Jodie Leigh Murray

I love starting a new writing project. But I have a hard time finishing what I'm doing before starting in; I get so excited. A fresh new idea, wide open to possibilities that are positively endless, a blank page to create whatever I want. It's awesome!

 

But . . . back to starting a new project and how I do it. I have a notebook (and a folder with random papers that I'm currently trying to get into this notebook) with ideas I've written. It's usually a character with a problem; a scene that's played out in my head to start. That's the beauty of creating. It can go anywhere from there BUT it has to be entertaining, well-thought out, and flow smoothly. It takes a lot to get there.

 

To have a story, you need the parts. This is where I have a notebook, a flash drive, and a 3-ring binder for each book to keep everything organized. I start with the notebook and I write my idea in it. The character has no name and there are no other characters. Typically, this is where I flesh it out.

 

A story should include characters, setting, plot, conflict, resolution, themes, morals, symbolism, point of view, perspective, and an ending. The main parts of a story are characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Of those, there are three that are fundamental elements: character, setting and plot.

 

Usually, the theme, moral, symbolism, and perspective of the story make sense to me once I finish the other parts. If you've read my books, you know I put a lot into my characters. Every single one of them. Not every detail will go into the book, but I know the details of them. A character's actions, goals, and problems can inspire a whole new book.

 

I like to plan, so I outline everything before I write the book. As I gather my characters, I also determine the fundamental conflict and decide on a setting that will complement it. It's not as easy as you might think. Sometimes things change while I'm mapping it all out. While I have ideas for characters, settings, and the main plot, I start imagining scenes that can move the story forward, create more conflicts, and ultimately shape the ending.

 

You might ask yourself how I keep this all straight. That's where my notebook, my flash drive and my 3-ring binder come in. I have worksheets for my character development, my outline, my scenes, settings, research, etc. I categorize these in my flash drive and I fill them out as I settle on concrete details, and I print out the most important ones and put them in my binder. Oh, and I have a checklist for every project. My checklist goes through the entire process, from starting a project to the receipt of my copyright registration certificate. It doesn't go through my entire outlining process, although that might be a good idea. That is when I consider my project, and checklist, done.

 

With my third book done and in editing and my fourth book already partially written, I expect I'll be starting my fifth project in the spring. What I'm not sure of yet is whether that will be another romantic suspense or another historical romance. I have several ideas for both genres!

Are you one of those who gets distracted easily? I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have ADHD or get easily distracted. That doesn't mean I don't get distracted. It just doesn't happen easily or frequently. So, what do I get distracted by? I think it might be easier to break this down to what I might do when a distraction enters the picture. Distractions can be unrelated to writing, although I have many things that distract me while writing. One of that might affect other writers, maybe the biggest even, is editing.

 

I don't mean editing once you've written your novel. I mean editing while you're writing. Me? Guilty for sure. This is one of my biggest distractions while I'm writing, especially when I get an idea for a change of something I've already written. It is hard for me to jot it down and not lose it. I try to use my Notes App on my phone, although there may be a better app I can use for writing. Sometimes I write it in my notebook, but I have so much written there it might get lost. What happens is I go back to make the change and end up finding other things to change. People suggest not editing while writing, but I haven't changed my process because it doesn't seem to affect my results.

 

Research is another distraction. While I try to get all my research done and out of the way before I begin, sometimes things either sneak in that I need to stop to research or I missed something. Now, I'm not sure we can label this as a distraction. It's more like a necessity. Sure, I could highlight it or tag it somehow to come back to fill in my research later, but interrupting my flow of writing irks me.

I admit, I got lucky when I found my editor. I've mentioned it before in my blogs about the process that I followed to become self-published. There is an amazing website service called Reedsy that I went to find a developmental editor.

 

Now, there are different editors that you can hire for different services. It depends on your budget. I don't have a large budget, so I hired solely for developmental editing, which is a MUST for self- publishing. There is no way around this when you self-publish. As the writer, there is no way you can't be subjective with your own writing. Hire for this, unless you have a buddy that's willing to do it for you, but they should have a background in it and experience.

 

Here are editing services you can hire for, in order of how you would do them:

 

Developmental Editing: Start with developmental editing once you've written, self-edited, and received feedback from beta readers. You don't have to hire someone to do this, but I think it is not wise not to if you are self-publishing. That's my opinion, though. A developmental editor is going to do a fully review of your book, including structure, plot, characters, pacing, etc. 

 

Copy Editing: Copy editing comes after you've done developmental editing, and made changes suggested to improve your manuscript. Remember, just because the developmental editor has suggested a change to your book does not mean you have to take said advice. It is your book. Copy editing will check for grammar, spelling, usage and consistency, correct punctuation and language usage.

 

Line Editing: Line editing is the third round of editing by a line editor. They suggest changes to make sentences sharp, take out any redundancies and address verb issues. A line editor may also identify awkward sentences and fix structures of sentences and paragraphs.

 

Proofreading: This is the final editing before publication. This is the confirmation that there are no incorrect spellings, formatting errors, widows and orphans, etc. This is the final polish on your art.

