Secrets & Scents – Days 12 & 13

Chapter 16; 1,600 words; novel at 26,700 words.

Confession. Disclaimer. Mea culpa, caveat emptor, whatever. I wrote this chapter over two days. A four day gap between the first 1000 words and the last 600. Not happy about it. Not proud of the fact that I’m stumbling here in the big middle of my novel.

Right now, writing is a push and a pain. Making progress, but slowly. Plenty of excuses, but like the saying goes… Hmm, I can’t remember exactly how the saying goes, but excuses are like something-or-other, everyone has one.

So I’ll just leave that behind and focus on where I’m at in the story. At this point, I thought I’d add another red herring and refer back to the ‘big mystery’ thing by ending the chapter on a bit of cliffhanger.

I’ve talked about this before. I don’t think every chapter should end on a “Whaaa?” It just gets too predictable and eventually uninteresting. Like the little boy who cried wolf too many times. I can only take so much “oh my goodness” in a story. I bet you’re the same.

Thus I try to shake it up. It’s a balancing act. Adding red herrings, adding side story scenes, circling back to the plot, summarizing the clues, building suspense. I don’t know how these authors do it! (grin)

I can tell you, I’m not sure how I’m doing it. Or if I’m doing it well. I like what I’m writing (even though it’s a pain in the side right now), but whether it will hold together once the novel is complete remains to be seen.

For now, I’m just trusting my inner story teller. We all know how stories work, I need to let me creative brain just take over. With time and experience and reading more good books that ‘work’ – and writing more every day – I’m pretty sure I’ll improve my skills.

Let’s just hope this book doesn’t all apart along the journey toward that new skillset!

Writing Tip…

Realize storytelling is a balancing act. A lot of moving parts have to come together into a cohesive whole. Trust the creative side of your brain and let the story unfold. We can always learn from the process and get better when we write the next novel.

Progress: Writing Secrets & Scents... 

Introduction – Part 1: Launching a New Series 
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

Day 3 - 3150 (Chps 5 & 6) - Total: 9,550 words

Day 4 - 3100 (Chps 7 & 8) - Total: 12,650 words

Day 5 - 1550 (Chpt 9) - Total: 14,200 words

Day 6 - 3050 (Chps 10 & 11) - Total: 17,250 words

Day 7 - 1650 (Chpt 12) - Total: 18,900 words

Day 8 - 1500 (Chpt 13) - Total: 20,400 words

Day 9 - 1600 (Chpt 14) - Total: 22,000 words

Day 10 - 1550 (Chpt 17) - Total: 23,550 words

Day 11 - 1550 (Chpt 15) - Total: 25,100 words

Days 12 & 13 - 1600 (Chpt 16) – 26,700 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. 

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