You’ve finished your first draft — then what?

I share my work with a writing critique group, but no matter how much I value their input and the help they’ve given me to improve the piece I’ve shared, they don’t see the entire manuscript.

This is when I turn to Elizabeth Lyon’s — Manuscript Makeover that sets out the process under different headings so you don’t have to read the book from start to finish, but go to the sections where you need the most help. For me it was the chapters on characterization. Continue reading “You’ve finished your first draft — then what?” →

Jane Harper’s — The lost man *****

Here’s one for those who love mysteries. When Cam is discovered dead from dehydration near a stockman’s grave in outback Queensland, his brothers, Nathan and Bud are suspicious. Cam’s well stocked car is parked nine kilometres away, but he had no water with him. Cam was well aware of the dangers in the forty plus degree Australian semi-desert. Something doesn’t add up. But when the police arrive on the scene and take his body for an autopsy, they find nothing to suggest murder. But Cam is not convinced and his son, Xander is also asking questions. What he discovers is not only exactly what happened, but a whole other life his brother lived that he was unaware of.

Anosh Irani’s — The parcel *****

This is the story of how Madhu, a hijra, survives in Mumbai’s notorious red-light district. Madhu is too old for prostitution, so begs on the street until called for a special job when the parcel arrives. Continue reading “Anosh Irani’s — The parcel *****” →

Hannah Kent’s — The good people *****

In the 1800s an Irish village, Nora loses her daughter, then her husband before she hires Mary to help take care of her grandson. Because her grandson neither speaks nor walks at age four, she pleads with the priest for help, but he turns his back on her. The women of the village blame the boy for their troubles, so Nora seeks help from Nance who has the “knowledge.”

This books starts a little slow, but is as captivating as Kent’s Burial Rites. We are taken into the minds of the villagers, from their family woes to their superstitions where they readily blame their misfortune on anyone but themselves.