GUEST BLOGGER LYNETTE EASON: Welcome ... to the "Edge of Your Seat" Style Writing! (And Giveaway!)

Julie, here, and let me just say I am in complete AWE of suspense writers! For years Debby Giusti has been like some kind of suspense goddess to me for tackling a genre that requires SO much more gray matter than I possess. I mean, to make readers sigh with a truly wonderful romance  while taking them down a rabbit trail … well, I'm sorry, but I just think that takes extra talent.

Which is why my guest today blows me away as well. When I read a Lynette Eason book, I am up VERY late at night -- not just because I can't put the book down -- but because I'm scared to death to go to sleep! Lynette's tagline is "Welcome ... to the Edge of Your Seat," and trust me, the lady knows what she's talking about! So please welcome my good friend and bestselling Revell author, Lynette Eason, who is not only a must-read for romantic suspense readers, but anyone who thrives on Christian fiction that both intrigues and races one's mind, heart, and soul.

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Hi everyone, Lynette Eason here. So happy to be here at Seekerville. I love the ladies of this blog and am honored my buddy Julie Lessman asked me to fill in for her today. I hope I can do her justice. When she asked me what I was going to write about I froze. Then thought about a question I get asked quite a bit.

“What’s the right way to write a suspense novel?”

I had to think about that one and couldn’t come up with an off-the-cuff answer. Or the answer that I considered “right.” Instead, I decided the right way to write a suspense novel is: whatever way works for you!

And then I decided to share a bit of my process. I hope you find it a tad interesting and a bit helpful.

Writing suspense can be quite…suspenseful. Especially if you’re a MOSTLY seat-of-the- pants writer like I am and never really know what’s coming next! Oh, I like to try to impersonate a true plotter upon occasion, but it never really seems to work for me. But I do plot some, so I’ve come up with a term to describe myself:

I’m a PLANTSER. A seat-of-the-pants sort of plotter writer.

I know. Now you’re really confused. Keep reading, it  gets better, I promise.

So…how does a seat-of-the-pants/plantser writer manage to plot a suspense book with twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of the seat?

Good question.

The truth is…I don’t really know.

Okay, probably not the answer you’re looking for, but seriously…here’s a little how I do it:

Characters are definitely the first thing I have to figure out.

I get to know my characters. I have a character sketch sheet that I snitched from Randy Ingermanson about five of six years ago. (He had it posted on his website as a freebie so don’t go thinking I did anything sneaky…)  Once I have that filled out for my hero and my heroine, I start thinking about that first scene. And then I start brainstorming with the “what if” question. I even ask other writers for input. Or readers. Readers can be great brainstormers.

Okay, so, I have my characters (and please don’t spend a billion hours on this). Just one-sentence descriptions of name, age, eye color, hair color, occupation, past hurts, faith arc, family, education, past loves, pets, personality (i.e. - high-strung or laid-back? etc.), and I know a little about them. I have the first scene. Now I just need about a zillion more scenes, right?

Not a zillion maybe, but it helps to know what’s going to happen next.

So, with my handy-dandy little software thingy called Scrivener, I start posting scenes to my corkboard. Things that could happen. Things that need to happen. The faith element, the dark moment. Etc.

And then I start writing chapter two. Then three, then four.

Then I’ll get an absolutely BRILLIANT idea and have to go back and add it in, which usually causes me to have to rewrite the entire first part of the book.

I know…I’m crazy. But it seems to be working for me. I’ve tried other ways, plotting, outlining, singing my story (okay, not that last one), and I always come back to my own unique way of writing a book. Which is RIGHT for me. But maybe not for someone else. I can just see the shudders going through all of you plotters who are reading this!

But I digress…

Once I get to a certain point in the book (most likely the part where I stop because I can’t figure out what’s going to happen next), I stop and re-read, and edit and beef up the characters that I know much better now. I may add a red herring or two. Or go back and add an entirely new character to help support the story.

Or I kill someone off. Because that ALWAYS moves the story right along, right?

Then I write another scene or two and take inventory. Is the suspense high enough? Is the reader yawning at this point? Do I even make sense? Is my police procedural accurate? (I usually find out it’s not when my police officer and FBI buddies get ahold of it…ha!)

And yes, let me just interject here how very, very important research is.  If your background is not police, law enforcement, etc., please have someone in that field read your story. The ins and outs of law enforcement can be crazy, even downright confusing, and the only way to get it right is for someone in that field to read it and give you feedback (i.e. – how to fix it.)

So. Moving on. We’ve got characters, plotting seat-of-the-pants way, and research. What about theme? Setting? Time period? All important.

Again, not something I spend a lot of time on in the beginning phase of writing. My goal is to get the story into the computer as fast as possible and then go back and fix it. That way if my deadline arrives, at least I have something to send to my editor to fix. I mean…er…ahem. I mean I always finish my story in time to be completely edited, polished, and shined up like a pretty new penny before I send it off. Yes, that’s what I meant. Really, I did.

Now, I’ve got all these scenes and part of the story written -- it’s time to write out the synopsis.

“What???” (Note to writers, NEVER use three question marks after a word in your manuscripts.) I can hear you screeching. “Write the synopsis now?”

Well, yes. Like I said, I’m a MOSTLY seat-of-the pants writer. I have no idea what to put in a synopsis until I’ve gotten to know a few of my characters and have some scenes already laid out, either in my head or on the computer. But once I get the story started, then the synopsis seems to come pretty easy for me.

