Don’t you love a good mystery? I know I do, although sometimes the writing and editing process seems a bit mysterious in itself. There are the mysteries of how the words move from your mind to fill the page, mysteries of the Muse (if one believes in such things), and maybe even mysteries over the placement of proper punctuation.
So what better person to talk about the mysteries of craft than an award-winning mystery writer with thirteen books and countless short stories to her name? Today, the talented (and always hard at work!) author Sarah R. Shaber allows us a glimpse into her writing and editing process.
Sarah Shaber is an award-winning mystery author from North Carolina. Her WWII historical mystery series features young widow Louise Pearlie, a government girl who works for the Office of Strategic Services, the United States’ first spy agency. Shaber is also the author of the Professor Simon Shaw mysteries, Blood Test, and editor of Tar Heel Dead. Her first book, Simon Said, won the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Award for best first traditional mystery. She was the Bouchercon15 (World Mystery Conference, 2015) Local Guest of Honor. Her home bookstore is Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh.
Q & A with Mystery Writer Sarah R. Shaber
Kris: Some writers’ favorite part is the research; others love the drafting and crafting; others love the later editing stages. What is your favorite part of writing a book and why?
Sarah: When I first began writing historical mysteries, the research was the most fun for me. But the more I write, the more eager I am to write than to research. I now set a firm time limit on research. What I want to do is get to writing the story. If I need to find out something while writing, that’s easy to do these days. I hate editing because by the time I get to that process, I am sick to death of the book and think it’s just horrible! I’m always relieved to send my manuscript off to my editor, and when I get it back, it takes a massive amount of willpower for me to do the final edits!
Sarah: I used to edit and rewrite my books as I was writing them, but I am a slow writer. I found that it took months for me to finish a book. So once I got a yearly contract, I began to just barrel ahead, writing 1000-1500 words a day even if I thought they were crap. This forced me to work out the plot in advance so that I wasn’t rewriting so much. And when I did turn to the second draft, I found less needed to be changed than I thought. And I think writing a first draft without listening to my internal editor allowed my creativity to take over the process in a way it didn’t when I was rewriting every day.
Kris: Editing seems particularly difficult sometimes when working with history. There’s a fine line between detailing a different time period and “data-dumping” fascinating but sometimes irrelevant information—even when you are really good about limiting your research time. How do you know what to include or when something should be cut?
Sarah: I am very right-brained, and much of my writing is done sort of unconsciously! Data dumping appears to be something I just know how not to do. I can say that the setting, which includes the time period, is part of the support system of a novel, not the main attraction. Story and characters are more important. As in any murder mystery, little should be included that doesn’t further the plot. So I put myself in Louise’s place. If she passes by a landmark, the normal reaction to it would be to mention it, or describe it briefly, not tell herself its entire history. When Louise puts on her clothes in the morning, or packs for a trip, it provides atmosphere to describe what she is wearing or her wardrobe, but if you go too deeply into it, the reader loses track of the story. I write short, so padding is not something that is often a problem for me!
Sarah: I think writing a short story is more difficult than a novel because every word has to be perfect. So I do edit and rewrite more. Sometimes it takes me longer to write a short story than a chapter in a book—which is why I don’t often write them. I just don’t have the time when I have a book due every year.
Kris: And with a book every year, I imagine the nitty-gritty grammar issues don’t slow you down.
Sarah: I am an old-time grammar person. I took Latin in elementary school and diagrammed sentences in English class.
Did you catch that? Latin in elementary school and diagramming sentences in English class. It’s not quite a topic that makes one’s heart flutter, but there’s something to be said for such a background. Studies like this might not solve the mysteries of the universe or the mysteries of the writing or editing process—they surely won’t ensure you an annual book deadline like Sarah R. Shaber—but hey, they won’t hurt. Of course, if you missed it in your youth, there’s always Get a Grip on Your Grammar!
Thanks so much for your time, Sarah, and happy writing, everyone!
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