2010: Day 168 A New Review For Silenced Cry

Some days when we least expect them, good things do come our way and this one was most welcomed! This past week, I received a note from a dear friend and author of "Dead Witness," Joylene Butler, that she had posted a review of my first novel, "Silenced Cry" on her blog.

Here goes:

Marta Stephens, SILENCED CRY, Bewrite Books, 2007, 284 pgs


As a writer, I'm well aware of how difficult it is to write a good pitch. For that reason when I read the publisher's blurb for "Silenced Cry", I bought a copy. Bewrite Publishers promised that Stephens's novel would keep me entertained from start to finish.

Author Marta Stephens delivers on that promise.

Homicide detective Sam Harper stands by helplessly as his partner is shot dead at what should have been a routine pick-up for questioning. His late-partner was so certain of the lack of danger that he declined to wear his vest before confronting the witness. Now Harper is left with more questions than answers. And to make matters worse, he's taken off the case and assigned to Homicide and a new partner.

When Harper is called to investigate a cold case, (the skeletal remains of an infant are found stuffed in the wall of a building due for demolition) the investigation leads him to a possible involvement by his police hero father and his boss, a man he respects and trusts. As more leads surface, the investigation becomes baffling. What is surely a horrific crime also involves rape and police brutality. Stephens's depiction of the grieving mother Roxanne Lewis is unforgettable and deeply moving.

Someone once said that if you've read one mystery, you've read them all. That is so far from the truth here. Sam Harper is not your run-of-the-mill hero. Though the story is about a good cop, it's not reminiscent of any other good-cop story. Harper is his own man, troubled, sincere, loyal and complexed. Silenced Cry is an intelligent story about a police detective determined to do the right thing even if it means it might destroy him.

***

For those interested, here's an excerpt:

SILENCED CRY - CHAPTER 1

The hour-long sessions started at nine in the morning, twice a week, whether narcotics detective, Sam Harper liked it or not. The only good thing about this damp and cold Massachusetts morning was that it marked the midpoint of Harper’s commitment. Internal Affairs had drilled him for three days in a row. Now the police shrink wanted a piece of him. He was sick of her dogged questions. That was his job, to wear the other guy down. Three sessions left, three hours of digging into his past, into the events of that night – that goddamned night.


Neither the mild vanilla scent floating up from a flickering candle on the doctor’s desk nor the subtle gurgle bubbling from a tabletop fountain were doing their job to relax him. Harper rubbed the arms of the leather chair with his thumb as he calculated his next move. He stared at her and finally broke the silence.

“You ever kill a man, Doc?” A subtle twitch of her brow told him he had her attention. “A split second. That’s all it takes, pull the trigger, and whoosh! He’s gone.”  more

Click here to read other reviews

2010: 167 Days--The Wheels Are Turning Again

My apologies for sounding like a broken record, but I’ll hate myself if I don’t leave a marker on this day, June 18, (2009) the anniversary of the initial writing of “Shroud of Lies.”

Yup, it was exactly a year ago today that I typed the first words to “Shroud of Lies" and wrote the last word on June 16, 2010. Now that it's done, a few dear souls have volunteered to give it a read/crit, so while I wait for their comments/suggestions, my mind is off wandering (and wondering) what to work on next.

I have a couple of choices. For homicide detective Sam Harper fans who have repeatedly asked what’s next in Sam’s life. I wrote the original draft to the third book in 2004-2005 (never did come up with a title) and placed it on the shelf while I worked on the two Harper books that got published. So that's one choice. Needless to say, my writing and voice has changed quite a bit since 2005 so it’ll take a chunk of editing, but it’s a good suspense story and worth the time to do it right--me thinks.

I have a fourth Harper novel written as well, “Grave Witness.” I worked on it throughout most of 2009. Unfortunately, it gave me fits right about the 50,000 words point. I was so frustrated with it that I dropped it to begin writing “Shroud of Lies.” Sometimes, dropping a troubled manuscript like lead balloon is the only solution. Again, it’s worth finishing, but this time my complicated plot got too complicated even for me.

I have two other Harper books still rolling around in my head, but I’m nowhere near ready to write them so Harper is far from gone, just taking a brief "vacation".

Choice two is a novel I outlined earlier this year during one of my must-to-walk-away-from-this-blasted-manuscript phase. I titled it, “The Pendant.” It’s a suspense novel about a serial killer and the unsuspecting woman who is attracted to him. I’ve had several people ask if I’d every write romance, this will be my attempt, but of course, there will be a few bodies scattered about. Sorry, can’t help myself.

