I was born to write. I love
being alone. I love being quiet. I absolutely adore running around inside my
head. The only time I’m really at peace is when I’m writing.
This realization didn’t come
about easily. In a society that rewards extraversion, I spent years hiding my
desire to be left alone. Then one night I sat down at the computer and began to
write a story. Forty pages later, I knew I had found something important to my
life.
That first forty pages turned
into 450, a mystery called “The Oldest House.” I loved the way the story
revealed itself to me, taking its own twists and turns. I loved the freedom I
felt when I was writing it. When finished, I enthusiastically sent it to
publishers and agents and got my first round of rejection slips. That didn’t
stop me from writing, just from sending queries. I soon settled into my second
mystery, “Broken Roses.”
Noted sci-fi author David Gerrold said in his Worlds of
Wonder workshop that the first million
words are practice. That sounds like a lot, but if you truly love to write,
they just happen. By the time I found myself penning my first Crazy Cat Lady
cozy mystery, I had hit that million mark. And I’d learned so much along the
way.
I am now working on my 8th
and 9th Crazy Cat Lady mystery, and I have the process down. Here’s
how it goes:
1. The initial idea.
The first glimmer of a thought
that could be a story that could be a book comes in many forms. It can be a
writer’s prompt or something you see at the store. It can be a dream. I often
think of a title and work from there. Cat Café was
such a story. I loved the idea of cat cafés, and took off from there.
2. The thrill of the first draft.
Once I’ve got my idea, it’s time
to run with it. I try not to think too much as I pen that initial draft; just
let the story lead me. I don’t fuss over grammar or wording—that can be fixed
later. If I require research, I make a note to come back. This is the fun
stuff, riding on the wings of pure creativity.
3. The work begins: the second and third (and possibly fourth) draft.
Now for the real work, editing
and revision. During these run-throughs, I check for flow and continuity, for
gaps and discrepancies, for plot holes, and for anything that doesn’t seem
right to me. I use an ongoing outline, a cast of characters list, and a note
page where I write whatever comes to mind. Yes, I do use color-coding.
4. The print-out/read-through. (Red pen required)
After all those edits, the
manuscript should be perfect, right? Unfortunately it usually isn’t. This is
when I print it out and read it out loud to my cats. Seeing the words on paper
reveals typos and overused words. Reading out loud shows the flow of the
wording. This is especially importing with conversations. Ask yourself, do
people really talk like that, or am I channeling Agatha Christie?
5. The beta readers.
Now that I’ve fixed the problems
I found in the read-through, it’s time to hand off the red pen to someone else.
As the writer, I instinctively fill in gaps that would be glaringly obvious to
others, but another reader will catch those things and more. I have a list of
questions for the beta reader to answer once she’s finished reading, such as,
“When did you realize who the killer was?” and the ever-revealing, “Did you
like it?” (Please, please say yes!)
6. The editor.
I love my editor. She’s smart,
savvy, and knows where to put the commas. Once the manuscript is as perfect as
I can hope for it to be, I say goodbye to it for a little while to let her do
her magic. It takes time as we go back and forth with questions and comments.
Then, voila, it comes back to me a fully formatted book!
7. Revising with the proof copy.
I publish through Amazon Kindle
Direct Publishing because it’s easy and free. I begin with the print version
which allows me to order a proof copy. Once the proof is in my hand, it’s red
pen time again. In the same way the print-out revealed mistakes, reading the
actual book shows up lingering issues. I know we were taught not to write in
books, but get over it and use that red pen!
8. Finishing touches.
There are things a writer must
do that go along with publishing, such as cover design, back cover blurb, front
and back matter, bio, and links. Blurbs are hard for me, so I often begin
working on them long before the book is finished. For Cat Café, I
wrote one of my most well-received mini-blurbs though I still had no idea where
the story was going: “A body is found in
the cat café, and all the black cats are missing.”
9. Do it all over again!
Congratulations! The book is
done and out! Celebrate, then it’s time to get on to the next one.
About Mollie Hunt: Native Oregonian Mollie Hunt has always had an affinity for cats, so it was a short step for her to become a cat writer. Mollie Hunt writes the award-winning Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Cat Seasons sci-fantasy tetralogy where cats save the world. She also pens a bit of cat poetry.
Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like Lynley, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.
You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: www.lecatts.wordpress.com
Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/
@MollieHuntCats
