Blogs by Kathryn Flatt on AuthorsDen.com

AuthorsDen.com Join | Login

Where Authors and Readers come together!

SIGNED BOOKS AUTHORS BOOKS SAMPLE CHAPTERS AUDIOBOOKS eBOOKS STORIES ARTICLES POETRY BLOGS NEWS VIDEOS SUCCESS TESTIMONIALS

Featured Authors: Stephen Murray, iMichael Gorton, iRochelle Brandon, iJ and C Wordsmiths, iShirley Francis-Salley, iLinda Frank, iMichael Charles Messineo, iFrances Altman, iLaura Cavanaugh, i Dadfire, i

Home > Blogs

Popular: Books, Stories, Articles, Poetry Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Kathryn Flatt

Follow Me

· Contact Me
· Books
· Articles
· News
· Stories
· Blog

· 13 Titles
· 7 Reviews
· Share with Friends!
· Member Since: Apr, 2011

Kathryn Flatt, click here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.

Blogs by Kathryn Flatt

Fast Typing but Longer Thinking
6/5/2013 7:20:51 AM

Oh, how much faster the writing flows now that I can type with both hands at full speed! At the same time, I've moved into the tricky area of the suspect line-up for the case Angel is working on. As mentioned earlier, she needs to talk to each person at the firm she's investigating for and form an opinion about them as to which one is the culprit. I have her ready to start her second interview while she reflects on the first one.

So now I must figure out who the culprit actually is and what their motivation is. What is this person's background? What are his/her aims, loyalties, secrets? Since there is already a murder involved, what motive would make this person kill someone? What was that person's role to begin with? How did they connect? All those questions point up just how little plotting I've done so far! I suppose I must take a break and do some character development around my potential suspects, and that might lead to reducing their numbers to something more manageable.

The pace of this story kind of intrigues me because a great deal seems to be happening over a short time span. I find most of my plots extend over a week or more, but this one started on a Friday and now it's Tuesday in Chapter 8. I didn't put in much about the intervening Sunday; just sort of glossed over it with a passing thought from Tabitha about how she and Jack spent it. One of my favorite reference books on writing was one I read long, long ago. I know the title was "Writing Fiction" but I can't recall the author. I'll try to find out for a later post. Anyway, in the chapter on pacing, she starts with a recounting of how she and her daughter set about defrosting the freezer one day. Her daughter said, "I wish this was a book, because then we'd just say 'they defrosted the freezer' and it would be all done." In "Janus Rule," nothing happened on Sunday that would move the story forward, so the rules of pacing say to leave it out. I have actually read published books that include long passages where things happen but none of them push the story on. In some instances, too much "filler" will make me turn to the last chapter to see how it came out, if I'm interested in the characters enough, and then quit. While writing my own books, if I find myself feeling bogged down by a passage that is keeping me from getting to "the good part," it's time to re-examine it to see if it can be summed up in a single sentence or two and then just move on.

