Gail Bowen: The Craft of Character Driven Mystery

Please note the change of time for Mystery Writers Ink Meeting on
Thursday, November 18. We will be meeting at 5:30 instead of our usual time of 7:30.

We are pleased to welcome Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn Mysteries, for a presentation on The Craft of Character Driven Mystery. Gail will be available before the meeting to sign copies of her books.

About Gail Bowen

Gail Bowen is the current writer in residence at the Calgary Public Library. Her latest novel, The Nesting Dolls, was released August 17, 2010. The first six books in the Joanne Kilbourn series were made into television movies. A Colder Kind of Death, released in 1994, was the winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award. In 2008, Reader's Digest named Gail as Canada's Best Mystery Novelist.

 

!!! NOTE November Meeting DATE CHANGE !!!

***Thursday, November 18: Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn Mysteries***

Gail will be speaking on the craft of character-driven mystery.

Note November TIME change: runs 5:30 - 7 p.m.

instead of the usual 7-9 pm.

Finger foods will be provided.

Writing Isn’t a Wholly Solitary Endeavour

There is a misconception that writing is a solitary activity. insofar as the first steps of the process are concerned, it is. The first draft and rewrites can only be done by the writer. But check out the thank you or acknowledgement pages of any published book. It lists writing groups, friends, family, editors, research contacts, mentors - in short, it's a community of support and resources which helped the author create a publishable book.

Support systems are integral to our success. Good writing groups provide the diverse range of knowledge and skill. Fellow writers inspire us. They challenge us to perfection. They help us perfect our craft. From them, we learn about the business of writing - writing the synopsis and cover letter, how to approach publishers and agents, which ones to contact, etc.

I love Mystery Writers Ink and other writing groups I belong to. The best ones, like MWI, provide awesome speakers and resources to augment my mystery writing needs while another is an awesome critiquing group. Going to meetings with great guest speakers like homicide detectives or successful mystery writers saves me hours of research and allows me to spend more time writing.

Every good writing group has members who help each other by giving advice on craft and genre. Most importantly, we need to be with like-minded people - those who understand the writing life with its successes or the struggles and crazy times. These are the people who celebrate with us when the first draft is complete. They share our angst as we rewrite and perfect the manuscript. They commiserate with us through the rejections. Then, they party with us when the manuscript becomes a published book.

The support we receive, we must give back. That is the nature of the writing life and I find that most successful writers do that. We are there for each other. So, look at the writing group you belong to. Does it feed your need for expert knowledge on craft and genre? Does it inspire and encourage you? Then, ask yourself, how can I do for this group? Writing groups succeed because of dedicated volunteers. But, those volunteers can only do so much without jeopardising their own writing. The old adage, many hands make light work, seems trite but it's true. If we all do a little, we all get a lot back.

So remember, successful authors have a community of support around them ......

Ann Cooney

Getting the Most out of your Critique Group

Getting the Most out of your Critique Group
By Vicki Delany

Oct. 2010

Whenever I'm asked by aspiring or beginning writers for some advice on getting published, I always say the most important thing is to be sure that you have someone else read and critique your work before you consider it finished. Not only do you want to make sure your manuscript is as free of spelling and grammar and punctuation errors as possible (and this is very important) you need another set of eyes to spot potential problems.

It's simply not possible to edit your own work. By the time you've revised it for the tenth time, you're no longer seeing what's on the page, but what you THINK is on the page. The author is a poor judge of use of motivation - YOU the author know why your character is acting in such a way, but have you explained it to the reader? Same for backstory. YOU know the backstory, but have you sufficiently explained what led up to these events, or alternately have you so flooded the book with unnecessary detail it's slowing down the plot?

One of the best and most reliable ways to get good, productive, useful criticism on your work is to join a critique group.

Be careful when setting up or joining a critique group. You don't want anyone who's nasty or mean or jealous of better writers. All criticism should be offered with the intent of making the work BETTER not running it and the author down.

I'd advise against joining an online critique group. If you don't know them personally, how can you trust their advice? Bad critiquing is potentially very dangerous.

Here are some general guidelines for what works as I see it:

The group members should be on the same level more or less. If you're a serious writer with the intent of seriously producing a book (or short stories) and sending it out for publication, then you want to be joined with others of like mind.

Each member of your group should have some understanding of the basic concepts of creative writing (unless you are all rank amateurs starting out together, and then you might need an instructor). Your time's important: you don't want to have to explain how to use tense properly or what it means to show not tell.

