Writer's Police Academy

We all know how important it is to get the facts straight in a book. Author Lynette Eason has gone so far at to attend the Writer's Police Academy. I asked Lynette:

"You've attended the Writer's Police Academy put on by Lee Lofland, writer and former police detective. What impact did that experience have on your writing?"--Sandy

Lynette: This year's Writers Police Academy is September 5-8, 2013 at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina (near Greensboro). I’ve been waiting for three years to be able to go back. This year’s the year. The conference is directed by Lee Lofland. Lee’s bio includes his many years of experience and is novel length in itself, but suffice it to say, he is well qualified to direct this conference.

You may be asking yourself. Why a Writers Police Academy?

Simple answer: Research. Education. Training.

Those are the reasons I go. At the Academy, there are so many professionals available, it’s almost overwhelming, but if you can get past the star struck-ness and down to the nitty gritty of learning and soaking up every facet of the conference, you will walk away better equipped to write a story that is accurate and realistic.

I love to write. I love to write about the good guys versus the bad guys and I love when the good guys win. In almost every story I’ve written, the good guys (and even some of the bad guys) are the cops. FBI, Local Police, State Police,  Detectives, US Marshals, etc. Since my background is NOT in any of these areas (I’m too chicken to go into law enforcement), I have to RESEARCH and do it extensively. Both online and in person. I have two FBI friends who read my stuff and give me feedback (pointing out all my errors and how to fix them) and I have a police officer who does the same. Thanks to them, I don’t mind it when law enforcement personnel read my books. I know they’re accurate. That’s not to say I never make a mistake, but I know I’ve done my best to do justice to a profession and professionals that underpaid, undervalued and overworked. I have the utmost respect for those in law enforcement and want to make sure my writing reflects that.

So if you’re looking to up the ante in your writing and you want to make sure your police procedural is spot on, I highly recommend attending the Writers Police Academy. Only you’ll have to wait until next year. This year is sold out. That’s how good it is.

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Have you ever attended Lee Lofland's academy or one like it? Maybe you rode with an officer on his shift. What surprised you most about the experience or what you learned?

~~~

Lynette Eason is the best selling, award winning author of the Women of Justice Series and the Deadly Reunions series. Since 2007, she has written/contracted thirty-three books. Currently, she writes for Revell and Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line. Her books have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists. She has won several awards and was a 2011 and 2013 finalist in the prestigious Carol Awards Contest and the 2013 ECPA Book Awards. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Lynette can be found online at www.lynetteeason.com and www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on Twitter.

The Writer's Puzzle by Lynette Eason

There are lots of how-to-plot books, handouts and lectures out there. This is a how-NOT-to-plot. Lynette Eason is a gifted suspense writer who uses a puzzle motif when she writes. Learn her secrets of the Writer's Puzzle here. ~ Angie

Lately it seems I’ve been asked asked to write on the secrets of writing suspense. As I started thinking about it, I decided there weren’t really any secrets, just different ways of doing things. I know different authors have different way of writing. We’re all individuals. What works for one writer may not work for another.

I’m a SOTP writer. Meaning, SEAT OF THE PANTS. I write what comes to me. I write in sequential order and I edit as I go. If I get a brilliant idea halfway through the manuscript, I go back and add, but basically by the time I get done with the story, I’m done. However, that’s not to say that I don’t do some very basic plotting. And I think this is because I approach writing a story like doing a puzzle.

Step 1: Sort out all of the side pieces and frame your puzzle – This is the brief synopsis stage. A short summary of how I want the story to go.  There are not any real details here, but I have a beginning, a few scenes for the middle and the way the story will end.

Step 2: Find the dominant color and put all of the pieces together in one section -  Here is where I do my character development. Even though I’m a SOTP writer, I really need to know my characters before I can write anything worth keeping. I have a character worksheet I start filling in. Details are important here, like family, best friends, educational backgrounds, biggest fear, biggest secret, love interest, even what’s in the wallet or the purse.

Step 3: Find where the dominant color belongs in the puzzle and place in the approximate section within the frame. The few scenes I’ve sketched out need to go in the right place. I do use a writing software called Scrivener. It helps me keep my scenes organized. I love the ability to jot down an idea and store it later. When I come back to the software, I can move the scenes around to see which order works best—where they best fit into the puzzle—er story.

Step 4: Start filling in the gaps.  At this point, I have a pretty good outline of the story. Now I just need to go through one last time and make sure I’ve put in all the details, all the red herrings, explained all of the clues and not left anything dangling. Now, here is a little tip: As I’m writing the story, I’ve got to keep all this “stuff” in my head. However, there are times when I’m going along that I’ll come to a stop because I need to research something, or I can’t remember the name of a certain character, or what time of day it is. Whatever the detail is that I need to put in, I simply stop writing, insert a comment at that point using track changes and then later, go through all of the comments I made and insert the necessary information.

Step 5: The last piece of the puzzle = the last read through. Go through the whole story cleaning it up and doing one last edit. By the time you get to the end, you should be done.

So, as you see, writing suspense isn’t so much about secrets as it is about hard work and paying attention to details, taking your time and being creative. Putting the puzzle together one piece at a time until you have the big picture.

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits dedicated Sunday School teachers and Christian parents for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ.

She is the author of ten Inspirational Romantic Suspense books, two of which finaled in the Maggies Contest and one was nominated for Reviewer’s Choice Best Series Romance Novel of the year for the Love Inspired Suspense line. She writes for the Love Inspired Suspense line and Revell. Her newest book, When the Smoke Clears, released this month. 

Connect with Lynette through her website and through her Ladies of Suspense blog.