KN Magazine: Articles

7/1/15 7/1/15

How to Host a Killer Book Event / Jenny Milchman

I’m old and I’ve read and seen a lot. Rarely do I read something that makes me shift back in my chair and go, “Wow!” This blog does it for me.

Author Jenny Milchman is the touring James Brown. (She took her kids out of school?) She’s accredited with the longest book tour ever. (Rented out her house ‘cos she was going to be gone 11 months!) This woman has to keep Starbucks in business.

You learn a lot on the road. Most authors keep it to themselves. Jenny shares. You may not want to load the kids in a mini-van and drive across the continent, but everything Jenny shares can be used to advantage at the bookstore in your own hometown. What a dynamo. If you want to build an audience (different from selling a book), this blog is a must-read. I’ve seen these techniques work first hand. They will make a major difference in your mind-shift, maybe even career altering.

Read, enjoy, and share you own experiences. We would love to hear them.

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

How to Host a Killer Book Event

By Jenny Milchman

First, I’m going to give y’all (this is Killer Nashville so I feel safe saying that) my bona fides for writing this post. Then, I’m going to cull ten bullet points for what will make your event the best ever. (I love bullet points! They make everything so simple and easy to digest. I wish chocolate cake came in bullet points. No, I don’t).

But, I digress. On to those credentials.

So, after my first novel — which was really my eighth, but that’s a different blog post —came out following a thirteen-year journey to publication, my husband and I did the following:

We rented out our house, traded in two cars for an SUV that could handle Denver in February, withdrew the kids from school to “car school” them on the road, and put 35,000 miles on that new car. Over a period of seven months, we toured the bookstores, libraries, book clubs and other literary pockets of this country. Then, when my second novel came out the next year, we did it all over again.

Of the past 24 months, I have spent 11 on the road, doing over 300 events.

I’ve seen everything from the one person who showed up at a bookstore in Goshen, Indiana, and didn’t buy a book (but for a very good reason) to nearly 300 foot-stomping attendees in Oxford, Miss., where I appeared at Square Books’ ever-popular Thacker Mountain Radio event. And a great deal in between.

Without further ado, here is what I’ve learned:

Do keep a contacts list. When you’re engaged in social media, find out where people live. (Nicely, not like a stalker). You’ll be amazed how many will want to come out to see you in person.
Do make things personal. Don’t send invitations to a Georgia event to everyone on your mailing list. Figure out who lives closest to Atlanta, or Savannah, or Macon. Blasts get deleted; personal notes are read.
Having said that, a Tweet and FB status update—“I am here” with a photo and place/time/date should become part of your day- or week-before routine.
Do consider creative ideas for format. You don’t have to get up there and read for twenty minutes. Instead, tell the story-behind-the-book, or the story of your publication journey. If your book has a ready tie-in, do something related (like dress up to fit the historic period or serve cookies to reflect a recipe in your book or teach a craft the sleuth uses to solve the case). Hold a writers workshop; be a guest author at the store’s book club. Pair with another author and interview each other. Bring in your dog or cat (because people love dogs and cats, of course). Your imagination is the only limit here—let it fly as free as it did when you wrote your book.
Do know that attendees love the Q&A portion of an event. Leave lots of time!
Do bring a gift for your host. Something sweet to eat, a little gift bag filled with swag related to your book (lip balm, pens, pads, matches, pouches of hot cocoa, chocolate, mini anything, tissues—again, let your imagination roam).
Do consider holding a raffle for attendees. Their receipt for your book is their ticket. Prizes could be a gift card to the bookstore, something tied to your book (Jodi Picoult gave away stuffed wolves when “Lone Wolf” came out), a book club basket of books by your author friends, or a writer’s wish list consisting of coaching or critique.
Do serve light refreshments if possible. Nothing makes it a party like wine or cheese, baked goods and one of those boxes of coffee, or even just popcorn.
Do understand this paradox. Book events are not about selling books. May you become the biggest blockbuster author in the world and sell 1,000 books at every event. You will still only begin to cover the costs of the tour. Events don’t really make dollars and cents—but they do make dollars and sense. There will be moments when your one attendee turns out to be the book reviewer for the Miami Herald. And other kinds of moments, too. That attendee I had in Goshen, IN who didn’t buy a book? It was because he already had three copies. One to read, one to loan, and one to keep “pristine.”
Do be professional. Things can go wrong, and will. I went to Arkansas with my first novel, and the venue had forgotten about my event. Never mind—we went over my calendar, saw that I was actually passing through at such and such date and could come back. When I arrived that time, the place was closed. I promise things will go easier for you than that! But when they don’t, wear a smile, don’t be a diva (or divo?) and know that getting to hang out with a bookseller who then reads your book and becomes a fan for life can be every bit as joyous as walking into a packed room.

For the past three years, Jenny Milchman has gone on what Shelf Awareness called “the world’s longest book tour”. She is the author of three acclaimed and award-winning thrillers: Cover of Snow, Ruin Falls, and the just released As Night Falls. Visit her website at http://www.jennymilchman.com/

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Clay Janeway, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.

7/1/15 7/1/15

How to Host a Killer Book Event / Jenny Milchman

I’m old and I’ve read and seen a lot. Rarely do I read something that makes me shift back in my chair and go, “Wow!” This blog does it for me.Author Jenny Milchman is the touring James Brown. (She took her kids out of school?) She’s accredited with the longest book tour ever. (Rented out her house ‘cos she was going to be gone 11 months!) This woman has to keep Starbucks in business.You learn a lot on the road. Most authors keep it to themselves. Jenny shares. You may not want to load the kids in a mini-van and drive across the continent, but everything Jenny shares can be used to advantage at the bookstore in your own hometown. What a dynamo. If you want to build an audience (different from selling a book), this blog is a must-read. I’ve seen these techniques work first hand. They will make a major difference in your mind-shift, maybe even career altering.Read, enjoy, and share you own experiences. We would love to hear them. Clay StaffordFounder Killer NashvillePublisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

How to Host a Killer Book Event

By Jenny Milchman

But, I digress. On to those credentials.

So, after my first novel — which was really my eighth, but that’s a different blog post —came out following a thirteen-year journey to publication, my husband and I did the following:

Of the past 24 months, I have spent 11 on the road, doing over 300 events.