Do not join a group with writers whose work you don't respect. If you think that so-and-so can't write a word worth a darn do you want her giving you advice on your writing?

Don't defend your work to the group. It's all right to explain "that will come later", but if you have to defend the story, it isn't standing up on its own. You won't be able to discuss what you really meant with your readers. I know of groups in which it's a rule that the person being critiqued isn't allowed to speak.

Don't waste everyone's time on work that you haven't done to the best of your ability. If you're experimenting, trying to find out if something works, that's fine. Perhaps explain right up that you're not sure about this and looking for input.

Your job is not to rewrite anyone else's work. First of all it's patronizing, but do you really want parts of your book to have been written by someone else? Make suggestions, yes. Suggest a change of words, or rephrasing. But rewriting? No.

A critique group is about give and take. You need to be committed to your group to the best of your time and ability. Are you yourself able to give constructive criticism? Do you know why something works in a book or doesn't? Can you explain your thoughts?

Every member of your group must be prepared to critique every other member's work. If you end up with someone who sends chapters to every meeting, but doesn't seem to have the time to read anyone else's, ask her or him to leave. (Having said that, of course, cut them a bit of slack once in a while.)

If you write faster than your group can read, select what you think needs work. Don't let your ego take over and find yourself giving what you think is the best of your work to your group. They are there to criticise, not to praise.

When you're looking for a group, or thinking of forming one, think about what suits your style best. There are many, many different types of groups, the only rule is: join one!

With a nod and thanks to the members of my critique group: Dorothy McIntosh, Jane Burfield, Madeleine Harris-Callway, Donna Carrick, Cheryl Freedman.

Vicki's newest book, NEGATIVE IMAGE, was published by Poisoned Pen Press in November 2010. If you'd like to read the first two chapters, please go to: www.vickidelany.com. Most of Vicki's books are available in Kindle and other electronic formats as well as hardcover and trade paperback, large print and audio. Vicki blogs about the writing life at One Woman Crime Wave

Bloody Words 2011 - Cool Canadian Crimes Coming!

BLOODY WORDS PROGRESS REPORT #1

REGISTER NOW!

Registration for Bloody Words 2011 has already reached almost half of our available space, so REGISTER NOW at www.bloodywords2011.com.

Published authors must register no later than March 1 to be considered for a spot on the program. As soon as you have registered, please send a bio between 50-100 words and a black and white head shot to publication@bloodywords2011.com (Pam, at that email, will have the information on size of digital photo to send)

NEW HOTEL RATE!

Hotel Grand Pacific has lowered its Bloody Words conference rate to $179 per night, single or double, plus tax. The rate is good for 3 days before and 3 days after the conference. Only a small block of rooms is reserved. Book early to guarantee your stay at this award-winning hotel on Victoria's Inner Harbour. Don't forget to mention Bloody Words when you make your reservation.

COME EARLY FOR THE ARTHUR ELLIS AWARDS BANQUET!

Join the excitement as the winners of the 2011 Arthur Ellis Awards are announced on Thursday, June 2. The banquet will be held at the Hotel Grand Pacific-another great reason to book early.

THIS IS NOT THE BLOODY WORDS BANQUET; THAT ONE IS SATURDAY NIGHT And IS INCLUDED WITH YOUR REGISTRATION FEE.

For information about the Arthur Ellis Awards Banquet, consult the Crime Writers of Canada website: www.crimewriterscanada.com.

For banquet tickets, email arthur_ellis_banquet@crimewriterscanada.com

FRIDAY LATE NIGHT SPECIAL EVENT!

Another good reason to come early-get your beauty rest on Thursday night so you can stay up for our spine-tingling Friday Late Night Special Event:

MICHAEL SLADE'S SHOCK THEATRE AND GHOST WALK will present a blood-chilling 1940s radio play to put you in the mood for a Ghost Walk to - and reading at - some of Victoria's notorious haunted sites. In the past, SLADE'S SHOCK THEATRE has featured such players as Anne Perry, Diana Gabaldon, Jack Whyte, and Robert McCammon. At Bloody Words, there will be new famous players. Slade's last Ghost Walk was to Poe's Grave in Baltimore at midnight on Friday the 13th for a reading of "THE TELL-TALE HEART" and "THE MONKEY'S PAW." Poe's Graveyard was unlocked twice in the past for midnight events by Vincent Price and Robert (PSYCHO) Bloch. With luck, Bloody Words' Ghouls will conjure its Ghost of Honour - Amor de Cosmos - from beyond the grave.

