Is Flawed Okay?

I've been to countless critiques of my own writing and that of  others. Almost all concurred that book heroes and heroines must seem heroic. An obvious approach is to present a character with sterling qualities..

Another, which takes more effort, is to present a character with major flaws, but offer redeeming qualities which will make that character sympathetic, a/k/a heroic. That's when some authors include a pet in the picture. If a mean person loves a dog or cat, that person can't be all bad, right? 

http://amzn.com/B00IPIGGMK

In the case of Cornelia (Clyde) Shaw of Social Death: A Clyde Shaw Mystery, by Tatiana Boncompagni, at first, I was  taken aback by Clyde's predilections toward alcohol and sex, and almost put the book down. Not exactly my type of heroine. 

However, I became drawn not only to her struggle to do right and overcome her past, but also to the suspense and central mystery of the story.

I couldn't stop reading.

Surprisingly, I could bond with Clyde, despite her faults. Not only that, I hated to see the book end.

What about you? Do you like squeaky clean characters, or prefer flaws? What kind of faults would turn you off and make you stop reading?

Find Morgan Mandel's Mysteries & Romances

on her Amazon Author Page at

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

For more, check out http://morgansbloglinks.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

I Want to Know, I Don't Want to Know by Morgan Mandel

I want to know, but I don't want to know. I hear all kinds of rumors about the latest gadgets, such as the new iPhone, which will probably be called the iPhone 5, and the latest iPad. How much will they cost? Can I afford them? What features will they have? I'm dying to know all the details about available memory and new features, etc.

I want all that information now. Then again, I don't. There's something fun about being kept in suspense. The longer the suspense, the more the curiosity grows.

The same can be said for a good book, be it a mystery or other genre. I and other readers are dying to know the answers to burning questions, but once learned, the book is for all intents and purposes over.

The lesson to be learned is not to give away the store. When writing a novel of whatever type, only explain what needs to be explained, and nothing more. Instead, throw in hints in strategic spots to build suspense. Get the readers agitated and wanting to know the answers, but string them along as far into the book as possible. Then, spill the beans as near to the end as you can.

Morgan Mandel -  For Fast Paced, Poignant Mysteries and Romances
Latest Release: Her Handyman
See all of Morgan's books at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Early Readers, Editors Worth Gold

Wat the Editor Know


Recently, I read this line on a chat group I hang with: An editor who does not charge is not a true editor. That sort of logic if taken to writing would say that an artist or writer or composer is not a true WHATEVER unless he or she is making money at it; unless and editor is making money at editing, he or she is not a real editor. This sort of snobbery has existed in NYC book business forever as they pay editors so well (HA!). I have had many many editors, some who woud place a comma between many many and some who would not, and I have as yet to find one properly compensated by anyone. I have also operated my own editorial services (Knife Services) from my website, and I charge half or a third of what some editors charge, and lately, the business is slow as molasses.

No one wants to pay for editing services. To this I can attest. To qualify that, few want to pay for editing services, but one way or another every author needs a great editor or two or three in order to truly get a MS to sing.

An editor for your work is worth his or her weight in gold, even if he or she edits your work for nothing but the opportunity and "privilege" and charge you nada...for no charge. Despite the line this blog began with, there are capable and surprisingly fine editors among those who do not charge a fee; I know because I have availed myself of some excellent editorial help at no charge over the years. These people are my early readers. People I have cultivated a strong friendship with as a result of our making great books together, people who wind up in my acknowledgment pages.

It may upset some pricey editors (some priced at ten dollars a page if you can imagine it) to hear such talk from a professional writer and published author, but I have relied all my life and career on people who have a sixth sense about what works and what does not work in a manuscript, items you want OUT before the MS goes to press or release to Kindle or Smashwords or wherever you are publishing nowadays.

My Children of Salem, my highest grossing Kindle title, was put through the grist mill by two editors in particular who suffered and struggled with me like Jonah and the Whale until we GOT it. My work in progress, Titanic 2012 has had the tremendous help of two editors in particular who have wrestled that one to the mat where they MAKE me wring out rather than ring out the right words and save me countless embarrssing moments as well as point out plot weaknesses and sags. They are simultaneously copyeditors and developmental editors these folks.

