Today I'm showing off
Solange Ritchie's "
Firestorm" and sharing a guest post where Solange discusses her writing process.
My Writing Process
First, a lot of research. My second novel "
FIRESTORM" involves a serial arsonist who works as a paid firefighter. I did a lot of research into that kind of mind set. Those who have read the book say "I nailed it."
As for the process, I always know my beginning scene and my ending scene. In the middle, is when the characters give me their words and actions for the page. And yes, my writing is very visual in the way that I envision what a character is seeing, feeling, touching, hearing, tasting and most important, what is there response to it. While my scenes are visual, they are not overly descriptive, as I hate books that waste time with overly descriptive bribble that does nothing to move the story forward. Because I write in this way, I do not write about places I have never been. If I cannot envision them in my head like a movie screen, I can't write about them.
I do not outline my novels, but I believe the the rule of threes. Opening with big impact incident in the first 10 pages, minor conflict at 100 pages in, middle should resolve conflict but add something new, build to final conflict with chapter or 2 at the end showing some form of character reflection, i.e. What has the character learned from what has gone on, what are their feelings now that things have resolved.
I think from being a lawyer for so many years, I am gifted at knowing the pacing necessary to make this approach work without doing an outline. Outlining kills the creative process for me. That being said, many authors do outline extensively. For instance, Jeffrey Deaver outlines for 8 months before he ever puts pen to paper.
My work has been compared to Patricia Cornwell and Catherine Coulter (both huge compliments) so I hope you (and your readers) find my process useful.
"Firestorm"
by Solange Ritchie
Author's Book Description :
A year after the death of her ex-husband, FBI forensic pathologist Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers and her young son, Joey, are trying to cope with the emotional aftermath of life without him. Joey is especially vulnerable after being kidnapped by the “Burning Man” and witnessing his father’s brutal murder.
On a peaceful Saturday afternoon in Quantico, a mysterious manila envelope arrives in Cat’s mailbox. Inside, she finds a lock of Joey’s hair and a photograph of him taken during his abduction, his face twisted in fear. The photograph could have been taken by only one person. Cat immediately knows that the Burning Man is back—and she and Joey may never be safe again.
When the Burning Man resurfaces in Southern California, a trail of the brutally mutilated bodies of young women left in his wake, Cat teams up once again with police detective Jim McGregor to hunt down the madman once and for all. But while Cat and McGregor methodically pursue one serial killer, Southern California’s beautiful neighborhoods begin to burn one by one. The investigators realize they must catch another killer: a serial arsonist who is happy not only to burn buildings but to watch his infernos consume people’s lives—a man obsessed with fire above all things, a man with a deep sense of hatred toward society. Cat and McGregor find themselves growing closer as they become enmeshed in a deadly game with two deranged killers who leave few clues and always seem to be one step ahead.
As the death toll mounts and powerful Santa Ana winds whip the flames, the evidence reveals that the two killers are connected to each other—and that one of them seeks revenge for the sins of Cat’s past. In the fire-ravaged hills of Southern California, Cat wages an epic battle against an arsonist and a sadistic murderer. She promises herself that this time, she will not let the killers get away. This time, she will see justice done—for the victims, for their families, for Joey. But will Cat have to pay the ultimate price?
