My Revision Process

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I think revising and editing are the hardest (and maybe the most important) part of the writing process. Here is what works for me.

  1. The First Draft - I write the first version, and I typically don’t edit during this stage. Depending on what’s going on, this takes me about two to three months.

  2. First Read Through - I print the book and do a complete read through. I look for spelling and grammatical issues and plotholes.

  3. Check the Chapters - I change the view in Word, so I can see a full page. I make sure the chapter lengths are reasonable (so one doesn’t have three pages and the next one has thirty-two pages). Then I read the last paragraph of each chapter. I want them to keep the reader reading past his/her bedtime. You don’t need to give a reader a convenient place to put a bookmark.

  4. Dialog Check - Read through all the dialogue to make sure you didn’t leave off any quotation marks. Are there any dialog tags that can removed? Are there any paragraphs that need dialog? Eliminate the chitchat and the boring.

  5. Search for the Overused Words - I keep a list of words that I use way too much. I search for each one to see if I can find a better way to say the same thing.

  6. What’s in a Name - I search for any names that I change during the writing process to make sure there are no traces of the old one still lingering. I also have multiple series. I do a search to make sure none of the protagonists accidently end up in another’s book.

  7. Continuity Issues - After each major revision session, I print a new copy. I do a read-through to make sure that things that are supposed to, stay the same. I keep a big spreadsheet for each series/book for a reference for hair color, eye color, preferences, type of car, etc. Look for places where your character does things out of order (like eating before ordering). Make sure names have consistent spellings throughout the entire manuscript.

  8. Read aloud - Read your manuscript out loud or have Word read it to you. You’ll hear words that are used incorrectly that you may not spot on the page.

  9. Spell Check - I check the spelling after every major revision.

    I usually read the manuscript at least six to eight times before it goes to my critique partner and critique group. Then it goes to my agent and editor for more revisions.

    What is your favorite part of the writing process?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Mary Dutta

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I’d like to welcome the amazing Mary Dutta to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you never want to run out of: coffee and half-and-half

Things you wish you’d never bought: The air fryer collecting dust in the closet

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting plot twists right

Easiest thing about being a writer: Brainstorming the start of a new story

A few of your favorite things: Mechanical pencils, yellow legal pads

Things you need to throw out: All the annual planners I never used

Favorite foods: Any variation on pork and potatoes

Things that make you want to gag: oysters

Something you’re really good at: Teaching

Something you’re really bad at: Directions

Favorite music or song: Anything I can sing along to

Music that drives you crazy: Anything electronic

Favorite smell: Lilacs

Something that makes you hold your nose: Roses

Things you always put in your books: Humor

Things you never put in your books: intense violence

Favorite books (or genre): Nowadays, mysteries. Back in the day, Victorian novels

Books you wouldn’t buy: Horror or anything graphically violent

Favorite things to do: Reading, cooking, hanging out with the people I love

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Camping (which I imagine includes running through a fire and eating bugs)

Best thing you’ve ever done: Having my kids

Biggest mistake: Waiting too long to start writing fiction

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Designed classes so I get to teach on cool things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: The novel that lives in a drawer

About Mary:

Mary Dutta is the winner of the New England Crime Bake Al Blanchard Award for her short story “The Wonderworker,” which appears in Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories. Her work can also be found in numerous anthologies including the Anthony-nominated Land of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives outside of Birmingham, Alabama (the Magic City) and teaches at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Visit her at marydutta.com and enjoy her blog at Writers Who Kill.

#WriterWednesday with CC Robinson

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I’d like to welcome CC Robinson to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee, tea, and Nerds gummies.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Polly Pockets (all those tiny parts end up everywhere!), my bookshelf dress (I’m such a nerd), and a four-pack of canned chickpeas that the food pantry won’t take.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Water, good lighting, and my epic movie soundtrack playlist on Spotify.

Things that hamper your writing: distractions (hello, ADHD), kids (see #1), and my cat Newt when he sits on my keyboard (also see #1).

Hardest thing about being a writer: finding the time and energy for marketing and social media because if readers don’t know your book exists, they won’t read it

Easiest thing about being a writer: writing the book

Things you always put in your books: courage and hope against impossible odds because we all need inspiration

Things you never put in your books: actual curse words

Things to say to an author: I read your book and left a review on Good Reads and Amazon

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: if I had written your latest release, I’d [insert anything here, it doesn’t matter, we’ve stopped listening because we wrote it, you didn’t]

Favorite places you’ve been: Cincinnati’s underground tunnels (the inspiration for Divided’s rebel movement, the Underground), Alaska, Sierra Leone, South Africa, US National Parks, and the Smokey Mountains

Places you never want to go to again: New York City – I’m sorry, I’m not a big city gal.

