A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

I generally take the last Wednesday of the month to reflect—on life, writing, or whatever strikes my fancy. Today, however,  I want to address a few business items regarding the blog. Hint: Exciting stuff happening these next two months.   October Starting next week, we will engage in a four-week session aimed at setting up a mystery or suspense novel. If you have ever wanted to draft this type of book or if you’re curious to peek behind the scenes to see how writers accomplish weaving those complicated plots—those twists and turns that keep us turning the pages and checking to make sure the front door is locked—then join us on this adventure. I call it Whodunnit University. The structure of this crash course may look a bit familiar to a few of you. I originally set up Whodunnit U for November 2014.   I loaded the posts into the blog site and hit the button to schedule them. I did this because I intended to participate in NaNoWriMo that year. As many of you k...

GAME ON: An Interview with Author Lillian Duncan I am excited today to introduce you to Lillian Duncan. Lillian writes wonderful suspense novels and some mysteries as well.   Also, I’m happy about this interview because next month, Lillian is going to be a guest lecturer for Whodunnit University. More about that in the coming weeks. Me: Lillian, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to interview you. I love that we have so many wonderful writers right here in Ohio. Lillian: Thanks for having me. My husband and I live in a small town in Ohio. Nothing like where you live. I mean it is small! We only have 1 traffic light. Me: [laughing ] I’ve lived in towns like that! Tell us a bit about your writing. Lillian: I like both is Christian mystery and suspense with a little horror thrown in from time to time. I guess writing is sort of like eating. You are what you read, and for me that means I’m a suspense/mystery writer. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ON AMAZON...

I’ve had the privilege to speak with many seasoned, productive authors. Some tell me they write first thing in the morning, a cup of coffee in hand. Some tell me they write at night. A few authors have offices while others clear the corner to the kitchen table. The one area in which they all agree seems to be in crafting the first draft.   I’m not talking about those who carefully outline each chapter of their novels—nor   am I speaking of those who take an idea and fly by the seat of their pants –the planners and the pantsters we say in writing circles. I’m talking about the writing. The rhythm and flow of getting the first draft down on paper. I’m talking about resisting the urge to edit or revise as you go. It is the equivalent of slapping paint on the entire canvas and then going back to bring clarity to the picture. Every successful author I’ve interviewed or chatted with online agrees on this singular point: Pour out your story in the first draft. Save th...

I’ve been exploring the business side of writing the first Wednesday of each month. Today, I decided to address the topic of engaging with others in the writing community. Engaging with others has been an extremely powerful piece of my writing experience. The community includes but is not limited to other writers, editors, publishers, and agents. Thank you Google Images! Let’s consider this in the light of other lines of work. If I were planning to open a restaurant, I could learn a great deal about the process from the internet. But I will learn what it takes to be successful by studying under someone who has already navigated the waters. I can seek a mentor or business partner. I can assemble a team to help me launch the business. The same is true for authors. We need those connections with other writers, editors, publishers, and agents to learn the ins and outs of the business side of writing. We also need those relationships to help us hone our craft. I’ve had editors ...