This blog is a way for you to look over my shoulderas I write a book and to interact with me while you write your own. I left the last blog with a promise to write a premise for my story.
I guess I should have given some advice as to how to do it, just in case you are just starting out and needed to know. Look for ideas where you normally look, newspapers, magazines, people you know, what you overhear in a crowded place, whatever jumps out at you as a possible story idea. When you develop a premise, you are taking an idea and constructing it into what your story is about within a few sentences. It is the basic core of your story.
Since I am using Hallie Ephron’s book Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel, here is how I would do it using her suggestions:
Let’s start with my basic idea. What if a failing romance author’s fiancée dies in the arms of another woman?
Maybe an interesting concept but at this point just an idea.
To develop my premise, I have to take it a little further: Suppose a failing romance author’s fiancée dies in the arms of another woman. What if because of her pride, she lets everyone think he was with her and all seems fine until the police determine that he didn’t die of natural causes and she becomes a suspect?
Now I have something a little more substantial to hang a story on. Nothing is ever set in stone at this point but this is my start.
Now I am going on to developing my mystery sleuth. If you are not writing a mystery, this is when you develop your protagonist. For the next few days, I will be creating my own templates to determine who this character actually is. Her physical appearance, likes, dislikes, background, everything that has made this character, my sleuth, who she is at this point in her life.
Does what I’ve covered so far make sense? Do you see anything that isn’t logical? Do you understand how to develop a premise and create a character? Feel free to comment at any time. Like I said, this is a lonely business and it’s nice to know someone else is out there doing the same things.
For now, I’m going on with the story and will be back as soon as I get past this step.
If you’d like to see how other authors write, check out Lois Greiman’s interview within this blog site. I will be adding other author interviews over the next few weeks. They include Carla Cassidy, Franscesca Hawley, Cheryl Saint John, and Dennis Maulsby. I will continue to post author interviews so keep checking back for more. After you’ve read Lois’ interview you might take it a step further and read some of her books.
You are keeping me accountable and I hope to hear from some of you too along the way.
Until next time,
Virginia
Glen McMullen is a character created by Lois Greiman and he lives in her (Unzipped, Unplugged, Unscrewed, and Unmanned) series. Picture Chrissy McMullen, a thirty something, single psychologist, who is treating a famous football player for impotency and ends up having him chase her around her desk…unzipped… and discovers that he definitely was lying about that little problem. She doesn’t have time to worry about it though because he has the bad manners to drop dead at her feet. Next thing she knows, a sexy police detective with an attitude is determined to prove that Chrissy had a more intimate relationship with her dead client and is out to prove that she killed him.
