13 Best Links for Mystery Writers

I like to write mysteries and have accumulated some great links from many websites and blogs - here are my favourite:

1.  Tips and Reviews of Mystery Writing Books:

http://www.squidoo.com/writing_whodunit_mystery

2.  Story Structure for your Mystery Novel:

http://nicolafurlong.com/blog/2010/05/how-to-write-a-mystery-novel-–-2-story-structure-key-elements/

3.  Every villain needs a motive - read about popular motives and how to use them:

http://clancytales.blogspot.com/2010/04/m-is-motive.html

4.  Mystery Plot Formula:

http://ticket2write.tripod.com/mysplot.html

5.  The Mystery Writing Checklist:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2008/10/mystery-writing-checklist.html

6.  Types of clues and how to use them:
http://www.writing-world.com/mystery/clues.shtml

7.  Choosing the Point of View:
http://sylviadickeysmithbooks.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/point-of-view-defined/

8.  10 Rules for the Classic Detective Story:
http://www.sherlockandwatson.com/how%20to%20write%20the%20classic%20detective%20mystery%20novel.html

9.  Not enough? 20 Rules for Detective Stories:
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/vandine.htm

10. Mysteries often have several plot lines - learn how to keep track of them:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2009/11/finding-your-storys-pathways-art-of.html

11. Mysteries by Kids:
http://kids.mysterynet.com/writing/

12. 10 Tips for your Mystery Novel:
http://www.poewar.com/mystery/

13. Not sure where to start? Check out this clip for ideas:

Happy writing!

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Writing from Reading

Favourite genre - not me. I grew up addicted to Stephen King novels (before they got weird), fell in love with The Great Gatsby and raved to you about the YA novel Unwind (in Read to Write). I like to share all the non-fiction books on writing with you, but today I've another novel I must praise:

Peter Temple's Truth

This novel has won the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award and is well deserved. If you write crime fiction, mysteries or urban stories, you must read this novel. Not even optional, you must. It seems at first a grimey cop story, with our protagonist trying to solve a murder at all costs, despite a corrupt environment, but it becomes so much more. Truth shows human weakness. Especially in our protagonist. Modern urban life is contrasted with rural bush culture. Conflicts come in the threat of man and nature and at one stage we even have to question our protagonist - could he really be capable of what is suggested? Even the title is so cleverly woven from threads of the protagonist's life.

I try to learn from good literature, and this writer has given me two gems of wisdom - flaw your characters and flaw them some more (Lousy Characters Rule) and don't let the written language stand in the way of the story. Temple plays with grammar, many sentences are structured so short they remove definite/indefinite articles and qualifiers. In a previous post, I spoke about power positions in sentence structure (First Impression and Lasting Impact). Just looking through this post, I can see my powerful first place of the sentence is taken up with: I, this, if, not, it, the and so on. Poor use of a power position. "Truth reveals human weakness" carries more impact than if I'd said, "This novel reveals human weakness".

I'll read more from Temple, but tonight? I'm settling into bed with my Kindle edition of:

Cinders by the talented Michelle Davidson Argyle

Check out her author site:

http://michelledavidsonargyle.blogspot.com/

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8 Reasons To Attend Writers Festivals

Promotion from Previous Melbourne Writers Festival

Writers Festivals - what's the appeal? Hate crowds and not much of a mingler, plus, time is such a valuable commodity in our society, I'm very frugal with mine. This is why my form of socialising and undertaking courses is usually done online. But...

Writers Festivals. I want to attend. I've never been and it seems a mysteriously creative and joyful event. There are workshops, seminars and festivities (otherwise it wouldn't be called a festival - right?). As mentioned in, A Writer's To Do List, I've decided to go to the Brisbane Writers Festival. It's going to be a bit costy with the workshops and travel expenses, but I think the festival will get me writing more productively.

