I’m writing another mystery novel. Not because my first manuscript has been scooped up by a publisher, but because I listened to professionals and laid aside the first novel to work on something new. Advice from those same pros pound in my ears. “Grab the reader with the first lines, keep the plot moving, build scenes to crescendo to an arc, and tie up all the loose ends before the last page.”
I write without an outline-flying by the seat of my pants. Or, a more accurate description would be the tips of my fingers. My first drafts are rough as hand-hewn trees felled for a log cabin. With full awareness that my draft isn’t ready, I sidestep that knowledge and offer it for review. My readers accept the project like dissecting a stinking frog for science class, or examining a cadaver in medical training. They probe and poke. Now and then, they smile and nod an affirmative.
Meet my critique group. Six dedicated CWC Tri-Valley writers with diverse talents who review selected chapters of my draft manuscripts each month. An eclectic novelist group, writers from fantasy to mystery with historical fiction and women’s rights sandwiched between, diversity binds us together. They applaud my writing strengths and assess my flaws. They ask questions that let me reshape my fictional characters into believable people. They dissect my stinking manuscript and make it come out smelling like a rose.