I go back as far as 1965 or 6 working with my Wells High School managing editor on the school newspaper for editorial advice, and damn but she was good with langauge and writing; one lesson she taught me then stayed with me all my writing career - Acitve over Passive. I get cudos for making my work "compelling, fast-paced, a page-turning roller-coaster ride" etc. etc. due in great part to my editorial board -- and now that I am a writer turned publisher putting out Original to Kindle titles, I rely even more on my early readers, my editorial board. They have recently truly impressed me, digging damn deep to make the work the best it can be to the point it is no longer about me but the novel itself that comes first. Of course, it helps that the publishing industry has long, long ago beat the living ego out of me.

My apologies to those who consider themselves legitimate editors because they charge a fee, whether fair or exorbitant, but sorry as I am, I must say that there are people who are not just willing to be early readers for an author but who become invaluable editors an author can and does TRUST, often just as much as he trusts an editor within a publishing house or with a logo. I love editors, love them all, and feel they all deserve a raise but the practice of authors cultivating two, three, four early readers is not likely to stop but increase as we go to press as Indie author-publishers. Certainly been the case with me, but then I had always cultivated early readers. By the same token, over the years, I have learned a great deal from my contacts with all editors, those who were paid--even if poorly by the publsihing house--and those who have graced me with thier help out of the goodness of heart and understanding and unfettered desire to be a part of the process of creation.

Sneak peek of Children of Salem and/or Titanic 2012 is available at http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/

Thanks so much for coming by and do leave a comment, good, bad, ugly, indifferent but leave some word....

Robert W. Walker (Rob to my friends)

Crime Fiction? by Vivian Zabel

Crime Fiction, according to most authorities, is fiction which deals with, of all things, crime. Crime supposedly means detective, solving of crimes, police procedure plots, etc. It is a sub-genre to the mystery genre.

Now I hear from Jordan Dane, mistress of thrillers, that the term “Crime Fiction” is being used as an umbrella for all mystery, suspense, and thriller works. Let’s briefly examine those genres and sub-genres and see how they can be considered “crime fiction.”

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_fiction target="_new")states that Crime Fiction and Mystery Fiction are also synonymous, meaning the different genres and sub-genres dealing with detective, crime, mystery, and anything dealing with solving a crime puzzle.

Since suspense is a major component of any mystery, no matter what the genre or sub-genre, then suspense fiction can be seen to be part of Crime Fiction. According to Writer’s Digest, July 10, 2008, the nine tricks to writing suspense tie to the needs for good mystery or thriller fiction – crime fiction. In fact the English name the sub-genre we call suspense as thrillers. All tie together.

Brian Garfield on International Thriller Writers, 1994, states that novels of suspense (thrillers) contain elements of mystery, romance, and adventure.

I appeared on a panel with Jordan Dane and Merline Lovelace as we discussed Crime Fiction (mystery, suspense, thriller) at the Heartland New Day BookFest on Saturday. Both authors are delightful authors and people. All the people in the room (the largest attended session at the festival) enjoyed themselves. I recommend if you ever have a chance to hear either of them, take it.

Any way, all this time I’ve been writing Crime Fiction and didn’t know.

Vivian Zabel
Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap

Complete the Scene - Your Way

Today I thought we'd have some fun. This is a blogience participation post. I'm going to write the first two sentences of three mini-scenes ... you all write one final sentence to each of them in the comments. The idea is to share the most compelling, mysterious, shock-value-hair-raising endings we can come up with, okay? Cool. Here we go-

***

The door opened slow and noiselessly, without Cameron's noticing. Anthony slipped into the room and crept silently up from behind, carrying the instrument of judgement, of slow and tortuous death, thinking how just and sweet his vengeance would ... but wait - what?

***

It had been three hours at the stakeout with not so much as a sighting or a sound, when suddenly John heard a strange noise from behind. He jerked his neck around to see the hideous thing crawling through the back window.

***

Marlene awoke to the sound of an intruder coming up the stairs. She switched the bedside nightlight to on and realized in a fit of panic the power had been cut off.

