Tag: Dancers in the Wind

Balancing the books

simonlaunch12a-2-1September has been a strange month. As I have been completing drafts two and three of Death’s Silent Judgement, I have been writing guest blog posts and organising publicity for Dancers in the Wind, the first novel in the trilogy.

The positive early reviews on NetGalley for my début crime novel have given me more confidence while working on book two – as have the comments of the two beta readers who have been so generous in their praise.

It was rewarding reading the proofs for Dancers in the Wind as it served to reminded me of characters who reappear in Death’s Silent Judgement, some of whom have revealed different sides to their personalities. Meanwhile some characters in book two are nudging me, like starstruck actors, for a more substantial role in book three. At least one will have his wish come true.

It has taken me a long time to decide the fate of a couple of the main players in book two and I have been sad to lose them. I’ve also had to ditch a couple of my favourite scenes as they didn’t fit in with the narrative timeline.

But the real joy for me has been exploring the characters who have taken over, have trod their own path and have surprised me with their actions and lives! One character completely transformed and I shouldn’t have been surprised as there were clues along the way.

So Death’s Silent Judgement is almost ready to send off to Urbane Publications. One final read through and a few loose ends to tie up in the finale.

Meanwhile the launch parties are now arranged – just! – and I am full of first night nerves. But as with theatrical first nights there will be lots of friends to support me. The real test will be when Dancers in the Wind is on sale. Will readers enjoy it? I hope so as I have had such a great time writing it.

Dancers in the Wind is on sale in Foyles and other bookshops and can be ordered from Amazon UK or Hive Stores with free delivery.

First draft: Death’s Silent Judgement

Having just completed the first draft of the sequel to Dancers in the Wind, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the interview I did with Rebecca Bradley about first drafts nearly three years ago to see if my modus operandi had changed at all.

It would seem not judging by the answers I gave then. For Death’s Silent Judgement (to be published in May 2017 by Urbane Publications), I have concentrated during the first draft in getting words down on paper – or words on the computer file. I still edit a little as I go along especially correcting typos when I’m rereading a chapter or scene.

Now that I have the main bulk of the story written down, I have printed out the manuscript and oh how satisfying it is to see a pile of typed pages – even if some will have to be deleted later.

I have spent a day or so reading everything I have written and each character now has a page in my little blue book. One of the differences in writing this book is that, as a sequel, some characters have appeared in the first book and I have to make sure I get their details correct. Metaphorically, I am rolling up my sleeves to knock the story into shape.

First of all, I have to work on the timeline – as I neared the end of the story, I was writing some scenes ad hoc and now have to ensure the sequencing is accurate. There are gaps in the narrative which have to be explored and some themes need to be developed more fully. Several characters need developing (they are shouting at me to give them more scenes like demanding actors greedy for exposure) and sadly (for me) some themes or scenes may have to be scrapped or maybe completely changed. That’s always a tough decision.

I still remember a favourite scene of mine in Dancers in the Wind. I thought is was so scary and saw it completely visually. I was totally unprepared when my friend Sue who had read the MS as a beta reader, told me she thought I’d left something in that ought to have been deleted. It just made no sense to her (and to others I have to admit). So I rewrote the offending scene making it clear who the character was. I had wanted the identity to be uncertain but obviously ambiguity didn’t work.

With a pile of paper before me, I shall be physically moving scenes around to help the novel take shape, making notes on each chapter and joining the dots …

Rebecca Bradley Murder Down to a Tea What’s Your First Draft Like