Without further ado, here is what I’ve learned:

Do keep a contacts list. When you’re engaged in social media, find out where people live. (Nicely, not like a stalker). You’ll be amazed how many will want to come out to see you in person.
Do make things personal. Don’t send invitations to a Georgia event to everyone on your mailing list. Figure out who lives closest to Atlanta, or Savannah, or Macon. Blasts get deleted; personal notes are read.
Having said that, a Tweet and FB status update—“I am here” with a photo and place/time/date should become part of your day- or week-before routine.
Do consider creative ideas for format. You don’t have to get up there and read for twenty minutes. Instead, tell the story-behind-the-book, or the story of your publication journey. If your book has a ready tie-in, do something related (like dress up to fit the historic period or serve cookies to reflect a recipe in your book or teach a craft the sleuth uses to solve the case). Hold a writers workshop; be a guest author at the store’s book club. Pair with another author and interview each other. Bring in your dog or cat (because people love dogs and cats, of course). Your imagination is the only limit here—let it fly as free as it did when you wrote your book.
Do know that attendees love the Q&A portion of an event. Leave lots of time!
Do bring a gift for your host. Something sweet to eat, a little gift bag filled with swag related to your book (lip balm, pens, pads, matches, pouches of hot cocoa, chocolate, mini anything, tissues—again, let your imagination roam).
Do consider holding a raffle for attendees. Their receipt for your book is their ticket. Prizes could be a gift card to the bookstore, something tied to your book (Jodi Picoult gave away stuffed wolves when “Lone Wolf” came out), a book club basket of books by your author friends, or a writer’s wish list consisting of coaching or critique.
Do serve light refreshments if possible. Nothing makes it a party like wine or cheese, baked goods and one of those boxes of coffee, or even just popcorn.
Do understand this paradox. Book events are not about selling books. May you become the biggest blockbuster author in the world and sell 1,000 books at every event. You will still only begin to cover the costs of the tour. Events don’t really make dollars and cents—but they do make dollars and sense. There will be moments when your one attendee turns out to be the book reviewer for the Miami Herald. And other kinds of moments, too. That attendee I had in Goshen, IN who didn’t buy a book? It was because he already had three copies. One to read, one to loan, and one to keep “pristine.”
Do be professional. Things can go wrong, and will. I went to Arkansas with my first novel, and the venue had forgotten about my event. Never mind—we went over my calendar, saw that I was actually passing through at such and such date and could come back. When I arrived that time, the place was closed. I promise things will go easier for you than that! But when they don’t, wear a smile, don’t be a diva (or divo?) and know that getting to hang out with a bookseller who then reads your book and becomes a fan for life can be every bit as joyous as walking into a packed room.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Clay Janeway, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

7/1/15 7/1/15

How to Host a Killer Book Event / Jenny Milchman

How to Host a Killer Book Event

By Jenny Milchman

But, I digress. On to those credentials.

So, after my first novel — which was really my eighth, but that’s a different blog post —came out following a thirteen-year journey to publication, my husband and I did the following:

Of the past 24 months, I have spent 11 on the road, doing over 300 events.

Without further ado, here is what I’ve learned:

Do keep a contacts list. When you’re engaged in social media, find out where people live. (Nicely, not like a stalker). You’ll be amazed how many will want to come out to see you in person.
Do make things personal. Don’t send invitations to a Georgia event to everyone on your mailing list. Figure out who lives closest to Atlanta, or Savannah, or Macon. Blasts get deleted; personal notes are read.
Having said that, a Tweet and FB status update—“I am here” with a photo and place/time/date should become part of your day- or week-before routine.
Do consider creative ideas for format. You don’t have to get up there and read for twenty minutes. Instead, tell the story-behind-the-book, or the story of your publication journey. If your book has a ready tie-in, do something related (like dress up to fit the historic period or serve cookies to reflect a recipe in your book or teach a craft the sleuth uses to solve the case). Hold a writers workshop; be a guest author at the store’s book club. Pair with another author and interview each other. Bring in your dog or cat (because people love dogs and cats, of course). Your imagination is the only limit here—let it fly as free as it did when you wrote your book.
Do know that attendees love the Q&A portion of an event. Leave lots of time!
Do bring a gift for your host. Something sweet to eat, a little gift bag filled with swag related to your book (lip balm, pens, pads, matches, pouches of hot cocoa, chocolate, mini anything, tissues—again, let your imagination roam).
Do consider holding a raffle for attendees. Their receipt for your book is their ticket. Prizes could be a gift card to the bookstore, something tied to your book (Jodi Picoult gave away stuffed wolves when “Lone Wolf” came out), a book club basket of books by your author friends, or a writer’s wish list consisting of coaching or critique.
Do serve light refreshments if possible. Nothing makes it a party like wine or cheese, baked goods and one of those boxes of coffee, or even just popcorn.
Do understand this paradox. Book events are not about selling books. May you become the biggest blockbuster author in the world and sell 1,000 books at every event. You will still only begin to cover the costs of the tour. Events don’t really make dollars and cents—but they do make dollars and sense. There will be moments when your one attendee turns out to be the book reviewer for the Miami Herald. And other kinds of moments, too. That attendee I had in Goshen, IN who didn’t buy a book? It was because he already had three copies. One to read, one to loan, and one to keep “pristine.”
Do be professional. Things can go wrong, and will. I went to Arkansas with my first novel, and the venue had forgotten about my event. Never mind—we went over my calendar, saw that I was actually passing through at such and such date and could come back. When I arrived that time, the place was closed. I promise things will go easier for you than that! But when they don’t, wear a smile, don’t be a diva (or divo?) and know that getting to hang out with a bookseller who then reads your book and becomes a fan for life can be every bit as joyous as walking into a packed room.

6/24/15 6/24/15

Unlocking the Mystery / Blake Fontenay

Enjoy! And read like someone is burning the books…because somewhere in the world, they are.

Until next week!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Unlocking the Mystery

By Blake Fontenay

What makes a mystery novel mysterious?

The answer seems obvious. A mystery is a story in which major plot points are unknown to the protagonists — and readers as well. In a murder mystery, the main question to be answered usually is: Whodunnit? And quite often, why and how the murder was committed as well.

Now, there are some authors who give readers the answers to these questions fairly early in the story. Through an omniscient viewpoint, the reader learns who the good guys and the bad guys are — and the tension in the story comes from knowing that the good guys and bad guys will eventually clash.