***

All right, MMM'ers - come up with some shockeroos!

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A Village Shattered’s Logan & Cafferty Interview

By Jean Henry Mead

Today I’m interviewing Dana Logan and Sarah Cafferty, two main characters from A Village Shattered, my latest senior sleuth mystery/suspense novel. My 60-year-old senior sleuths aren’t too pleased with me at the moment:

Dana, having a serial killer lurking in the San Joaquin Valley fog must have put a damper on your Christmas festivities?

It did, and we received some strange gifts. A friend in Arizona sent me a helmet to protect me from a possible attack. She also sent a neck brace in case the killer tries to strangle me, like he did to two of our club members.

Sarah, did you also receive some weird presents?

My kids sent me a baseball bat and a paint ball gun. The sheriff won’t allow us real guns, I guess he thinks we’ll shoot ourselves in the foot, or each other.”

Guns are dangerous if you don’t know how to use them.

Dana’s late husband taught her to use all kinds of guns. And our friend Micki shot all the game meat for her freezer. Everyone thought her late husband shot the deer, but Micki says he couldn’t hit a barn at five paces. You won’t tell anyone, will you?

I’m afraid I already did. Whoever reads the book will know why you and your surviving club members are being killed alphabetically.

We were doing just fine until you brought that serial killer into our midst. Our So and Sew Club Members were happily meeting each week to do needlework and swap retirement village gossip. Why’d you have to ruin it?

Sarah, you don’t write a mystery/suspense novel without at least one body.

One sure, but your serial killer is trying to send us all to the happy hunting ground. Why so many victims?

I guess it’s because I give my characters free rein and the killer wasn’t satisfied with just one body. . . By the way, Dana, how are you coming along with your sleuthing? Found any clues?

You planted plenty of red herrings but we’re sifting through them. I really think you have a mean streak because you planted us all in the fog. Thank goodness my daughter Kerrie arrived in time to help with the investigation. She’s a journalist, you know, and thanks to you she’s also on the killer’s list.

Which scenes were the most frightening for you, Dana?

When the killer locked us in the closet. He was planning to turn the old farmhouse into a crematorium, with us in it. It was even worse when he kidnapped Kerrie.

What about you, Sarah?

I was nearly scared to death when Dana and Kerri were lost in the fog and had to steal a police car. I didn’t know about it until later. I just knew they were missing.

Well, ladies, are you looking forward to a happy new year?

Fat chance. You’re gonna put us in a motorhome in the middle of a Rocky Mountain blizzard in the next novel, Diary of Murder. Why can’t you leave well enough alone?

Sorry, Sarah. I just can’t help myself . . . It’s time to tell everyone, “Happy New Year.”

Writing Suspense--Growing the Problem

In two previous posts, I wrote about a theory of suspense based on two principles: isolate the protagonist, and grow the problem. In the last post, I gave some ideas for isolating the protagonist. In this one, I'll talk about some ways to grow the problem.

One way of growing the problem is to give our protagonist a formidable oponent. Few authors do that better than Sara Paretsky. Her detective, V.I. Warshawski, faces such foes as a labor union, the Chicago mob, a huge insurance company, a Great Lakes shipping magnate, the Democratic Party of Chicago, the Chicago Police Department, and the Roman Catholic Church. But Paretsky doesn't only challenge V.I. with powerful antagonists. She challenges V.I. in every scene.

Here's an example. V.I. is knocked unconscious while searching the basement of a decaying building. She wakes up to find the building on fire and the door locked, her escape blocked. In the room with her is her elderly aunt who has also been knocked unconscious. Will V.I. get her auntie and herself out of the building in time? Of course she will, but not before encountering numerous obstacles and raising the reader’s heart rate along with her own.

The book is Burn Marks. The suspense is unrelenting. How does Paretsky create the suspense? In several ways: One, she creates obstacles for V.I. Two, she takes each problem and enlarges it. Three, she raises the stakes. Four, she isolates the protagonist as I discussed in my last post.

