Sunday’s Sisters in Crime Heart of Texas Chapter presented a New Authors panel: Robin Allen (If You Can’t Stand the Heat: Stick a Fork in It), Kaye George (Choke; Smoke), and Janice Hamrick (Death on Tour; Death Makes the Cut). Hopeton Hay, host of KAZI Book Review, served as moderator.
Here, listed in no particular order and attributed to no particular panelist, are the tips I gleaned from the discussion:
- If you don’t love a character, get him out of your manuscript.
- Characters don’t always behave.
- Publishing the first book makes writing the second easier.
- There is no one correct way to write a book.
- Characters come to life during the writing, not during the outlining.
- Write characters worthy of subplots; they will carry the book.
- Writing is torture.
- Writing is necessary for good mental health.
- Sexual tension between characters is hard to sustain over time, but marriage ends things.
- Publishers encourage authors to have a social media presence.
- Publishers discourage authors from having a social media presence.
- Publishers don’t market books.
- Authors must actively market in order to sell books.
- Without limitations on time, it’s easy to screw around all day.
- Agents don’t know everything.
- Plot in advance but be willing to change the plan.
- Writers who pants successfully have a lot of the plot in their heads.
- Not everyone needs to write daily.
- Sometimes a character disappears without telling the writer where he’s gone.
- Writing a novel requires large blocks of time.
- Writing a novel can be done in twenty-minute segments.
- Experience makes a difference.
- Establish a writing calendar.
- An excellent manuscript doesn’t ensure publication.
Kathy Waller 