Festivals provide:

1. Deadlines - The date of the festival is set, so, I'll want to have my WIP edits done and as much written for my next MS as possible. I always work better with deadlines (as you can see from No Time To Finish That Novel?)
2. Enthusiasm - This is so exciting for me (my first festival)..
3. Professionalism - I'll feel like a real writer (maybe I'll get a name tag!), I like tricks that make me feel like a writer - see my post Getting in the Mood.
4. Contacts - Festivals provide a great opportunity to network with authors, agents and publishers.
5. Industry Knowledge - I'll learn how the querying process and publishing business works. I'm almost up to the query process, and found some great links: Q is for Query
6. Role Models - Speakers provide examples of how they overcame the common obstacles to become published. I often look to established authors for great examples, see Effective Websites for Authors
7. Marketing Advice - Writers need to do more than just write their books now, so I'll learn a lot of tips on how to market myself as an author and my work. For more on marketing see earlier posts: Give Readers Something More and Niche Markets = Loyal Readers.
8. Socialising - I'm sure to meet other writers and bloggers and form life-long friendships.

Have you attended a writers festival, and if so, what did you get out of it? Have a link to a festival you want to share? Mine is The Brisbane Writers Festival.

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Clear Vs Clutter for Writing

Can you write in clutter or do you need space?

Clutter causes me panic. I can't focus on the task at hand because I'm reminded of all the other things I need to get done - like clean up my writing space. This week it had gotten to this stage:

Ugh! I started taking my notebook out to the lounge to write instead. I'm not sure whether I was being productive or procrastinating, but, I got stuck into my writing corner and now it looks like this:

Now I'm looking forward to switching on Scrivener and getting stuck into The Warracknabeal Kids!

Funny thing is, if I'm writing non-fiction or blogging, then I seem to be able to write in any clutter, but for creativity, I need clean, clear space (my imagination takes up a lot of room). I've looked before at the different parts of our brain we use for organisation vs creativity. You can read more in: 

Looking for Mr Right (Side of the Brain)

How about you? Do you have to tidy your workspace before you can get started or could you write in the aftermath of a natural disaster? And... does it differ for you when you write fiction vs lists, blogs or essays?

Only a few more followers until the Book Giveaway competition!

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Writing from the Heart to the Wallet

I see a philosophy throughout many comment posts on blogs: I write from my heart and not to the market. I'm concerned this suggests there is no artistic integrity writing to a market's needs. 

My process in writing is to look at genres and markets and decide which I'd like to write - then I write it. Of course I have to have an interest in the topic (as fashionable as they are, I can't write about teenage vampires in love). When I decided to write a kid's mystery novel, I studied kid's mystery novels came up with a plot and wrote to an outline.

I like my plots and themes, but... I'd be willing to change 90% of my manuscript if a publisher/agent/more-experienced-writer convinced me it would improve the story and allow it to fit within a genre/market. Before you gasp in horror at my ease in selling-out, here's where I'm coming from:

• I've a limited amount of experience with writing novels and assume almost everyone within the industry has a better idea of what my book needs than I do.
• I want tweens and teens to enjoy reading my fiction, I don't want to them to have to endure it.
• In the critiques I've had so far, some input has been a possible alternative (not really better or worse), so, I've gone with my gut, but most has been on keen observations and improved my manuscript.

My opinion is that you can write for a market and write from your heart - you don't have to choose one over the other. Even if you are given strict guidelines to adhere to, each writer's style will be different. Journalists do not choose inspiration randomly, either they are appointed an assignment, or they write to current and relevant issues. Yet, each journalist has their own flair.

You would think there wasn't much room for personalising your work in copywriting, but check out how this clever advertising guru markets the infamous Three Wolf Moon t-shirt:

1,647 people to date have added their own amazing testimonials to the 'awesomeness' of this shirt - you can see them on the Amazon site.

Maybe if I wore a Three Wolf Moon shirt I'd be able to write a piece of literary genius from the heart that has no need to fit into any genre or market. Hmm, maybe that was Kafka's secret.

My inspiration for writing this post has come from:

Writing in the Wilderness
and
A Million Blogging Monkeys

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A Writer's To Do List

Must find motivation to... nah.

I always feel productive when I write to-do lists, although, really I'm just using it as a tool to put off the actual 'doing'. This week I have a certain focus:

• Book into the Brisbane Writers Festival and the master classes. My first ever festival!
• Edit Dog Show Detective - almost done, then I get to learn about the querying/synopsis process. *is a bit scared*
• Convince my husband that it's a good idea that I book into the Brisbane Writers Festival and master classes (after I book).
• Write an awkward chapter I have for The Warracknabeal Kids, which I'm not sure why it's there and will probably delete during edits.
• Continue with the amazing 31 Days to Build a Better Blog program.
• Blog, blog, blog! Probably about the reasons writers should absolutely attend writers' festivals and book into master classes.
• Tidy my writing nook and clean the house.
• Book my girls into the junior writers program in the Brisbane Writers Festival, let them know about it, get them all hyped up about going, and, then I'll just have to go.