To me, that kind of story doesn’t really qualify as a mystery. It might be classified as a thriller, provided the author does a good job of building and holding tension.

I consider my most recent novel, Scouts' Honor, to be more of a thriller than a mystery. The book has unanswered questions — about the good guys’ mysterious advisor, about the true scope of the bad guys’ nefarious plans — but at its core, it’s a story about a group of Boy Scouts trying to survive in the wilderness while they’re being hunted by terrorists.

By contrast, I consider my first book, The Politics of Barbecue to be more of a mystery because the key to the story was finding out why the mayor of Memphis was so dead set on building a Barbecue Hall of Fame in his city.

I suppose an argument can be made that any work of fiction will have unanswered questions. In the romance novel, for example, the unanswered question might be whether the lonely widow will choose the socially inept pool maintenance worker with a heart of gold or the slick stockbroker who’s kind of a jerk.

Virtually all stories have some unanswered questions. In a mystery, however, I think those unanswered questions take on greater importance than they do in other genres. Yes, it’s important for a mystery writer to have interesting characters who grow and change throughout the story. It’s important to have a compelling setting for the story. And it’s also great if a writer can educate his or her readers on one or more issues of social importance.

But for me, those unanswered questions — and how they ultimately are answered — are what make mystery novels special, provided the writer follows certain rules.

It’s important for a writer to play fair with readers. That means there have to be enough clues provided throughout the story to give readers the opportunity to figure out the answers to those questions before they are revealed in the story.

There’s nothing wrong with a writer creating some misdirection — clues that are intended to throw readers off a little bit. However, I find it very frustrating when all the clues point one direction and the answers to the story’s central questions aren’t related to any of those clues.

The element of surprise in a story is great. The element of surprise when it’s completely unsupported by anything that has preceded it in the story is not so great. I think the best mystery novels are the ones where the right clues are there, but they are so subtle that they only make sense in hindsight. My favorite mystery novels are the ones where, at the end, I’m asking myself: “Why didn’t I see that coming?”

I’m also a big fan of having multiple unanswered questions in the same story, some concerning major plot points and some concerning relatively minor issues. As a writer, this provides a measure of insurance. Say the writer’s clues to one of the unanswered questions aren’t subtle enough and readers are able to solve that part of the mystery. If there are other questions that remain unanswered, that’s an incentive for readers to keep reading. If there’s only that one unanswered question and the reader figures it out halfway through the book, he or she is likely to feel disappointed at the story’s end.

In my own writing, I try to tell stories from many different points of view, although I’ve been told by writing coaches that this is a no-no. I’ve heard from people whose opinions I respect that limiting storytelling to one or two or three points of view is generally preferred. I don’t necessarily agree with that for all types of stories, but I can see the merit in a well-crafted mystery.

In a mystery, I’m fine with knowing only what the main protagonist knows. That makes the story a journey of discovery for both of us. He or she gets the same clues I get, at the same points in the story. With any luck, we’ll come to the same conclusions about the unanswered questions at the same time.

If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself that I read too many Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid, then I would disagree with you. Because you can never read too many Encyclopedia Brown books.

Maybe the points I’ve asserted in this post will seem too formulaic or conventional to some. But I know what I like. And I know what kind of stories I’m going to buy.

Blake Fontenay spent more than 25 years as a reporter, columnist and editorial writer for metropolitan daily newspapers – including the Sacramento Bee, Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), Orlando Sentinel, and Commercial Appeal (Memphis). He won several awards for editorial writing while at the Commercial Appeal. Since leaving the newspaper business, he has worked as the communications director for Tennessee’s Comptroller, Treasurer and Secretary of State. He is currently the coordinator for the Tri-Star Chronicles project at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. His debut novel, The Politics of Barbecue, was published by John F. Blair Publisher in September, 2012. The Politics of Barbecue won the Independent Publishers Book Awards gold medal for fiction in the South region in 2013. He and his wife, Lynn, live in Old Hickory, Tennessee, in a neighborhood filled with other artists. His second novel Scouts' Honor is available online at www.secondwindpublishing.com

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

6/24/15 6/24/15

Unlocking the Mystery / Blake Fontenay

What makes a mystery? Unanswered questions, of course. But aren’t there unanswered questions in other genres. Author and Killer Nashville Guest Blogger offers his take on what unanswered questions separate mysteries from all other genres.Enjoy! And read like someone is burning the books…because somewhere in the world, they are.Until next week!Clay StaffordFounder Killer NashvillePublisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Unlocking the Mystery

By Blake Fontenay

What makes a mystery novel mysterious?

To me, that kind of story doesn’t really qualify as a mystery. It might be classified as a thriller, provided the author does a good job of building and holding tension.

But for me, those unanswered questions — and how they ultimately are answered — are what make mystery novels special, provided the writer follows certain rules.

If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself that I read too many Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid, then I would disagree with you. Because you can never read too many Encyclopedia Brown books.

Maybe the points I’ve asserted in this post will seem too formulaic or conventional to some. But I know what I like. And I know what kind of stories I’m going to buy.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

6/24/15 6/24/15

Unlocking the Mystery / Blake Fontenay

Unlocking the Mystery

By Blake Fontenay

What makes a mystery novel mysterious?

To me, that kind of story doesn’t really qualify as a mystery. It might be classified as a thriller, provided the author does a good job of building and holding tension.

But for me, those unanswered questions — and how they ultimately are answered — are what make mystery novels special, provided the writer follows certain rules.

If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself that I read too many Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid, then I would disagree with you. Because you can never read too many Encyclopedia Brown books.

Maybe the points I’ve asserted in this post will seem too formulaic or conventional to some. But I know what I like. And I know what kind of stories I’m going to buy.

6/17/15 6/17/15

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid? / Don Winston

Until next time, read like someone is burning the books…because — paranoid as I am — somewhere in the world, they are.

Happy Reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid?

By Don Winston

As part of the promotional tour for my novels, I’m often asked, “What is a paranoid thriller?” It’s a logical question, as it’s the subtitle of my first book and a recurring theme in all my work. There’s a slight yet profound difference between a traditional thriller and its paranoid cousin, so I decided to think about it more and explain. Not only for others, but for myself, as well.