Obstacles can be a part of the problem or unrelated to it. Either way, they intrude and make the problem more difficult to deal with. The tendency of V.I.’s aunt to run away makes the initial problem of finding a place for her to stay that much more difficult. If auntie hadn’t run away to begin with, the two women wouldn’t find themselves in the burning building. Other problems also intrude; an irate neighbor who calls the cops when V.I. disturbs his sleep, clients who push deadlines on her, and police who harass her. All these obstacles increase V.I.’s frustration and, consequently, the reader’s frustration, thus raising the reader’s anxiety.

Giving your detectives emotional or physical problems that impair their abilities increases suspense and makes them seem more human. A hangover is a good temporary impairment, so is a bout of flu or a minor injury, either job related or from some other source. Little problems become big problems and big problems become life-threatening. With each one, the reader’s sense of anxiety increases. At the same time, the reader’s sympathy and emotional involvement with the protagonist increases. A protagonist who gets up to chase the bad guys despite being under the weather is one we can identify with and root for.

An author enlarges the problem by making sure that the obvious solutions don’t work. Readers are intelligent and will expect the protagonist to attempt the obvious solution. When they don’t work the protagonist is frustrated again and must resort to extraordinary methods. In Burn Marks, when V.I. gets the desperate call from auntie asking for help, the reader thinks, “Call the cops.” V.I. does, but the officer in charge of the case isn’t there; the dispatcher tries to relay the message but the officer doesn’t receive it. Obvious solution #1 has failed. V.I. tells her auntie to stay by the public phone so she can locate her. Auntie, of course, doesn’t. Obvious solution #2 doesn’t work. Expecting the cops to be there soon and expecting her aunt to be nearby, V.I. enters the hotel in search of her, beginning in the basement. Now she’s isolated and the suspense is mounting. She finds her aunt unconscious but then she herself is knocked out.

When V.I. comes to, groggy from the blow and still weak from the flu, the obvious solutions aren’t so easy. It’s dark, the door is locked and the building is on fire. It’s a life or death situation. The author has raised the stakes.

V.I., on her hands and knees, searches the floor for her flashlight (obvious solution) but encounters rats (enlarged problem). Without a tool to open the door, she shoots the lock (obvious solution), but the door doesn’t budge because it has been nailed shut (enlarged problem). Finally she gets out by shooting the hinges, but her aunt is still unconscious (enlarged problem). If V.I. were at the peak of her abilities, if she were not weakened from the flu, if she were not groggy from the blow on the head, she might be able to carry her aunt up the stairs to safety. But of course she can’t because the problem has been enlarged and all the obvious solutions taken from her.

Who could put the book down at this point? We’re caught up in the suspense the author has created by, 1) throwing obstacles up to the protagonist, 2) making sure the obvious solutions don’t work, 3) raising the stakes, and 4) isolating the protagonist.

Plotting for suspense--isolating the protagonist

Remember the exciting finish to The Silence of the Lambs? FBI Agent-in-training Clarice Starling is alone in the serial killer’s basement. The lights go out. She can’t see, but he can because he has night-vision goggles. Of course she keeps her wits about her and blows the guy away. The solution is both satisfying and heart pounding. While all this is going on, the SWAT team is in another city breaking into an empty house with well-practiced precision. Would it have been as exciting and satisfying if the SWAT team, with all its firepower, had found the correct house and captured the killer? Of course not. The satisfaction comes from Clarice facing the killer alone.

Isolate your protagonist. That’s the key to building suspense. A good story follows the principle of rising action. At the peak of the action, your character should find him or herself alone, facing tough odds. In some stories, the protagonist’s isolation is the entire premise. This is especially true of espionage stories. George Smiley, trying to find a Soviet mole in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, was isolated by the fact that he couldn’t trust anyone around him. Virgil Tibbs, a black Philadelphia detective trying to find a killer in a bigoted, segregated Southern town was isolated racially, and geographically in In the Heat of the Night.

Where the detective’s isolation is not a premise of the story, the writer has to devise ways to accomplish it at the critical points. The problem is that most mystery readers understand that police are quick to bring in backups and reinforcements at early signs of trouble. Readers also expect their detectives to be intelligent, common-sense people who will not put themselves in danger for no reason. So how do you credibly isolate your protagonist? Here is my own taxonomy of ways to do it.