Follower numbers have been increasing, which means... another big book giveaway coming up! Any day now, so:

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11 Ways to Improve Your Blog

As part of the 31 Days to Build Better Blog challenge (at The Secret Is In The Sauce), I've been analysing my blog and comparing it with successful bloggers from my niche (blogs on writing). I want to share some of my findings with you!

ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL BLOG FOR WRITERS

1. Design - Less is more. Simple layouts without the clutter (oh oh, I can see I need a clean-up!). Orange and hot pink are not as easy on the eye as white.
2. Size Matters - Those super wide blogs are hard to read, column width should be easy and quick, you should be able to read the post without scrolling your eyes left and right.
3. Content - Posts are always topic related and usually helpful to the reader.
4. Regularity - Posts are frequent and usually short. Some post daily but most update their blogs at least 3 times a week.
5. Followers - The blogs/websites that impressed me did not use Google Friends or Network Blogs, they used RSS Feeds. Check out ProBlogger's What is RSS? to know more. 
6. Free Content - Many successful bloggers have free downloads, e-books, widgets or other enticements on their sites.
7. Blogger vs Wordpress - I see debates about ease of use vs professional image, but the blogs that impressed me were hosted on their own sites (e.g. www.thecreativepenn.com).
8. Monetizing - I found the best sites free from advertising or at least kept it minimalistic (perhaps a group of sponsors' badges to the sides). I'm not sure about taking away the Amazon link - I keep it to share books that I like with my readers, but I assume most will purchase through their own links anyway.
9. Promotions - The high-traffic sites are promoted through Twitter and Facebook and receive many retweets (probably because they're helpful articles and worth sharing).
10. Imagery - The blogs I enjoyed used relevant images, this makes the page easier on the eye than a lot of text.
11. Multi-media - A lot of the best blogs I found also offered podcasts or videoclips on their site. This would, of course, mean more work.

As you can see, I need to review a few aspects of my blog. Is there anything here you think you'll try for your blog?

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13 BEST RESOURCES FOR WRITERS

Take in too much advice or data and you absorb none. Now, you can be like me and buy every single book on writing that you come across, or, you can just try my favourites. These are my all-time-most-helpful resources for creating a manuscript and knowing what to do with it.

CHARMAINE'S 13 BEST RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:

1. Scrivener Scrivener seduced me. I love going into the program for each WIP I'm working on. I can have 'index cards' up on the corkboard screen, outline my plot, keep research files and photos handy and write scenes in any order. I can also convert my text and load it onto my Kindle (which then reads the novel back to me).


2. NaNoWriMo Held over the month of November each year and the idea is that you start and finish a 50,000 word novel (minimum) in that month. Last year I finished the first draft for The Costume Maker, a fantasy tale about a group of teenagers transported to an alternate world by an angry Gypsy. It's a great way to enforce a deadline!

3. Manuscript Makeover Elizabeth Lyon's guide is both practical and thorough. It's helpful for revision or when you get stuck in your manuscript. The book covers 'power positions', modelling (take a descriptive passage that impresses you and try to imitate the syntax and emotion of the sentences) and riff-writing as powerful techniques, but contains much more.

4. Les Edgerton on Writing One of the best FREE resources you'll ever find on the craft of writing. Scroll through the archives and read Edgerton's articles, brilliant. I also loved Edgerton's book:  Hooked


5. The Creative Penn Joanna Penn provides great advice for building your online presence and creating a platform for yourself as a writer. There are articles, podcasts and free downloads.

6. Beth Barany's Free Archetypes Chart I posted this link when talked about Building Characters with Jung's Archetypes. The chart includes character profiles, motivations, mottos and desires. Adaptable to any story!


7. Screenwriting For Hollywood by Michael Hauge This audiobook is like attending a full class on story structure. I got it from iTunes, but it is also on audiobook sites. Team it with  Michael Hauge's 6 Stage Plot, it's a free pdf file you can download!

8. Writers' Festivals You'll need to work out which ones are convenient for you to attend, but this year I'm going to book myself into The Brisbane Writers' Festival (join me?).


