It's been a while Pt 3 - what we... no...what I have been up to. I became a...

[Thai Dhupp]

ahhh what though?

While in UAE I started to piece together the outline for a story. Y'know..we all have a book in us, right?

So the saying goes, anyway

When I got back to Thailand and home, after retiring, for the first time, I had time to flesh out my lil' story idea. The notion of writing something, anything, that people might be interested to read struck me a a good challenge.

My parents instilled the idea of 'leaving a mark on society' for the future. OK I built TD Towers and that's a pretty big statement, but not widely known outside the Teak Door circle and my own FB/LinkedIn/Insta, etc.

My dad was always interested in words, new words and meanings and had a fabulous vocabulary and he encouraged me to do likewise. Maybe that why i'm such a crossword nut. I absorb global information and coupled with my travels, well if theres a general knowledge crossword or a quiz team event to enter...I am in heaven and I'm there!

My mum also told me to follow my dreams, and that included something with the written word.

So now the history was in place, the encouragement was there, and my desire to write...something... was stronger than ever.

Finally...the jigsaw was completed as at last...I had the time to try my hand at writing.




(Not sure if I have this thread in the right section but... lol... too late now because I started!)

[cyrille]

We all have a book in us, right?

Nah.

.....

[cyrille]

And chapters don't really work here.

[Topper]

Finally...the jigsaw was completed as at last...I had the time to try my hand at writing.

What genre are you writing?

[Thai Dhupp]

What genre are you writing?

Crime Fiction, or...Crime Thriller

[Thai Dhupp]

And chapters don't really work here.

lol...I'm certainly not going to write a book on here!!

Mainly 'cos I want to make money, if I can...

[Thai Dhupp]

Anyway, one bright morning...OK they are all pretty bright, I sat down at the PC in my office and took a good read through of the note and scribbles I had accumulated in UAE. I had the idea for the story pretty clear, actually and reading the notes was more about bolstering me up - writing blog posts was a good experience but now there are conventions with stories. Whizz bang start, steady action, what tense and person you are telling the tale in, etc,etc.

[Thai Dhupp]

One thing I discovered pretty quickly is that I was not going to write sequentially. This followed that followed this etc.

The first bit I wrote was actually what became murder two. I did this just to see how I felt about writing that sort of thing, and how it looked when the section was completed, and to be honest... it looked pretty crap!! It was a bit superficial, like i had just scanned over a newspaper story, then tried to remember it and write it down. No depth. Little interest.

That did not deter me, though.

Of course, I was new to the whole idea and I expected that there would be learning experiences and revisions as I went along. That murder got edited and became twice as long. Better but still missing something. I remembered reading another author telling that in that situation...leave it and come back with the fresh eyes. write something else...so I did.

I also started to take an interest in Goodreads and Amazon and their book reviews, to gauge what reviewers, and ultimately readers liked and disliked. I subscribed to a couple of writer / editor YT channels and these gave very good information, which i built in to the ongoing story. Those ideas were 'HOW' to write different storylines, not the actual story itself - this manuscript is 100% mine.

[Thai Dhupp]

Something else I discovered early on was the massive amount of research that was needed to ensure accuracy / plausibility.

When you are stating factual content...it has to be correct. Imagine making an error in your text which is not picked up down the line, and then if you are lucky enough to make it to publication...you get roasted for the errors! You need to be prepared to research small detail and take your time doing it. Also, I started recording where I had got the information from (website address) in case a double-check was needed later.

Writing any sort of lengthy text is a lot more than simply sitting down at a keyboard and 'away you go!'

[Thai Dhupp]

CHARACTERS

This is a big one, because you need names that readers can relate to. Not overly clever names or obscure ones

My Detective Inspector is Graham Tonnick. His DS is Max.
The chief protagonist is Liam Granger, though he changed his name to that from Nicholas Roberts.

There is a little bit of wit with some of the names but it is NOT to get a cheap laugh - in fact, such a name, when brought up is in utter seriousness.

The senior forensics guy's name is Raymond Gunne, but watch out if you call him 'Ray'!

Here's the section I wrote clarifying exactly that:

----

The detective lightened up on seeing Raymond.