I get the synopsis written up to the part where I’ve stopped in the book and then I brainstorm the rest of the story (hence the sort of a plotter writer). Not scene by scene, but the basic plot points, the black moment, crisis points, etc. And the end.

Once I know how it ends, the story really takes off for me.

For the first time ever, I wrote the ending to my story before I actually finished the book. And it worked for me. I had to change a few things, but for the most part, I was able to keep the ending.

GIVEAWAY:
So…how do you write? Pantser? Plotter? Or Plantser like me? Leave a comment and we'll enter you in the draw for my latest book, When a Secret Kills.

ABOUT LYNETTE:
Lynette Eason has written/contracted thirty-six books since 2007. She has fifteen Love Inspired Suspense books on the shelf with more due to release soon. Lynette also writes for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Her current release, WHEN A SECRET KILLS hit the CBA bestsellers list this year. Currently, she is working on her third series for Revell and is contracted for three more books through 2017. She has been teaching for more than ten years and is very happy to make the transition from teaching school to teaching writing whenever the opportunity presents. She is married, has two children, and lives in Simpsonville, SC. You can contact Lynette through her website at http://www.infinitesuspensefromlynetteeason.blogspot.com/.

Welcome Guest Blogger Lynette Eason!

Missy, here. I'm thrilled to welcome my good friend and fellow Love Inspired author Lynette Eason! Lynette and I made our first sales about a week apart to the same editor, and we've been traveling the journey together ever since. Lynette has two books releasing this month! Threat of Exposure from Love Inspired Suspense and A Killer Among Us from Revell. She's an amazing writer, and since I've brainstormed with her (and helped by calling my Orthopedist father-in-law to confirm horrible ways to break bones!), I can tell you her stories are suspenseful and...well, sometimes downright frightening. :)

Lynette, welcome! We promise not to hold your scary mind against you. :)


I’m so honored to be here on Seekerville!

Missy asked me to talk a little bit about writing for two publishers and juggling schedules. Yes, this it’s definitely a juggling act. I’m a wife and a mother. I homeschool my son and have a husband who travels for a living.

Writing for Revell and Love Inspired Suspense requires a lot of organization. Which is really hard for me because I’m not an organized person by nature. But for the past four years, I’ve had to be. I sold my first book in February 2007 to Love Inspired Suspense and things have just snowballed since then. In June 2008, I sold three book series to Revell. Writing and selling is just one aspect of being a successful author. When you add in the need for marketing, it can quickly get overwhelming.

So…ways I stay organized.
1. I keep an updated calendar on my phone at all times. I also have one in the kitchen posted on the wall so that my family can see it. I have my deadlines written in red. The closer I get to the red inked deadline, the crazier life gets. We eat a lot of takeout. I start setting my phone to remind me if I have an appointment that day. I even set it for something I shouldn’t forget like my son’s drum lesson or piano lesson or karate class. Because I will get so involved in meeting this deadline, it’s like my brain can’t process anything else without a reminder.

2. I keep a running To-Do list in a word document with a blog schedule – who I’m hosting and whose blog I’m on. There are addresses for book winners and people I need to send thank you notes too. Then there’s a section at the bottom with the list of errands I need to do that day. A marketing section, contact information for radio stations and newspapers, a list of bookstores for potential booksignings.

3. Then I have the kids’ calendar filled with their activities and another calendar with my husband’s schedule. And then a whole separate calendar with all of my deadlines because writing for two publishers means never getting behind. I have a daily word count I MUST meet on EACH project. And if it’s my turn to blog that week or host someone on my blog, I must add that to the word count to be met. The minute I get a new deadline, I mark it on the calendar and calculate approximately how long I will actually have to spend on the project then I make sure I factor in some sick days, family emergencies (which I pray never happens, but life DOES happen, so…] and then I try to give myself “make up” time. For when I just don’t feel like writing, I can take the day off without worrying it’s going to throw me into a tizzy as the deadline gets closer.

Do I mess up sometimes? Of course. Does something slip through the cracks? Absolutely. But for the most part, adhering to these practices is the only way I get things done on time. There’s never any time to be bored. Honestly, I think I’m sometimes TOO driven. I need to learn to relax again and realize it’s okay to have a little fun and it’s not necessary to feel guilty because I don’t feel like writing that day.

I know I’m living the dream many writers aspire to. I try not to complain or whine or moan about deadlines. Each time I sell a book and write the deadline on my calendar, I get on my knees and thank God for allowing me the privilege to write for Him.

So, now, I’ve shared with you a little about how I stay organized and on schedule with the chaos of writing for two publishers.

What’s your secret? How do you stay organized and make the time to write? Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a copy of A Killer Among Us.

God Bless!

And thank you again, Missy, for this opportunity! I appreciate it!

Lynette

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits dedicated Sunday School teachers and Christian parents for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a Business Degree she used for a very short time (sorry Mom and Dad), she moved to Spartanburg, SC to attend Converse College where she obtained her Masters degree in Education. During this time, she met the man she would marry—the boy next door!

She is married to Jack Eason, who speaks, leads worship, and consults ministries around the country.. In December of 2010, they celebrated their fourteenth wedding anniversary. Lynette and Jack have two precious children, Lauryn, twelve years and Will, who is ten.

Visit Lynette at www.lynetteeason.com