9. Inspired Novel: Creative Hypnosis Maggie Dubris In my post on Stories from the Subconscious, I trialled this audiobook from iTunes. I've used it many times since then and am now a huge fan of hypnosis before bedtime. I ALWAYS have imaginative dreams when I try it and always remember them the next morning. The title and picture link will take you to a sample of this audiobook.

10. How To Revise Your Novel Holly Lisle's online course takes you through weekly steps to perfecting your editing routine. I had no idea about editing before this course, but after learning what to look for in characters, pace, setting, plot, etc, I am sweeping through Dog Show Detective with just one revision/rewrite. Just one. And you get to play with index cards - what could be more fun?

11. The Elements of Style Usually I avoid American grammar books, because Australia follows English Grammar - but this book is great. I'm an English teacher and this is the first grammar book I've found easy to read.  Or, read it free online: http://www.bartleby.com/141/

12. Writing Excuses

This is my favourite podcast. Short, fun and helpful. You can also find them on iTunes.

13. Pen and Notebook

At the end of the day, this is all we really need.

Phew! It was hard picking my favourites, there were many that 'almost' made it. What is your favourite resource for writing, one of these, or, something else?

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The Evolution of a Blog

Time to Evolve

I love my blog. You start off blogging out of curiosity, to build your online platform or to showcase your work. But something happens, you 'meet' other bloggers, create a community and start to bond with... your blog. I began by blogging my stories, memoirs, and random thoughts, but as I progressed in my desire to learn more about the craft of writing, I found information on the topic that I wanted to share. This has now become the main focus of my blog.

Only, I didn't know it.

I've posted previously on the importance of an online presence for authors in P is for Promote and Platform! an targeting your blog for a specific audience in Effective Websites for Authors, but I hadn't noticed the shift in my blogging intention. Now I've come across a FANTASTIC site that is hosting a blog challenge:

SITS Girls Community will be using the ProBlogger method to improve your blog in 31days!

If you haven't heard of ProBlogger (gasp), he's the guru of the blogging world. You should definitely check out his blog: http://www.problogger.net/.

The first challenge was to create an elevator pitch for your blog. How could you succinctly describe your blog and make it appealing to the right audience? This was my attempt:

Wagging Tales is a motivating environment for writers of fiction, exploring and sharing writing tips, experiences, and resources. I'd love to see you there.

Now I feel I've locked in my focus for my blog. I love researching and learning about the craft of writing and I love nothing more than sharing the information I discover with you - my blog friends. This is the direction I wish to continue with my blog.

Interested in taking up the blog challenge? Go join the SITS Girls community, I can't wait to see where this takes us!

PS - Oooh! Getting close to 200 followers - I'll be hosting another big giveaway when I reach that mark!

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Your Writing Style

I've seen this cool link circling around the writers' blogasphere and had to share it. This application will analyse text from your manuscript and tell you which famous writer you write like. I first spotted it at Writing Outdoor Adventures with Terry Lynn Johnson.

I put in a chapter from The Warracknabeal Kids and got a bit of a surprise. The response?

I write like
James Joyce

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Okay, I've read Joyce, but only because I HAD to (for Uni). I found it an inaccessible text and too self-praising and showy for my taste. I'm now going to check through my manuscript to make sure it's not too obscure.

I put in a chapter for Dog Show Detective and got:

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Who??? From this, I learned I need to read from a wider pool.

A little dismayed, I tried last year's NaNoWriMo novel: The Costume Maker. This time I hit the jackpot!

I write like
Charles Dickens

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

These apps are fun, but you can learn about your writing this way. I've picked up that my writing style changes with each manuscript, and I think I'd like to be more consistent. I try to write with humour, and, I hope by the results, I'm achieving that objective.

Try out your manuscript - let me know who you write like!

http://iwl.me/

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Using Audiobooks to Study Pace

The road trip is over. I've had a great time in Brisbane with the girls, but I'm happy to be home. 

I loved listening to audiobooks during my drive. On the way up, it was Charlaine Harris' Real Murders, the first book in the Aurora Teagarden mystery series. 

This book was fun! Very Agatha Christie style, but with a fresh, modern approach. The MC is a member of a 'Real Murders' club. The club members review famous murder cases... until they start turning up dead in a copycat dedication to the original murders.

