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The Creative Process
A quick glance at BEFORE SHE DIES and you’ll see a book
with witchcraft, carnivals, attorneys, a historic town, and a random assortment
of characters. You might ask yourself
where do all these ideas come from?
When I start plotting a book, I’ve
got dozens and dozens of ideas that are lingering in my mind. Armed with plot bits and pieces and
characters I don’t quite know, I put everything in the initial synopsis. However what I
generally end up with at this stage is a Frankenstein creation. I’ve created something that it doesn’t quite
look right.
In the beginning of my writing career,
moments like this led to more than a few sleepless nights. But these days, I don’t get upset (well not
too upset). I can now see that the rough
story, though not perfect or publishable, has sparkling moments. I now know this is the time push up my
sleeves and get t work cutting, rearranging and reconsidering everything. I know, as I get deeper into the book, I must
be ruthless about what works and what doesn’t.
I have to toss out the weak stuff and keep the good. I think I tossed out and rewrote over 100
pages when I was writing BEFORE SHE DIES.
Turns out, for me, the creative process is
not very linear. But now know if I can
just dive into creating without initial limits, I will discover some pretty
good and surprising moments. Yes, there
are going to be cuts and re-writes but that’s all part of the fun of finding
the story.
Thanks for letting me visit!
MARY
BURTON
New
York Times and USA Today bestselling
author Mary Burton’s romantic suspense novels include the just published Before She Dies, her two earlier
Alexandria, Virginia set novels Senseless
and Merciless, and her
thrillers Dying Scream, Dead Ringer and I’m Watching You. All have been
published as paperback originals by Zebra Books.
A Virginia native whose
family’s Richmond roots run as deep as the nation’s, Mary was born, raised in,
and raised her own family there. She graduated from Hollins University and
began a career in marketing before writing her first novel, a historical romance,
published in 2000. Eleven more novels and three novellas for Harlequin
followed. In total, she has written nineteen novels and four novellas.
She is a graduate of the
Henrico County Citizens Police Academy and the Richmond FBI Citizen’s Academy,
and has participated in Sisters in Crime’s Forensic University program and the
Writers Police Academy in Jamestown, North Carolina, where she attended
seminars on undercover work, autopsies, and the theories behind why people
kill.
When not killing people—the
total is upwards of a dozen now—or researching, Mary can be found pursuing her
second love, baking, practicing Astanga yoga, enjoying her family, playing with
her miniature dachshunds Buddy and Bella, or pursuing her Baking & Pastry
Arts Certificate at the University of Richmond.
Mary Burton writes full
time. Her next suspense novel is The Seventh Victim, which will
be published in February 2013.
Mary
Burton
Zebra
Books/Mass Market Original/Fiction
February
2012/On Sale 1-31-12
Thanks for having me!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your book, Mary, sounds like a real page-turner.
ReplyDelete