 

The good thing about Reedsy is you can decide what you want to hire for and you can get up to five quotes from professionals you are looking to hire. Every professional has a resume of their experience and projects, as well as reviews. You can hire for Developmental Editing, Copy Editing (which also includes Line Editing, I believe) and Proofreading. I can't tell you how much these services cost because I have only hired for developmental editing and the cost for my editor may be more or less than for others. There are other variables as well–What genre is it? What is the word count? What is your budget? All you can do is put your information out there and collect some quotes. You do not commit unless you accept an offer and your collaboration begins.

 

Everything flows through Reedsy–files, messages and payment all go through this website. I've worked with my developmental editor on two books and we can work together outside of Reedsy. But we haven't discussed anything beyond messaging.

There are other ways of finding an editor. Google. I follow several other website resources, such as Writer's Digest, Jane Friedman, and Writer Beware. I talk about Reedsy because I've been through it, and I'm comfortable with it.

 

Besides Reedsy Marketplace, there is also Reedsy Blog that has some great articles for helping you as well. Remember, before you get to the first editing stage–you'll want to edit your own work!! There's help for this out there! I have my own methods for editing. It's not a pleasant process, but I'm very organized when it gets to the editing phase. I've learned enough to know that by the time it gets to my editor–I don't want her to have to read through a bunch of misspellings and unfinished sentences. So take the time before you hire any professional to do any of the first three to do your own form of editing, even if it isn't subjective. This is a learning process. Do what feels right for you!

We're creeping up on a new year to set goals. Man, that comes up fast. When do you start considering what your goals are for the new year? Do you set goals or let it ride? Personally, some years I've set goals and others I have not. Last year, believe it or not, I did not set goals.

 

My two most obvious goals for 2024 are two get the two books I'm working on published, which means I'll be starting on the next ones. Yes–for those of you curious, I already have the fifth one rolling around in my brain. However, if my second romantic suspense takes off as well as the first one did, I'm going to have to brainstorm a completely new idea. I did not intend to connect the first two romantic suspense books, but it worked out that way. I'm not sure if I can do it a third time.

 

Not to worry–I will not stop writing, and my goal every year is to put out stories worthy of my readers.

 

I need to get a solid schedule down. This entire year has been a learning experience, especially with publishing two books. I have spent almost all of my free time writing or doing art and craft fairs. We have done very little else this summer, including camping. We've only gone . . . twice so far, with one more trip scheduled. We have done hardly anything this summer other than work. Not that I'm complaining! I love writing, and this entire process has been fun. Marketing is hard work, but there is a trick to it, I'm sure.

 

My most obvious goal should be to sell more books and get more recognition, but I think that will come in time. That's all I have for goals at the moment. I try not to stress myself with new year's goals.

Why do you live where you live? People would have differing answers to this question. Some may live where they live to be close to family. Others might have reasoning because of income. And there are those that might have multiple reasons. Whatever your reasons, there is no wrong or right answer. I live in Minnesota for two reasons: family and the season changes. Yes, there are some seasons that are better than others.

 

For those of you that live in a place where there are distinct season changes, such as Minnesota or Wisconsin–what's your favorite season? Most people I know from these two states prefer summer, but some love winter more. My husband would be one of those people. If he had his way, we would move to Alaska. Alaska seems like a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there because it's far from my family and has days with very little sunlight.

 

I love summer, but I think fall is my favorite. Not only the extraordinary display of colors but the smell of the air, the warmth of the days and the coolness of the nights, and above all . . . Halloween. It's my favorite holiday. I decorate the house entirely for Halloween with spider webs, Spooky Town villages, scary pictures…you name it. I haven't yet delved into decorating for the outside yet, and I'm not sure if I ever will, but it's the one holiday I will decorate for. Easter? Not so much. St. Patrick's Day? Nope. Christmas? Yes, but not nearly as much as I decorate for Halloween.

 

The weather, the colors, and the holiday are not the only things that hold my love for the season. Fall camping, soup season and cozy sweaters, are among other reasons. It's also a good time to air out the house before winter comes.

 

I like summer because it's warm; the trees are full of leaves, and I don't have to worry about slipping on ice. My favorite summer activities are barbeques, camping, traveling, and relaxing without worrying about snow.

 

Spring is not my favorite, but I like when the trees turn green and the birds come back. Days get warmer, and you truly have gratitude for the high temperature days following the burden of having to stay in for winter because the air hurts your face. When you know that summer is around the corner is a great feeling.

 

Winter never used to be such a miserable season for me. I loved seasons equally at one point. Snowmobiling, skiing, and even winter camping were things I used to do. But after last winter, I truly dislike it. I would likely move if it wasn't for the other seasons. Being a snowbird is not an option. As I stated, my husband would move to Alaska if he could, so going south for the winter wouldn't be an argument I'd win. Sigh. I'll just need to get used to being outside more. Last winter, as those that lived here would agree, was the worst. It didn't get sub-zero as much as it normally would, but the constant snowfalls and having to snow blow really got old after a while. There was one week I had to do it three times! There was so much snow, there was some anxiety that our basement would flood in the spring thaw. Fortunately for us, it didn't, but we bought an additional pump just in case, so now we have a spare if we ever need it. Many people were not as fortunate as we were and had water in their basements. It's the deal you make with mother nature. Something you always need to consider regardless of if you live on high ground or not. With that much snow, you always have a risk of getting water in.

 

Needless to say, I think I'll be sticking around the upper-midwest for a while.