Clues and Red Herrings - Guest Post by Carol Kilgore

I'm very excited to have the marvelous Carol Kilgore on my blog today. I love her books, and I'm doing a happy dance that she's going to talk about how she writes such brilliant mysteries. Take it away, Carol!

Thanks so much for hosting me!

When I asked Christine what she’d like for me to write, she gave me a short list of possibilities but indicated she would most like to see a post about how I write the mystery aspect of my novels, especially whether I plot every detail or if I go back and add clues and red herrings.

What I do is the process that works best with the way my brain functions. I’ve tried to be a total pantser, and I’ve tried to plot all the details. What happens is I get stuck, or something different happens from what I’ve planned.

So what I do is a mishmash. Before I ever begin to write, I learn as much as possible about the beginning, the major plot points, and the ending. I also find out as much as possible about my characters without actually putting them together and writing their story.

When I write, I use what I know and let their story develop around the framework. The deeper I get into the story, the more I learn about the characters, and the more they learn about each other.

The more I know about the characters and the story, the better I can mislead the reader.

So on each successive pass, I add more details. As an example, in SOLOMON’S COMPASS, one of the characters wears a bracelet. Never takes it off. It’s just about the only positive means to identify him. The bracelet was an extremely late addition.

When I leave an obvious clue, I try to bury it so it doesn’t stand out. Many of my clues are subtle--too subtle sometimes, according to my editor. But together we fix that. I hope! One of my favorite movies is “The Sixth Sense.” All the clues are there, but most viewers don’t put them together until near the end of the movie.

That’s my goal when I write--have the clues come together and make sense near the end of the book.

===

By the end of a long evening working as a special set of eyes for the presidential security detail, all Kat Marengo wants is to kick off her shoes and stash two not-really-stolen rings in a secure spot. Plus, maybe sleep with Dave Krizak. No, make that definitely sleep with Dave Krizak. The next morning, she wishes her new top priorities were so simple.

As an operative for a covert agency buried in the depths of the Department of Homeland Security, Kat is asked to participate in a matter of life or death—locate a kidnapped girl believed to be held in Corpus Christi, Texas. Since the person doing the asking is the wife of the president and the girl is the daughter of her dearest friend, it’s hard to say no.

Kat and Dave quickly learn the real stakes are higher than they or the first lady believed and will require more than any of them bargained for.

The kicker? They have twenty-four hours to find the girl—or the matter of life or death will become more than a possibility.

===

Although Carol has deep Texas roots, she’s lived up and down the eastern seaboard and in other locations across the U.S. as a Coast Guard wife. She sees mystery and subterfuge everywhere. And she’s a sucker for a good love story—especially one with humor and mystery. Crime Fiction with a Kiss gives her the latitude to mix and match throughout the broad mystery and romance genres. Having flexibility makes her heart happy. 

You can connect with Carol here:

Under the Tiki Hut blog: http://www.underthetikihut.blogspot.com

Website with Monthly Contest: http://www.carolkilgore.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carol.kilgore1

Twitter: http://twitter.com/carol_kilgore

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094110.Carol_Kilgore

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carol-Kilgore/e/B008FRCXQY

Venturing into plotter territory

I finished my first short story of the year and submitted it. It shines... as much as a supernatural story with a gory crime scene can shine. I'm happy to be on track with one thing this month.

With that out of the way, I'm concentrating on starting the revisions for Witch's First Rule (WFR). I've been re-reading it and I don't like the way it's written. Once upon a time, I thought it was genius. Oh, how naive was I. It's amazing to think that just in a matter of a few years, my writing style and standards have changed so much. It's going to take a lot of rewriting, but I have faith in the story itself.

To clear out all the clutter, I made a plot points list. Yes, you read correctly. I made a list. I actually made a couple of lists. I'm not saying I'm abandoning my pantser nature, but this plotter technique is helping me see the story in a different light. I can organize the plot, making sure there's enough action to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

I'm a pantser with first drafts, but I've grown into a plotter when it comes to revisions. Perhaps I've found my true writer's path. It's only taken *mumblemumble* years.

In other news, my son is doing better. His mood is good and his cough is going away. Hooray! Yet we had to go into the clinic this morning for me. I have strep throat. I'm a good sick person, though. I will be spending the weekend reading and playing Dragon Warrior 3 on the DS. Hope you have a good weekend!

Revising, planning and deciding

This week I'll be doing some more revisions on my latest WIP. Hopefully I'll get the majority of it done before November. I might send out my first query for it on the weekend. The cover letter and synopsis have been worked over about ten times now. Are they perfect? No. I don't think I'll ever get a cover letter and synopsis perfect, but they're good. Much better than what I started with.

I did some planning for my NaNo novel. I usually don't plan ahead and I'm finding it difficult to do so. I gathered a list of names and monsters from the net. This will keep me from searching for something online when I should be writing. I have all the main characters named, described and generally settled into the plot. That really means I know who the good guys and bad guys are. I know the general overall plot. I know how it will start and how it will end. The middle, well, I have no idea. I tried to plan out each event, but after the first five, my muse smacked me with a stop sign. I'm not allowed to know until I get there. That's how it usually goes with my writing. I know it might drive some people bonkers, but I like the surprise. I like just writing and seeing where it takes me. Do my stories make sense that way? Yes, they do. Somehow I'm able to keep everything together. Sometimes I'm jealous of the plotters, because it seems it would be much easier in the long run. Yet I'm happy to be a pantser. (I really wish there was a different word for that!)

I still haven't decided on a Halloween costume yet. I went out this weekend, but there wasn't anything that caught my eye that I could afford. I thought about just going in a silly outfit as a character from someecards with a little poster board around my neck with the sarcastic saying. Ah, those ecards make me laugh!

 

 My other idea was making a big poster with a hole cut out for my head and design it as a MySpace page for a zombie. When I don't get enough sleep, I look like the dead!

Finally, please come by on Halloween when I'll have a special treat for you.