Writing Tips, Book Events, and Writers Conference -

Today’s post is a mash-up of writing tips, coaching, and virtual opportunities. Bear with me, and you’ll see how it’s all related.

Writing Tips

Have you ever received a text from a family member or close friend and knew something was wrong even though the words indicated the opposite?

I’ll show you what I mean with a real-life example.

The Kid planned to drive up to deliver ducks to the couple who lives at the top of our mountain, off-the-grid in a year-round camp surrounded by tall pines, oak, birch, and maple trees. By 10 a.m. that morning, we still hadn’t heard from The Kid, which is unusual. He’s always been an early riser.

So, I shot him a text. “Still planning to come up today?”

Several minutes dragged by before he responded, “Yes.”

Instantly, my intuition tapped me on the shoulder. Something’s wrong. He never responds with one word. Besides, a simple yes didn’t give me enough information. If he brought all three grandkids, I would need to plan to feed six rather than three.

Plus, I let my little spice girls (fur-babies) run around my office during the day, but our grandchildren have a habit of leaving doors open. So, when they visit, it’s safer for the Notorious P.I.G. and Miss Dee-Pac to stay in their guinea pig habitat.

I texted back, “The Joe and the chicks coming, too?”

Another long pause. “Just The Joe.”

“You okay? You sound…I dunno…off.”

By now, The Kid knows I’m tuned into him. Over the years I’ve learned to trust my intuition, and it has never failed me. Lying would be pointless.

“I was chasing ducks.”

“Okay, cool,” I texted, but something told me “chasing ducks” wasn’t the full story. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to push the issue, especially via text. “I get the feeling you won’t be staying long?”

“We can stay for a bit.” The five-minute pause seemed to last twenty. “The longer the better. LOL”

And there it was—the first hint of the real reason he seemed off. Which he’d spill in person. It’s much harder to hide behind a false façade while staring into a concerned parent’s eyes. Though I would never want to come across as pushy—he is an adult after all—I can’t take it when my kid is hurting. I don’t care how old he is. I’ll always be fiercely protective of his beautiful heart.

I do have a point to all this.

With that one simple word—Yes—I, the reader, knew to pay attention. That yes held power. That yes held unlimited power, more powerful than if he’d written an entire paragraph.

Writers should do the same. It’s a simple but effective way to add tension to a scene, cause a disturbance, and cue the reader to pay attention. The one-word, staccato sentence is a tool used for emphasis.

Run. Now.

It’s short and to the point. It calls attention to itself and exploits a reader’s emotions. Varying sentence structure holds a reader’s attention.

The following example looks like an exaggeration, but I once had to critique the first few pages of a novel written just like it.

As he stared at me, I could not look away. As I moved around the room, his stare held me hostage. As he moved closer, I told him to stop. As I backed away, he kept coming.

Rewrite:

His wolf-like stare held me hostage. Stop. Please stop. He moved closer, and I backed away. Dear God, no. Not again. My spine hit the wall, and I lowered one hand, my fingers searching behind me for the doorframe.

See how much more immediate the second example sounds? We don’t want to overdo it, but nothing can replace a well-placed staccato sentence here and there.

Writers have access to a plethora of writing tips, but it’s important not to overlook simple ways to hone our craft, like the act of reading and sentence structure.

Why am I sharing writing tips today?

Well, I’m involved in several coaching programs/events that I wanted to share with you.

Writing Tips/Coaching

On the Kill Zone I’ve been part of First Page Critiques since I joined the TKZ crew in 2017. I’ve also shared writing tips on this blog many times. But I want to focus on the critiques because they’re enormously helpful for all writers, not just newbies.

Here’s how it works.

Any writer can send in the first page of their WIP for an anonymous critique on the blog. Lynne, our in-house manager, sends all Kill Zone members the first pages without the writer’s name. By remaining anonymous, it alleviates pressure from the submitter and the one offering writing tips to improve the page.

Incidentally, when the anonymous writer submits their first page, they have no idea who’ll be critiquing their work. I suppose a writer could request one of us, but sometimes you’re better off taking your chances. We all see different things in the first pages. By requesting a certain member, you might miss out on writing tips from another member. Better to let the literary gods decide. 🙂

If you’re interested, you can find the details on how to submit here.

Please note: If you’ve already published the book, it’s too late for us to critique.

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Also, I recently joined the Resident Writing Coach Program on Writers Helping Writers. If you’re unfamiliar with the coaching program, it’s founded by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, co-authors of The Descriptive Thesaurus guides. Many well-known coaches have offered writing tips over the years and are now a Resident Coach. James Scott Bell, for example. And most, if not all, write craft books.

Needless to say, my first reaction to the invitation was: Me? Until I read this paragraph…

I enjoy your posts and because of your chosen genre, I think you have a lot to add to the conversation about writing suspense and the darker side of fiction. It’s such a balancing act to get all the elements to line up – pacing, plotting, tension, symbolism, etc.—and every writer needs to know how to create reader pull through tension and suspense no matter what genre they write in.

How could I say no?

Look for my first article on October 26, 2021.

Writers’ Conference

In November, I’ll be a panelist at the 2021 New England Crime Bake, which I’m super excited about. If you’re interested in attending the writers’ conference, the above link will take you to the summary and registration. My panel is “True Crime: Media Darlings” on Saturday, November 13, at 10:30-11:45 a.m., followed by a book signing hosted by Baywater Books. The bookstore will carry my last two releases, I AM MAYHEM and PRETTY EVIL NEW ENGLAND. Can’t wait!

Virtual Serial Killer Course

Here’s another cool opportunity that came my way. In mid-February, I’ll be teaching a 5-week course for the 2022 Spring semester at Foothills Adult & Continuing Education in Connecticut via Zoom.

The virtual course “Serial Killers of New England” will cover the following topics: FBI definition of serial killers, modus operandi vs. signature, seven key phases to the ritual of serial killing, serial killer categories, classifications, mobility, and motive (as a classification), male vs. female serial killers, types of male and female serial killers, and sociopath vs. psychopath, nature vs. nurture.

Although the school asked that I center the course around serialists of New England, the same principles apply to all serial killers.

Sounds fun, right?

Book Events

Last February kicked off a boom of virtual book signings, and they’re a blast. I only have one more in-person event this year, but plenty of virtual events for the fall.

All are hosted by Connecticut libraries, but anybody can attend via Zoom.

Host: Danbury Public Library

Date: ~~September 23, 2021~~ Rescheduled for October 21, 2021

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: The comfort of home via Zoom.