Audiobooks are a great way to study the pace of a writer's novel. If things slow down too much, it's difficult to skim, as you can in reading, so you notice the pace more. Harris kept bodies, clues and romantic interludes popping up at a good regular pace, increasing the conflict and tension towards the climax of the story. I've learned from this author to interweave your secondary storyline to help adjust and support the pace of your predominant plot.

One way to check the pace of your narrative is to write every scene on an index card and lay them all out in order. Try mixing up the order, does it improve the pace? (a tip I learned from How to Revise Your Novel)

Every scene MUST contain conflict, but some cary less impact than others. For example: In a murder mystery, the protagonist might also be having trouble at work and is worried they will be fired, those conflicts could help move the story  forward, but are less thrilling than the scenes where the protagonist stumbles on yet another corpse. The storyline about the workplace problems will be secondary and the murders primary (although, you could be clever and have the main story about a character finding their place in the workforce against a backdrop of murders - but let's focus on the obvious plot for now). Make sure the murder plot conflicts start to build towards the climax (where your protagonist will come face to face with the killer).

Another way to check your pace: Make a recording or yourself reading your manuscript, or, have someone read it to you. You'll hear where things slow down or get too rushed.

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Creative Motivations

While in Brisbane, I managed to find a cute Mary Ryan's bookstore in Milton. Not surprisingly, I found many bookstores, but this one boasted the best array of letter-writing stationery I've seen:

There were rows and rows of these beautiful packs!

I chose this delicious set to motivate me to write more letters to my family and friends:

I like pretty notebooks when I write too, I buy many different designs to suit each project and fill them up quickly. Pretty pens help me too (but they have to also roll nicely across the page). In theory, I should write just as easily with a cheap exercise book and a biro - but my muse needs to be bribed.

What stimulates your creativity?

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Dichotomy is Garlic Bread on Jelly

Think the roller coaster will make you sick?

Check out Matilda's lunch!

 

Today I was provided a clear example of dichotomy. It was not from literature. Clarity came via my daughter's lunch.

Took the kids to Movieworld on the Goldcoast. They had a great day, going on rides, seeing shows, and, I had a great day - sitting under a tree with a book. For lunch, I took them to the buffet restaurant. They love to fill their plates with foods of their choice. Matilda's desert was particularly interesting: Garlic bread and jelly.

You gonna eat that Matilda?

I thought this might be a good opportunity to repost about dichotomy as a writing device:

Dichotomy is a writing device popular in fiction (it is the process of grouping themes or characters into binary oppositional groups). In order for opposites to reveal as dichotomies they must belong to one of the two opposing groups and never cross over. These days most writers using a dichotomy will have it strong to begin with but then start to blur the boundaries, showing that themes are rarely 'black and white'. Some popular uses are to show the dichotomy of:

• good and evil
• rich and poor
• human and alien
• life and death

In Warracknabeal Kids I will have a protagonist (12yr. old boy) begin with assumptions of the dichotomy of right and wrong. These will be supported by his father's view that the law decides and by the church's view that the soul decides. As the narrative progresses the boy will see the conflicts of defining right and wrong by actions, outcomes or intentions. The purpose of this is to support my novel's premise: Sometimes it takes a wrong action to make things right.

And, how did the garlic bread on jelly go down?

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Writing in Brisbane

View from the old Army barracks turned cinema

I packed clothes for everyone except myself for this trip, so I just had to also visit a few of the cute boutiques in Paddington (what's a girl to do?). This is a very trendy area of Brisbane and hosts some wonderful shopping and restaurants. I managed to find a sweet book shop where I purchased this cult writing book:

The first section of The Elements of Style contains all the grammar help you could ever want, and the second part is an expose` of writing tips.

Who can write without chocolate? There was a handmade choccie shop nearby. I was all set with a new book, my notepad and chocolate to get some writing done while the girls were in enjoying Shrek 3.

I'd like to show you my choccie selection, but by the time I got my phone/camera out, this was all that was left:

I managed to write a few notes on my WIP, The Warracknabeal Kids, but admit my mind seems distracted by the newness of my surroundings. I'm starting to think routine works better for productivity than 'time off for writing'. I have found editing the last bits of my Dog Show Detective manuscript a lot easier. It's quiet in the mornings and I like to sit out the front of the house and hear Brisbane rising and getting ready for the day.