Post a Comment

More Blogs by Kathryn Flatt
• The Why - Thursday, November 14, 2013
• Point of View Can Be Tricky - Wednesday, November 13, 2013
• More on The Name Game - Tuesday, November 12, 2013
• Updates and A Bit of News - Monday, November 11, 2013
• Updates and Miscellany - Friday, November 8, 2013
• The Name Game - Thursday, November 7, 2013
• Too Much Too Soon? - Wednesday, November 6, 2013
• OMG I'm Writing a Cozy - Tuesday, November 5, 2013
• Lo and Behold - Monday, November 4, 2013
• Still Two Worlds at Once - Friday, November 1, 2013
• Feel the Power - Thursday, October 31, 2013
• Gone and Done It - Wednesday, October 30, 2013
• The Final Edit? - Tuesday, October 29, 2013
• News and Updates - Monday, October 28, 2013
• Useless Words - Friday, October 25, 2013
• Decisions, Decisions - Thursday, October 24, 2013
• Planning Ahead - Wednesday, October 23, 2013
• Updates et al. - Tuesday, October 22, 2013
• Spreading My Name All Over - Monday, October 21, 2013
• Uncertain Ground - Friday, October 18, 2013
• Packaging - Thursday, October 17, 2013
• Meanwhile, Back at the Manor... - Wednesday, October 16, 2013
• The Promotion Engine, etc. - Tuesday, October 15, 2013
• I Know I Shouldn't But... - Monday, October 14, 2013
• Miscellany - Friday, October 11, 2013
• Progress! - Thursday, October 10, 2013
• Publicity, Etc. - Wednesday, October 9, 2013
• When Will It Ever Be Done? - Tuesday, October 8, 2013
• The Quest for Perfection - Monday, October 7, 2013
• Word Pictures - Friday, October 4, 2013
• Trying to Stay Focused - Thursday, October 3, 2013
• Moving Forward - Wednesday, October 2, 2013
• The Blahs - Tuesday, October 1, 2013
• Plot Change Already? - Friday, September 27, 2013
• Fun Stuff - Thursday, September 26, 2013
• Busy, Busy - Wednesday, September 25, 2013
• On Many Fronts - Tuesday, September 24, 2013
• Another Milestone - Monday, September 23, 2013
• When Is It Enough - Friday, September 20, 2013
• Proofing One More Time - Thursday, September 19, 2013
• Feeling My Characters - Wednesday, September 18, 2013
• New Book and Other Progress - Tuesday, September 17, 2013
• Another Pause - Monday, September 16, 2013
• Back On It - Sunday, September 15, 2013
• Editing Is a State of Mind - Thursday, September 12, 2013
• In a Slashing Mood - Wednesday, September 11, 2013
• Joliet Author Fair and Updates - Tuesday, September 10, 2013
• Miscellaneous Updates - Monday, September 9, 2013
• Still Editing - Friday, September 6, 2013
• Editing, The Next Phase - Thursday, September 5, 2013
• Ain't That The Way It Goes - Wednesday, September 4, 2013
• Time Off and New Perspective - Tuesday, September 3, 2013
• Potpourri - Friday, August 30, 2013
• New Book Planning - Thursday, August 29, 2013
• More Paper Editions - Wednesday, August 28, 2013
• Progress and Updates - Tuesday, August 27, 2013
• Trying to Stay Focused - Monday, August 26, 2013
• Transitional Phase - Friday, August 23, 2013
• Updates and Stuff - Thursday, August 22, 2013
• Polishing - Wednesday, August 21, 2013
• We Have A First Draft - Tuesday, August 20, 2013
• Almost There - Monday, August 19, 2013
• Great Guns - Friday, August 16, 2013
• Blog Traffic, Reviews, and Progress - Thursday, August 15, 2013
• About Plausibility - Wednesday, August 14, 2013
• Torn - Tuesday, August 13, 2013
• All Mapped Out - Monday, August 12, 2013
• Always Looking Ahead - Friday, August 9, 2013
• Reading in the Modern Age - Thursday, August 8, 2013
• Time Line Time - Wednesday, August 7, 2013
• A Pacing Quandary - Tuesday, August 6, 2013
• Changing the Story - Monday, August 5, 2013
• More Progress - Friday, August 2, 2013
• Delicate Balance - Thursday, August 1, 2013
• Getting Organized - Wednesday, July 31, 2013
• Dark and Gloomy - Tuesday, July 30, 2013
• Wouldn't Ya Know It - Monday, July 29, 2013
• Boom - Friday, July 26, 2013
• Throwing Dirt - Thursday, July 25, 2013
• Giving in to Distractions - Wednesday, July 24, 2013
• Feeling the Pull - Tuesday, July 23, 2013
• "Resistance" and "Dabblers" - Monday, July 22, 2013
• Turning Point - Friday, July 19, 2013
• The Importance of Setting - Thursday, July 18, 2013
• Who's Who - Wednesday, July 17, 2013
• The Dreaded Gerunds - Tuesday, July 16, 2013
• Excited - Monday, July 15, 2013
• Busy Day - Friday, July 12, 2013
• New Energy - Thursday, July 11, 2013
• My Fickle Muse - Wednesday, July 10, 2013
• Getting Down and Catching Up - Monday, July 8, 2013
• Uh-Oh - Thursday, July 4, 2013
• Muse Takes A Holiday - Wednesday, July 3, 2013
• Best Laid Plans - Tuesday, July 2, 2013
• Changing It Up - Monday, July 1, 2013
• What Happens Next? - Friday, June 28, 2013
• Getting Organized - Thursday, June 27, 2013
• Bogged Down Again - Wednesday, June 26, 2013
• How Many Webpages? - Monday, June 24, 2013
• Sometimes It's a Struggle - Friday, June 21, 2013
• Critical Passages - Thursday, June 20, 2013
• The Story Invents Itself - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
• A Simple Conversation - Tuesday, June 18, 2013
• Back On It - Monday, June 17, 2013