So, in the meantime, while I wait for a brilliant thought to sneak into my head, I’ve picked up my copy of Paul Harris’s “The Secret Keeper” (excellent writing, BTW) and jog between reading it and writing that darn synopsis.

2010: 160 Days. Happy with the results

I think every writer at some point in their writing career experiences a time when their writing has taken a back seat to life. Mine certainly has these past several weeks. It's inevitable. Cars and homes need repair, families need our attention, gardens become terribly overgrown (because we haven’t tended to them in a couple of years because of the writing), work demands zap our creative energy, and life goes on. We continue to cram every possible thing we can into a day and, like I said, at some point something has to give.


Last week was an especially difficult week that began with a shattered car window. It was immediately followed by a broken water heater part that took a week for Sears to deliver, a tornado that touched down just outside of town (thankfully it missed us!), and the whole mess of a week was topped last Saturday when I took our 12-year old Boston Bull dog to the vet thinking she might have a bladder infection only to discover it was a tumor. I was so advanced that Maggie had to be put to sleep. It was heart-breaking to do, but in truth, it was the best thing for her.

Through it all I managed to continue to work on Shroud of Lies. Amazingly, the manuscript I began to write on June 18, 2009, is done seven days shy of the anniversary of its inception and I’m pretty happy with the results.

Now I feel I'm better able to get on with the darn synopsis.

2010: Day 130 Still Working At It

Wednesday is my day to post on my other blog, Murder By 4, but I nearly forgot today. I haven’t posted in two weeks for no other reason than having my mind on my writing. Life and work things have also taken chunks of my time, but that’s the norm these days. At any rate, since I wrote about SHROUD OF LIES and my writing process and progress, I thought I’d post it here too, just for the heck of it.

Anyway, my time hasn’t been spent in silly idleness. Lately, my mind has been totally into the writing of my third novel, SHROUD OF LIES.

With two books under my belt, I’ve paid more attention to how I organize my writing this time around. This book is actually two stories wrapped into one so I’ve been particularly watchful of blending them well so as not to confuse the reader.

I’ve also learned that I write in layers. In fact, in other articles I’ve compared my writing process to oil painting. You know, start with a blank canvas, add the base coat of paint to the background, add the images, then slowly begin to show depth and perspective through light and shadows.

One very important thing I picked up this time around is that it’s absolutely okay, if not vital, to walk away from the writing for days or weeks when necessary. It clears my mind and energizes me so when I return, I can easily solve the problem sections that were giving me fits. In fact, I’m enjoying the process so much now that I don’t feel particularly rushed to finish it and this, I hope, is a positive sign. I’m not saying that this will take years for me to complete—more like months, but the plot is complex and can’t be rushed. I also have a tough time turning off the internal editor. Right or wrong, I can’t help reading each chapter several times before feeling I’m ready to move on to the next.

The first draft is the shell of the story—the nuts and bolts of introducing characters and what’s going to happen in this book. I threw in everything I could possibly think of into it and often repeated the information in several chapters just so I wouldn’t forget. It was during the first read that I noticed the repetitive statements. Those redundancies were the first thing to go. That’s also when I begin to pepper it with clues. Character development begins with the first draft as well, but for me it’s an ongoing process. As the story develops, my characters face numerous challenges and each one can add or change their motivations.

I’ve kept most of the clues I started with, but a few that seemed brilliant at first turned out to be nothing more than bulk in the end. The thing is, I may have a good idea of the direction my story is going to take, but it’s not until I’ve edited the pages several times that I get a handful of “aha” moments and realize that some clues will never work or are too complicated to pursue, while others are just plain (okay, can I say it?) genius.

SHROUD OF LIES is around 71,000 words at the moment and thanks to my crit partners, Kim Smith and Aaron Lazar, those “aha” moments have been coming in quick succession. It’s at this point in the writing that it’s fun for me. This is when I can see the logic in what I’ve written—when all the pieces fall neatly into place. It’s doubly rewarding when my readers laugh, cringe, or bite their nails when they’re supposed to.

As a writer of mystery/suspense—a lover of complex plots, one of the toughest things for me is to hold back and keep the suspense going, to squeeze it out in bits and pieces as long as I possibly can before the great reveal. So, imagine my evil laugh when the readers are a few thousand words from the end and haven’t yet guessed whodunit.

2010: Day 120 Crits Are Starting to Come In

It's amazing what a fresh pair of eyes will do for a manuscript that you've looked too many times to see.  Two crit partners and seven chapters later, I'm loving the changes. Time will tell if others will too.

I haven't gotten very far with the synopsis, but that's how it goes. Some days my head's in it, right now it isn't.

