Category: murder mystery

Welcome to the blog. I love hearing about author’s writing routines.

My approach to writing

I’m often asked about the process I follow when writing. It isn’t always the same, but the overall approach does tend to follow a similar route. Hopefully by breaking it down into bite sized chunks you’ll get the general idea of how I work – if it’s of interest to you. 

1. The starting gun!

With my books being Murder Mysteries the catalyst for a new book is always the twist or what I refer to as the kernel of the book. When that idea arrives the whole process starts, with next the creation of new main characters and then the main plot; all manufactured to take the reader along a journey that arrives at the twist/kernel.  

• Thinking time.

In all, I probably spend 90% of the time I devote to the process when I’m working on a Carmichael book, simply thinking about the plot and working out in my head when I’ll introduce new characters, new clues and red herrings to my reader. As the book nears its conclusion my thoughts start to turn towards how the reader will be told who committed the crime, how they did it (if it’s not obvious) and why. This is a critical phase as it’s the time I decide how I’m going to pull together all the loose ends and the false trails I’ve laid in the previous chapters.  

I may go for days or even weeks without writing, after the book has been started, but I’m almost always thinking about it.

• When and where I write.

Peace and quiet are essential for me when I’m writing. Also being able to gaze aimlessly out of the window at the world while I write is key, too. For that reason, there are just two places I write from, my home office, or a quiet table overlooking our garden in my Norfolk bolt hole. Both are my creative heavens. 

• Writing sessions.

People are quite shocked when I tell them that I don’t write every day. They are equally surprised when I tell them that I rarely write more than 1000 words in one session: often as little as just 500. 

I’m an early bird so I only write in the mornings. It’s my productive time. I can start as early as 5am when I have the urge to write, but by about 1pm I find I’ve had enough of tapping away on my keyboard – so I stop.  I keep thinking about the story, though, and what I’ll be writing in the next writing session.

• Time it takes to produce a book.

This varies, but on average it takes about 9 -12 months to write the first draft and about 3-6 months to check, proofread and generally hone the novel into its final shape.  

• Proof reading and checking.

This is a key stage in the writing process but, if I’m honest, the least interesting part of writing for me. But it’s essential. Apart from the obvious need to look for grammatical and spelling mistakes, this is a time for making subtle changes to the work to accomplish as good a novel as I can. I solicit help at this stage as I find a fresh pair of eyes invaluable. They always spot errors I’ve missed and may well continue to overlook, however many times I re-read the book.   

• When to stop.  

This may seem a strange thing to include, but in my view it’s as important as any other stage. A book is the same as a painting or a piece of music. If you so desire, you can carry on forever rewording parts and finely modifying small details. However, there must come a point where you must tell yourself that you’ve polished and honed the work enough and it’s time to publish and let it out into the wide world. Having my next book starting to take over my thoughts is also an excellent sign for me to accept it’s now time to move on.

I hope you’ve found my mini summary of some interest. If not, it’s probably time for you to call time and move on from my ramblings 😊

Here’s the blurb

When the body of Doug Pritchard, an aging music journalist with a history of sensational scoops, is found face down in a dark roadside ditch, DCI Carmichael and his team embark on an investigation that takes them in several directions.
What did Pritchard uncover?
Did that secret bring about his violent demise?
And do the tragic deaths of two local pop idols, twenty years before, have any relevance to his murder?  
As DCI Carmichael delves deeper into the case it becomes clear that, despite the outwardly close connections of the residents of the small hamlet of High Maudsey, neither long term friendships nor family ties should be taken at face value.
This the tenth in his series of well-honed detective novels by Ian McFadyen featuring DCI Carmichael, leads the detective and his team through as many twists and turns as the quiet country lane where Doug Pritchard’s body was discovered
As with all McFadyen’s Carmichael novels, this book is packed with a host of intriguing characters and an expertly crafted plot; and once again the author displays his skill as a writer in the great tradition of English crime novels.

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Matters-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0DJWGXTSX/

https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Matters-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0DJWGXTSX/

Meet the author

Ian McFadyen was born in Liverpool and enjoyed a successful career in marketing before becoming a writer. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife but spends a great deal of his time writing in his bolthole retreat on the Norfolk / Suffolk border. Blood Matters is the tenth in a series featuring DCI Carmichael.

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