Chapter 15; 1,550 words; novel at 25,100 words.
This is
an ‘inserted’ chapter. I got ahead of the story when I wrote the last chapter,
which will be Chapter 17. Now I have to go back and fill in the gaps a bit.
The
action right now centers on Ben’s camping trip. He’s a wilderness guide and so
he’s taking a client hiking a few days so the man can take some photographs. He’s
like a nature photographer.
I
debated on how much of these side stories to include. There are a lot of
characters in Sugar Pine Station and I could expand the novel a bit by
spotlighting a little slice of life in the various characters’ lives.
There’s
Ma Tutt at the bakery, of course. But there’s also Doc Moore, the local vet;
Tommy Fairbanks, the editor of the weekly Bulletin; Donovan Huckly, our
love-to-hate Inspector General; Father Emilio Aguilera, the priest at St. Anne’s;
and relative newcomer to my stories, Officer Barry, one of two policemen in
Sugar Pine Station.
All of
these folks could have a chapter or two focusing on them and their relationship
to role in the mystery. Focusing on their lives every now and then seems like a
good strategy to ‘pad’ the novel a bit – as long as these side stories tie into
the main story and aren’t just some random walk in the woods for no real
purpose.
One
reason I’m having trouble expanding the story is that I don’t know how far to
take these side stories. Plus, I had to get over my reluctance to expand the
POVs in this novel. At first, I was hoping I could tell the whole thing from
Kelli’s perspective. But that was a no-go almost from the start.
So
accepting multiple POVs – like a lot of mysteries out there – was kind of
freeing. And it leads to the idea of adding some side stories to make the
overall story a bit more interesting.
At
least, that’s the goal. As long as these slice of life scenes add to the whole.
Writing Tip…
That’s my tip for today.
Give the reader some interesting slice of life side stories about all those
loveable characters in your novel. But make sure their scenes are tied to the
overall plot.
Progress: Writing Secrets & Scents...
Introduction – Part 2: The Missing Novel
Day 1 - 3100 (Chps 1 & 2) - Total: 3,100 words
Day 2 - 3300 (Chps 3 & 4) - Total: 6,400 words
~*~
Here's a placeholder image for Secrets & Scents - A Kelli & Jo Candle Shop Mystery by yours truly. I'll be launching a Kickstarter Campaign in September, 2022, for cozy mystery fans to acquire their exclusive pre-release edition of my latest novel with a brand new, professionally designed cover. Watch for details.
In the meantime, if you become a Patreon Subscriber, you'll be able to read Secrets & Scents as I write it! New chapters of my WIP every week, plus a backlist novel a month and bonus short stories exclusive to patrons.
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