Guest Blogger ~ Joanna Vander Vlugt

Lost in Plot

As a writer, what excites you? What makes your heart speed up and you experience that eureka moment? What causes you to type so fast your typing teacher would be impressed? Yes, I’m showing my age.

One piece of advice I was told when I started writing was write what you know. We’ve all heard that. Before I retired, I worked for 33 years in the provincial government. My career began as a Supreme Court Assistant in the Nanaimo Crown Counsel Office (prosecutor’s office). The files that came across my desk involved murder, sexual assault, break and enter to commit theft, and more.

The authors I read were Minette Walters and Dick Francis. Given my job and what I liked to read, no wonder I like writing legal thrillers. However, I cannot write a novel involving an innocent victim, because of what I’d seen at work. An author once told me that if you can’t write a fictional scenario where a character is murdered, then you shouldn’t be writing mysteries. There were times when I questioned writing thrillers.

Over the last five years I wrote and published three legal thrillers. In the back of my mind an idea for a time travel book, inspired by a black and white photograph, was itching to be written. After the publication of my last thriller, Spy Girls, I jumped genres and began writing that time travel. I usually write in the first person, but for the time travel, I chose third person to separate myself from my heroine’s voice in my previous novels. Writing in third person is a challenge, because I still find myself slipping into first. However, I’m enjoying seeing my heroine through other characters’ eyes.

In the first draft (the draft no one will see) the story takes place during the second world war. As much as I tried, I didn’t feel a connection to the story I’d been waiting so long to write. What was my problem? At my book club, my neighbour commented about the unfairness of the legal system. I had my first eureka moment.

While researching my story, I had become fascinated with women’s contributions to the war effort, which included much more than giving up silk stockings, and my story had turned into a war novel. That wasn’t what I wanted to write. I spoke with Christina Strasbourg of Agents Helping Writers. I asked how I could work in this additional legal plot line? Christina advised that I was trying to cram too many plot lines into a single story. She said, “You have enough going on here for two novels.” My editor of my previous novels has pointed out fizzling plot lines during constructive edits.

Guilty.

Christina suggested that my time travel could have the second world war as a backdrop, but it didn’t have to be the focus. She mentioned the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as an example. She then asked, what excited me about my story? I told her, my heroine and the legal undertones. Then, write about that. For some reason, I thought writing a time travel meant it couldn’t have a legal slant. That thirty-minute discussion with Christina saved me hours of work. Christina also said that what I cut, could always be used in a second book. Once I locked into the main plot line, my elevator pitch was a snap.

If you’re wondering if being a pantser caused this dilemma, my answer is no. Before I began writing my time travel, I had converted to being a plotter.

I started with the first chapter. I cut scenes which didn’t contribute to the main legal story line. I’m halfway through this draft of rewrites, and I have cut approximately 14,000 words which I’ve saved on a document titled “extra”.

My time travel is coming together. I’m excited writing it, and I’m connected to the story and the characters. There’s still hard work ahead but that’s part of writing. I read an article about drafts and cutting words. I can’t remember the author, or the exact words. But basically, I’m not to despair about the words and scenes I cut, because those words and scenes, although they didn’t make it into the story, they had the important task of propping up the story until the final words and scenes could take over.

SPY GIRLS

A CIA action officer is released from prison. A Chief Justice is murdered, and the Law Society is scrutinizing Jade Thyme’s conduct. Jade’s life can’t get much worse until she is coerced into finding an elusive double agent. Tangled in lies and political agendas, high speed chases and sticky bombs, can Jade outplay a dangerous Hungarian assassin before her own life is terminated?

“Spy Girls is adrenaline-fueled, adventure packed with heart-pounding action, unexpected twists, and a riveting plot that keeps readers hooked from the first page. With lives hanging in the balance and loyalties questioned, trust in each other is the only way to survive. But even the strongest bonds can be tested when faced with external threats and personal demons.”

—Joe Goldberg, author of the award-winning The Spy Devils thrillers

Buy links:

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Spy-Girls-Jade-Sage-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CJ3P9Z1B

Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1999068440

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spy-girls-joanna-vander-vlugt/1144627069?ean=2940179143550

Joanna Vander Vlugt is an author and illustrator. As a teenager, she drew charcoal portraits and wrote mysteries. Now, she uses Copic markers to illustrate motorcycles and graphic novels. Under the pseudonym J.C. Szasz, Joanna’s short mysteries Egyptian Queen, and The Parrot and Wild Mushroom Stuffing were both published in Crime Writers of Canada mystery anthologies. Her essay, No Beatles Reunion was published in the Dropped Threads 3: Beyond the Small Circle anthology.

Joanna draws upon her 13 years’ experience working in the prosecutor’s office and 10 years working in the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner for inspiration for her novels. Joanna is the VP of Memberships for the Sinc-CW. Joanna has just released her novel, Spy Girls, the third in her Jade & Sage series. Spy Girls was selected as the Chick Lit Book Cafés International Book of Excellence Award for best spy thriller and suspense. Joanna’s novels, art and podcast can be found at joannavandervlugt.com.

Website: www.joannavandervlugt.com

Instagram: joannavandervlugt_author_art