In a traditional thriller, there’s a good guy and bad guy, and they both know about each other early on, even if they don’t yet know each other’s identity. There’s a murder, or a tip from the CIA, or even a ghost knocking around, making the good guy’s life hell. So the good guy channels his energy and ingenuity to get rid of the villain, growing as a person in the process. That’s essentially the hero’s journey Joseph Campbell made such a wonderful contribution mining and explaining.

Almost every thriller or action story fits into that mold, from Stephen King to Tom Clancy to Agatha Christie. By the end, typically the good guy has captured or killed the bad guy, and order is restored to his world. Until the bad guy rebounds or a new one surfaces for the sequel, jumpstarting the nasty cycle all over. It’s what kept Harry Potter so busy in high school.

In a paranoid thriller, however, the good guy — usually an Average Joe — doesn’t know if there’s a bad guy or not. In fact, the good guy doesn’t even realize he’s IN a thriller. Childlike, he (or she) innocently pursues his life and dreams, with the increasing and unnerving and ultimately horrifying suspicion that someone means him great harm. Hence, the paranoia. As mystery expert Otto Penzler puts it in his foreword to Ira Levin’s A Kiss Before Dying: “They are essentially decent people caught up in a world not of their creation –– aliens in a terrifying environment without a map or compass...this terror is dramatically magnified when it involves people who did nothing deliberately to find themselves in positions of jeopardy.”

Alfred Hitchcock, Cornell Woolrich, and, more recently, Ira Levin were all masters of this genre. It’s a rare one, but pierces deep when done well. Think The Man Who Knew Too Much, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, and, most pointedly, Rosemary’s Baby.

Often in a paranoid thriller, the good guy is his own bad guy. The escape hatch is typically wide open for a big chunk of the story; if only he’d walk through it, he’d be free and safe. We the audience know this, and scream for him to run, but he doesn’t. This is also known as “dramatic irony” –– a situation understood by the reader or audience but not grasped by the characters. This can drive the reader mad, in a fun way. It’s what makes the story tick and terrify and, hopefully, keeps the pages turning.

At some point, usually late in the story and following a cascading series of very unfortunate events, the good guy snaps out of his denial and realizes his world is on fire. So insistent he’s been going on living a normal, happy life, he’s paid attention to all the wrong things, and now he’s surrounded by extremely malevolent forces, closing in fast. By this point, however, the escape hatch is closed, and he’s trapped, cornered, sucked down into the whirlpool without a paddle, whatever metaphor you like. He’s in big trouble.

Denial is the lynchpin of the paranoid thriller, and it usually costs the hero dearly.

As if that weren’t trouble enough, as the story unfolds and the noose tightens, the good guy’s final horror is that what he fears is happening is not nearly as ghastly as what is really happening. In his optimistic hope for the best, he grossly underestimates the evil that engulfs him. That gives the paranoid thriller its ultimate nightmarish charge.

In a paranoid thriller, the good guy doesn’t go looking for trouble. It finds him, sneaks up, and surrounds him. His last-gasp attempt to free himself is what hurls us toward the climax.

It’s a messy business, this paranoid thriller stuff. But when plotted right, when the clues drop correctly and the danger crests on cue, the horror overwhelms and gives us a visceral battle of good and evil.

This is what I’ve tried to accomplish with S'wanee, The Union Club, and my brand new thriller: The Gristmill Playhouse: A Nightmare in Three Acts. Whether or not I’ve succeeded is up to the reader. I hope you’ll check them out and let me know what you think.

Happy reading! And remember: Only the paranoid will survive…

Don Winston grew up in Nashville and graduated from Princeton University. After a stint at Ralph Lauren headquarters in New York, he moved to Los Angeles to work in entertainment as an actor, writer, and producer. S'wanee: A Paranoid Thriller was his debut novel and hit #3 in Kindle Suspense Fiction, followed by his second novel The Union Club: A Subversive Thriller. His new thriller The Gristmill Playhouse: A Nightmare in Three Acts will be released spring 2015. He lives in Hollywood. Visit his website at http://www.donwinston.com/

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

6/17/15 6/17/15

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid? / Don Winston

In a traditional thriller, there’s a good guy and bad guy, and they both know about each other early on, even if they don’t yet know each other’s identity. In a paranoid thriller, the good guy doesn’t know if there’s a bad guy or not. In fact, the good guy doesn’t even realize he’s IN a thriller. Author Don Winston explains the differences in this week’s Killer Nashville guest blog.Until next time, read like someone is burning the books…because — paranoid as I am — somewhere in the world, they are.Happy Reading!Clay StaffordFounder Killer NashvillePublisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid?

By Don Winston

Denial is the lynchpin of the paranoid thriller, and it usually costs the hero dearly.

In a paranoid thriller, the good guy doesn’t go looking for trouble. It finds him, sneaks up, and surrounds him. His last-gasp attempt to free himself is what hurls us toward the climax.

This is what I’ve tried to accomplish with S'wanee, The Union Club, and my brand new thriller: The Gristmill Playhouse: A Nightmare in Three Acts. Whether or not I’ve succeeded is up to the reader. I hope you’ll check them out and let me know what you think.

Happy reading! And remember: Only the paranoid will survive…

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

6/17/15 6/17/15

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid? / Don Winston

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid?

By Don Winston

Denial is the lynchpin of the paranoid thriller, and it usually costs the hero dearly.

In a paranoid thriller, the good guy doesn’t go looking for trouble. It finds him, sneaks up, and surrounds him. His last-gasp attempt to free himself is what hurls us toward the climax.

Happy reading! And remember: Only the paranoid will survive…

5/21/15 5/21/15

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It / Jodie Renner

Have your own checklist? Contact us and let us know your writing process.

Write, polish, repeat. For me, that’s the secret and Jodie helps us hit that one straight on.

Happy Reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It

By Jodie Renner

Once you’ve got the first draft of your short story or novel down, it’s time to go back and reassess each scene to make sure the characters are engaging and the scene is as compelling as it can be.

Besides advancing the storyline, every scene should:

Reveal and deepen characters and their relationships;
Show setting details;
Provide any necessary background info (in a natural way, organic to the story);
Add tension and conflict;
Hint at dangers and intrigue to come;
Enhance the overall tone and mood of your story.

Remember that every scene needs conflict and a change.

To bring your characters and story to life, heighten reader engagement, and pick up the pace, try to make your scenes do double or even triple duty – but subtly is almost always best.

