Storyboard Saga - Part 6

What I'm reading: Makeshift Family by Lori Avocato

Thanks to Nancy for her insights about where writers find inspiration, and for sharing how she got her ideas for her books.

Storyboard progress

I've surpassed the 70,000 word mark and that means it's time to pay more attention to my idea board. How many essential points haven't I covered yet? What ideas for scenes might work to show them? What questions haven't been answered?

And no, I don't really have all those points to work into the final 20,000 words. I left all the stickies on the idea board to use in my workshop and haven't removed them yet. And the board is for ideas. Doesn't mean they're all going to work for the book.


(Okay, there IS one big one, which is who the villain really is, and why he's desperate to get what he's looking for, but I'm still brainstorming ideas for that. I figure if I'm guessing, the reader will be too.)

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It's also a time to go back and make sure any of those little hints and clues strewn through the manuscript are either resolved or on their way to being so. I'm also asking myself how far to take the relationships of my main characters. Although this initially began as a romantic suspense, once I had a couple of dead bodies, I knew there was no way I could suspend my disbelief well enough to write it so the two characters I'd started with could possibly solve the crime without involving the police. And the cop I brought in demanded to be heard as well as seen. By the time I hit chapter four, it was clearly going to be a mystery.

Normally, the end of the book moves more quickly than the early chapters. That's fairly obvious, since by now, I've got a handle on the characters and have dealt with constructing most of the story. Also, one of the things I know when I set out to write a book is how it will end. The crime has to be resolved. This is where so much of the back story that I brainstormed before writing the book actually hits the page.


And here I am, back straddling sub-genres. My romantic "suspense" books are written as romantic mysteries, with very few characteristics of a true suspense novel. And this mystery is somewhere between a cozy and a detective novel. One of my main characters is an event planner; the other is a teacher in a vocational school. Being involved in a mystery as amateur sleuths would make the book a cozy. They're only out to solve the mystery because it involves people they love. Adding my police chief to the mix means he's going to be working the case like a cop. Is it a 'crime-cozy'?

To add to the confusion, I've also got an "attraction between characters" going on. I'm always paying as much attention to relationships as to mysteries when I read; it's no wonder I write that way too.

Will an agent consider it? I don't know. I'm still waffling about sending anything out. I have another manuscript related to When Danger Calls, but it's hard to sell a second book when the first is with another publisher (unless, of course it's a best-seller, but I'm not there yet.) I've just begun sending chapter of my mystery to my crit partners, so I'm working on both ends at once as they read and make suggestions.
On the home front. Monday afternoon, we saw Julie & Julia. A delightful movie that had us both laughing. I've asked my brother the chef to give me his take as soon as he sees it. He's met Julia Child, and I'm curious as to whether Meryl Streep's portrayal was spot on or a bit over the top. We went to the noon showing before we had lunch. We were starving when we got out. And, sigh. When we got home, there were no messages on the answering machine from agents, editors, reporters, or publishers saying they read my blog and want to offer me a huge contract. Or even a tiny one.

And a quick mini-rant. The movie time was listed as starting at 12:05. We got there at about 11:55 and sat through 10 more minutes of stupid commercials. At 12:05, they started previews. Twenty-five frigging minutes of them. Enough! At least we know about five movies we won't be going to see. I bring my eBookwise which is backlit so I can read until the real movie starts, but sheesh. I remember the 'good old days'. You got a newsreel, a cartoon, a short and then the movie. Three cheers for Netflix! Last week we saw Captains Courageous, which has held up exceedingly well over time. Hubby was super impressed with the fishing scenes. He kept saying, "Those are REAL fish!"

Storyboard Saga - Part 5 - Plus more news

What I'm reading: New Blood, by Gail Dayton; The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson

We pause for a brief commercial interruption:

RELEASE DAY! True, it's a free read, but it's still fun. "THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PAGE" is available now from Cerridwen Press.

And this is the last week to enter my contest for a chance to win a copy of Lee Lofland's fabulous reference book, "Police Procedure & Investigation." Details on my website. Don't wait too long.

Back to your regularly scheduled blog post.


I was asked by my RWA chapter to present some of my 'plotting for non-plotters' techniques at their next meeting—which is this Saturday.

I'll bring my story board, of course. I'll be presenting with another member of the chapter, erotic romance author Lara Dien, and we're going to get together Wednesday evening to figure out what we're going to say.

And, the members usually want handouts. I like getting handouts. But now I have to create one – before I give the talk. To me, that sounds suspiciously like plotting in advance!

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I'll be working on that this week. And yes, once I have it done, I'll share. And if Lara has a handout, I'll share hers too.

As for the storyboard tracking. I'm moving forward, as you might be able to tell if you compare this picture with the one I posted the last time I discussed my discovery of this technique.