2010: Day 108 ~ The Synopsis

All I can say is, this is going to be pure hell. 

2010: Day 107 Chime The Bells & Blow The Whistles!! .

My manuscript is DONE!!!

Did I yell that loud enough?

Yes!! Ten months, one day, 49 chapters, 70,377 words, and lots of hair-pulling sessions later, I can actually say I'm finished. I wrote the last six chapters over the weekend and yes, they'll have to take their turn to sit before I edit and polish them, but technically ... it's done and ready for a fresh pair of eyes.

It's been so frustrating to know how I wanted this novel to end and yet not find the words to show it. To add to that frustration, I was beginning to think I living the movie "Groundhog Day." Every time I reached chapter 30 or so, another major change popped into my head that forced me to adjust every chapter from 15 on.

And so, before I forget (yeah, like I would), special thanks to my all my pals and family who patiently let me cry on their wonderfully broad shoulders during this process! Let's see, there's Rick, Jessica, Tracy, Mari, Kim, Lain, and Lisa. ;)

And for those out there who don't write mysteries and wonder what goes through the mind of one who does, check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHvBd8G6Jb8

Not intended for readers with weak stomachs. ;)

2010: Day 92 Beautiful Blogger

Thanks so much A. F. Stewart, author of the "Chronicles of the Undead" for awarding me the Beautiful Blogger Award! This did remind me that I needed to get in  here and update my blog. Life has been a the crazy side this week. I'll do that soon, but for now, here's what I've been instructed to do.

As a recipient of this award I was directed to pass it on to deserving bloggers. My criteria was simple: Art (books, paintings, writing, etc.) equals Beauty. These blogs are full of books, writing, artists, wit, advice and overall cool stuff. Do pay them all a visit.

My List:

Welcome to Laine Land
Tender Graces
Kim Smith Live Journal
P. A.Brown
Susan Whitfield's Blog
Ellen Meister
Arron Paul Lazar
Brenda Robertson Stewart

2010: Day 85 -- Will the Guilty Please Step Forward

By now, it should be clear to anyone following this blog that I'm not afraid to edit, cut massive amounts of work from my manuscript, and rewrite entire chapters if that's what it takes to make it right. My second novel, "The Devil Can Wait" (2008) began life as a novella. I expanded it into a novel and set it aside to write "Silenced Cry." When my publisher asked for TDCW, I thought it would be a matter of adding a few subplots and some minor edits. But when I read through it for the first time in a couple of years, I nearly gagged. I ended up cutting over 45,000 words from the MS and rewrote it in 83 days—spent the next seven months editing that version—it went to print two months later. Last May it won the 2009 bronze IPPY. Trust me, cutting out a scene or a chapter is nothing new to this writer.

When I outlined "Shroud of Lies" in June and began to develop the scenes and characters, I was pretty sure of the direction it was going to go. Since then, I've edited it several times. Each round added greater depth to the plot and the characters. Still, the plot and the ending seemed too predictable and I didn't like it.
I always start with the crime and the motive so naturally, I knew who the killer was going to be, but the more I worked on the chapters, the less convinced I was that he was the right man for the job. Don’t get me wrong, there's no doubt he could pulled it off, he has the means and opportunity. The problem is motive--forcing this poor guy to commit murder is like ramming a square peg into a round hole.

So ... after writing over 67,000 words and only a few chapters of edits to go, I decided to change the killer. I know, I know, but for this book to have the impact I want it to have, the killer has to be the person closest to my protagonist. It has to be someone she trusts and believes in and yet someone so cold and calculating that he become a chameleon and is beyond suspicion.

Before I did this, I outlined the character's motives. I then went back to the very beginning, and checked each chapter to see what needed to be changed. To my surprise, the changes were small and I found subtleties in the text that work beautifully with this new twist. Since this is written in first person, the reader knows only what the protagonists knows and that POV hasn’t changed. However, because of this change, the story has suddenly blossomed and I’m loving every minute of writing.

2010: Day 78 My Character Took Off Without Me

So what happens when the main character uncovers the truth seven chapters too soon?

Thus far the edits were going so well that I really thought I’d have the manuscript done this weekend. Evidently Rhonie Lude had other thoughts. But the way she thinks through the evidence makes perfect sense (if this MS ever goes to print, I’m referring to chapter 40). What this means, however, is that I'm going to have to rethink the last six chapters.

Okay, so this is not entirely a bad thing. After all, we all know early drafts are a smorgasbord of ideas (some better than others) that are waiting their turn on the chopping block.

