Everyday Carry for the Spook: Guest Blog Post

Those who work with the intelligence agencies or special forces are often known as Spooks or Ghosts. Well, it turns out that a few of Real Spooks found out about our Assassins, Spies & SAS blog series and decided to lend a helping hand. They love how we just want writers to portray this special breed of characters correctly in a story. They want us to get inside the inner workings of their minds. (Although, some of their inner thoughts might be a little too scary even for me.)

Today's post really was written by a person who works in the intelligence industry. As a thriller writer, Judy L Mohr (the Black Wolf Editor herself) has amassed some creepy contacts. Don't ask. Just accept. And no, you can't ask us for their contact details. Go find your own creepy contacts.

Everyday carry (EDC) is a collection of things you carry with you on a daily basis when you are outside your house. There can, and will, be some variation. However, there will be some items you always carry.

My everyday carry consists of:

My wallet - do I need to explain this one?
My cell phone
A battery pack for my cell phone
A firearm
A knife
$100 in cash (small bills, i.e., $20's)
A multi tool
A signal blocking bag
A flashlight

Now that I have explained what I carry, please allow me to explain some of the items.

Purple Prose: A Literary Term Defined

There are many different terms that are commonly used within the publishing industry that many new writers look at those terms with one simple response: "Huh?" Even a few experienced writers will look at those terms and be completely baffled.

Over the past few weeks, I've been compiling a list of these terms. The list is actually quite extensive, and much bigger than I first thought. I've decided that it's time to help new and experienced writers to learn what some of these terms mean, so if you ever encounter them in an editorial report, you're not completely confused by what the editor is saying.

Let's start with one that tripped me up when I first started as a writer: Purple Prose.

To put it simply, purple prose is any passage that is excessively descriptive.

Using an Editorial Synopsis to Find a Story Split

So you've gotten into writing this story idea, and the word counts are steadily climbing. You're not even a third of the way through your intended plot, and already you've hit the industry accepted word count for your genre. Before you rush off to turn your manuscript into a trilogy, think this through.

As I've discussed before in the post Length matters, but story matters more, agents and editors use word counts as a first-level indication of the maturity of the writing. Going dramatically over what is considered to be an acceptable word count length could be a sign of over writing — writing that is filled with too much backstory or unnecessary description. Yet, coming under the word count could be a sign that not enough attention was given to the details — that a story is all tell and no show.

But let's say that you are the most gifted writer on the planet, and that every word in your manuscript has its purpose. (We'll ignore the fact that a professional editor will have different ideas, but we'll carry on.) There is no way that you can do your story proper justice in a single book. Or maybe you set out from the beginning to actually write a series.

The place where a novel finishes is NOT when you hit 100,000 words, but rather when a story plot arc comes to a conclusion. This is where the dreaded synopsis can help in a big way.

Writers who are heading down the traditional publication path are likely about to scream at me. Synopses are scary things — whittling that 80,000+ words into only 500. But that's a submission synopsis. What I'm talking about is an editorial synopsis.

Creating Focus for Your Writing

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a large number of writing projects on the go. Every time I turn around, there’s another idea that pops into my head that calls my attention. However, one needs to find a way to focus their writing efforts, so they actually complete their projects.

Developing focus is one of the topics that I have found myself talking about with my mentoring clients and in my personal writing groups. There seems to be a general consensus. If you are wanting to eventually turn your writing into a way of making a living, you need to tackle this issue by compartmentalizing your writing.

Let me explain further.
Read More→

Assassins, Spies and SAS. Oh My…

In a recent post, Fight Scenes: Instinct & Perspectives, I spoke about emotional engagement and the perspectives used for writing fight scenes. I touched on fight-or-flight, and how a writer can use that to their advantage. However, I also spoke about believability. If elements of your fight scene delve into the unbelievable, you will lose your reader.

While most people are able to easily visualize how the average Joe will respond in a fight, what their actions would be, and their capabilities, there is one type of fighter that is often used within fight scenes that majority of people can't truly relate to.

I'm talking about those characters who are highly trained to be assassins, spies and special forces soldiers (or SAS, as they are known in some countries). While all of these characters will have different backgrounds and different skill sets, there will be commonalities to the way they behave. Their reactions to a given situation can almost be predicted.

Fight Scenes: Instinct & Perspective

Recently, I have found myself in multiple situations where I’ve been shoulder-tapped to look over the fight scenes of others. It’s ironic that I’ve developed a knack (and a love) for those action-pumping scenes that often result in carnage and death. I’ve come a long way since my husband’s single feedback line of my high fantasy novel (feedback given nearly 8 years ago now): “Your fight scenes suck.”

(Geez… Love you too, hubby.)

However, as much as that original critique strung, I persevered, and analyzed to death what makes a good fight or action scene. (Pun intended.) Now, nearly 8 years later, those action-filled scenes that get the heart pumping pour out of me with ease—and the body count rises significantly.

Show the story. Tell the ride through the countryside.

Show the emotions. Show the setting. Show the complexities of your mind. Show this. Show that.

Oh, before I forget, tell that ride through the countryside. Tell that little backstory through dialogue. Tell the oral history.

When does one use tell? Should I always show? At what point is it too much show and not enough tell?

Show. Show. Show. Tell. Tell. Tell. It can seriously do your head in.

Understanding the difference between the two is one thing. Striking a balance between them to keep your reader engaged is another. For the moment, let's focus on the first issue.

The Book Doctor is in the house!

There is a term that has been bandied around the internet and is starting to make the rounds of conferences and writing forums. It's a term that describes that type of person whom one might want to hire during the early stages of a manuscript's life (or later stages if a book is struggling to gain reader engagement). The term: Book Doctor or Plot Doctor. It's an interesting buzz term. However, I have encountered other terms that also refer to the same type of editor.

Book Doctor = Manuscript Assessor = Developmental Editor

Yep, you read that right, folks. Book Doctor is just another term for a developmental editor. And guess what... That's exactly the type of editor that I am.

So, what does a Book Doctor or Developmental Editor actually do?

Refueling the Writing Muse

This #NaNoWriMo, don’t focus just on word counts.

As the clock clicks over into November 1st, writers around the world will embark on the NaNoWriMo challenge.

No doubt, some of you are wondering what NaNoWriMo is. Well, as a writer, you commit yourself to writing 50,000 words in one month — you commit to writing a complete first draft of a novel. For some, it is a daunting goal, but as someone who has taken part in every NaNoWriMo and CampNaNoWriMo event since 2014, I can tell you that it's worth the challenge and effort.

Every year, without fail, there will be a few who work at insane rates, pumping out 50,000 words within the first few days. Some even achieve this within the first 24 hours. No, I'm not exaggerating. Within my home region, there is always at least one, frequently two or three, with another two or three who hit 50,000 words within the first week. However, I actually feel sad for the ones who rush to pump out those 50,000 words in such a short time, because in my opinion they have totally missed the point behind NaNoWriMo.

The real goal of NaNoWriMo is to spend an entire month writing your novel, aiming to complete it. If you finish early, you go back and flesh out some of the scenes. And if hit 50,000 words early but still haven't finished the novel, you keep going until you've written the words The End. You write every day, forming a habit for writing that will carry you through into December and beyond.

Category Archives: Writing and Editing