Favorite books (or genre): YA dystopian, post-apocalyptic, hard science fiction, mystery, select epic fantasy, and sweet romcom

Books you wouldn’t buy: anything with a spice level over 0 – I can’t stomach it.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Jesus, George Lucas, Malcolm Gladwell, and my female MC Rose Chen all at the same time. It’d be a great conversation, especially since Rose would pick apart everyone’s ideas like a girl-boss.

People you’d cancel dinner on: most politicians, but especially my fictional Supreme Commander Martin – think North Korea’s Dear Leader combined with a former gang banger

Favorite things to do: swimming, hiking, jeeping, reading, spending time with friends, and dancing

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: clothes shopping for myself

Best thing you’ve ever done: start a medical clinic in Sierra Leone after their civil war – I met the most amazing people and witnessed miracles in the face of impossible situations (no running water or electricity, no medical care except our clinic, and abject poverty)

Biggest mistake: wasting ten years of my life running away from my calling

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: stared down the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle in rebel-controlled Liberia - we got out alive after paying their tribute, which is a whole story

Something you chickened out from doing: again, clothes shopping for myself – I pay someone else to do it, that’s how much I hate it.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: my book club read your book and had the best discussion

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Divided reminded me of Fahrenheit 451 – really? That’s a classic and feels a little over-the-top but I’m humbled and amazed they thought it.

About CC:

CC Robinson has over two decades’ experience in cross-cultural settings as a medical doctor working in post-civil war nations and as an Associate Pastor at a multi-ethnic congregation led by an African-American man in Cincinnati, the setting for Divided. When she’s not throwing on her superhero cape to save her characters from their dystopian antics, CC enjoys hiking, gardening, dancing, swimming, and driving her jeep through the woods with her husband and three kids. Find her on most socials except Twitter / X as @ccrobinsonauthor. 

Let’s Be Social:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccrobinsonauthor?igsh=YnkzYWx5cWJ1aXdy&utm_source=qr

Titkok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ccrobinsonauthor?_t=8ofyObnJ4HP&_r=1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/dvHm5hULkk3CK77Q/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Website: https://ccrobinsonauthor.com

Organizing Your Website

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Whether you’re creating your author website or overhauling your current one, here are some things you may want to consider.

  • Determine what you want your visitors to see first.

  • Decide on the number of pages that you need for your content.

  • Figure out what you want on each page and where you want to put them. The easiest way to do this is to storyboard your pages. Sketch out your design on a whiteboard or a sheet of paper. It can be full of stick figures. This is a way to organize your thoughts and ideas.

  • Use the site-builder’s templates. There are lots of designs that are already created. You can use these or modify them to fit your style.

  • Use colors to match your branding. Figure out what you want to project and represent. Do you write dark thrillers or humorous cozies? Your colors and fonts should give your readers/visitors an idea of what to expect in your writing. To get ideas, look at other authors’ websites (in your genre).

  • After you build your website, make sure to check all links and forms that you have on your site.

  • Check your website on a variety of devices to see how it presents. Most web services will optimize your site for the device your visitor uses. It’s a good idea to make sure all the pictures and forms look correct. People who use a computer, will see a wider picture than those on a cell phone that tend to render websites in a tall format.

What would you add to my list?

#WriterWednesday with Don Sawyer

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I’d like to welcome Don Sawyer to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of:

Diet Dr Pepper, although my doctor tells me I should drink more water, so I guess water?

Things you wish you’d never bought:

Televisions. Life is too short.

A few of your favorite things:

Saxx underwear, a good imperial stout, any book by Ursula LeGuin, mixed nuts (no peanuts)

Things you need to throw out:

Half of my clothes and all of my university essays

Things you need for your writing sessions:

My computer, quiet space, inspiration, focus

Things that hamper your writing:

AC/DC (though I love them at other times), feeling unmotivated, time, fatigue

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Moving a reader toward identification with your characters and their conflicts when all you have to work with are clumsy, limited words. Sometimes it feels like trying to build a fine watch while wearing heavy work gloves.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Finding things to write about.

Note: both of these were provided by my eldest daughter, who knows me pretty well. (Though I did think she went a bit overboard with the second question!)

Words that describe you:

Focused, serious, principled, committed, caring, sensitive, persistent, passionate.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t:

Impatient, judgmental, obsessive, stressed, grouchy (only sometimes)

Favorite music or song:

Werewolves of London

Music that drives you crazy:

Anything that doesn’t have a beat and is easy to dance to.

Favorite beverage:

Toss up: Dr Pepper and a good stout (that complies with the Bavarian Beer Purity Law) Something that gives you a sour face:

Sour beer. They shouldn’t be allowed to call these things beer.