For example, a scene with dialogue should have several layers, including:

The words being spoken;
The character’s real thoughts, opinions, emotions, and intentions;
The other speaker’s tone, word choice, attitude, body language, and facial expressions;
The outward actions, reactions, and attitudes of both.

Here are eight key ways you can intensify your writing and enhance the experience for readers:

1) When introducing characters, remember to show, rather than tell.

Reveal characters’ personalities, motives, goals, fears, and modus operandi not by telling the readers about them or their background, but by their actions, reactions, words, body language, facial expressions, tone, and attitude. Additionally, for a viewpoint character, show their thoughts, emotions, inner reactions, and physical sensations. Show characters’ reactions to each other, then let the readers draw their own conclusions about the players and their true intentions.

2)Use attitude when describing setting and characters.

Enhance your descriptions of the setting and other characters by filtering them through the observations, opinions, mood, attitude, and reactions of the viewpoint (observing) character for the scene. That way we’re not only witness to the most significant aspects of the surroundings and other characters, we also learn more about the POV character’s personality, tastes, preferences, and goals, and his agenda for the scene.

3) Show character sensations and reactions.

Bring the scene and character alive by showing us not only what the character is seeing, but also what she’s hearing, smelling, touching (and physical sensations like heat and cold), and even, where appropriate, tasting. Also, show sexual tension between love interests by revealing heightened sensory perceptions and physical reactions.

4) Reveal contradictory feelings.

To heighten tension and reader engagement, be sure to show the inner reactions and often-conflicted feelings of your point-of-view character. If your story isn’t in first person, use close third-person POV to show inner conflict, fears, objections, and doubts, and to illustrate how their true feelings contrast with their words and outward reactions. Increase conflict and tension between characters by showing opposing goals and values through dialogue, body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

5) Show subtext during dialogue.

A couple might be discussing something trivial or arguing about something minor, when inside, one or both are angry or resentful about deeper problems. You can hint at their real feelings by showing inner thought-reactions like As if, or Give me a break, or You wish, or In your dreams, or Yeah? Since when? Or use body language such as running hands through hair, brows furrowed, teeth clenching, or hands forming a fist, or inner sensations, such as tightening of the stomach, shortness of breath, or cold skin.

6) Make dialogue do double duty.

Dialogue should not only convey information, but also reveal character and personality and advance the storyline. Dialogue action tags like “He rubbed his eyes,” or “She paced the floor,” which can replace “he said” and “she said,” tell us both who’s speaking and what they’re doing, as well as often providing info on how they’re feeling and reacting. For example:

Chris stood up and ran his hand through his hair. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Jesse set his coffee down, determined to stay calm. “Hey, man, relax. I told you about it last week. Don’t you remember?”

7) Drop hints, but hold back information to foreshadow and add intrigue.

Introduce suspense or heighten anticipation through the use of hints and innuendos or snippets/fragments of critical information. These are especially effective when alluding briefly to your protagonist’s secrets, shames, regrets, or troubled childhood. Show brief flashbacks to reveal character secrets, regrets, and fears, little by little.

8) Stay out of the story.

Don’t interrupt the story as the author to explain, describe, clarify, reveal, or emphasize points to the readers. That’s heavy-handed, clunky, and intrusive. Stay behind the scenes and let the characters live the story. Keep even the narration in the POV character’s voice, rather than a neutral, authorial voice.

For more details on all of these points, with examples, see my books, Fire up Your Fiction and Captivate Your Readers.

Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series “Fire up Your Fiction: An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Stories”, “Writing a Killer Thriller: An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction”, and “Captivate Your Readers: An Editor's Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction”. She has also published two clickable timesaving e-resources to date: “Quick Clicks: Spelling List” and “Quick Clicks: Word Usage”. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, at The Kill Zone blog alternate Mondays, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

5/21/15 5/21/15

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It / Jodie Renner

There are two steps to writing the killer story. One is letting it flow. The other is assessing it critically. I’ve found many writers stop at the end of the first step. So what does a writer do if she wants to make sure each scene in a written story does what it was intended to do? Lucky for us, we don’t have to look any further than author/editor Jodie Renner’s checklist on post-writing evaluation. It’s a prompt and reminder you can even print and keep beside your keyboard.Have your own checklist? Contact us and let us know your writing process.Write, polish, repeat. For me, that’s the secret and Jodie helps us hit that one straight on.Happy Reading!Clay StaffordFounder Killer NashvillePublisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It

By Jodie Renner

Besides advancing the storyline, every scene should:

Reveal and deepen characters and their relationships;
Show setting details;
Provide any necessary background info (in a natural way, organic to the story);
Add tension and conflict;
Hint at dangers and intrigue to come;
Enhance the overall tone and mood of your story.

Remember that every scene needs conflict and a change.

To bring your characters and story to life, heighten reader engagement, and pick up the pace, try to make your scenes do double or even triple duty – but subtly is almost always best.

For example, a scene with dialogue should have several layers, including:

The words being spoken;
The character’s real thoughts, opinions, emotions, and intentions;
The other speaker’s tone, word choice, attitude, body language, and facial expressions;
The outward actions, reactions, and attitudes of both.

Here are eight key ways you can intensify your writing and enhance the experience for readers:

When introducing characters, remember to show, rather than tell.

Use attitude when describing setting and characters.

Show character sensations and reactions.

Reveal contradictory feelings.

Show subtext during dialogue.

Make dialogue do double duty.

Chris stood up and ran his hand through his hair. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Jesse set his coffee down, determined to stay calm. “Hey, man, relax. I told you about it last week. Don’t you remember?”

Drop hints, but hold back information to foreshadow and add intrigue.

Stay out of the story.

For more details on all of these points, with examples, see my books, Fire up Your Fiction and Captivate Your Readers.

5/21/15 5/21/15

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It / Jodie Renner

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It

By Jodie Renner

Besides advancing the storyline, every scene should:

Reveal and deepen characters and their relationships;
Show setting details;
Provide any necessary background info (in a natural way, organic to the story);
Add tension and conflict;
Hint at dangers and intrigue to come;
Enhance the overall tone and mood of your story.

Remember that every scene needs conflict and a change.

To bring your characters and story to life, heighten reader engagement, and pick up the pace, try to make your scenes do double or even triple duty – but subtly is almost always best.

