April 2014 Virtual Meeting Recap

Thanks, Maxine Nunes, author of Dazzled: A Nikki Easton Mystery for the fabulous writing chat during the April virtual meeting!

We talked about maintaining your passion throughout the writing process, mystery writing, character development and more. Maxine also shared her roundabout path to a book deal and offered advice for freelancers.

Some of Maxine’s thoughts from the show:

• I think reading is incredibly important. In addition to seeing the techniques other writers use that work (or don’t), it keeps you immersed in words and language, and that stimulates the writing process for me in a way that film and TV don’t.

• One of the things that really helped me with structure was typing out a chart of a Walter Mosley mystery chapter by chapter.

• I love research (going to the County Coroner, learning to shoot a gun), and I’ll always try to go directly to the source — whether with a field trip or a phone call.

• It’s really easy to get caught up in publishing and marketing and all that (and they can’t be ignored). But it’s so important to stay connected to your passion for writing, for your story and characters.

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Angelenos, Maxine will be at the LA Times Festival of Books at USC this weekend:
– Saturday, April 12: Sisters in Crime Booth, 2–4pm
– Sunday, April 13, Mystery Writers of America Booth, 2–3pm

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Listen to our entire conversation:

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April 16 :April Write On!/Guided Goals Hangout at Capital One 360 – Los Angeles Café, 11175 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles. Swing by the cafe for coffee and conversation. RSVP on Facebook. (Parking is free in the building. Space is now limited to 6 cafe spots, so get there early. There is also metered parking nearby.) Love the Café? Write a review on Yelp!

Post your May Goals on Write On Online or Facebook and be entered in a drawing to win a book from Michael Wiese Productions.

Write on!