Just a few words about plotting today. Have you heard it said that he or she is always plotting something? I have and I guess in my case it may be true since I'm usually working on a story or plot in my head. My characters drive my plot as I think it usually goes in real life, however there are other ways of doing it. The plot can be really important for mysteries. I used it most when I did a who dunnit which was my last novel, The Bite of the Serpent, set in Sinking Spring. If it is a series, the plot becomes less important but very important for the first book. In a mystery the bad thing doesn't have to be a murder, but everything has to be explained at the end. You can't leave any loose ends dangling  leaving the reader uncertain and unfulfilled. You need to keep your plot fluid and not canned or formulaic.

You plot by thinking your way through the secrets. All characters have secrets. You have to decide you want to write about the sype of secrets the character has. Who does the character appear to be and who is he/ she really?