Confront the villain. This is the classic method. The detective needs to have his theories confirmed or his curiosity satisfied before calling the police. Hercule Poirot did it frequently; Nick Charles did it in The Thin Man. Spencer does it for personal satisfaction, though it almost gets him killed in Valediction.

The hunted becomes the hunter. Instead of the detective seeking out the villain, the villain comes to the detective. Sam Spade found the villains waiting for him at his apartment because he had what they wanted -- The Maltese Falcon. In The Poet, the killer has singled out the protagonist from the start. In Demolition Angel, the serial bomber wants to display his handiwork to detective Carol Starkey, so he waits for her at her house.

While in the course of gathering evidence. The detective, operating on a hunch perhaps, finds herself alone while looking for a critical piece of evidence. In A is for Alibi, Kinsey Milhone has such a hunch on her way to see her client. She is examining a hit-and-run vehicle when the bad guy unexpectedly shows up. Kinsey has to run for her life. The chase ends with a deadly confrontation inside a dumpster at a beach park.

Isolated in time and space. The use of the setting to force the isolation is common to many stories. Kinsey was physically isolated at the beach park; Clarice was isolated in the darkened basement. V.I. Warshawski finds herself trapped aboard a boat in Deadlock. In A Thief of Time, Tony Hillerman makes terrific use of the desert southwest setting to isolate his protagonist. Joe Leaphorn tracks an injured woman to a remote canyon reachable only by kayak or helicopter -- the killer’s method of arrival.

Misdirect the cavalry. This is why Clarice finds herself confronting the bad guy. The F.B.I. was certain they had him at another place. They were wrong. Clarice found him where he was least expected to be. A variation of this is to pin down the cavalry by circumstances they can’t control.

Mentor is a shape-shifter. It could also be a lover or a partner--somebody the detective has every reason to trust. This puts the detective in a really tough spot. She thinks she's getting advice, back-up, support. She's not going it alone, or so she thinks, until the shapeshifter is revealed. The DaVinci Code and The Poet are two examples where the person the protagonist turns to for help is the bad guy.

The heat of the chase. Like Patton out-distancing the rest of the American forces, the detective can become caught up in the chase and leave his or her backup behind. Sharon McCone does this in Eye of the Storm. The setting, a remote island in a storm, enhances her isolation. Harry Bosch takes off after the bad guy into a drainage tunnel in Black Echo.

Protagonist as decoy. Carlotta Carlisle in Coyote is part of a trap to catch a killer. Naturally, the killer is wily enough to have his own plan for isolating the decoy. At a critical moment, Carlotta loses contact with the police who are supposed to spring the trap.

Burnt bridges. In Shooting at Midnight, private eye Bridget Logan abandons her job, her lover and her sister in such a way that nobody would take her back. She does it to get undercover as a drug dealer, eventually becoming a heroin user herself. All of this is an effort to save her best friend from jail, but, if her friend knew what she was doing, Bridget's cover would be blown. When she finally breaks cover, the police use her as a decoy.

Emotional isolation. In False Witness by Dorothy Uhnak, an ambitious bureau chief with eyes on being D.A. finds her hopes ruined and herself isolated from her superiors when her case against a society doctor collapses dramatically. At the same time, she finds herself betrayed by her lover. Normally in control of events, she suddenly finds that events are controlling her.

Fish out of water. The protagonist finds him or herself in a strange culture or country where every action, no matter how well-intended, produces unexpected, often dangerous consequences. The classic fish out of water is Philadelphia police detective John Book in Witness trying to protect an Amish woman and her son in an Amish community.

Mother nature is a . . .. For east Texas constable Sunset Jones, the word rhymes with "rich." After enduring a tornado, winds, rain and Texas heat in Sunset and Sawdust, she confronts a vicious killer during an infestation of grasshoppers that is so thick she can't see or even stand and her help can't get to her. This is a plague that goes beyond biblical. The little buggers catch fire and become tiny incendiary missiles. So, not only is she isolated, but the problem has grown! (Stay tuned for my next blog post on growing the problem.)

