Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Hope’s Statutes On Writing a Novel By C. Hope Clark



I’m writing my tenth novel right now and have a contract for two more with a solid, reputable, traditional publisher. In looking back, I never would have forecasted that I’d be charging this strong at this stage in my life, in my second career, with not only that many mysteries behind me but also an endless list of stories to tell awaiting me up the road.
            My biggest fear is that my mental faculties fail me somewhere downstream, and I cannot write stories anymore. I finally found a profession I hope to never retire from.
            Invariably, when I speak to bookstores, libraries, book clubs, and writing conferences, I’m asked about my routine, my habits, and my beliefs in how a writer ought to pursue the business. Time after time I explain how writing is a personal decision, with personal conclusions on how to write and find happiness in the journey.
            But like Stephen King and Kurt Vonnegut and all the other famous authors have their mantras about success, over the twenty years I’ve been writing, I’ve developed statutes of my own. . . some shared with other authors and others of my own making.

1)      Write daily. If I’ve learned anything about writing, it’s that the consistent habit or reporting to work results in better writing, more writing, and quicker growth as a writer. Some argue about muses and replenishing the energy to which I say sorry. If you write for a living, you report to work. Some days are easier than others, but isn’t any job? Teachers, doctors, and engineers don’t go home because they’re having a hard day.
2)      Only read good writing. I don’t want my mind crowded with poor stories. The more brilliant writing I can read in my short lifetime, the more polished I become as a writer. Why? Because that wonderful prose and storytelling genius sticks in my head instead of a slurry of excessive adverbs and passive voice.
3)      Give back with critiques. I never would have improved without critique groups. Giving my all in red-penning a manuscript  made me hunt for mistakes, and that effort made my eye keener for spotting them in my own work. One may argue that if I only read good work, why would I critique immature work. Truth is, it takes a different section of your brain to critique than it does to read for enjoyment.
4)      Avoid passive voice. Sounds simple enough, but it’s not easy. First, you have to become familiar with recognizing it, which many writers are not. Passive voice dilutes the storytelling. It’s the epitome of telling instead of showing.
5)      Read aloud. After beating up a chapter on the screen, I print it off and read it aloud to someone. An option would be to have someone read it aloud to you, while you follow along. This habit catches way more mistakes than editing just on your computer. Then when I’ve completed an entire manuscript, I take a whole day, if not parts of two days, and read the book aloud. At this stage you look not only for glaring grammar mistakes, but check also for voice, flow, and story.
6)      Keep the pace moving. Both narrative and dialogue should propel the story forward. If you aren’t sure if a phrase, paragraph, or chapter contains strong, forward movement, then strongly question whether it’s needed.
7)      Use tags only when needed. Beats and narrative identify the speaker while helping you keep the story moving. And when you use tags, keep them extremely simple, like said and ask.
8)      End each and every chapter with a hook. It doesn’t have to be a cliff-hanger, but the story should stop at a place that makes a reader strongly question what comes next. You want to hear that readers have stayed up all night reading your book.
9)      Don’t talk openly about your pending story. Your story could change. You might not finish it. But most of all, you’ll sap the energy out of the story before you’ve written it. New writers are the most guilty of broadcasting what they are doing and how they are doing it, because they are eager for feedback. Keep your tale to yourself until it’s completed and ready to be promoted.
10)  Accept feedback with intelligent discretion. The mature writer willingly accepts feedback, and unemotionally sifts through it for worthiness. Then they either use it or discard it without a second thought. The day you can eagerly welcome feedback and use it with only your story’s improvement in mind, is the day you’ve climbed the ladder. 

Good writing takes time. It takes seasoning. Nobody is a born natural, and every successful writing reached their pinnacle from hard work. Study their habits. Analyze their work. Then steadily write, ever with improvement in mind. You will get better. You will find self-satisfaction. And you will build a readership. Serious readers always gravitate to the strong writer, and the strong writer paves his own road.

BIO:C. Hope Clark is the award-winning author of the Carolina Slade Mysteries and the Edisto Island Mysteries. During her career with the US Department of Agriculture, she met and married a federal agent-now a private investigator. She plots murder mysteries at their lakeside home in South Carolina, when she isn’t strolling Edisto Beach. Find our more about her at chopeclark.com 


LINKS


BOOK BLURB
One death. Two detectives. And unexpected backup.
A Callie Morgan and Carolina Slade crossover, standalone mystery!

When a renowned—and now dead—travel blogger washes ashore on the banks of Indigo Plantation, Edisto Beach Police Chief Callie Morgan agrees to head the investigation as a favor to the county sheriff, whose reasons are as questionable as the death itself. When death turns to murder and a watchdog from the county makes her investigation difficult, Callie reluctantly turns to Carolina Slade and Wayne Largo, vacationing agents with the Department of Agriculture.
Because poison is growing on this plantation and someone knows how to use it well.

TESTIMONIALS
Murder, corruption, and page-turning intrigue are usually the elements that shine the brightest in mysteries like Hope Clark’s latest Dying on Edisto. But it’s the characters that bring a vivid literary element to Clark’s prose and create a strong emotional response to their tangled lives. The scenic town of Edisto Beach is peopled with a modern-day pirate claiming to be a descendent of Blackbeard, a degenerate travel blogger, a yoga teacher who drives a baby blue vintage Benz convertible, a mixed race waitress and her matriarchal grandmother, and a whole slew of wealthy and crooked good ole boys. Leading the cast are two strong female protagonists—a police chief and an investigator with the Department of Agriculture. Did someone say hemlock? —Susan Cushman, author of Cherry Bomb and editor of Southern Writers on Writing
"In a plot as complicated as the numerous waterways that create Edisto Island in South Carolina, C. Hope Clark has combined the characters from her two series to solve the murder of a renowned travel blogger. They mystery requires all of their detective skills and blends the two mystery worlds in a page-turning standalone. The story opens with a floater and progresses with edge-of-your-seat action. Prepare to be absorbed by Clark's crisp writing and compelling storytelling. This is one you don't want to miss!"--- Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of three mystery series. She is the author of over 80 books and has received numerous writing awards.
Hope Clark converges her sleuths, Carolina and Callie Jean, on Edisto Island for the finale, Dying on Edisto, concluding her two murder mystery series. Slews of fans always awaited these highly addictive and superbly penned novels - grabbing you from the first page and not letting go until the last. A pristine, sleeper sea island, two determined masters of law who butt heads, a mystery corpse from Atlantic waters, a few idiosyncrasies along the way - the absolute best cast and plot for an intense coastal thriller. ~Karen Carter, Owner, Edisto Bookstore




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