Ambiguity. If your novel leaves anything up in the air as to what really happened, this makes for a great question. Readers love to determine the how and why of ambiguous events. (Did you believe the mayor’s version of events? Why or why not? What do you think really happened?)

Motivation. Any question that gets to the heart of a character’s motivation, especially to behave in a socially unacceptable way, will make for a lively discussion. (Jasmine shares privileged information with a reporter. Why? Claire says she stole the painting to protect it, but what were her real reasons?) I’ve discovered that readers bring their own experiences into a novel and often perceive things in characters that others don’t, even the author. It’s fascinating.

Fate. Questions that discuss the course of events and whether those events are inevitable will generate strong reactions from readers. (Did the young boy have to die in the end? Could the story have gone in another direction and still been effective?)

Coincidence. Does the story rely on a major or minor coincidence? Was it believable and did it work for you? Was the story plausible overall?

Values/beliefs. In what ways do the events and characters reveal the author’s values or world view? What is the author trying to say about [insert hot-button topic here: women, race, sexuality, discrimination]? Did the story make you question any of your own beliefs?

As readers, what are some of your favorite book discussion issues?

If your manuscript is in standard Word format (double-spaced, 12-point font), I’m offering copy editing at these rates:

• $1.25 a page for paper edits
• $1.75 a page for track change edits

If you plan to self-publish and your story is laid out in some other format than double-spaced, 12-point font, I’ll copy edit it for a flat rate of $400.

I now offer content analysis as a separate service (with copy editing). The analysis is based on a form I use to complete manuscript evaluations for a publisher. These are my rates:

• $50 for manuscripts under 50,000 words
• $75 for manuscripts 50,000–75,000 words
• $100 for manuscripts over 75,000 words

Author testimonials are available on my Editing Service page, and you can download a PDF to share with your writing group.

Let me know what you think.

Tips for Busy Writers

I use the monthly calendar function in my Entourage e-mail program to track my personal schedule, and I print out a few months at a time and carry the pages with me. This neat trick serves two functions:

1. If I make a phone call during my lunch hour to set up a book signing or book talk, I have my personal schedule right in front of me and I don’t have to say, “I’ll have to get back to you with dates that work for me.

2. It gives me a great place to write down things I think of throughout the day that need to get done, also providing a place to pencil them in.

Do you have a scheduling or calendar tip to share?

The good news is the paper will give me freelance work, and I’ll meet with my writer/editor friends every once in while. This is my third layoff in publishing in the last five years, so I’m not devastated. The layoffs were all economic decisions, and I have glowing letters of recommendation from everyone. I know I’ll come out okay.

In the mean time, I’ll get caught up on my promotional list and finish the edits on novels #3, #4 and #5. Yes, I have three books being released in the next 18 months. So there should be some royalty checks coming too. Not to mention the overwhelming excitement of having so much of my work out there! And the joy of starting work on a new novel.

Life is good. I knew the job was temporary when I started, and it was great for me in many ways. I’m better known now in my community as a person, a journalist, and a novelist. I’ve met a lot of terrific people and worked on some fun stories.

I also have to mention that I’m a fine fiction editor, and I’m offering writers a great deal on copyediting: $400 flat rate for any manuscript under 100,000 words. The copyedit includes proofreading, syntax edits, and general observations. I’ll provide a written content analysis for an additional $50. I’ve been conducting freelance manuscript evaluations for a publishing house for a year and a half, so I have some experience.

Here’s a link to some of my references. Send me an e-mail if you have questions.

I also plan to do more blogging—offering writing, promoting, and organizational advice, so stop back in regularly.

I love to hear from everyone, and if you’ve had a similar experience, feel free to share it here.

• Elvis Cole
• Harry Bosch
• Easy Rawlins
• Kate Shugak
• Lew Archer
• Travis McGee
• Joanna Brady
• Kimo Kanapa’aka
• Tess Monaghan
• Kubu Bengu
• Mario Silva
• and many more!

That week I’ll also post a blog (somewhere) about Detective Emmanuel Cooper from South Africa, featured in the novel, A Beautiful Place to Die.

Who are your favorite detectives? What draws you to them?

1. Get rid of the word that. In my last post, I wrote a sentence like this: If a guy in a driveway points at tires, readers will assume that you mean on the car. I went back and took out that. The sentence reads better without it. Sometimes the word will be needed for clarity but not often.

2. Get rid of  the word it. When rewriting, I replace this word at least half the time with the name of the thing it represents. Clarity and detail are usually a better idea.