Something you’re really good at:

Socio-political analysis

Something you’re really bad at:

Making small talk

Last best thing you ate:

Fresh peach pie with whipped cream

Last thing you regret eating:

Too much peach pie with whipped cream

The last thing you ordered online:

David Samson’s book Our Tribal Future: How to Channel or Foundational Human Instincts Into a Force for Good

The last thing you regret buying:

Shoddy woodworking set for my grandsons

Things you’d walk a mile for:

A great English pub

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

A bar with Fox News on the ubiquitous TVs

Things you always put in your books:

Empathy, ethics, justice, passion, compassion, friendship

Things you never put in your books:

Overt eroticism

Favorite places you’ve been:

The Gambia, Ghana

Places you never want to go to again:

Florida

Favorite books (or genre):

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Left Hand of Darkness, The Poisonwood Bible

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Anything by Ayn Rand

Favorite things to do:

Explore human diversity through travel and interaction with other cultures

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

Attend a Trump rally

Best thing you’ve ever done:

Have kids

Biggest mistake:

Not having my OCD diagnosed earlier

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Riding on the back of a crocodile at the Paga Crocodile Pond in northern Ghana

Something you chickened out from doing:

Not a lot

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

(Letter from a student): I would like to acknowledge how much I really enjoyed your novel, Where the Rivers Meet. This novel was the first book I’ve ever read and actually finished.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I don’t think I’ve had many crazy comments. Some are naïve or reflect a lack of knowledge of writing and the writing process, but crazy? I can’t think of any really.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

Developing the West African Rural Development training materials for grassroots development workers and training a brilliant group of facilitators in both Ghana and The Gambia.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

Jamaica Climate Change Action Training for Youth. Ending of funding and change of government meant this promising program was never fully implemented.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

Watching an elderly Native Indian woman who could not pay for groceries be humiliated in a grocery store in Lytton, BC. That scene was incorporated in my YA novel Where the Rivers Meet.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

One of the main characters in Running loses his father in a hunting accident he blames himself for. The trauma affects him deeply. This was not me but based on the experience of one of my good friends, Bob Garrison.

About Don:

An educator and writer, I grew up in Michigan and came to Canada in the 1960s, where I more or less flunked out of a PhD program in Modern Chinese History. This turned out to be a blessing as it opened up a world of opportunity and experiences I never contemplated. From teaching in a small Newfoundland outport to training community workers in West Africa to teaching adults on a First Nations reserve in British Columbia to designing a climate change action course for Jamaican youth, I have worked with youth and adults from many cultural backgrounds and in a variety of locales.

Inevitably, these experiences have made their way into my writing. I have authored over 12 books, including two Canadian bestsellers: the YA novel Where the Rivers Meet (Pemmican) and the adult non-fiction Tomorrow Is School and I Am Sick to the Heart Thinking about It (Douglas and McIntyre). The first book in his Miss Flint series for children, The Meanest Teacher in the World (Thistledown) was translated into German by Carlsen (hardback) and Ravensburger. My articles and op-eds have appeared in many journals and most of Canada’s major dailies

I was never a very good boxer, but I continue to train in the ring and walk in the woods whenever my hips don’t hurt too much. I currently live in St Catharines, Ontario, with Jan Henig Sawyer, my very tolerant wife of 54 years.




What an Author Needs to Get Started

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It’s often difficult for authors to figure out where to start building their social media and internet presence. There is so much out there. It can be overwhelming. Here are the key things I think new authors need to have to get started.

Heather’s List

  • Professional Headshot – Selfies aren’t the quality you want for print and digital - This is one of the first investments I made in my writing career.

  • Your Biography – This should be written in third person. For your website, you may want to have a short one and a longer one that can be used when you do events and presentations.

  • A Short Description of Your Book/Work – Have a short summary of what your book is about. This could be as short as an elevator pitch or a couple of paragraphs long.

  • A URL and a Site to Host Your Website – You need a URL and a site to host your website. Try to get your name or penname if possible. The website is the hub of your author platform. You want readers to be able to find you.

  • A Newsletter/Email Marketing Service – You will need a hosting service to maintain your list of followers and to create and distribute your ne3wsletters. Many services are free, and others have fees based on the number of followers you have.

  • Book Cover Images – You will need clear images for your website and socials. If it’s the original (giant) file, you may want to think about reducing the size to make it more optimal for mobile users. Large files take a while to load.

Here are some other things you need to consider as you start creating your author presence.

  • Your Budget – Determine what your budget is for your website, tools, URL, and author photograph. Start small. You can always add on to what you’ve created.