For example, a scene with dialogue should have several layers, including:

The words being spoken;
The character’s real thoughts, opinions, emotions, and intentions;
The other speaker’s tone, word choice, attitude, body language, and facial expressions;
The outward actions, reactions, and attitudes of both.

Here are eight key ways you can intensify your writing and enhance the experience for readers:

When introducing characters, remember to show, rather than tell.

Use attitude when describing setting and characters.

Show character sensations and reactions.

Reveal contradictory feelings.

Show subtext during dialogue.

Make dialogue do double duty.

Chris stood up and ran his hand through his hair. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Jesse set his coffee down, determined to stay calm. “Hey, man, relax. I told you about it last week. Don’t you remember?”

Drop hints, but hold back information to foreshadow and add intrigue.

Stay out of the story.

For more details on all of these points, with examples, see my books, Fire up Your Fiction and Captivate Your Readers.

5/6/15 5/6/15

How to Read a Critique without Crying / Suzanne Webb Brunson

Until next week, write with your heart, critique someone else as though they were you, and read like someone is burning the books!

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

How to Read a Critique without Crying

By Suzanne Webb Brunson

A notable moment for me, a would-be author, occurred once at a writing seminar. A publishing professional asked students to write a scene. We all turned in our one-page submissions. I recognized my notebook paper as the group leader looked at it, she shook her head, and dropped it onto the desk behind her. She could have been suffering a migraine, but I was too busy thinking the worst, and working on my own death by humiliation. I learned nothing.

It was an innocuous moment that occurred at a time when I was beginning to feel some self-confidence. I am a former newspaper editor and reporter. I’ve written for everything from a daily newspaper to a church bulletin. I’ve had good experiences. This was one subjective moment.

Why would I throw my hand over my forehead and want to weep uncontrollably over a piece of paper? The worst thing you can say to a reporter-turned-author is that you are a hack. You can’t cut it. I had been praised by people I trusted, but let this one person defeat me with a casual gesture.

Was this a wasted opportunity, or the foreshadowing of my literary career? It took some thinking, some self-evaluation and I finally understood how personal it becomes when you share your thoughts and your writing style with strangers. I’d done it for years as a reporter, but now I was creating the story. Psychologically, there was a vast difference. I had to learn the basics and gained something else — a savvy critique group.

How do you give and receive a credible critique? Some people are diplomats who know how to give constructive criticism. They are tactful. Others are straightforward and candid. A three star sentence is high praise in my group.

A few basics evolved as we became more familiar. There are devices that work for us. We critique with Microsoft Word. The ‘Review’ section on the toolbar includes a yellow folder marked ‘new comment.’ That feature is golden. Those word balloons can break or bolster a person’s spirit. Others print the double-spaced submission and critique with a pencil.

We know that the The Chicago Manual of Style and The Elements of Style are essential. When the guideline basics are mastered, you write faster and concentrate on your storyline. You will learn how to point out errors or suggest improvements. You can proof a submission, but talk about the editorial content.

Recently, I began reading a huge piece of historical fiction about New York City. I’m puttering along, underlining, and stopped. The words written by this New York Times bestselling author were similar to what I put on that sheet of notebook paper. It was better than what I submitted, but I was on the right track. My experience, seeing similar words, cleared the fog.

While we know there are no new ideas, there are new ways to write. The recent lawsuit by the family of the late Marvin Gaye illustrates something we have talked about in critique. We tend to use the same phrases we read in someone else’s work. We try to go with the attitude that it is flattering and if not brazen copying, just move along.

Storylines can be similar to things we read a decade ago, but if it is your story, it’s not necessarily theft. It is a fine line and one of the things that should be addressed by a group. You write what you know, including what you read two weeks ago and critiqued. We follow fashion. We choose certain car models. Copying is the sincerest form of flattery, unless it costs someone $7.5 million in royalties. Is it plagiarism or is it first amendment writing? Write it better and clear the boards.

I have learned something new at every critique meeting. One person in eight sees one thing no one else finds. You can’t have too many eyes on your copy. Several members have told me repeatedly that they look at all the suggestions on their submission and then use what they think is best. Trust yourself. There is no one else like you. You are learning.

Look at all those setbacks as your future material. If you are fast and prolific, Godspeed. If you aren’t, take that cleansing breath. It is business, but your words are personal. They are yours alone, your gift. Close your eyes. Dream.

Then, play nice.

Suzanne Webb Brunson, a native of Maryland, has lived in New Jersey, Georgia and Tennessee, where she has learned about country stores, local politics, and strawberry festivals. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she earned a journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Widowed with two young children, she became a freelance writer for newspapers, magazines, and other news outlets. She is now writing short stories and a novel. These things she can control with the luxury of imagination. Her latest short stories will appear in a family anthology to be published this summer by Troy D. Smith of Cane Hollow Press. Her writing has also appeared in the anthology, "Gathering: Writers of Williamson County", and the online e-zine, Muscadine Lines, A Southern Journal. Visit her website at http://suzannewebbbrunson.homestead.com

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

5/6/15 5/6/15

How to Read a Critique without Crying / Suzanne Webb Brunson

Criticism is meant to help you grow as a writer. But sometimes emotional attachment and fear can stand in the way. In this week’s blog, author Suzanne Webb Brunson gets to the heart of what it means to trust those giving the criticism, the best ways to deliver, and how to check that ego at the door.Until next week, write with your heart, critique someone else as though they were you, and read like someone is burning the books!Happy reading!Clay Stafford,Founder Killer Nashville,Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

How to Read a Critique without Crying

By Suzanne Webb Brunson

Then, play nice.

5/6/15 5/6/15

How to Read a Critique without Crying / Suzanne Webb Brunson

How to Read a Critique without Crying

By Suzanne Webb Brunson

Then, play nice.

4/29/15 4/29/15

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction / R.G. Belsky

Books Burned by Kim Kardashian’s Love Child!

The tabloids in the grocery checkout lines often distract me. The headlines scream of aliens conferring with well-known celebrities. The British monarchy holding regular séances. And most of the time, I’m left wondering who are these people and why do I care? But the British monarchy holding séances, those always get me, as does “Headless Body in Topless Bar.” Like a Sidney Poitier movie, Guess Who’s Writing This Week’s Blog? None other than one of my favorite tabloid editor/writers (and writer of the quoted headline), R. G. Belsky, whose new novel The Kennedy Connection received rave reviews from our Killer Nashville book reviewer. In this blog, Belsky addresses a number of things including why life sometimes would never be believed in fiction. So true.