3. Replace verbs that end in ing. Of course, they’re necessary sometimes, but ing verbs are often weak. Use present or past tense verbs as much as possible. Jackson ran for the door is stronger than Jackson was running for the door.

4. Resist starting sentences with But, And, or Then. It’s a sign of weak writing. We’ll all use them when we’re in writing mode, and the point is to crank out a scene and get words on the page without worrying about finesse. In rewrite mode, I use the search function to locate these words when they’re capped and eliminate them as sentence starters as much as possible. But I make exceptions

5. Use the search function to find errors. When I notice I’ve misspelled a character’s name, I assume I’ve done it more than once, so I search for the misspelled version. If I see  I’ve treated a phrase in different ways, say hyphenated in one use and open in another, I search for the phrase both ways and standardize my usage.

I took off the first unnecessary phrase, then the second. Then I moved the word down to where it belongs—after the verb directing it. Now it reads: Katie put down her waffle. Much better! Nobody cares where the waffle went. The sentence is meant to show that what Katie is about to say  is so important she wants no distractions.

2. Get rid of unnecessary pronouns. Here’s how a sentence in this blog read until I edited it: If two guys are standing in the driveway talking and one of them points at the tires, readers will assume you mean on the car.  I took out of them.  Readers know I meant the two guys, and the sentence reads better without the phrase. Other examples are phrases like himself or to me. Often you’ll discover they are unnecessary.

3. Be careful when using pronouns. I’ve gotten much better about this thanks to Stephen King’s On Writing, but I still see the problem in the fiction manuscripts I edit for others. In a confrontation scene with three guys, for example, the writer will use he and his repeatedly. It’s  confusing. In these situations, be redundant, regardless of whose POV you’re writing from. Use each man’s name every time you refer to him. Readers will appreciate it.
Jake picked up the gun and aimed it at Seth. Seth ran for the door, while Carl yelled, “Don’t do this.” Jake lowered the gun. Carl lunged at a Jake. Seth kept running.
Even a single use of he in that paragraph could have made it hard to follow.

What are you catching in your writing as you go back and edit?

If you don’t hear from me directly, please contact me with your mailing addresses, so I can send you a copy of SECRET TO DIE FOR.

Other news: I’ve been busy writing profiles for The Big Thrill and doing a Q&A for Mystery Lovers Corner, so that’s where you can find me this month:

http://www.sleuthedit.com/featuring.html

http://www.thrillerwriters.org/2010/01/rescuing-olivia-by-julie-compton.html

http://www.thrillerwriters.org/2009/08/secrets-to-die-for-by-lj-sellers.html

I also found some new reviews for THE SEX CLUB, which I hadn’t seen yet. That’s always fun.

http://lostinbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/sex-club-by-lj-sellers.html

http://bookstove.com/drama/the-sex-club-by-l-j-sellers-book-review

http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/2009/07/book-review-sex-club-by-lj-sellers.html

Thanks for stopping in.

Female paramedic (and ex-cop) in her late 40s. Twice divorced and currently content to be single. Slightly jaded, straight talker who mentors young women who come out of correctional institutions.

Male bureaucrat, early 30s, bachelor by choice, but not necessarily liking it anymore. A list-maker and number-cruncher who finds a way to work the system to his great financial advantage and becomes corrupted by it.

Did I mention this story is set in the future?

Post your first name/last name suggestions (or e-mail me if you prefer).  I’ll pick my favorite name for each character and send you a copy of SECRETS TO DIE FOR.  Knowing me, I’ll send extra copies to people who submit names I get a kick out of but can’t use. Past examples: Randy Cockburn (for a strip club owner) and Stig Bloodgutter (for a kidnapper).  Howlingly good fun!

1. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Steig Larsson  (14 T,  2 B)
2. ECHOES FROM THE DEAD by Johan Theorin (11 T, 1 B)
3. THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley  (7 T, 7 B) Clearly a love it or hate it experience.
4. A RULE AGAINST MURDER by Louise Penny (6 T, 1 B)
5. THE MYSTIC ART OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH, by Charlie Huston, (5 T, 1 B)
6. THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST aka THE TWELVE by Stuart Neville (4 T,  1 B)
7. THE LANGUAGE OF BEES by Laurie King (3 T, 1 B)
8. A DUTY TO THE DEAD by Charles Todd (3 T, 2 B)
9. BEAT THE REAPER by Josh Bazell (2 T,  2 B)
10. BLUE HEAVEN by C.J. Box (2 T, 1 B)

What were your favorite (or least favorite) books that you read in 2009?