Where Do You Write?

I can write just about anywhere. I’m a plotter, so I do a pretty detailed outline of each mystery before I start the first draft. When I’m in first draft mode, I usually write at my desk. I have daily writing goals that help me stay on track. By having an outline, I can usually put down the manuscript and pick it back up without having to spend hours trying to get back to where I was. I also compose at the keyboard. It wasn’t productive to handwrite pages and then retype them.

I like to write at my desk. My monitor faces the woods, so I can watch the sunrise, squirrels, hawks, and other birds in the woods. I usually revise/edit/proofread on hard copies. I print out the chapters, and I can take them anywhere. My favorite spots are my sunroom and my deck on a warm day.

I need to have plenty of chocolate and caffeine when I’m in writing mode. And music. I always have some kind of music streaming in the background. It’s usually instrumental, jazz, or one of the calming stations when I’m writing. I like rock and the faster stuff when I’m editing. Music is fine when I’m writing. I just can’t have a TV on anywhere nearby. I also had to buy a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for the days the neighbor’s lawn service breaks out the leaf blowers.

What are your must-haves for your writing sessions? Do you have a specific habit or ritual to get you in writing mode?

What's in a Name? The Importance of Character Names

I’m often asked where I get the names of characters. How do you come up with all the character names and keep them straight? They come from all over. I am constantly jotting down interesting names. I want my characters’ names to reflect something about his or her personality. Here are some things that I look for when I’m choosing a name.

• Know the name’s meaning. You want to associate it with some trait your character has. Is it a family name or something that was popular during that generation?

• I use the SSN baby name lists by year to give me ideas of what was popular when my characters were “born.”

• Avoid having multiple character names that start with the same letter. The fabulous Kathy Mix gave me this advice this early on in my career. She said it’s often confusing for readers. She would always make a list, and when she used a name, she’d cross off that letter.

• Avoid having multiple names that sound similar (e.g. Christy, Kristi, Chris). This is often another point of confusion for readers.

• You want a character name that is pronounceable. I was going to name a main character Veronica, and she was going to go by Roni. (Rah-ni was the way I heard it in my head.) The gals in my critique group kept calling her Row-knee, so I ended up renaming her. It was too much to explain.

• Create a character list (especially if you write a series). I have a giant spreadsheet for each series with all the facts about the repeat characters. It also helps me not to use the same name over and over for minor characters.

• I usually don’t name characters for real people, and if I do, I’ll tell you who and why in the acknowledgments. Though I have been known to name minor characters after famous people in popular and literary culture.

My first traditionally published mystery was a short story in a Sisters in Crime anthology. Years later, a lady came up to me at a book signing and told me that her husband had the same name as one of the main characters in “Washed up.” That was fun.

What would you add to my list about naming your characters?

When Was the Last Time You Paid Your Website Some Attention?

I hope your 2025 writing journey is going well! As you’re planning your writing and book marketing tasks, don’t forget about your website.

• Make sure your author photo is current.

• Check your biography. Is it current?

• Are all of your books listed?

• Review the content on your pages. Check all links to make sure everything is functioning correctly.

• Add or update your event calendar.

• With all the changes and new platforms in the social media world, are your links current?

• Could your site use some sprucing up? Think about changing your colors, adding an author logo, or adding recent pictures of your book events. Do your colors and fonts match your style of writing?

• Look at your analytics page. Do you have pages on your site that no one visits (and you don’t update)? Is it time to retire them?

• Has your blog been ignored or abandoned? Is it time to think about reviving it? This is an easy way to ensure regular traffic to your website. It also gives you links to share on your social media sites.

• Is anything missing from your website? I teach a lot of classes and workshops, and someone mentioned that I should list my specialties. I created a new page and added a contact link.

What would you add to my list?

Proofread, And Then Do It Again

I can read a manuscript ten times and still miss some pesky typos. Here are some tips that have helped me with proofreading.

READ RIGHT TO LEFT

Start at the bottom of the page and read each word right to left. This takes the word out of context and allows you to focus. This is tedious, especially for a whole book, but help you see each word and not the sentences and paragraphs around it.

WHERE AND WHEN

Try to find a quiet place away from distractions. Try not to proofread for more than two hours at a time. Get up and walk around or take a stretch break.

HOW MUCH

You are going to read and revise your manuscript multiple times. Try to schedule some down time between revisions. Work on other projects. The time away helps you focus when you return

PAPER VS. ELECTRONIC

Proofread a paper version of the text. It is difficult to catch mistakes on a computer screen.

TOOLS

Do not rely solely on the spelling or grammar checker. These help, but they’re not always correct. Many word processing applications have a “read aloud” feature. This helps you to hear misused words that a spell checker wouldn’t catch.

FIND A PARTNER

Find a partner or a critique group to read your manuscript and provide feedback. Another set of eyes can always spot typos and mistakes that the writer misses.

What else would you add to my list?

All the Stuff I Didn't Know Writers Had to Do...

When I dreamed of being a published writer, I had no idea how much work was going to be involved. I was going to write books, do book signings, and spend my royalties. It wasn’t until that first contract arrived that I realized I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

Even if you have a publisher with a team to support you, there are still marketing and other tasks that you’re expected to do to promote your work.