And here's my idea board.

My only new addition to the storyboard: time. I normally do this on the computer, in the master file, but I've really been enjoying being able to look at the whole book without having to search the manuscript, so I've added neon green stickies reminding me which day it is (and I'm in chapter 20, and day 3 has just dawned.

Time is always a challenge when I'm writing more than one POV character when they're not on the same page. Character 1 might be off investigating the crime, while character 2 is telling her friend about getting mugged. Character 3 might be off jogging. I'd settled into a 'routine' – each chapter began with a scene in Gordon, my cop's POV, and the second scene was from either Megan's or Justin's, and they'd alternate. You can kind of see this on the storyboard: Gordon's green, Megan is pink, and Justin is blue.

Then I hit chapter 19. I knew at some point, I'd have to deal with his attraction to the waitress, and this seemed to be when he demanded it happen. The scene carried over into the "morning after." (It was also a bit strange to have an abbreviated, mostly off-the-page sex scene after writing 6 romances). So, I was now in the morning of day 3.

Only trouble was, Megan and Justin were having dinner on day 2 in the previous scene. To keep the time continuity clear, I'd have to jump ahead to the next day. But there were critical plot points that had to be covered.

At least Megan and Justin were together, so when I popped back into their POV scene, it would be when we left off.

When I read the chapter, I realized I was asking the reader to figure out that they'd just jumped back in time to the previous night. It made more sense to flip the scenes in that chapter. The other alternative, which didn't feel right, would have been to have a really long chapter to bring Justin and Megan into the morning of Day 3. While I don't have any rules as to how long a chapter or scene should be, each scene seems to feel complete at about the 4-6 page mark.

Another possibility would have been to have added Justin's scene to chapter 19, making it a three-scene chapter.

Is any of it 'right' or 'wrong'? I don't think so. Some authors will put date, time, and place headers in each chapter or scene of their books. I find that I gloss over or ignore them, wanting to know what's happening more than where or when, so I don't choose to add them to my books. I suppose if I had a lot of threads where characters were all over, I might consider it.

Scenes and chapters don't have to conform to any given length. So, adding a third scene wouldn't be 'wrong' either. It just didn't feel right.

And that seems to be how I write. It has to flow in such a way that it makes sense to me first.

What's your preference on following time when dealing with stories where the POV characters aren't together?

Tomorrow, my guest is author Blair Bancroft, who's going to recap her special tour of the FBI from the Romance Writer's of America conference. I'm regretting not being able to go even more. You won't want to miss it.

Storyboard Saga - Part 4

What I'm reading: Make Me Yours, by Betina Krahn

Thanks, Jane, for that delightful look at New Zealand. I did get as far as the airport in a brief layover on our way to Australia years ago. I hope to get there someday.

And welcome to my new followers. I hope you'll find it worthwhile stopping by. I'm flattered that you find enough here to keep coming back.

Writing updates: I'm in contract negotiations for my mystery short stories that would be part of a 4 author anthology. And my upcoming (July 27) Free Read brought an unsolicited email from the publisher.

She wrote: I read your upcoming free read, The Other Side of the Page, and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. So clever and cute!

That's definitely a feel-good moment.

I'm back to my novel again, after the break to write a short story. And I've got more story board stuff going on. Because I took an extended break from working on the novel to write my second short story, I was out of touch with both plot and characters. In order to get back into the thick of things, I read what I had – about 45,000 words—in hard copy, and found a few problems. I also needed to take another look at my idea board, to remind myself of where I've been and where I want to go.

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One thing I realized was that I have introduced secondary characters whose roles are becoming more significant in the various plot threads. I went through my story board and added little sticky notes with their names for each scene in which they appeared. This way, I can see if I've left them off the page for too long, or if they're starting to threaten to take over.



Since I'm trying to keep track of a fatal car accident, a murder, two break-ins, and a secret search for something, the sticky notes help. If I were really good, I'd color code them, but since I've already used random colors, I think I'll just use my new bright blue ones for plot threads in general. Should I ever do this again, I'll probably try to do more color-coding from the get go.

Trying to keep the reader guessing means dropping in clues and red herrings. But you have to play fair. If I've forgotten to mention the traffic accident, or the name of the man who died in it, for too many chapters, it's likely the reader will have forgotten as well. It's not fair to mention something or someone once in passing, and then have it be the solution to the entire puzzle at the end. Nor do I want to mention it so often that it's waving a red flag at the reader. "CLUE HERE!"

Another thing I noticed on my re-read was that I'd forgotten an important reveal. Megan had been telling everyone she didn't remember anything about the man who accosted her in the park, but at the end of Chapter 11, I discovered she'd revealed what he'd said to her. Forgetting that I'd written it, I blithely went on with her saying she didn't remember, until she revealed it again in chapter 15. Oops.