Until next time, read like someone is burning the books, because somewhere and in some headline, a Kardashian may be doing just that. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction

By R.G. Belsky

I’ve covered a lot of big crime stories during my time as a tabloid journalist. O.J. Son of Sam. Amy Fischer. JonBenet Ramsey. I was even a part of creating the most famous tabloid crime headline ever: Headless Body in Topless Bar.

So what’s the biggest difference I’ve found between true-life crime and writing mystery novels?

Well, as a mystery author, I get to break the one rule a journalist always has to follow – I don’t have to stick to the facts.

For example, my thriller The Kennedy Connection – the first in a series featuring newspaper reporter Gil Malloy – is about the greatest unsolved murder case of our time: the JFK assassination.

There is no way as a journalist I could answer all the questions that still remain — more than a half century later — about what really happened that day in Dallas.

But in my novel, I create a character who claims he’s the son of alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald to help Gil Malloy “solve” the crime. I also provide an alibi for Oswald at the time of President Kennedy’s murder that proves he couldn’t have done it. And I even come up with a witness — two of them, actually — whose testimony might have gotten Oswald cleared if he hadn’t been shot by Jack Ruby.

Yep, making up the facts sure can make a crime story more interesting, huh?

Well, sometimes…

The truth is there have been an awful lot of real life crime stories I’ve covered over the years that have contained more twists and sensational angles than myself (or any mystery author) could ever possibly come up with on our best day.

Take the O.J. Simpson case. It started with the ex-wife of a beloved superstar athlete and entertainment figure found murdered. (Yes, O.J. really was once beloved by the American public.) Then came the Bronco chase on LA freeways that captivated a nation; the Trial of the Century with the “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” glove and all the rest; plus, Kato Kaelin, Johnnie Cochrane and the other unforgettable characters we met on what turned out to be must-watch TV viewing for the next year. I mean what fiction writer could have ever imagined a story like that?

Same thing with Son of Sam. Think about this crazy plot: A loner postal worker — rejected by women and believing he‘s getting orders to kill them from a dog — goes on a legendary New York City murder spree that became known as the Summer of Sam. He taunts police with notes to the press; terrorizes the entire city for more than a year; and becomes the most famous serial killer of all time. Then he finally gets caught because of a simple parking ticket. Most editors I know would reject that idea out of hand as implausible if I ever pitched it for a mystery novel.

Probably the strangest crime story I ever worked on was the “Headless Body in Topless Bar” headline. I was city editor of the New York Post when a holdup man for some reason decided to kill and cut off the head of the owner of a Queens bar. My job was to confirm it was a topless bar so we could use that memorable headline. I managed to get a reporter to do that, and just like that, tabloid history was made.

Amy Fischer. Jon Benet Ramsey. Casey Anthony. Amanda Knox. Jodi Arias. All of these real life crime stories and so many more have come right out of real life headlines without any need for us to make up the bizarre details.

So while I — and other mystery writers — continue to push our imaginations to the limit in order to dream up astonishing make-believe stuff to keep readers riveted to our books…well, sometimes it’s just hard to beat the actual facts.

One of the finest mystery novels ever was “Eight Million Ways to Die” by Lawrence Block. It’s a top-notch tale, which helped Block to fame as a Grand Master in the mystery genre. But maybe the biggest strength of that book — the theme upon which the title is based — is the crazy way people can be murdered in New York City, all of which were culled from the New York tabloids.

And why not?

Because if you’re looking for something even stranger than fiction, there’s no better pace to look than the world of real-life tabloid news.

Now that’s the truth!

R.G. Belsky has been the metropolitan editor of the New York Post, news editor of Star magazine, managing editor of the New York Daily News and – most recently – was managing editor of NBCNews.com. His new Gil Malloy mystery novel, Shooting for the Stars, is inspired in part by some real life famous celebrity murders – but is mostly fiction. It will be published on August 14 by Atria. Visit his website at www.rgbelsky.com

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Tom Wood, Maria Giordano, Will Chessor, Meaghan Hill, and publisher Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog. And for more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.)

4/29/15 4/29/15

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction / R.G. Belsky

Books Burned by Kim Kardashian’s Love Child!

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction

By R.G. Belsky

So what’s the biggest difference I’ve found between true-life crime and writing mystery novels?

Well, as a mystery author, I get to break the one rule a journalist always has to follow – I don’t have to stick to the facts.

For example, my thriller The Kennedy Connection – the first in a series featuring newspaper reporter Gil Malloy – is about the greatest unsolved murder case of our time: the JFK assassination.

There is no way as a journalist I could answer all the questions that still remain — more than a half century later — about what really happened that day in Dallas.

Yep, making up the facts sure can make a crime story more interesting, huh?

Well, sometimes…

And why not?

Because if you’re looking for something even stranger than fiction, there’s no better pace to look than the world of real-life tabloid news.

Now that’s the truth!

4/29/15 4/29/15

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction / R.G. Belsky

Books Burned by Kim Kardashian’s Love Child!

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction

By R.G. Belsky

So what’s the biggest difference I’ve found between true-life crime and writing mystery novels?

Well, as a mystery author, I get to break the one rule a journalist always has to follow – I don’t have to stick to the facts.

For example, my thriller The Kennedy Connection – the first in a series featuring newspaper reporter Gil Malloy – is about the greatest unsolved murder case of our time: the JFK assassination.

There is no way as a journalist I could answer all the questions that still remain — more than a half century later — about what really happened that day in Dallas.

Yep, making up the facts sure can make a crime story more interesting, huh?

Well, sometimes…

And why not?

Because if you’re looking for something even stranger than fiction, there’s no better pace to look than the world of real-life tabloid news.

Now that’s the truth!

4/22/15 4/22/15

Sensory Memory Adds Grist to Your Story / Kelly Saderholm

In this week’s blog, author Kelly Saderholm talks about “sensory memory” and its importance in telling stories that pop. I’m a believer. Sensory memory field trips really can make a difference. Let me know if they make a difference in your writing, as well.

