 5.5″ x 8.5 “.
I have often told my husband that it takes longer to format the paperback than it does to write the book as this is where my technology skills are put to test. Once I transfer my manuscript to the template, I have to insert headers (the book title) and footers (page numbers) as they do not transfer with the document. When I include two novellas in one book, it can take some time to figure out. Then, I will add a title page, copyright page, dedication page, and anything else I want to include before the story begins.
The final step for me is ensuring every chapter is aligned correctly and there are no blank pages where they do not belong. Once this is complete, I upload my manuscript in PDF form to KDP, so I know exactly how many pages the book will have. I cannot order my back cover and spine until I have this information. I order the back cover and spine, receive them digitally, and then upload them to KDP. KDP runs a final check to ensure everything I uploaded fits together correctly; if it does, I am still not ready to publish the book. I order a preview copy, and when it arrives, I review it page by page to catch any errors I may have missed.
Once I have fixed all the errors, I upload my final PDF, cross my fingers and publish both the e-book and paperback on the same day. I let my readers know via my personal Facebook page, author Facebook page, and blog Facebook page that the book is available. I also post the release on my TWITTER account. However, my marketing does not stop there. I will discuss my books’ marketing strategies in February’s Write Away.
Until then, “Have you read a good book recently?”
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