I’ve heard a
couple of writers say they never, never ever,
read the books of others. What a shame. They’re missing some fine
entertainment, but more importantly for an author, they’re missing some great
lessons. When reading someone else’s book that they’ve put their blood and
sweat into, you can learn what to do and what not to do. That sounds way too
easy, but it’s true.
I learned a
lesson of what not to do, but in this case it wasn’t from reading someone else’s
story. It was from writing my own book.
Timing can be
everything in a story. I once wrote a book where Sandi Webster’s day would have
had to be at least thirty hours long to accomplish everything she did in one
day, and she wouldn’t have had time to sleep, eat or take a potty break.
Fortunately, at the time I had a terrific editor and she called me on what I’d
done. I had to go back and rework parts of the story and move events around so
it made sense.
I’m what’s
called a “pantser”. That means I don’t use an outline, but write by the seat of
my pants. I tried outlining, but I couldn’t stick to it – not even close. So
keeping track of time is important to me.
As a reader,
how do you feel when you read that the main character decides a new roof is
necessary on her house, and the next morning –
poof! – the
new roof is miraculously in place? Was the character able to call a roofer and
find one who was sitting around twiddling his thumbs, so he came right out and
worked overnight to put the roof on? Really? I want his number.
We can
accomplish a lot in one day. Ask any mother. However, when writing a book, the
author needs to keep some semblance of realism in mind as the story unfolds.
How about a
protagonist who finds a dead body, discovers who all the suspects are, hunts
them down and interviews them all in one day, has a tussle with the killer and
turns that killer over to the police in a period of, oh, say twelve hours. Let’s
make that eighteen hours, just to give the hero or heroine the benefit of the
doubt. Don’t forget that this character probably stopped for food, or at least
a cup of coffee, and maybe had a romantic interlude along the way. He or she
might have answered calls on the cell phone, and one of those calls may have
been Aunt Tillie with a family emergency that had to be handled by the protagonist. Oh, I forgot about the
traffic accident that tied traffic up for a few hours, leaving the character
stuck in the middle lane.
I know I’m
exaggerating, but a writer has to remember that timelines are important. Yes,
an entire mystery might take place in the span of twenty-four hours, but the
protagonist probably wouldn’t be doing anything other than solving the crime.
(Now watch someone come along and prove me wrong. There are exceptions to every
rule.)
I believe,
and this is just me, that most crimes need to be solved within a few days or a
week – two weeks, tops. That’s not always the case, but many times the danger
will build to the point of exploding if a crime in a book isn’t solved quickly.
The killer may cover his or her tracks and disappear. Also, the longer it takes
to solve the crime, the more chance the main character has of being knocked off
because he or she is dragging their feet when they’re too close to the truth.
Everyone has
their own trick for tracking time. I type, in large red letters, the day of the
week at the beginning of each chapter, and sometimes the time of day. Works for
me, and I simply delete the large red letters before I submit the book.
Other authors
write out a timeline and some use an outline. We each use what works best for
us. No matter what process you use, watch the timeline.
Until next
time, if you’re a reader, I hope you discover a good book, and if you’re a
writer, I wish you more hours in the day – or at least the days in your book.
CLICK HERE to
visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE
for a quick trip to Amazon.com
The last
Sandi Webster mystery, What Are the Odds?, involves a strange house out in the
desert.
The newest
story, Choosing One Moment – A Time Travel Mystery, involves the year 1909 and
some unexpected situations.
The last
Bogey Man book was titled, How Now Purple Cow, and involves some old-time
spies.
Take your
pick and enjoy a good story.
