Monday, November 9, 2015

Landscape for Murder by Joyce T. Strand Guest Post & Giveaway


A friend’s murder. An unconnected cast of suspects, including the victim’s missing adult daughter. As if that wasn’t enough, Brynn Bancroft’s winery has been broken into. Can she deal with her co-owner ex and help the police find her friend’s murder so she can finally overcome her own troubled past and enjoy family life with her teenage ward?

How Long Does it Take to Write a Whodunit?
By Joyce T. Strand, Author
Landscape for Murder: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery

“The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say.”-Mark Twain's Notebook, 1902-1903

As an author of whodunit mysteries, I am frequently asked, “How long does it take to write a book?”

I find it difficult to respond. Is my inquisitor asking how long does it take to actually sit down and write a first draft? Or should I include the months of research and feeble attempts to outline before I draft a single word?

Or, of utmost importance, what about the revision process? Are the months of editing to a third, fourth, and eventual final draft relevant to the count?

I wholeheartedly agree with Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, when he suggests that a completed first draft is just the beginning of the final output. Perhaps that means that neither of us composed detailed outlines before beginning our novels.

So, how long does it take to write a whodunit mystery?

Here’s my process and its timelines:
  • Research: for current day mysteries: 1-3 months; for historical mysteries: 6-12 months
  • Write first draft (90,000 words): 3-6 months
  • Edit first draft (professional editor) for structural errors/inconsistencies: 2 months
  • Edit second draft for copy to polish writing (professional editor): 2-3 months
  • Edit third draft following beta readers’ input: 2-3 months
  • Polish final draft: 1 month
  • Proofread (professional proofreader): 2-3 weeks
  • Format for e-book and print publication (professional): 1 month
  • TOTAL: at least 18 months from beginning to end

Of course, there are ways to accelerate this schedule by researching, writing and editing a little faster or more intensely, or finding professional editors, proofreaders, or beta readers who can perform fast turnaround.  Sometimes I can research more than one book at a time. But I find that it is difficult to write more than one at a time.

Regardless, it takes time to produce a satisfactory whodunit complete with an intriguing mystery puzzle laid out scene by scene, a credible and interesting amateur sleuth, red herrings, suspense, and a rousing conclusion that we hope our mystery aficionados have not guessed or had difficulty guessing.
All that and no typos, grammatical errors, or idiosyncrasies.

Of course, when we’ve completed the writing, chosen a cover, and sent it off to be launched, we still need to promote it. But that’s a whole other list.


However, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I enjoy each step of the process-especially the editing where I see my passive voice turned to active and my weak verbs turned to active—and am relieved that we caught a non-coffee drinker at a coffee shop drinking his most hated drink (by mistake.) In the end, I am thrilled to see the final book take form. 

Please Enter the giveaway here

2 comments:

  1. Hello Vicky,
    On behalf of Joyce Strand and Book Marketing Services, I would like to thank you for hosting Joyce today on Deal Sharing Aunt. If anyone has any questions and/or comments they would like to share, please leave them in the comment box. Joyce will be by later in the day to respond.
    Joyce is having a giveaway during her tour. 1st prize: Kindle Fire HD 7” WiFi 8GB Black plus ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder; 2nd Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder; 3rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder. Click here to enter: http://gvwy.io/gx4k112
    Please join Joyce tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10th for her guest post on StoreyBook Reviews reviews@storeybookreviews.com. Her topic is The Ominous Ordinary: Creating Tension in Commonplace Setting.
    Landscape for Murder is now available at:
    Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Murder-Brynn-Bancroft-Mystery-ebook/dp/B016JL5RSS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1446743176&sr=8-3&keywords=joyce+t+strand and paperback version is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Murder-Brynn-Bancroft-Mystery/dp/0996145427/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1446882308&sr=8-3
    Barnes and Noble Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/landscape-for-murder-joyce-t-strand/1122902146?ean=2940151221658
    Unicorn Books and Gifts (autographed paperback): http://www.unicornbooksandgifts.com/shop.html#!/~/search/keywords=Landscape%20for%20Murder&offset=0&sort=relevance
    We invite your readers to follow Joyce’s 10 day virtual book blog tour. Direct links for each day of the tour can be found on Joyce’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JoyceTStrandAuthor.
    Best regards, Della

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  2. I'd like to add my personal thank you for hosting me on your blog. I understand how much time it requires. You help to get readers together with authors in a fun and easy way.

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