First novels are the toughest, most rewritten, most love/hate experience you'll ever have. Until novel 2, at least.
Getting into the structure of mysteries was a blessing for me because it provided some plot expectations that helped my character-centered stories. Sounds like that's true for you, too.
Dropping back story is essential - dribbling some back in here and there works wonders for shredding text where you want rolling story.
Writing book number 2 while allowing book 1 to mellow out is the best next move, IMHO. If it's second in a series or a separate stand-alone, it will add to your perspective and help you realize what themes play out naturally in your story lines, etc.
Book 2 helps firm up your subgenre orientation, if you need any. The agent who didn't like the pacing of your story might be a gal who likes chippier chics - she might say she wants a dead body earlier on, but Janet Evanovich, for one, often begins with subplot and doesn't hit solid plot drive until well past the first chapter. Inotherwords, agents and editors might say one thing and mean another.
What's your hook? Is it your protag's devotion to winning bake-offs which leads her into a world of intrigue circling around a gas stove and a dead baker? That's a cozy. That would drive a thriller-agent to instant rejection. But, if a traditional cozy's what you want to write, then you get some time to set up your protag's world and her place within it before having to have the dead appear.
Read. Read. Read. Read works by fellow Sisters In Crime to see how they work their craft and get to be published. Observe what works and what doesn't - get a sense of your place in the marketplace.
From some ear-to-the-ground observations, modern audiences do like action up front, even in a cozy, but it doesn't have to be a murderous action. Humor is a great sidekick to keep the reader on track. Lots of folks layer in such enhancements as humor once the story line is in decent shape. What works best for you and your protag?
There's lots of time for you to figure this all out. Let your inner writer have some space to explore before expecting a salable novel. Get to know yourself by writing more stories. Try your hand at short stories (it worked for me! Suddenly I'm a finalist in Malice Domestic's Agatha for Best Short Story!!!) It will be much easier seeing what needs tweaking once you've had some distance from it.
Spend more time writing than rewriting for a while. See how it goes.
Write On!
Nan
*(This comes by way of the Guppy Internet Chapter of Sisters In Crime. One gal struggling with the polishing of her first novel asked for advice. This is my reply. Beware: I give mine freely, and it's worth every penny, as my pal Clare2e would say.)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
First Novel's Bite*
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2 comments:
Excellent advice!
One thing I'd add: If you've been trying to sell your first series mystery for a long time without luck, and you've plotted (or written) the second in the series, it's time to stop.
Write a different book.
It can be a new series mystery in the same genre, but meeting new characters, playing on their turf, learning about their lives could easily help you understand what's holding back that first series. It's also possible that that first series has some aspects that, while they are vital to the storyline, make it less than marketable. Your new book, in that case, is a way to break in. Later, when your *name* makes something marketable, you might be able to bring back that first series if you want to.
--Laura
Great advice, Nan. Stepping back from a book is something that many experts recommend, whether it's to work your way past a barrier while still in the middle of writing it or after you've finished the first draft and need to start tackling the second. When you come back to the book, you bring fresh eyes. You think of things you didn't the first time around, and you see problems that may have been part of the woodwork the first time and escaped your notice. Working on another book (or short story or whatever) in the meantime helps you gain new experience and understanding that you then bring back to the original project.
Laura, your additional advice is great, too. And your advice applies not just to series mysteries, but standalones, other genres, and other story forms, too.
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