In chapter 40, she has discovered that the one person she has trusted from the beginning was keeping important information from her about the case. The only logical next step is for her to confront him. The question is, how much rewriting will this minor change require? I’ll let you know after a bit of reading.

2010: Day 75 Looking for the right word

Ever have one of those days when you can't find the right word?  I have tons of references; everything from the old Webster Dictionary to Roget's  "Descriptive Word Finder" and "Thesaurus of Phrases" to Dave Dowling's "The Wrong Word Dictionary." Still, some days my mind goes blank so here are a few links that someone out there might find of interest:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/game/scrabble.htm  cool scrabble game here. 

http://www.synonym.com
http://knowgramming.com/metaphors/metaphor_and_simile_difference.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/figures-similes-list.htm

2010: Day 70 Attended A Workshop Today

I attended a four-hour writers' workshop today in town sponsored by the Midwest Writers Workshop. I was pleased to run into a few of my friends. Some I hadn’t seen in several years and didn’t know they had an interest in writing. I enjoyed catching up with what they were doing these days. As for the workshop, after going to a few of these, I often find that there isn't much variation in the type of information presented. However, I have to admit I was pretty impressed with today's three speakers. The discussions ranged from what agents and editors are looking for, to freelance writing, to the difference between good and great dialogue.


The one line that I walked away with today is: Sometimes the best dialogue is no dialogue (when a stronger message is sent by a character's silence).

2010: Day 66 Past the Mid Point!

Well, I think I might actually get this manuscript finished this year. Today, when I turned to chapter 33, I found I had written all types of notes and highlighted them in yellow during a previous edit. I do that when I'm giving it a quick read, know something isn't right, or want to record my thoughts about a paragraph or scene without stopping to take the time (at that time) to develop it.  Right now, the opening to the chapter is a little heavy on the narration. I'm not sure I like that but we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, I received my Writer's Digest newsletter. This time the article that caught my attention (because of all that narration) was titled, "How To Enrich Your Descriptions." You'll find the article here, http://writersdigest.com/article/enrich-your-descriptions. It's a good piece that discusses not only the use of the right words, but also the sounds of the letters and their ability to create the right mood.  The following quote stood out to me.

A word’s definition appeals to the intellect, while its connotation appeals to reader’s emotions. Beyond that, words can affect readers subconsciously, subliminally. This has more to do with the shapes and sounds of the words than with their explicit or implicit meanings.

Interesting. A short article worth the read.

2010: Day 65

I've had several excellent writing days lately (which is why I wasn't here blogging). But all work and no play makes for a dull day. So I did stop to watch a couple of movies over the weekend. I don't mind watching old ones either. A good one, if anyone is interested, is “The Upside of Anger.” (2005) Read a review here.

I love this quote for the end of the movie:

"Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks. That's what I know now. It needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It's real, though - the fury, even when it isn't. It can change you... turn you... mold you and shape you into something you're not. The only upside to anger, then... is the person you become. Hopefully someone that wakes up one day and realizes they're not afraid to take the journey, someone that knows that the truth is, at best, a partially told story. That anger, like growth, comes in spurts and fits, and in its wake, leaves a new chance at acceptance, and the promise of calm. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child."

2010: Days 58, 59, & 60 A New Decision

Life seems to have gotten crazy lately--again. Not bad, but just very busy. Lately I’ve been getting pulled in too many directions, some of which are places I don't want to go.


I began the year with the idea of making changes in my life, my goals, and schedules and although I think 2010 is already a huge improvement over 2009, I'm afraid of slipping back into the rut that kept me away from my writing for nearly the whole of 2009.

I’m grateful to the few good friends who have stopped by to offer their words of encouragement here. I don't if anyone else reads, follows, or cares what I post on this blog, but the point of rededicating it on January 1 to my writing journey, was to make me accountable for my writing time. Sound crazy? Okay, how's this? When it comes to making a public commitment, I'm ten times as likely to follow through.

Today I made the conscious decision to cut back—I mean drop my membership completely--on a number of social blogging sites. I must belong to 30 or 40 places. I had the very best of intention of making regular contributions to those sites, but let's face it. If I'm blogging, I'm not writing and it certainly shows.

This week I'm going to start deleting my pages from several of the sites (I'll keep only three). So aside from my three blogs, this one, Murder By 4, and Novel Works, you'll still find me on Facebook, Twitter, a handful of NING groups, and Gather. I'm considering staying on one or two Yahoo groups, but that's it. It's not fair to the memberships in those groups for me not to contribute, and it's not fair to me to spend my time trying to keep up with all the discussions instead of dedicating my attention the WIP.

So, right or wrong, crazy or not, this is the only way I know to keep my sanity and my focus on the writing.