Here are some of the things that turned my little hobby into a second job. What would you add to my list?

• Be prepared. You will read your manuscript more times than you’ll ever want to count to look for plotholes, typos, inconsistencies and areas to improve.

• Find a critique group or partner to give you feedback on your manuscript.

• Build and maintain a website and your social media presence.

• Schedule events.

• Organize your writing and promotional calendars.

• Network with booksellers, librarians, book clubs, reviewers, and podcasters.

• Network with other writers.

• Learn how to ask for blurbs. Write blurbs for others.

• Create a newsletter.

• Build a newsletter list of followers.

• Write a blog. Write content for your socials. Write content for your newsletter.

• Write guest blogs and do interviews.

• Prepare for interviews and speaking engagements.

• Create a street team of super fans.

• Learn how to use a variety of different software for book stuff.

• Be social on multiple social media sites and build your following.

• Get all the tax, sales tax, and business stuff straightened out.

• Add information to your will to take care of the business of your books.

What are Your Overused or Crutch Words

I know that I overuse certain words when I write, but it happens anyway. I don’t find them until the revisions, and then I’m shocked that I did it again. I finally made a list of the worst offenders that my critique group and editors have noticed over the years. Now during the early edits, I do a search and replace to get rid of the nasty critters.

Here’s my list:

• A lot

• Come on

• Definitely

• Few

• Going to

• Good

• Grabbed

• Hopefully

• Just

• Last

• Lately

• Little Dog

• More

• Only

• Other

• Out of the

• Probably

• Really

• Several

• Slightly

• Still

• Sure

• That

• Very

If you find that you have repeat words, make your list. If you weed out the duplicates during the editing stages, it will help make your writing stronger. (And you’ll be surprised how many times you use some of them.)

Tips for Writing Faster

It took me close to five years to complete my first book and another two to three years to get it published. I decided that if I wanted to write professionally, I needed to find ways to speed up my timeline. There is no one right way to write a book. Here is what worked for me.

Planning and Organizing:

I write mysteries, so I like to have the story outline and the crimes plotted out before I start writing. This also helps me later when I need to write the book’s synopsis. I also find that if I have enough of an outline, then I don’t end up writing myself into a corner that I can’t get out of or ending up in a spot where I am not sure what happens next. My outlines aren’t usually very formal. There are several paragraph of what happens in each chapter. I color code the romance, clues, and humor in each section to make sure that they are spread throughout the book.

Establishing a Daily Word Count

I like to have a daily word count that I track to keep myself on schedule. I still have a day gig, so I try to write 1,000 a day on workdays and 3,000 on weekends or holidays. If I know I have a scheduling conflict, I try to write extra to compensate for a skip day. I have found that if I stick to this, I can have a rough first draft in two to three months. When determining a word count, you need to keep in mind your writing style and life schedule.

Writing the First Draft

When I start writing, I just write. I don’t spend time rewriting paragraphs or chapters. My goal is to complete the first, rough draft. If I hit a spot that needs some research, I make a note and highlight it. I’ll go back and do all the research at one time.

Mary Burton calls this her “sloppy copy.” She’s right. It’s not ready for others to read, but by the time you finish, you have a completed first draft. Then I start the revising. To me, revising is harder than actually writing the book.

Revising and Reworking

This stage takes me another 2-3 months. I print out a copy of the manuscript and read it through, making any edits. I check for inconsistencies, plot holes, and story lines that aren’t wrapped up by the end. I will do this five to seven times. I’m looking for different items such as over-used words, typos, consistencies in spelling, continuity issues in the story, etc.

When I think it’s ready, I send it to my critique partners and my critique group for their feedback. Then I make the edits and do one last read through to check for those pesky typos. Then it’s ready for my agent. (More revisions come after my agent and editors review it.)

This is the process that works for me, and I’m able to complete multiple books in a year. Try out my tips. If they don’t work for you, try another technique. You need to find what works for your style and schedule.

Who's Your Audience?

Who is your reader? When I ask new authors that, many says that it’s “everyone who reads.” Not quite. You need to determine who is reading your books or who would be interested in reading what you write. Here are some things you can do:

• Look at your social media analytics. Many offer information on your audience’s demographics (e.g. age, country of origin, gender, etc.). This helps you see who is paying attention to your posts.

• Look at your website’s analytics. This tells you who is visiting your site and when. Many of the dashboards show detailed information about your audience.

• Make a list of several authors who have books that are similar to yours. Look on major book seller sites and skim the reviews. What can you glean from those who have read these books?

• Find Facebook sites or groups for your genre. Look at the members or the “top fans” of the page. Who is commenting the most about your style of writing? I write cozy mysteries, so I look for groups, sites, and book reviewers/bloggers who specialize in my genre.

• When you create posts or ads for your books, make sure that you target your readers. Think about what appeals to that demographic. Do they prefer content, lots of pictures, videos?

• Build your social media platform on sites where your readers are. Search for social media platform demographics online. There are lots of articles that define all kinds of statistics about who is using what site. This gives you an idea where to focus more of your promotion time.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to narrow down your readers. It takes a little work, and as you build your website and social media audiences, you’ll have more data on your analytics pages.