November’s bright nights lead to chilly, sparkling mornings here in the Northeast, the time of year I really hunker down after summer’s many distractions.

I’m revising my mystery, having received recommendations from a publisher on presenting my heroine in a different way.

One of the key influences in my writing life was a fiction writer named Larry Woiwode. He had just accepted leadership of a university writing program, after its long-time director, a well-loved, highly acclaimed author, died. That had to be tough. To me, Woiwode was a quiet, scary person, blunt in his critiques. But he probably was just an introvert who used few words to make his meaning clear, leaving students plenty of room to interpret. I’d say that was true of his writing as well, and his style influenced mine. He suggested that we let character’s actions tell the reader what they are feeling instead of spelling out every thought.

However, that was a while ago, and today’s successful mystery novels tend to be more emotive. Readers, the publisher told me, like to be inside the protagonist’s head, to feel what she feels. It’s the “show, don’t tell” concept. Interestingly, that’s the same thing I learned when writing exactly the opposite way. The meaning of the phrase has morphed over time, or maybe my understanding has. Since hearing from the publisher, I’ve studied new methods, embraced them and am now going back through my book to help readers see the world as my heroine does. It is an interesting writing exercise and I’m learning a lot.

Of course, my hope is that these changes will make the book appealing to the next publisher who receives the manuscript!

Until next time, happy reading and writing (and emoting).

PS: In thinking about Larry Woiwode, I popped online to see what he’s up to and learned of his death. If you’re interested, here’s a link to the NY Times obit: