I’m about to start the final edit of my very messy manuscript of Blood of the Innocents, the fifth NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli Mystery. The editing of this book has been painful and I’ve spent some time thinking about how I could simplify writing and editing the next book in the series. Here are my thoughts.
My Process is the Problem
As a pantser, I’m committed to sitting down in front of a blank screen without any planning whatsoever and letting my subconscious lead the way to what is known as the “shitty” first draft. The goal of this draft is to capture the full story. And I do. But my subconscious likes to meander and enjoys side trips that are not necessary to the story. The result is that it takes many drafts just to eliminate the unnecessary and shape the story and then other drafts to rewrite the prose until I have a publishable manuscript.
I need to be more intentional.
But actually I’m already semi intentional.
Having defined being a “Pantser” as the problem, I concluded that I was not writing with intentionality. However, when I thought about my whole process, I realized that iin some ways, I do write with intentionality.
For example, over the last several Corelli books I’ve found it helpful to come up with the title and write the jacket copy as early as I can, usually around a quarter to a third of the way into the first draft. And those two things keep me focused on what I want to write and where I would like to go with the story. But so far, my subconscious hasn’t paid much attention to those guidelines.
The other place I write with intentionality is in the later drafts. I’m focused on the prose and I select specific words that communicate exactly what I mean and replace words that are wishy washy. I then use those words to write sentences and paragraphs that express my what I intend to say. Of course with manuscripts that are usually around one hundred thousand words, I’m not always successful choosing the exact word but the intent is there.
Here’s What I Need to Change
So the place where I’m not writing with intentionality is the place that will most support an easier process—writing the first draft. And to be intentional in writing that first draft I believe I must think about the story I want to write before I start writing. It means making notes about the various aspects of a complicated mystery. Things like:
- In what context does the crime occur? I’ve used sex trafficking, dysfunctional families, greed, white nationalism in previous books.
- Who is the victim?
- Who are the suspects? What is their relationship to the victim?
- What conflict will Corelli and Parker deal with?
- What family and personal issues will Corelli and Parker face?
I won’t try to define the suspect’s secrets or the killer in advance. For me, the secrets often lead to the killer, and I’ve found that when I don’t know the killer until Corelli and Parker figure it out, neither do the readers. I also won’t worry about clues in advance since they come out of the crime and the characters.
I’m not talking about outlining. The level of intentionality I’m striving for still leaves a great deal for my subconscious to work out so it’s not quite pantser, not quite planner. Up to now, I’ve been unable to do even this minimal level of planning for any of my five NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mysteries, but I fully intend to be more intentional: to use the time before I start the next book to jot down ideas and random thoughts.
So, you probably already know and do this without thinking about it. But it feels revolutionary to me.
Authors do you have any tips for me?
Catherine Maiorisi
In addition to publishing multiple mystery and romance short stories in various anthologies, Catherine has authored four romances novels. Her latest book, The Disappearance of Lindy James, was awarded a GOLDIE for Best General Fiction.
It’s so interesting to learn about your writing process, Catherine! That’s a great idea to write the jacket copy early on so you have a big-picture sense of where you’re headed. I’m somewhere between a plotter and a pantser; however, I still struggle with the complex mechanics of the mystery itself. For me, it’s hard to know if I’m developing the villain’s character enough and leaving adequate clues without making the villain too obvious to readers. My drafts require a lot of revision as I go through the process of working that out, so I’ll be eager to read others’ suggestions.
Kate, I try to think of all the suspects as the killer so that the actual killer who I don’t know until toward the end of the first draft doesn’t stand out.
The question of process in writing is always an interesting topic. I really like the way you’re thinking through your own process, Catherine.
Struggling with it, is a more apt description, Connie.
This gave me a lot to think about. Three books ago, I gave up my traditional pantsing and began creating 4-5 page single-spaced outlines of my plots, including all the stuff that happened before the book opens. (I even include a line, “Book begins here,” as a demarcation.) However, I try to leave 20% unplotted, and your comments are a good reminder to me to leave room for “side trips,” some of which can be useful. Thanks for the blog!
Andrew, I have been unable, up to this point, to create an outline of a book I’m about to write. I’m hoping my new process is a step in the right direction. Thanks for commenting.
Catherine, I’m in awe of you trusting you’ll figure it out! I start with the end: who is killed and why, and whodunnit. Then start the story to get there. It’s my safety net. ..
Your way sounds better, Marni. Maybe next time.
I also write the back cover blurb early on. It keeps me on track.
It definitely helps me.
This time around, I started by writing my entire synopsis first. Then an outline. Then I wrote the draft and basically threw out the outline. I wrote entire chapters to a prompt, not knowing where anything was going to go, and discovered that things magically went into the correct direction. I think your subconscious really does know what to do. The best thing about writing so loosely to an idea rather than to an outline is that if you find that a chapter you think you need to write is boring, you throw it out and write something that excites you instead.