So now, when I have a critical reveal, I'm using my red pen and some nice, conspicuous asterisks on my sticky notes. And given how many mystery threads I'm interweaving, I should probably have done it from page 1.

Could I do all this on the computer? Sure. And lots of times, I do make notes, both using the Document Map feature of Word, or on a separate document. But I don't like bouncing back and forth, and slapping up a sticky note is still working for me.

Looking back: What am I tracking? POV characters. Each has a specific color larger sticky. Setting. Mystery threads and clues. Secondary characters who are involved in one of the mystery threads (or, as it seems to be turning out, as a romantic interest for my detective).

As far as plotting goes, I'm still doing this as I go along. When I started talking about writing this book, I mentioned working to establish the critical back story that propels the mystery. I'm now writing the second scene of Chapter 16 (at the 47,000 word mark), and this is the first time the reader is seeing a hint as to what it is. (Talk about not opening with back story info dumps!) That's why this is a mystery. In a suspense, the reader would already know, and would be wondering if things were going to reach critical mass before the characters figured it out. But since it's a mystery, the reader won't know until the characters do.

Storyboards and Dangling Threads

What I'm reading: 8th Confession, by James Patterson

I've continued working with my modified story board, and I'm still liking it. I know there's nothing this method does that a computer program can't do – and perhaps do better – but I like the "change of media" approach.

Since last time, I've gone back and started another thing to track: Where. My chapters each contain at least two POV scenes (I haven't jumped on the Patterson bandwagon with 2-3 page "chapters" instead of scene breaks within chapters).


The colors on the storyboard tell me "who" at a glance. These are my larger stickies, and they summarize the plot points, and from which character's POV that scene takes place. I've got Green for Gordon, Pink for Megan, and Blue for Justin. I started with each character having a POV scene in each chapter, but as the mystery threads are demanding more page time, I've cut that back. Right now, Gordon, my small town police chief, has a scene in every chapter since chapter 8.

I can look at my board and see that his character wasn't on the page much at first – a brief introductory scene in chapter 1, and then he doesn't appear again until chapter 4. I may have to re-think that, because if he's the cop, he should be involved in solving the mystery. But there's no 'rule' about this – I've read a number of books where the detective won't show up for several chapters. I prefer not showing the villain's POV, and usually the 'delayed detective' scenario starts with showing the reader the crime. But until I finish writing this, I'm going to stick to my "good guy's POV" preference, and decide later if I need some more foreshadowing with my cop sooner.

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The little stickies (no real color code for them) on my board are plot points or clues or things to remember. They start out on my idea board, then migrate to the plotting board as they're introduced. Once I've covered them, I can toss them. But I like the reminders that show me where a plot point was introduced. Right now, I have a little stickie reminding me to check the timeframe for the press conference. (And I'll admit, a lot of these little stickies actually get their start on the plotting board. Far be it from me to restrict what happens on the page to what I've stuck on my idea board. If something pops up, I'll make a note of it as I go.)

I'm hoping this visual approach will help me remember details. I've read some books where threads have been dropped, or attention to details was lacking. For example, a hero with a broken leg that's only a problem for him for the next chapter. Somehow, his cast seems to disappear. Making a note that I've given Megan a bump on the head and a sore wrist will make sure I deal with her injuries in a logical manner. If I need to, I can go back and increase or decrease the severity of the injury, but once it's established, I'm obligated to keep things consistent.

Another example: the power failure creating the plot point that there is total darkness. No moonlight, nothing. It's a great way to show some physical contact between hero and heroine, but when they take that a step further and are in the midst of making love, all of a sudden he can see the color of her eyes, or her smile. Nope. If it's dark, it's dark. Easy enough to research from a darkened bedroom. It's a minor hiccup, but it shows inconsistency.


Or the importance of finding out if a character has a surgically implanted locator chip. It's stressed as being a vital clue that could provide a lead to the villain. But we never see if they actually found one in the character. And if they did, somewhere between the pages, did the chip give them the information they needed? They ended up not needing it, but for me, it was a dropped thread and made me go back to see if I missed it. I tried. Several times, but never found it. (Advantage of e-books: you can search for words!)

Adding authenticity, local color, interesting details, can connect with a reader. But when is something window dressing, and when does it help the story? A reader likes to see there's a payoff for remembering those details. And a mystery writer tries to hide the important ones!

Having read Lee Child's most recent release, Gone Tomorrow, I'm impressed by how he uses every detail. When a fellow passenger rambles on about the different kinds of subway cars in New York, it's not idle conversation. That tidbit shows up front and center later on. And even the little things, that might not be plot points, such as the origin of the use of "Hello" to answer the phone will appear, letting the reader know that the character was paying attention, too.

