I’m so happy, actually ecstatic, to report that my first short story will appear this November in the anthology, SNOWBOUND, to be published by Level Best Books.

Here’s how it happened:

I read the call-out for stories via my Guppies listserv. If you’re a mystery writer, I can’t underscore the importance of joining Sisters in Crime and their subgroup for the unpublished – the Guppies. Where would I be without them? Odds are I wouldn’t be a published novelist and a short story wouldn’t be in my cards either. The Guppies are a treasure chest of resources and wisdom, not to mention superb classes, especially those taught by expert editor Ramona Long.

Using high-grade, escape-proof iron, I chained myself to a chair, prepped to plow ahead with my short. There was only one problem: I didn’t know what to write. But I was certain of my setting: Boston. I knew the locale well, and SNOWBOUND required a New England setting. But who would be my hero/heroine?

I scanned Boston news stories and read about a young police cadet who earned a commendation for helping detectives apprehend a felon. My heroine was born.

In my last blog post, I wrote about a character I’d imagined based upon an encounter with an older gent during my day job. Guess who ended up in my short story? The cane-carrying senior with the big black shades was going to encounter my cadet. But what kind of encounter?

For me, the hardest part in writing a novel is the beginning. I discovered the same to be true for a short story. I like action, so I threw my heroine, Cadet Lyndrea Watson, into the police station, manning the front desk, and nearing the end of her shift. Lyndrea needed to behave the way I imagined a heroine to behave: ever helpful, kind, responsible, and conscientious. Always striving to do her best.

Lyndrea is doing just that when confronted by “the nut job,” an older man wearing space invader type shades. He approaches her, asks a few questions, and says he’ll wait for her outside. What does he want?

The answer to that question and Lyndrea’s need to do the right thing is what propelled my story forward. I initially wrote 4700 words. Then I set the story aside and revisited the draft a week later. I shaved off about 600 words. I set that aside and revisited days later. A bit more shaving, and voila! My short story was born.

If you should spot me in a coffee shop staring at someone, please feel free to march up and tap me on the shoulder. It’s likely I’m stuck in a character reverie.

That happened to me recently when I was in Manhattan Beach, California, in a little café bakery. That is, I caught myself staring.

A woman walked in, a very pregnant woman wearing an ankle length sun dress, with a brown bob of a haircut, and a prominent, straight nose. As I continued to stare at her profile, I imagined that if she were to turn toward me, I’d discover that one eye was blue, and the other a silvery gray, due to blindness. I went on to imagine her as a highly proficient, in-demand assassin…on maternity leave. And so formed the character, in my head, of course. Now, what to do with her?

I shelf these characters in a file, in case I can use them in a story. It could take years to find them a home, but I’ve actually done just that with some of my imaginary peeps.

A man once walked into the legal non-profit where I work, an older man wearing older man clothes and sporting older man style, along with black space invader type shades that entirely blocked his eyes. He claimed he was a retired teacher with a workers’ compensation issue. But that’s not what he was to me.

I saw an older gent, in blacked-out shades who was a former DEA agent, forced into retirement by his failing vision, perpetually on the hunt for suspects. He still had what it takes, but one by one, his health and limbs were failing him. He needed a partner to take on what he could not.

This character found a home in a story. It took a few years, but he settled in quite nicely and found an able-bodied partner. And together, they made a solid team. More on that story to come.

Here’s the quote of the day by Michael Crichton:

“Books aren’t written – they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.”

I wish it only took me seven or eight or twenty times. But the fact is, with the first chapter especially, rewrites happen. I usually lose count after thirty. If there was an AA for authors (Authors Anonymous), I’d be a card-carrying member so I could commiserate with kindred spirits about self-editing.

Yesterday, page after page of my draft was turned without touching a word…until I came to a spot where I referred to my heroine in the third person (e.g., Corrie stepped in front of the guy). Only problem is, my book’s written in the first person. AAARRGGG!

I don’t mind editing and rewrites, really I don’t (excuse me while I find a fire extinguisher for my pants). In fact, I welcome them because every rewrite brings me that much closer to the novel I aspire to write.

But I have hope. Book 2 took me fewer rewrites than Book 1. That’s progress, right?

So here are three tips I humbly offer to assist in making the editing process more efficient:

1. Keep a checklist
I would show you mine, but I’m afraid you’d be traumatized. It’s a bit of a jumble. I use a yellow legal pad and write notes by book page. Then I either place a box, circle, triangle, star or whatever captures my fancy to group my notes together. For instance, on every page where Corrie mentions her late, great PI dad, I place a circle around the number. This is to make sure I’m not redundant.

2. Highlight dialogue
To ensure our characters don’t sound alike, it helps to highlight their distinct individual speech. For example, pink for Corrie, yellow for Veera, etc. If I were to cut out the speech of each character, put it in a hat and draw it out, I should be able to know who said what by personality.

3. Read the manuscript out loud. This is a HUGE help. But before you do, listen to an audiobook by your fave author. This will help you understand the proper rhythm of words and sentences.

4. I know I said three tips, but it’s my blog, isn’t it? Always, always make sure you enjoy the writing process. It’ll come more easily, and happy writing = happy reading.