Happy Reading! And until next time, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

Sensory Memory Adds Grist to Your Story

By Kelly Saderholm

A few years ago at Killer Nashville, I had a conversation with Jeffery Deaver, who knows a thing or two about research. Using the analogy of an iceberg, he said most of the research he did never made an appearance on the page, but it formed a solid base of knowledge to support that little bit that did show up. This is true. Readers do not want a dissertation in the middle of their story, but they do get irate with Writers Who Did Not Do The Research. This takes quite a bit more effort than to just Google a subject.

Athletes and dancers talk about “muscle memory”. Fiction writers develop and draw on “sensory memory”. There is still a need for research, but it is a different kind of research than facts and figures of a research paper. A writer has to research sensory aspects, especially for place: what does it look or sound like? How does it smell, taste? In addition to acquiring facts, when writing, an author would do well to take a sensory field trip.

The James Rice Grist Mill at Norris Dam State Park
Source: tnstateparks.com

I’m currently writing a novel in which a gristmill makes an early and important appearance. When I began the project, all I knew about gristmills was a wheel went round and round and somehow produced flour or meal. That’s all most people care to know, but this scene with the gristmill will set the tone for the whole book, and I need the readers to know that I know what I’m talking about. So I started researching gristmills online, and I even found a publication about them. Handy research tip: any topic you can think of has a society, or some sort of following. Those followers will produce journals, newsletters, websites, etc., and they love to talk about their subject. I also had the good fortune to meet a gristmill keeper, who told all sorts of great stories.

But even after all this, my scene still felt flat. I felt that it lacked . . . something. I had all this great information, lots of research about gristmills, but the scene just needed something else. Happily, there is a (sometimes) still-working gristmill in Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee, which I visited.

I learned things on a sensory level that I could not learn from reading the Journal of American Gristmill keepers. For example, how very clear and cold the water of a mountain stream is; how slick (almost slimy) the wooden sluice is from generations of water flowing through; the splashing of the water escaping from the buckets of the wheel; the crunchy (and somewhat disturbing) sound of grain being milled and the meal dust and grit in the air.

You can do this for your own research. I even incorporated research into trips I was planning to take. For this subject, I looked for other parks or museums in the area, whether there are entrance fees, and what were their hours. The Lenoir Museum, next to the mill, for example is free, but closed throughout the winter months, and even some days in summer. Close by, the much larger Museum of Appalachia (a Smithsonian affiliate) is open year-round, but it has a fee. For almost any museum, if you contact the staff ahead of time, as I did, and let them know what you are interested in, they can suggest or even arrange a special tour for you. Very often, museums have demonstrations and you can find out exactly the info you need; in my case, how corn is turned into meal, and then baked in a wood-stove or fireplace.

Doing Your Research Can Pay Off

Museums may also have archives, databases, artifacts that are not on display, but may be available for study for a researcher. Check these out in advance. Also visit the gift shops for specialty books, maps, CDs, postcards, and other objects for later inspiration. I picked up a bag of stone-ground meal, a cushion made from an old flour sack, some books, and lots of postcards.

In my original scene, characters drove to the mill on a road. They met with the keeper, he gave them information, and they went on their way. The scene now has a treacherous, twisty road; the gritty grinding adds an ominous touch when the grizzled old keeper tells a gruesome tale. The information they want is peppered with bits of folklore. He leads them along a slippery, mossy path to his house, now furnished with objects I saw in the museums. It is all much more interesting now, and yet there is no more factual information in the revised scene than there was in the first. My sensory memory field trip made this scene “pop” and also gave me sensory material to work with for the rest of the novel.

Kelly Saderholm has written, blogged and lectured about aspects of the mystery novel. She has moderated panels and presented papers at literary conferences, on both the Mystery Novel and Urban Fantasy. She is currently shifting from writing about mystery fiction to writing actual mystery fiction and is working on a novel, as well as a non-fiction book dealing with Folklore in the American South. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women grant. She lives in South Central Kentucky with her family and two feline office assistants.

Submit to our blog! (Have an idea for our blog? Then share it with our Killer Nashville family. With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to contact@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Maria Giordano, Will Chessor and author Tom Wood for his volunteer assistance in coordinating our weekly blogs. For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com or www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com)

4/21/15 4/21/15

Sensory Memory Adds Grist to Your Story / Kelly Saderholm

The best authors in history make readers imagine, believe, and feel they are living and breathing within a story. But to achieve this harmony of sights, sounds, and smells in words, a writer must draw on an understanding or an experience that makes it real.In this week’s blog, author Kelly Saderholm talks about “sensory memory” and its importance in telling stories that pop. I’m a believer. Sensory memory field trips really can make a difference. Let me know if they make a difference in your writing, as well.Happy Reading! And until next time, read like someone is burning the books!Clay Stafford,Founder Killer Nashville,Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

Kelly Saderholm Sensory Memory Adds Grist to Your Story

By Kelly Saderholm

James Rice Grist Mill

The James Rice Grist Mill at
Norris Dam State Park

Source: tnstateparks.com

Grist Mill

Doing Your Research Can Pay Off

Submit to our blog! (Have an idea for our blog? Then share it with our Killer Nashville family. With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to contact@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks to Maria Giordano, Will Chessor and author Tom Wood for his volunteer assistance in coordinating our weekly blogs. For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com or www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com)

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KN Magazine: Articles

How to Host a Killer Book Event / Jenny Milchman

How to Host a Killer Book Event / Jenny Milchman

How to Host a Killer Book Event / Jenny Milchman

Unlocking the Mystery / Blake Fontenay

Unlocking the Mystery / Blake Fontenay

Unlocking the Mystery / Blake Fontenay

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid? / Don Winston

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid? / Don Winston

What Makes a Thriller Paranoid? / Don Winston

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It / Jodie Renner

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It / Jodie Renner

A Checklist to Evaluate Your Story After You’ve Written It / Jodie Renner

How to Read a Critique without Crying / Suzanne Webb Brunson

How to Read a Critique without Crying / Suzanne Webb Brunson

How to Read a Critique without Crying / Suzanne Webb Brunson

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction / R.G. Belsky

Books Burned by Kim Kardashian’s Love Child!

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction / R.G. Belsky

Books Burned by Kim Kardashian’s Love Child!

Tabloid Truth is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction / R.G. Belsky

Books Burned by Kim Kardashian’s Love Child!

Sensory Memory Adds Grist to Your Story / Kelly Saderholm

Sensory Memory Adds Grist to Your Story / Kelly Saderholm

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