I can't pretend to be of Child's caliber, but I hope by noting little details, such as the fact that Justin carries a handkerchief, I'll make sure it shows up again. And that since I've established limited cell phone coverage in some of my scene locations, I don't have the phone work when I need them and not when I don't.

As for my new "Where" stickies: I'm jotting down where each scene takes place. It's important to keep things moving, not only with the pace of the story, but also the action of the plot. A change of scenery keeps things from stagnating. This way, I can tell exactly where my characters are in each scene at a glance, and decide if I need to move them around more. Since my characters aren't always in the same place at the same time, I'm less likely to lose one.

Tomorrow, my guest is author Skhye Moncrief, who's sharing some fascinating tidbits about things medieval. Be sure to drop by and find out how to win some summer reading material.

Storyboard Saga Continues

What I'm reading: The Drowning Pool, by Jacqueline Seewald

A little over a week ago, I mentioned trying the storyboard approach to writing,and I promised to update.

Things have been moving along. My 'idea' board grows – and since I take off the little sticky notes once the idea has been incorporated, it grows and shrinks as I write. The other board summarized the plot points of each POV character. When a scene or a What if? occurs to me, I'll put it on a bigger yellow sticky, first on my idea board, and then to the summary board. Clues, once mentioned, move from the idea board (assuming they didn't just appear as I was writing), and once they're dealt with, they get tossed.

You can see I've made some progress since last time.

Since this book is turning out to have not only 3 POV characters, but at least 3, if not more, intertwining mystery plot threads, it's helping me make sure I'm introducing them, addressing them, and weaving them through the chapters.

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When I tried this system the first time, I was trying to plot the whole book—or at least have a broad overview of what should be happening in each chapter. That didn't work for me, and this modification seems to be much more productive. By looking at the chapter squares, I can see which characters have POV scenes, but I normally write the scene, THEN put the summary on the board. As one scene triggers ideas for the next, I have a parking place for them on my idea board, and I can move things around much more easily than trying to work in a document file. With this system, I can see everything at once.

And I don't worry about losing things during our frequent thunderstorms! Last week, we were getting 2000 strikes an hour in some areas.

I've also had some unexpected 'treats'. I had a 'spear carrier' character who was mentioned only in passing in Chapters 1 and 3, as a way to give a little insight into one of my primary characters. Imagine my surprise when she ended up being murdered in Chapter 11. Even though she never appeared in person prior to her unexpected death, she became an important character. Her demise brought several of my preliminary story threads together, and I now have a woven piece of fabric. Of course, new questions have been raised, and I'll be moving Post-its as I work the answers into the plot.

Then there's the still unanswered question about who died in the traffic accident in Chapter Three, and what the mysterious pieces of paper they found in his wallet could mean. I think I'll go buy more Post-its. Different colors.



Tomorrow, my guest is Karen McCullough, and she's talking about why writers write, even when the lows outnumber the highs. Wednesday, we're starting a two-day journey to New Orleans with a group of chefs. You won't want to miss it. And, of course, Homicide Hussey will be back on Friday. It's going to be a busy week! Be sure to stop by.

Storyboards and Freedom Trains

What I'm reading: The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly

Reminder: There's still time left to win a grab-bag full of goodies in my May contest. Details here

My submission for a free read at Cerridwen Press was officially accepted last night. It's nice to have something in the hopper again. Only hassle is all the paperwork. They haven't revised their boilerplate from the one they use for their full-length paid books, so half the nice check boxes aren't appropriate, and they don't have the ones you need. Lots of improvising.

In addition, I decided to drag out the white foam core board I'd stashed behind the futon and see if I could stimulate a little brain activity on my newest WIP while my crit group continues to work on my revisions of STARTING OVER. I'm trying the PJ Parrish suggestion of just writing scenes you think you can use in the book and sticking them onto the board. I have two boards; one for the little Post-its with things like scenes and plot points, and then another one I made a couple of years ago, marked off into blocks for chapters. But I only used it after I'd already written the chapters.

We'll see what happens this time. It's as close to plotting as I've come yet. The post-it system might be a good way for me to figure out my family trees – I've got at least 3 generations to deal with.

I also got a quick kick of motivation when a distant relative posted an article about the Leica Freedom Train to our family group. I'm not a history buff, so this was totally new to me.

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The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product - precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient. Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews.

And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted in such a way as to earn the title, "The photography industry's Schindler."

As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited their professional activities.

To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being assigned overseas.

You can read more here:

I know that the back story of several of the characters playing around in my head includes World War II, and this gave me some good ideas to work with.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for my regular Friday feature, a chapter from Detective Mark Hussey's manuscript. For the record – I do NOT write these. Detective Hussey is a real, live law enforcement officer who has a knack for storytelling. I'm merely the messenger.