My Writing Process and (hopefully) Some Helpful Tips!

My Writing Process and (hopefully) Some Helpful Tips!

A Guest Post by Karen Rose

Hi all – I hope you are safe and well.  I have a new book coming out on August 11!  SAY NO MORE is the second book in the Sacramento series and the sequel to SAY YOU’RE SORRY (February, 2019).

I’m often asked about my writing process.  I do have a process!  It’s a little messy at times, but this is what works for me. 

Process:

1)    I start with an outline.  That’s the hardest part for me!  There are so many directions a story can take.  It’s like a long hallway with too many doors.  What if I pick the wrong one?  I still fret over this, but to a much lesser extent since I started “backing into the outline.” I start with the character profiles in a bullet-point format, specifically the hero, heroine, and the villain.  Who are they? Where are they from?  Who surrounds them—family, friends, and colleagues?  What is their backstory?  Then I begin to write about how they relate to each other in the story, and before I know it, I have an outline.  It’s a little sneaky, but keeps my fear of the blank screen and blinking cursor at bay.

2)    I give myself permission to divert from the outline, which is really more of a guide. I learn more about my characters as I go, and sometimes when I think they’ll zig left, they end up zagging right.  It’s part of the joy of writing—the organic nature of plot progression.  I love it when something happens that is a total surprise or when plot points fall together in a way that I hadn’t anticipated.  That moment of “Oh! That makes sense now!” is my favorite part of the process.

3)    I always know who the killer is, so there is a fixed end point.  Inevitably, I wander far enough from the outline that I have to stop and develop the path back to that end point.  I used to panic the first few times this happened, but my husband would always remind me that this had happened before.  Now, I grab a pack of Post-it notes and start at the end with “The villain is defeated.”  Then I ask, “What has to happen first so that this can happen?” I write it down, step-by-step, working backward until I get back to the point where I got stuck.  Then I put the Post-its in order and finish the book.

4)    Sometimes I screech to a halt because my character has done something that doesn’t make sense in the context of the story.  There are two choices at this point: a) scrap the scenes that don’t fit and rewrite (I don’t care for this option!) or b) ask “What would make it make sense?”  I like the latter much better because many of my best plot twists have emerged from what appeared to be an impasse.

5)    I don’t have a set schedule when I write.  I wish that I did!  Instead, I get into a groove and write until the book is done.  When I first got started, I’d write for twenty hours at a stretch—or more.  This was because I taught school at the time and tried to write my books during my summers off.  This obviously isn’t healthy, so I now force myself to sleep every night. (A novel concept, I know).  It helps a lot that I now write full time and have the privilege of clearing my calendar so that I can focus solely on the book. 

6)    When the book is about 2/3 complete, I send it to my Beta reader.  She has an excellent eye for detail and catches any issues in time for me to fix them before the plot can careen in an irreparable direction.  This is very important for thrillers as there are so many details—in the crime itself and in the killer’s motivations—that, if forgotten or changed, can risk the structural integrity of the book.  This is especially true for a series with an overarching plot, in which seemingly insignificant details dropped in book one can have serious implications in the final book.  Example: In DIE FOR ME (2007), I dropped a very small throwaway detail on the gray eye color of a secondary character.  That secondary character became the main character of book three.  When I began writing her book, I realized her eye color didn’t make sense in the context of the series I’d built and the direction I’d planned to go.  I panicked for a moment, then wondered what would make it make sense.  When I figured that out, it became the major plot twist of book three. 

7)    I don’t write in chapters.  I write the whole book, then go back and start a new chapter every twenty pages or so.  I’ve always heard that each chapter should end on a hook, but I believe that, in a thriller, every scene needs to end on a hook.  So, for the most part, it doesn’t really matter where the chapters end.

8)    When the book is done, I sleep for a week!

Tips:

1)    Start your proposal with your characters—they are the most important element.  Characters’ motivations and personality traits will drive their actions, driving your plot in a way that is believable and real.

2)    If a scene doesn’t “feel right,” consider writing it from the point of view of another character.  Trust your intuition because much of your book may be percolating in your subconscious.

3)    If you hit a point where your characters do something that doesn’t make sense, ask what would make it make sense before you unravel your manuscript.  Many times your subconscious knows things that it hasn’t yet revealed, especially when writing a thriller.

4)    Consider utilizing a Beta reader to help you keep your details straight.

5)    If you plan to write a series, keep detailed notes of each character and their profile.  As you write each book, refer back to those notes to ensure your characters behave consistently throughout.

6)    Keep in mind that every scene needs to advance the plot and, importantly, every scene should compel the reader to want to read “just one more page.”  This may mean cutting fun scenes or dialog that, while engaging, slows the pace.  Be brutal!

7)    Having said #6, it’s important to include lighter scenes or moments.  If every single scene is nothing but death and murder, the reader will become overwhelmed.  A lighter scene, a family dynamic, or a comedic character can provide the reader with a chance to breathe.  It also makes the next suspenseful scene even more impactful.

8)    These are all guidelines.  Nothing is written in stone.  Find what works for you!

My Writing Process and (hopefully) Some Helpful Tips!

A Guest Post by Karen Rose

Internationally bestselling author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn't concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”

My Writing Process and (hopefully) Some Helpful Tips!

A Guest Post by Karen Rose