• Reminiscing - Thursday, June 13, 2013
• New Look - Wednesday, June 12, 2013
• Digging for Details - Tuesday, June 11, 2013
• Plot Coming Together - Monday, June 10, 2013
• This and That - Friday, June 7, 2013
• Back Story - Thursday, June 6, 2013
• Fast Typing but Longer Thinking - Wednesday, June 5, 2013
• A Name Change and a Dilemma - Tuesday, June 4, 2013
• Freedom, Promotion, and Progrss - Monday, June 3, 2013
• Story Conflict and Notes on Rejections - Friday, May 31, 2013
• In the Name of Promotion - Thursday, May 30, 2013
• Organic Development - Wednesday, May 29, 2013
• We Have A Corpse - Tuesday, May 28, 2013
• The Creative Groove - Sunday, May 26, 2013
• Unstuck - Friday, May 24, 2013
• Writing and Promoting - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
• Updates and Progress - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
• Aaannnd...Action! - Monday, May 20, 2013
• Little Scenes - Sunday, May 19, 2013
• The Purpose of the Scene - Friday, May 17, 2013
• Ah, Proofreading - Thursday, May 16, 2013
• More Books and About Suspense - Wednesday, May 15, 2013
• Day By Day - Tuesday, May 14, 2013
• Progress and a Gotcha - Monday, May 13, 2013
• Oh, To Be Able To Type As Fast As I Think - Friday, May 10, 2013
• Characters, Archetypes, and Stereotypes - Wednesday, May 8, 2013
• Series Update - Monday, May 6, 2013
• Back in the Saddle - Friday, May 3, 2013
• New Faces and Old - Tuesday, April 30, 2013
• A Working Title - Monday, April 29, 2013
• Keeping A Good Attitude - Friday, April 26, 2013
• Slow going - Thursday, April 25, 2013
• Last Thing I expected - Wednesday, April 24, 2013
• Pulling It Together - Friday, April 19, 2013
• Nature Intrudes - Thursday, April 18, 2013
• Don't Be Afraid to Just Say It - Wednesday, April 17, 2013
• Grunt Work - Tuesday, April 16, 2013
• Editing Continues - Monday, April 15, 2013
• Narrative in a Sequel - Friday, April 12, 2013
• Anachronisms - Thursday, April 11, 2013
• Dealing With Structure - Wednesday, April 10, 2013
• Payday! - Tuesday, April 9, 2013
• What's Next - Monday, April 8, 2013
• We Have A First Draft - Saturday, April 6, 2013
• Busy Morning - Friday, April 5, 2013
• Scattered - Thursday, April 4, 2013
• It's All Coming Together - Wednesday, April 3, 2013
• The Home Stretch, Sort of - Tuesday, April 2, 2013
• Nailed It - Monday, April 1, 2013
• Who's The Hero? - Friday, March 29, 2013
• Back to Writing - Thursday, March 28, 2013
• Advertising Day - Wednesday, March 27, 2013
• Couldn't Put It Down - Tuesday, March 26, 2013
• Crunch Time - Monday, March 25, 2013
• Flying Over Hurdles - Friday, March 22, 2013
• Zowie - Thursday, March 21, 2013
• A Battle of Words - Wednesday, March 20, 2013
• For the Love of It - Tuesday, March 19, 2013
• The Good Stuff - Monday, March 18, 2013
• You Know It Don't Come Easy - Friday, March 15, 2013
• The Ever-Present Promotion Quandary - Thursday, March 14, 2013
• Quite A Day - Wednesday, March 13, 2013
• On the Right Track - Tuesday, March 12, 2013
• Nine To Five - Monday, March 11, 2013
• Who Are These People - Friday, March 8, 2013
• Time On My Hands - Thursday, March 7, 2013
• Let It Flow - Wednesday, March 6, 2013
• Getting Into It - Tuesday, March 5, 2013
• Discovering Characters - Mine - Monday, March 4, 2013
• Recap of Day 1 - Saturday, March 2, 2013
• Retirement - Day 1 - Friday, March 1, 2013
• My New Career - Thursday, February 28, 2013
• Transitions - Tuesday, February 26, 2013
• Counting Down... - Monday, February 25, 2013
• One Door Closes... - Friday, February 22, 2013
• Not Above Begging - Wednesday, February 20, 2013
• Ongoing Learning - Tuesday, February 19, 2013
• Characters Are People Too - Saturday, February 16, 2013
• If My Book Became A Movie... - Friday, February 15, 2013
• Plotting and What's Next - Thursday, February 14, 2013
• Pantser - Tuesday, February 12, 2013
• Pure Invention - Monday, February 11, 2013
• Whirlwind - Saturday, February 9, 2013
• Promoting and Other Stuff - Friday, February 8, 2013
• Busy, Busy - Wednesday, February 6, 2013
• Eager to Create - Monday, February 4, 2013
• Catching UP - Sunday, February 3, 2013
• Meetin' and Greetin' - Friday, February 1, 2013
• Showing Versus Telling - Wednesday, January 30, 2013
• Always Writing - Sunday, January 27, 2013
• A Bit More Progress - Friday, January 25, 2013
• On Progress, Creating Characters, and Reviews - Thursday, January 24, 2013
• Plotting, Plotting - Wednesday, January 23, 2013
• Put It To Bed and Start the Promo Machine - Tuesday, January 22, 2013
• The Home Stretch - Sunday, January 20, 2013
• Torn - Friday, January 18, 2013
• Coming Events - Thursday, January 17, 2013
• Multitasking - Wednesday, January 16, 2013
• Jumping the Gun - Tuesday, January 15, 2013
• Winter . . . Boooo! - Sunday, January 13, 2013
• Proofing, Etc. - Friday, January 11, 2013
• Juggling - Tuesday, January 8, 2013
• Going Astray - Monday, January 7, 2013
• Banging It Out - Saturday, January 5, 2013
• On Research - Friday, January 4, 2013
• Back On Track - Thursday, January 3, 2013