Tonight my dad is putting on a roast and I think once he's had a couple of wines, I'll be hearing plenty more annedocts I can use for my stories.

Also... A Lost Girl Unleashed is hosting a Writers' Follow Friday - go and add your blog to the list!

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Inspiration - Finding it on the Map

The Foggy Road North

This trip would be a chance for me to work on my novel, find some direction for my next WIP. Find direction? At one point I could barely find the road! Above is a pic taken during the day, the fog was so thick, I couldn't see the cars in front. How eerie is this scene? Wouldn't it make a great setting for a murder mystery?

Most travellers take the coast route to Queensland, but I like the inland one. There's the cutest little towns, pubs and gardens. I like quirky, and I found one region chocca with it. For a couple of hours, we would drive through towns, villages and past farms that all hosted... old bikes.

I first noticed it when I started seeing old children's bicycles hanging from trees like christmas ornaments or posted to the tree like a sign:

Before long, I saw animals fancied from bike bits and other 'junk', our favourite was the dinosaur:

 This got my brain whirling. How did the bike art come about? Was it just one guy who created these sculptures and travelled through his entire county distributing them? Or did one person try it and everyone followed their lead? Was it a council decision to distribute the old bikes? What happens if a town beyond the border decides to go ahead and put up bikes as well, if I hang a bike from a tree in my front yard, will I be slapped with a copyright infringement notice?

This got me to thinking how our stories begin, or where in my travels I might locate the town hosting my inspiration. Everywhere. It begins with us questioning and imagining. I immediately wondered what kind of man created this bike art and, was the entire community happy about it? Perhaps someone disliked the idea enough to kill him? (Not really I hope, just pondering some book ideas).

I also heard of a town nearby called 'Welcome' - and immediately I thought, great location for a murder, especially if the victim is a newcomer to the town, 'cause I don't think they'd be feeling the welcome.

So what happens after you start questioning, how does it become a story plot? For me, it comes with play. I play with the ideas and mix them up. I look at all the possibilities and one will latch onto me, make me need to write it. And darn it, somehow I'm gonna work that weird bike art man into my WIP. :-)

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Read, Write, Drive

Road Trip!

Hitting the road (cars packed and everyone's waiting on me!) for our holiday in Brisbane. So, for your viewing pleasure, today we have a re-run of a January post. I'm taking this book along with me for the trip (and I'm still editing that WIP):

I've been stuck on a chapter for Dog Show Detective, so, I had a crazy old guy pull out a gun and shoot a character, that got things moving! I then had my MC faint and wake up inside a caged and padlocked pen. How was I supposed to get her out of there?

The idea of the gun wielding lunatic is an old trick of adding  surprise to a narrative. In Revision & Self-Editing (James Scott Bell), surprising behaviour is a key way to liven a story that drags. Bell quotes Raymond Chandler as saying when things get boring, "Bring in a guy with a gun" (I sure did).

My puzzle now is how to get the Lead character out of the cage where she's trapped with her friend and a badly wounded boy. Bell has also helped me out with this predicament, he suggeststhe Lead character needs to show inner courage, experience conflict and act with honour. This great instructional book tells the self-editor to write a list of at least ten things that the Lead character could do, what would be unexpected?

So I wrote, keeping in mind all of the above suggestions, this is what I came up with:

When the old man returns with his gun, so does the wounded boy's dog. Just as the man raises his gun, the dog leaps and knocks him down, the bad guy hits his head and is unconscious. Kitty eventually gets the keys and opens their prison, they want to run, but Kitty won't be able to leave the boy bleeding with a bullet wound. Here is Kitty's conflict, she's only eleven, she wants to get to safety, but instead sends her friend for help and picks up the crazy man's gun, in case he wakes. Kitty chooses bravery and honour.

Bell also suggests if you come up with some outrageous solutions, it may be a good idea to use the 'Pull-Back Technique', basically you invent an over-the-top solution and then tone it down by about 25%. For example, I thought I would have the bad guy wake up and Kitty would have to shoot him. That's too extreme for a kids' book, so instead, I'll have Kitty think about what she has to do, get scared and decide that she can't kill a person. Kitty will lower the gun, and shoot his foot. That should be enough to keep them safe until help comes -extreme, minus 25%.

Revision & Self-Editing is proving to be a valuable tool for my first experience at editing a novel, I definitely recommend you check it out.

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