Protecting the innocent. The detective goes alone to protect someone no one else will protect. Who can forget Atticus Finch, armed with only a law book, putting himself between his client, a black man falsely accused of rape, and a white lynch mob. The innocent might also be a child as in Gone, Baby, Gone.

The best suspense often involves a combination of factors that isolate the protagonist. The peak action in Spree, by T.J. McGregor, finds the protagonist in a remote farmhouse (isolated in time and space) during a severe storm (mother nature is a . . .); her husband/partner is pursuing a lead elsewhere (misdirected cavalry); she is preoccupied by concerns for her infant daughter (protecting the innocent); and the killer, a police detective she had been working with (shapeshifter) comes after her (hunted becomes the hunter). You could hardly have a better ending.

Plotting for Suspense

Being a writer has changed the way I read. I'm always asking myself, "How did they do that?" Suspense, in particular, is an element I'm always working to improve and always looking to others to see what works. In this post and some following posts, I'll share what I've learned about creating suspense.

Suspense, first of all, is an anticipation that something is going to happen, usually something bad for the protagonist. It's an integral part of the story and not something that's added on. It builds to a peak at a critical time for the main character. I had an "ah ha" moment about suspense one day when I was looking at a calendar of fantasy cover art. One of these covers showed a warrior woman, sword in hand, on a clump of rock, maybe the top of a mountain, surrounded by a more numerous, better-armed enemy. The "ah ha" was when I realized I was looking at the climax of this woman's story. I don't recall the story or the character, but her future was clearly in doubt at that point. The print was a perfect metaphor for what takes place at the climax of a story, the peak of the action.

At the peak of the action, the hero stands alone against a more powerful opponent.

This print had all of that. The insight for me came when I asked, "How did she get there?" She didn't get up that morning with the idea of climbing a rock by herself and swinging a sword at an army of bad guys. She probably had family, friends, comrades-in-arms. Where were they? Why weren't they helping her? What made her go it alone? I don't think she wanted to go alone. Clearly some of our protagonists are loners, but it's not always by choice. When it comes to our own survival, most of us want some help and backup. Readers of police procedurals know that the call that gets cop cars rolling is "Officer needs assistance." This warrior may have sent such a call, but the assistance never arrived.

Therefore, the first principle of suspense is; Isolate the protagonist.

The next question I asked was, "How did these bad guys get there?" How did they get to be so numerous? How did they get to be so well-armed? Our warrior must have royally pissed someone off. She probably didn't start the day that way. Like most of us, she had problems, but they would have been small ones. None of us want to take on more than we can handle. When things begin to get out of hand, we tend to back off. Obviously, our hero didn't. Her problem grew and she could not escape it.

Therefore, the second principle of suspense is: Grow the problem.

Both of these happen slowly and inexorably in the story. We know before we open the book where the hero will end up--alone and up to her neck in trouble. The hero could be FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling, in a basement catacomb, in the dark, trying to save a young woman from a serial killer with a handgun and night-vision goggles. She started the day as the junior member of a team. Her job was to gather evidence. Along the way, she became isolated and her problem grew.

Even the quintessential loner heroes like Jack Reacher and John McClain don't start alone. Nor do they set out to fight terrorists in a skyscraper. On the other hand, when the story involves an ensemble such as the men and women of the Dan Kearney Agency, one of the group will end up alone in the final battle.

To get our hero to that peak of the action where he or she stands alone, we must build in events that increase our protagonist's isolation each step of the way and grow the problem, like Audrey the carnivorous plant, right before everybody's eyes. If we do that, the anticipation that something bad is going to happen will increase inexorably.

In my next post, I'll write about some of the ways authors isolate their protagonists.

ENTER IF YOU DARE By Morgan Mandel

Hi Mystery Lovers,
Anyone who reads mysteries enjoys suspense, so we'll do our best to offer it. We invite you to follow our mysterious road and see where it leads.

Some days, you may discover a post from a member blogger. Other times, a turn in the road could lead you to a post from a guest with distracting links to follow. Just make sure you come back. We don't want you to get lost along the way. Otherwise, something bad might happen to you.