“A Formula for Murder” took five years to write.
After developing the initial storyline for the book, I did a 10,000 word first
draft. Initial reviews were very positive.
Once I was confident that “Formula” was a pretty
darned good story, I pushed ahead with a first re-write. I shuffled events
around in the book, fleshed out characters, and started developing underlying
themes that meshed with the overall storyline.
At every turn, I tried to add detail, color, and
humor. My 10,000 word first draft grew to about 50,000 words. Literary agents and publishers I had
talked to encouraged me to make 80,000 words a goal.
With that in mind, I started a second re-write
of the book, again shuffling the storyline, adding plot twists and infusing
more background info about the main characters.
This also is when I decided to substantially
change the ending of the book and open the door for a sequel to “Formula.” If
the book generated enough interest, I could pick up the story where it left off
and develop a whole new adventure.
The final result is 83,540 words presented in
254 pages and 36 chapters.
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