2010: Days 54, 55, 56, & 57 Catching Up!!

I've been bad. Haven't posted in a few days, but I have to say, EUREKA!!

As I alluded to in a few of my previous posts, I was having a really tough time these past few weeks. There were a few health issued going on that were not only distracting me, but making it very hard to concentrate on what I needed to do (on many levels).

Anyway, the doc says I'm fine, but I've gotten on mega doses of vitamins, changed my diet (and actually losing weight), and getting more sleep than usual (bump up the Omega 3 for healthy heart and vascular health--more blood to the brain, the better it works). In just a matter of weeks I can feel the transformation to my old self, yay!

The Eureka moment though is how clear my mind is now. Thursday and Friday I plowed through two more chapters. The problem I'm dealing with is that when I wrote the first draft, I dumped everything I  could possible think of into it. At my last sitting, I found several sections that weren't bad, but the information was out of sequence. When that happens I separate the sentences and put them back together as if they were a puzzle--one line at a time.  Today I'm going to start work on chapter 25. I've edited thousands of words from this manuscript and yet continue to add to the word count.   I'm current at 66,993 words. :)

So, the moral of the story is, take care of  yourself and don't force yourself to write. Damn the deadlines. Walk away from it for as long as it takes to get your muse back.

2010: Day 53

I managed to correct the three chapters I was "struggling" through yesterday. The true test will be read them without picking up my red pen. Hmmmm.

So, while I read, here's a joke a friend sent to me. :)

A writer died and was given the choice of going to heaven or hell.


The writer thought she'd check out each place before making her decision. So with an angelic escort she descended the brimstone steps to the fiery pits and here she entered a grimy sweatshop and saw rows and rows of writers chained to their desks. As the writers worked on their manuscripts they were repeatedly whipped with cats-o-nine tails.

"Oh gosh golly," the writer told the angel, "I'd better go check out heaven now!"

So they walked back up the brimstone steps and now proceeded up the golden steps that led to Heaven. Here the writer entered another sweatshop, and here again were rows of writers chained to their desks. Just like in Hell, the writers were whipped with cats-o-nine tails as they struggled over every precious word and vital scene in their stories.

The writer was confused. "But this is just as awful as hell!"

"Certainly not!" protested the angel. "Here, your work actually gets published!"

2010: Day 52 - In Full Swing Again

Sometimes dialogue seems to ramble on and on without direction and just when I think it makes sense and should stop, it doesn't.


I came across a section in chapter 23 that I tweaked and edited until it sounded "natural." It's an interrogation scene. The original chapter was so long that I was able to break it down into three separate chapters. Much of what is revealed in these chapters is based on the events the character unveils a few chapters before. So I went back and forth between chapters, making sure things were consistent and I'd finally gotten the first two chapters in this scene to work. They have a natural flow of information; the questions/answers were logical and played up to each character's voice. Great!

I was nearly done with the third section and again, it was going well. The focus is the detective's interest in knowing if the woman he's interrogating had anything to do with a recent murder of her former employer. He senses that even if she didn't actually shoot the weapon, she's hiding or possibly protecting someone. He suspects the victim's business partner and pushes her for answers about him. The dialogue between the two works well, so well that the detective redirects the line of questions. I thought I was nearing the end of the chapter when I realized I'd started beating a dead horse with more of repetitive stuff.

There are some workable lines in that section so it's not a matter of just cutting the entire section. I’ll just read the entire chapter again and pick the bests lines--the ones that keep the scene focused, and cut the rest. Grrr. I'll never get done.

2010: Day 51 - Busy, Busy, Day

I've been working the past several days to get author Janie Franz's 2-week virtual book tour off the ground and today was day one at my other blog, Novel Works. I was really pleased to hear how excited she was with the response on day one. 

Managed to work a bit more on my novel during my lunch hour, but will dedicated an hour or so to it tonight before the Olympics come on. Which reminds me ... how DO they keep track of that tiny hockey puck?  In these games, all the athletes are champions!

2010: Day 51 Plugging Away

All the snow that barreled down in the past couple of weeks is now melting into pools of sludge. It's rained all day here--it would have been a great day to sleep in late, but our mini-doxi had other ideas. Candy, had back surgery last April and although she’s doing better and has a good chance of a full recovery, she is still unable to walk and thus needs help to get a drink of water and to do her business. Anyway, she wakes me up every morning between 5:00 and 5:30. By the time I get done with her, I’m wide awake and ready to put on a pot of coffee and get to work on my writing.


I managed to get through another three chapters today. Yay! Now I'm off to do more reading in "The Secret Keeper."