Morgan St James

Published March 6, 2012 | By Laura

Morgan St. James is the author of Writers’ Tricks of The Trade: 39 Things You Need To Know About The ABC’s Of Writing Fiction and the Editor of the monthly Writers’ Tricks of The Trade newsletter/magazine.

What was your route to publication?

My writing career was launched when Designer’s West Magazine, a slick interior design magazine of the era, approached me and my partner during the time we owned an interior design studio in Southern California. The editor wanted us to write an article for them, and instead of a typical how-to technical article, we submitted a tongue-in-cheek spoof on a noir mystery. It detailed everything in a fun way and the editor loved it. More important, I discovered that I loved writing. The article was so well received, the magazine continued to publish many more of my articles. From there, I expanded to diverse subjects like human interest, dementia, travel and barter, and finally to fiction with the first Silver Sisters Mystery, A Corpse in the Soup.

Your latest book, Writers tricks of the trade: 39 things you need to know about the ABCs of writing fiction. Can you tell us about it and how it came about?

After writing over 200 articles about writing and “Spotlighting” people in the publishing industry for two editions of the online newspaper examiner.com, and constantly being asked if I had a book about writing when I gave talks or workshops, I realized that I had material for one or more great handbooks for writers at any stage in their careers. The book is written in easy-to-read prose like my columns, spiced with humor and examples and covers tips and techniques for 39 important things fiction writers need to know. A bibliography at the back recommends in-depth books about single topics touched upon in the various chapters.

Describe your typical writing day.

Twenty-six hours! My plate is always very full with projects and I do write every day. I try to work on my fiction books every day, but sometimes life gets in the way. Four days a week I write the Spotlight and Writers’ Tricks of the Trade columns (one of each for the Los Angeles and Las Vegas editions). At the beginning of the month I devote time to editing and producing my online monthly Writers’ Tricks of the Trade newsletter/magazine. At present the link can be found at http://writerstricksofthetrade.blogspot.com or my personal website, www.morganstjames-author.com. I’m currently working on three new fiction books and alternate between working on them in the evening. I’ve found I can write humorous novels concurrently, but I can’t do that if I’m working with drama or something highly emotional. It is too hard to switch gear. Next year I will also be a co-author for a true crime memoir novel.

What attributes do you believe a writer should have?

Dedication, persistence, a belief in themselves, the ability to take criticism in an analytical rather than hostile way. In my opinion you need to hone your public personality as well, because once you’re published interviews and appearances are part of the promotional side. Keep an open mind and allow imagination to flourish. Know when to move on the next project. Don’t allow yourself to be devastated by a bad review. Look at what others have said, and if you do see a pattern, re-examine your work to see where it can be improved. If this is an isolated instance, forget it and move on.

What are the most common mistakes a new writer makes?

Thinking that once the book is published the hard work is over. That’s when it really begins. In my book, Chapter 20, M is for Mistakes, takes a look at typical things that new writers get wrong.

You also write mystery novels. Can you tell us a little about the Silver Sisters Mysteries?

In the late 1990’s my sister Phyllice Bradner, also a published writer, and I decided to try our hand at writing a humorous mystery series. We loosely based the protagonist twins on ourselves (although I’m not as selfish as Godiva) and other characters on quirky friends or family members. It took several years for us to learn the craft of writing fiction, but the result was the funny, award-winning Silver Sisters Mysteries series beginning with A Corpse in the Soup, named best mystery audio book 2007 by USA Book News. The second book, Seven Deadly Samovars, and Vanishing Act in Vegas followed. At this writing we are working on Book 4, Diamonds in the Dumpster.

How important is pre-planning to a novel do you think?

In most cases I think it is very important. There are various ways to plot and plan, so anything that works for you is a system. And, nothing says things can’t be changed as you write, but pre-planning gives you a direction. An idea of the beginning, middle and end as well as the right place to place arcs in the story. Endings are often changed as the writer’s creativity and imagination takes them along the path of the story. I’ve personally worked with about five different methods since I’ve been writing fiction. My current and favorite one is simply making a list of plot points with a small blurb about each, then combining it with a timeline. Not a proper outline but a route to follow.

How do you approach editing?

I like to do a preliminary edit of a few chapters at a time as I write. Once I do this I generally don’t go back to the beginning, but it allows me to catch errors that could impact the story later on. When the first draft is finished, I let it get cold and re-read it. If I’m working with a co-author, we generally read chapters aloud to each other because the ear catches what the eye doesn’t. If not, I sometimes use a recorder and then play it back. Let it get cold again and repeat. Then before it is submitted, I generally do one more cold read-through. Hopefully the editor catches anything I might have missed, but sometimes things sneak through anyway, even after several edits. The eye sees what it thinks it sees.

Best/worst things about being a writer?

I love being able to write at any time of the day or night and for as long or short a time as I wish. Bringing the stories in my head to life with three dimensional characters and then having my readers say how much they enjoy the characters and stories is wonderful. When I’m writing “how-to” articles or books, I love sharing what I’ve learned through the years and being able to present the information in an amusing, easy-to understand way. The worst thing is that there are never enough hours in a day.

Is there another author you particularly admire?

There are actually several, but I won’t go into names. I love authors who can immerse me in their stories, have researched their details so that depictions are accurate, and flesh out their characters. Since I write mystery, I love reading mysteries, and look for authors who can keep me on the edge of my chair when appropriate. I’m not a great fan of bloody, gory novels, but appreciate authors who can write those scenes with a technique that doesn’t totally gross me out. I also like authors who can inject a bit of humor in the story or sarcasm in the protagonist.

Which three books that you’ve read have made the biggest impact on you?

Lots of books have impacted me in one way or another, but there is one that stands out above the rest. The single biggest impact was “Till Death Us Do Part” by Vincent Bugliosi (now reissued) because at page 40 I realized the killer was my former boyfriend when I was 18. I could not put it down knowing that but for the grace of God I could have been the victim. Mr. Bugliosi captured his character perfectly.

Is there a character from fiction you’d like to meet?

I think that the sarcastic detective Elvis Cole in novels by Robert Crais would be a kick to meet.

Any advice for new writers?

Believe in yourself and perfect your craft. In response to one of my articles a man wrote that there was no necessity to study writing. All you had to do was write, write, write and you would succeed. If only that were true. In my opinion his comment and attitude were really wrong, and I sent him that answer. There are many tricks, tools and techniques necessary for polished, publication-quality writing, and few people are able to gain those skills without paying their dues and learning from professionals. Unfortunately, that is why we see many poorly written self-published books. There are wonderful self-published books that are easily the quality of those by traditional publishers, but the odds are the author took the time to learn their craft and probably used a professional editor as well.

To find out more about Morgan, visit her website.

Writers’ Tricks of The Trade: 39 Things You Need to Know About The ABC’s of Writing Fiction is available on Amazon in print and kindle formats.