Raymond Gunne. The elder statesman of the forensics lab. He smiled, same as he did every time, remembering the last occasion he witnessed some officer referring to the forensics boss as ‘Ray’, followed by the realisation of the full name in that format, followed by the withering look from Gunne and quiet but firm correction to the young officer, the smile wiped from his face instantly. His name was Raymond… never ‘Ray’.

Raymond Gunne had been in charge of forensics for… well… forever. As long as Tonnick could remember, certainly all of his career in the force. He must be up for retirement soon? Tonnick made a mental note to check on his retirement date when he got back to the station.

----

There can be 'humor' in a name but in this case it's fleeting, the implication that it is possibly humour enjoyed out of earshot of the subject of that humour, if at all.

I have other examples. maybe there will some more later in the thread.

It's amazing how many characters can build up in a work like this. I needed to keep tabs on those characters and the assigned names. Some had to be developed for the storyline, others were little more than a name. I think there were 30 ancillary characters in the manuscript. I used a small spreadsheet to track each one.

You have to decide how deep you will go in the character development. I'm thinking for say a romance or a fantasy book, more depth is needed because the characters ARE the book. For crime thrillers, a lot less is needed

[Topper]

I'm liking it, keep it coming, please!

[Thai Dhupp]

I'm liking it, keep it coming, please!

I will.... interspersed with, well what else...writing here in my office!

[Thai Dhupp]

CRAFTING A SUCCESSFUL STORYLINE

So.. what is needed for the modern book?

Wel... I mentioned a 'whizz bang' start, right? Think fir a moment about action movies you have watched. They always start with a car chase, or a special ops assassination or something that GRABS THE ATTENTION.

This is what modern books have developed into. It's something to do with the current generation (if they even read, and I'm not sure on that!) and the one before, and attention spans and the need for 'action' and drama and visuals (in the book's case, well-described action.). Its partly due to the intact availability of...anything on the internet, especially YT. Gone are the days of the slow and patient build up. I was told by another author that if something dramatic has not happened in the first few pages, people will lose interest and not bother with the rest of the book.

OMG! I heeded that.

Knowing this, my storyline has a dramatic build up to murder, and the first murder itself...within the first few pages.

But there has to be a balancing act between the episodes of action and drama, and the quieter sections where characters are developed and private lives are explored. My D.I. is engaged to be married, and working towards that. Liam is developing his personal relationship with Mandi, the junior detective in the very team playing catch-up with his murders. One of Liam's victims is a sunday footballer. All of this, and more is explored in the pages of the book. It's these little side stories that keep a book fresh. but, too much of it and the reader might lose the thread of the main tale.

Ahh the balancing act...

[malmomike77]

Crime Fiction, or...Crime Thriller

Something else I discovered early on was the massive amount of research that was needed to ensure accuracy / plausibility.

It is amazing how you have lucked out here on TD. You have what is internationally recognised as one of the finest groups of CSI experts at your disposal. Now, not only that but Cyrille will help with any proof reading, David44 can lend you his insight into the, erm something and Hazza can be relied upon to provide an authoritative explanation on any subject.

[Thai Dhupp]

It is amazing how you have lucked out here on TD. You have what is internationally recognised as one of the finest groups of CSI experts at your disposal. Now, not only that but Cyrille will help with any proof reading, David44 can lend you his insight into the, erm something and Hazza can be relied upon to provide an authoritative explanation on any subject.

That's all well 'n ' good but you never mentioned the other essential for the ambitious writer...

Who the eff is making the coffees!?

i'm keen to explore further David's skills with 'something', too. Hopefully that might become a leading tory line in a future manuscript.

[DrWilly]

All the best with it.

[Thai Dhupp]

All the best with it.

Many thanks!

Hopefully, there's a happy ending in this tale somewhere down the line...

[malmomike77]

Hopefully, there's a happy ending in this tale somewhere down the line...

I can guarantee if you are struggling with that part, you'll have plenty of input

[Thai Dhupp]

REPRESENTATION

OK I was a long way off finishing the story, or y'know, hopefully getting it 'out there', somehow, but I did look into what the process was at an early stage, and it is daunting.

