Authoring Can Be Fun When Writing’s a Chore

By Linda Lovely

I’m practicing social distancing and staying inside the confines of my house and yard. The sole exceptions are long walks with my husband to enjoy the spring sunshine.

What do I miss most in my COVID-19 reality? Getting together with far-flung family for celebrations, gabbing with fellow authors and critique partners in person, and planning lunches and outings with my tennis, gardening, and book club friends.

I’m also quite cognizant of how many squares of toilet paper I use whenever I visit the loo. My husband chuckles each morning when he first spies my wild, wavy, out-of-control hair—weeks’ overdue for a cut. And, yes, it took a few Instacart attempts before I got the hang of ordering groceries online for delivery. (Who knew if you put a “1” next to a photo of a bunch of bananas with a price per pound underneath, that you’d get one lone banana?)

Has being house and yard bound dramatically impacted work on my new mystery series?

Thankfully, no. Some author friends have reported (online) that they're ready to climb the walls. Isolation and worry have made it nigh on impossible to meet word count goals. Frustration, they add, makes the writing a chore. 

But word counts shouldn't be an author's only measure of progress. I try to work a minimum of two hours a day on my latest manuscript. On days when inspiration strikes, I may write two-thousand words or more. Other days, it would be counterproductive to force myself to add words to a manuscript. That doesn’t mean non-writing days need to be a waste. Here’s how I try to improve my manuscript when I’m not writing.

Research Makes for Believability

Research is one of my writing joys. When I’m stymied or just not feeling it—yeah, I’m a die-hard pantser—I research relevant subjects to add depth and believability. The heroine in my new mystery is a retired Coast Guard officer, who lives on a boat in the Downtown Beaufort, South Carolina, Marina.  

Among the things I needed to learn? Can a yacht owner call another boat without being overheard by the Coast Guard? The answer is yes. Most large recreational boats are equipped with VHF radios, and newer ones offer Digital Selective Calling (DSC). If you know another DSC user’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number, you can radio it without broadcasting to every boat in the vicinity.

There are also generic searches required for every book, like knowing average temperatures, and the times of sunrise and sunset for the book's setting and time of year. Such knowledge ensures my heroine isn’t “in the dark” two  hours before sunset.

Research projects are not only interesting, they often can inspire new plot twists. The only danger is  diving into Google for one tidbit, and then taking an hour's long swim among minutae that will never see the light of day in your book. But it's still fun!

Editing for Lean Prose

Editing is another major pastime when I’m not adding words or scenes to a manuscript. Though our local critique group isn’t meeting in person, we still trade chapters online. My partner’s suggestions are invaluable. Looking at comments from more than one reviewer is a huge help in determining wht needs fixing. 

Unlike some writers, I am incapable or dashing out a first draft without editing as I go along. It helps me see and catch problems earlier. But there's a balance. It's possible to waste hours editing scenes that may eventually be discarded.   

Character ID and Continuity Checks

As a seat-of-the-pants author. I start each book with an overall theme and main plot. I also know who my heroine, hero, and villain(s) are. What I don’t know? All the adventures, dangers my characters will encounter and how I'll make certain the villain(s) get their just reward. I also have yet to meet many members of the supporting cast my major characters will meet along the way.

Without an outline, pantsers like me can result in continuity problems. That’s why I outline after the fact. I keep a spreadsheet with the following headings:

        Chapter…Page… Action…Location/Day/Time…Characters…Weather

As I go along, I periodically open the spreadsheet to insert bare-bones summaries for each of these columns. This makes it much easier to add new chapters/scenes or make other major changes as the plot develops. It avoids mistakes like teleporting characters to distant location in adjoining chapters or changing sunny skies to a tornado watch. 

I also keep a spreadsheet for characters. Headings on this one include:

   First Name…Last Name…Age…Hair…Eyes…Height…Build…Distinguising…Profession

As new minor characters are added, the spreadsheet helps me insure I haven't given similar names to two characters which might confuse readers. It also prevents characters from changing eye color or build in the space of a few chapters.

These non-writing activities help me stay productive and make sure working on a new mystery is never a chore!.  

Linda Lovely is the author of eight mystery/thriller novels that include varying degrees of romance. Please visit her website: www.lindalovely.com for an introduction to her titles.