with Harvey Chute
We are delighted to welcome young adult mystery author Harvey Chute to Omnimystery News, courtesy of Red Adept Publishing, which is coordinating his current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find his schedule here. Red Adept Publishing is also giving our readers a chance to win one of several great prizes; details and entry form, below.
Harvey's new book is Stone & Silt (Red Adept Publishing; August 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats) and today he tells us the "10 Things I Learned from Writing My First Mystery Novel".
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Photo provided courtesy of
Harvey Chute
I recently completed my first novel, a historical mystery. In writing it I probably made every rookie novel-writing mistake out there. Thanks to some great advice and skilled editors, I'm pleased with the results. Here are ten quick things I learned in writing my first mystery.
10. Don't fret too much about your "approach." As a new author, I spent too much time strategizing about my writing. Would I be a "pantser" (write by the seat of my pants) or a "plotter" (outline the heck out of my novel before starting the first draft)?
I've learned there's no right or wrong way. Just get started and adjust as you go.
For me, what worked best was to outline chapters and major scenes at a high level. Using the old-school approach, I laid out 3x5" cards on the floor, then re-sequenced and added scenes where needed.
I wonder if many mystery writers tend to be "plotters." After all, we're laying out a puzzle, perhaps an intricate one, and many pieces need to come together in a satisfying way at the end. But I don't have any hard evidence of that, and I'm sure it varies widely from author to another. Don't over-analyze what's right for you. Just plot a bit, start writing, and adjust as you go.
9. Write crappy first drafts. I'm paraphrasing Ann Lamott, and many other authors, with this advice. And it's perhaps the hardest advice to follow.
We're used to reading great books, and we beat ourselves up when eloquent prose fails to flow through our fingertips. We easily forget that a finished book has already gone through layers of editing and improvements. The way to craft an unforgettable scene is to push through your first clumsy attempt at it, and refine from there.
8. Keep the reins loose. At some point in writing my first draft, something wonderful happened. My story came to life; the characters began to inhale and exhale on their own. Settings and situations revealed themselves in ways I couldn't have imagined at the outset.
It's magic when this happens. I had to learn to let the story take the lead in those moments.
7. Find your muse. Some days I just didn't feel like writing. Either I'd be momentarily uninspired, or stuck with some challenge in the plot. I found out that my best "muse" was to go walking with my dog in the woods. I'd bring my iPhone, and pull out the voice recorder to capture thoughts as they occurred to me.
6. Reach out. Writing can be a lonely activity. I gained a lot of great advice, and inspiration to persevere, from online author forums. Of course, my favorite forum is the one I started: KBoards.com, which has an active Writer's Cafe. But there are others, and I think being involved with them is helpful. Beware the downside, though: they can be YADFYW (yet another distraction from your writing).
5. No short-cuts. One of the best gems of advice I received: you can use coincidences to get your protagonist into trouble, but never use a coincidence to get them out of trouble. That's too easy, and a reader will see right through it.
4. Add intrigue. In your story, don't let the answers come too easily. Every answer should open up more questions.
3. Kill your darlings. If the only victims who die in your mystery are people no one cares about … you're missing an opportunity to engage your reader. I made a conscious decision to have someone close to my protagonist die, and the story improved as a result.
2. Go pro. Finished your first draft? Get it professionally edited. You will learn much about writing from this. It was one of the best decisions I made. There are small-shop editors out there who do excellent work. Check out references, and contact authors who have used the services.
1. Enjoy the ride. For me and for many, completing a first novel is a long-held dream. Enjoy it! I plan to write more novels … but I imagine there will be few writing experiences so satisfying as typing out T H E E N D on the last page of my first novel.
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Harvey Chute grew up and spent his teenage summers guiding whitewater raft trips on the Thompson and Fraser rivers in British Columbia. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where his elective studies included the history of B.C. and of western Canada.
Harvey works as a program manager for an IT consulting firm. He is also the founder of KBoards.com, the web's largest independent Kindle user forum.
Harvey lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife, three daughters, a lovable golden retriever, and a stern cat. He enjoys walking mountain trails, learning blues guitar, and being surrounded by great books.
For more information about the author, visit his website/blog.
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Stone & Silt
Harvey Chute
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