  • Who Maintains Your Sites? – If you pay someone to maintain your website and socials, it can get expensive. I like the freedom of being able to update my site whenever I want without waiting for someone else to do it. Youtube and many of the hosting companies have tons of videos to show you how to create and maintain your site.

  • Your Tools – I invested in two subscriptions to help me create my graphics. You will need to include a visual with your posts on social media. There are lots of free and for a fee products out there. Do your research and check to see which ones you're most comfortable with using. I use Canva and BookBrush.

What would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Allison Brook/Marilyn Levinson

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I would like to welcome my friend and author, Allison Brook/Marilyn Levinson back to the blog.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Sudoku puzzles

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: clear off the desk next to my computer.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: my notebooks

Things that distract you from writing: one of the kitties nudging me because he wants food

Hardest thing about being a writer: sitting down to write each day

Easiest thing about being a writer: chatting with readers on Facebook

Favorite snacks: dark chocolate; chocolate gelato, honeyed walnuts (I make them)

Things that make you want to gag: cooked cereal

Something you’re really good at: knitting

Something you’re really bad at: using a sewing machine

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: ride a horse

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Have four publishers.

Last best thing you ate: steak

Last thing you regret eating: too much chocolate

Things to say to an author: I loved your last book.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I don't like your protagonist.

Favorite places you’ve been: South of France, England, Machu Picchu

Places you never want to go to again: An amusement park with wild rides. Those days are over.

Favorite things to do: dine out; go to the ballet; read a good book; take a river cruise

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: go camping --I'm not talking about your glamping, but I remember it raining and water coming into the tent.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Reread the last ten pages of your Work in Progress and see where you veered off the track.

Things you do to avoid writing: Where shall I begin? Check my e-mails; take care of all non-essential writer-ly chores; visit Facebook; see how my books are doing on Amazon; on Barnes & Noble; feed the cats.

About Allison:

I was a bookworm from the moment I learned how to read. I devoured Nancy Drews, Judy Boltons, and Trixie Beldons – sometimes two books in one day. Was it any wonder I ended up writing mysteries?

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher.

Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.

A writer is a writer forever. We may have more than our share of disappointments, but the rewards are many – knowing you bring joy to readers; sharing the camaraderie and support of your fellow scribes. Writing is a way of life, one I wouldn’t relinquish for anything.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.marilynlevinson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10

Twitter/X: https://x.com/marilynlevinson

#WriterWednesday with Teresa Inge

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I would like to welcome my friend, Teresa Inge, back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Watch TCM classic movies. I love black and white films and mysteries.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Folding laundry.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Depending on the day, sweet tea or Rose’ wine and my laptop.

Things that distract you from writing: People talking.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Finding the time to write.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Signing books and meeting mystery book lovers.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: A Turtlebox. It’s the ultimate outdoor, waterproof, hi-fidelity speaker!

The thing you wished you’d never bought. Too many clothes.

Favorite snacks: Stacy’s Bagel Chips.

Things that make you want to gag: Not much. I like most anything.

Favorite places you’ve been: The Outerbanks in North Carolina. It’s my favorite place on earth.

Places you never want to go to again: I love to travel almost anywhere.

Favorite things to do: Show my award winning, 1955 Thunderbird at car shows, attend book signings for my books, and drink sweet tea.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Did I mention that I do not like to fold laundry?

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Buy a classic hot rod car. I love it!

Something you chickened out from doing: Parasailing. They put the vest on me, and I couldn’t do it.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Meeting readers and fans of my books.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start my novel earlier.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That they had circled my name on the book festival brochure and was looking forward to meeting me.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: They don’t read much.

Best piece of advice you received from another writer: My friend, Judi McCoy, a romance and mystery writer, asked me who my reading audience was, and I didn’t know as a new author. She said to always know my audience. Judi passed away several years ago and I miss her and the advice she gave me.

Something you would tell a younger you about your writing: Join a writer’s group, network, and continue to develop your writing craft.

About Teresa:

TERESA INGE grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Short Mystery Fiction Society, Virginia Writer’s Club, and Hampton Roads Writers. Teresa is an author in over a dozen anthologies including Virginia is for Mysteries, Mutt Mysteries, Coastal Crimes, and Promophobia, an Agatha award-winning collection. When not writing, Teresa can be found showing her 1955 Thunderbird at car shows. She can be reached on social media and her website www.teresainge.com

 Let’s Be Social:

Website and Blog: http://www.teresainge.com

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/@teresainge7

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresa.h.inge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresa.h.inge/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/teresainge

Amazon Authors: https://www.amazon.com/Teresa-Inge/e/B06XGZ7RTG

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/teresainge7/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-inge-cap-07687820/

BookBub: https://www.blurb.com/user/teresainge?profile_preview=true

AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/teresaingeauthor/