Plotting for Research and Plotting from Research

Ink was fortunate to have award-winning author Donna Fletcher Crow as our guest speaker on October 14, 2010. Donna's writing career spans 3 decades and covers an impressive range of literary styles from 'Choose Your Adventure' tales in the 1980's through historical mystery and inspirational romance to epic novels of the British Isles. Now she concentrates on mysteries, promoting 'A Very Private Grave'(first of the Monastery Murders), now out in the USA, UK, and Canada, while simultaneously testing the waters of e-books with a different series. Busy lady!

With all those historical novels in her personal backlist, Donna has become an expert at research, specifically pertaining to historical fiction but also to contemporary novels. She was generous with her acquired wisdom, which can be summarized very briefly as: start wide and zoom in, go there in person, and leave room for serendipity.

Simple, you say? The devil, as they say, is in the details.

Start wide: in your background reading, read as broadly and deeply as possible. Look for maps and other illustrations - of clothing, transportation, and buildings - made in the era that interests you. (If you aren't interested in this era, why try to write about it at all?) Find out about the political situation, including any wars or religious movements. Then refine your story idea to take advantage of actual dramatic elements such as elections, riots, unusual weather (such as the winter the Thames River froze), maybe even an assassination/attempt. All these can feed your central conflict and add depth and veracity to your characters. On some books, this phase took years of Donna's part-time focus.

Zoom in: Donna likes to write the opening chapter or two to get her essential characters and conflicts in place before plotting in detail. Then she writes a summary of the rest of the book, aiming for four pages on the theory that, if she can't explain her story in that space, she doesn't know it well enough yet. Now Donna can list of exactly what she still needs to know and start tracking down specific sources: rare books, places to be visited, people to interview. Make email contacts and set up phone or in-person appointments.

Interviews: Know what you need to know but keep an open mind and leave plenty of time. The experts you consult may have unexpected stores of useful information that will only come out when their passion for their subject overrides their polite short answers to specific questions.

On-site research: Let the site suggest the plot elements where possible; if there's a bridge, might someone fall or be thrown off it? Listen to local gossip (yes, eavesdrop in coffee shops); not only will you taste the dialect and cadence of regional speech, you never know when a chance tale of someone's grandmother will provide a spark for your fictive dream.

Buy books. Especially local histories and guidebooks that may not be widely available.

Take photos. In this digital age, you can play an on-location slide show on your screen while you're writing the relevant scene. Note with your senses, not sight alone. If you're writing in a local setting, you may think you know all you need about an area but it's still a good idea to visit the key locations. See how they look and feel in different weather, different seasons. Let your characters feel the squishy mud underfoot in springtime or the crush the rattling leaves in fall or breathe frostily in the desolate industrial area on a winter's night.

When you write, relive all those sensory inputs and realistic details through the viewpoint character. Don't try to cram in all your research. Concentrate on producing a single vivid impression in each scene. The more fully immersed you and your plot are in the place, time, political and social setting of your characters, the more real the fictive dream becomes for you the writer and for the eventual reader.

Some spare handouts will be available at the November meeting. For more information on Donna's books and her other interests, visit her website



Jayne Barnard

Income Tax Tips for Writers (Beginner and Pro)

Questions about your income tax? What can a writer deduct? The Mystery Writers Ink presentation for January is "Income Tax Tips for Writers."

Sandra Fitzpatrick will discuss income tax for writers. Gearing up for tax season, it is important to know how to calculate your writing income and what deductions you can make. What records are necessary to support your income tax return? Bring your tax questions.

Thursday, January 13th

From 7 - 9 p.m.
Owl's Nest Books in Britannia Plaza

Elbow Drive and 49th Avenue SW, Calgary
(Note: the doors open at 6:45p.m.)

About Sandra Fitzpatrick

Sandra Fitzpatrick has been doing taxes professionally since 2006, for clients who have small businesses like writing and acting. Her goal is to minimize taxes and run simulations to assist in tax planning. Sandy is a writer who has written five novels, three novellas and a pile of short stories. She has published several stories. Her current project is a novella dealing with human exploration of the galaxy and encountering planetary deities who do like to get involved.

About Mystery Writers Ink

MWI supports aspiring and emerging mystery writers in Calgary. Annual membership is $25.00.

Drop-in fee of $5.00 for non-members.

For more information, please contact: info@mysterywritersink.com