I hope you enjoyed reading Fallen Shroud as much as I enjoyed writing it. One of my favorite phases of writing this book was the research phase. However, before I talk about that, let me describe a few steps I work through before I get there.
Before sitting down to write, I created a high-level overview of the major sections of the book. From there, I drew a timeline with subplot ideas. Once that was ironed out, then came the scene-by-scene outline. This contained a few sentences about each scene, the purpose it played in the story, and what characters were present. You’ve probably guessed I’m a planner when it comes to writing. Well, I’m a planner for pretty much anything in my life. Lists are my friends; they make me happy.
Now, with those steps done, I sat down to write. The rough draft was exactly that, rough. I set a daily word count goal and pushed through as quickly as possible. The scene ran through my mind like a movie as my fingers rushed to type out the action and dialogue. I put place holders in for some character names and made notes of where descriptions needed to be expanded. Editing was strictly prohibited during this phase. The goal was to get the entire novel written. You cannot make a beautiful vase if you don’t have an ugly blob of clay to start with. Once I had my blob of clay, I delved into the editing.
I broke editing into several novel run throughs. The first one being research. While scanning the document for my notations, I compiled them all into a list – insert smiley face here. I broke the list into character names, finding places, descriptions needed, and general research. An example of general research is making sure the model of truck I had referenced had a bench seat.
To find names, I use online resources like babynames.com and some online name generators. I go into the rough draft with most of the main character names already in mind, but the supporting cast wasn’t decided until this step of editing.
For descriptions, I used personal photographs, realty listings, or simply taking a drive around the area. I live in central Florida exploring Orlando’s familiar and new places is a great way to spend the day. During the time of Rosie O’Grady’s Good Time Jazz Emporium, Church Street Station had been a favorite place to spend an evening with friends. But redevelopment and tough economic times closed the entertainment complex. I knew I wanted to bring it back to life in my story.
Getting down to specific restaurants and even what the characters ordered was fun. With COVID and restaurant closures, I had to depend on the online menu listings. I tried to make their choice of food match their personalities. Although I easily recognize barbeque smells, describing them was a bit of a challenge. I took one for the team and ordered several samples from local restaurants, delivered to my home via Door Dash. Oh, what sacrifices we authors will make.
I hesitated to Google some things, like what would kill someone if injected, how to get someone in a choke hold, and how large an explosion was needed to blast a hole in a concrete wall. Hopefully, the FBI won’t come knocking on my door.
Once all the research results were fitted into the story like puzzle pieces, the rough draft started taking shape. At this point, although far from being editor ready, I reached out and scheduled the deadline for turning the novel over. I work best with deadlines. Several other run throughs of the novel were needed to check consistency, movement through time, scene POV, etc.
And the Cheez-Its, they are my favorite snack food. They were my promised celebration treat for getting my novel to the editor by the deadline. A box sat on my kitchen counter, cheering me on as the days ticked by. I ended up submitting the novel five days early.
About a month later, I received the editor’s and beta readers’ feedback. Here was where I could decide to include or exclude these recommendations. I needed to develop a thick skin to hear some of the feedback, but I knew everyone had the best intentions. Stepping back and looking at the novel from other’s points of view was tough but I found all the feedback valuable. After this review was done, the book headed off for a final proofreading to check grammatical issues with my changes.
You know what happened next. I published my book on Amazon. It’s hard exposing something you have created to public opinion. But what gets me past that fear is understanding negative comments don’t reflect on me as an individual. My dream is to share my love of story and entertain as many people as possible.