In the main, if you go the traditional route (more later), you cannot just rock up to a publisher and say ' can you publish this!?'

You need representation. a middle man (or woman). You need... an Agent.

First you have to find one. That's not as easy as it may sound. There are database applications out there which will help to find the right agent for your genre (the style and content of the book manuscript you are writing). The main one for this is Query Manager.

Odd name, right?

It is so named because when you are seeking an agent, and you apply to one...you are 'querying' them. There are thousands of agents, and they all cover different genres. Some cover more than one. It is pointless querying a romance genre agent with your sci-fi horror book. It will probably not even elicit a response from the agent. In fact...even if you did the research and found a compatible agent, and followed the submission requirements, if they personally dont like the work, they will reject you. Some may not even tell you - they just won't bother replying

The agent expects you to do all the research on them, and then, if you think you have found a match, to exactly follow that agents submission requirements.

An agent might get 50-100 submissions a DAY. It's impossible for them to read in full every one. They might have an assistant who shortlists those submissions, so if they ask for 5 pages and you submit 3 chapters, guess what will happen to your submission!? These agents, some of them, anyway act like gods...because they KNOW you need them. you cannot progress to publication without them (well, you can - more later). There are some pretty big ego's in Agent-land...and some very kind, helpful agents, too.

There is a LOT of rejection. agents may ultimately only take on 3 or 4 new authors A YEAR so with hundreds of thousands of budding authors around the world and only a few slots to fill, you can see that most applicants will never make it.

Remember...getting an agent is not the end of it. It's just the beginning. I had that to look forward to.

Oh yes... you cannot start that querying process until you have a finished, self-edited
(x2 or x3)t, polished, grammar-checked, developmentally-edited work, because the agent might, just might turn round and say 'I like it! send me over the whole manuscript to read.' If you reply with 'Ok give me 2 months, I'm not quite finished!'... you will never hear from that agent again

Lordy! Who would be a writer!?

[armstrong]

Self publish and hope it gets picked up or target small publishers that produce the kind of story you are writing.

[DrWilly]

I’m published.

Perseverance is the key. Good luck.

[Thai Dhupp]

Self publish and hope it gets picked up or target small publishers that produce the kind of story you are writing.

I was coming on next to the different ways to get published, and the pros and cons of each. Self-publishing is one way but it's the hardest of the 3 main ways.

[Thai Dhupp]

I’m published.

Perseverance is the key. Good luck.

That's fantastic - congrats!

What did you publish? Novel, factual non-fiction book, series, and who were you aiming the book at?

[Thai Dhupp]

WHAT THE AGENT DOES...

Ok... Publishing is the last link in the chain. before that, many months of work will take place. I said on the last post that getting an agent is just the start, and ...it is.

So let's assume you have got an agent (assuming you are going down the traditional publishing route) - this is what happens.

1. forget any notion that your book will be fast-tracked to publication. You are a small cog in the overall scheme of things and the publisher has a sequence of print runs sorted out to keep his other clients (Agents/authors) happy. No... you book might not see the light of day for THREE YEARS.

2. There's a lot to do and you will be involved in all of it.. the agent will re-read your manuscript and offer suggestions for improvement. These suggestions, and others from editors along the way will be partly personal taste but also with an eye on what is selling well. You will carry out another revision, maybe 2 from these interactions, before a developmental editor comes along and rips it to shreds. Length. Vocabulary, tense, how its written, character definition, flow - they're all considered. Suggestions or even instructions given, and more changes take place. Then a grammatical check is made - spelling and punctuation and more changes may result.

3. now...at last the agent is happy with the work and will start to approach publishers. Wait... you thought it was cut 'n' dried once you had the agent? Sadly...no. The agent has then got to try to sell your book concept to book buyer at the publisher. This might take a very long time. It might take further editing including big rewrites. It might not get any interest at all from publishers.

If...if the agent does get interest from the publisher, timescales, royalties and the advance will be discussed and eventually, yes...a contract will be drawn up.

And you thought it was just 'write a book and take it to the printers'. All of the above takes time. a lot of time.

[malmomike77]

What is your nom de plume