Sorry for the pun, but I'm 1500 words into a new novel in a different mystery series--not that the first series has sold, but my agent wisely said he wanted to have something in hand in case an editor didn't like the first series but liked my writing. So here I am trying to write a summary of a novel that isn't written. It's an old but true adage that authors must listen to their characters--they'll tell you which way the story is going. So the story in your head is bound to change as you write and your original synopsis or summary won't fit the book. But forge ahead!
I've had these characters and their situation in mind for some time but just wasn't sure of the crime, the victim or the villain. I didn't even have a story in my head, and there I was trying to write a summary of it! Today it's like a light bulb went on. I'd written two pages that I knew were wrong--they had that "And then I . . . and then I . . . and then I" rhythm to them. This morning I reworked those pages and wrote two more (only 68,500 words minimum to go--a discouraging thought). But as I worked I began to think of things that would happen later on, lines that some characters would say. And as I ate lunch I was writing the next scene in my mind--I'll work on it after supper tonight.
I'm not good at writing in long stretches. After an hour I begin to bore myself, so I'm in awe of those writers who spend eight hours a day. But I write fast, and I can do four pages in an hour on a good day. On the other hand, I'm not dedicated enough nor does my life work out so that I write every day, but once I'm into a novel I'm more likely to keep at it daily or almost so. So I have hopes--1500 words isn't much, but it's a start. No, I'm not telling what it's about, but it's something that will allow me to include recipes.
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