To say how long Karen Docter/K.L. Docter and I have been friends would be dating myself. So, let’s just leave it at . . . I’m extremely pleased to have her as my guest today on HFMFF. Her process is unique, but it might just inspire some other muse-control processes out there. Let’s welcome Karen Docter ~ Donnell
By: Karen Docter
During a recent Colorado Sisters in Crime book club chat, I mentioned I can’t write a book until I have the title. I’m not talking about a basic working title, something that can be set aside once the book is finished. What I start with goes on my book cover when I publish it. Every time.
Author K.L. Docter aka Karen Docter
To me, it’s a small thing, but a critical first step in my writing process. I never thought that was unusual until it sparked a discussion about the ways I keep my stories en pointe. At heart, I’m a pantser, someone who writes by the seat of her pants. Over the years, though, I learned that methodology often sent me off into the weeds. It could take weeks, months, to find my path again. I had to find ways to manage my cheeky muse.
It took forever to find a plotting technique that works for me. I need control over my muse to write the story, but not so much my creativity is compromised. It’s a tricky balancing act for a pantser. Ultimately, I found that balance with the “W” Plot technique. A topic for another day.
I spent most of my early writing career as a pure pantser though, remember? I learned to depend on titles to set me on my path. They act in tandem with the story idea, the theme. Identifying that title became the single, most important thing I do after an idea pops into my head. It sets the character goals in my head. Sort of a “Start Here” sign.
Like driving a car, I put my hands on the wheel (title) knowing I’m heading for the store (goal). The “ W” technique identifies the plot points, mapping the directions from point A to Z and, even if I stumble on a construction zone and have to take an alternate route, my title keeps me focused on the goal. The system works for me. I no longer end up in the weeds. 🙂
I can’t say my titles are extra special. They mean more to me than to my readers. At least, until they read the book and can relate the story to the title. My True Love in Uniform titles as Karen Docter are simplistic and fit the small-town hero feel of the stories I brainstormed with one of my critique partners at 1:00 a.m. in a conference hotel room. They’re all cop books so “Cop” is in every title. Beyond that one word, everything else we came up with provokes an image in my head of the specific officer that leads the story.
For instance, Cop On Her Doorstep, is about an officer who shows up on the heroine’s doorstep with her errant son, forcing her to confront her hatred for cops she blames for killing her husband. In Cop in the Candy Shoppe, the police officer is the heroine tempted by the hero chocolatier. In Cop Under the Mistletoe, the heroine loves Christmas, the cop hero hates it. Cop Crashes the Wedding, the hero crashes back into the heroine’s life during her wedding to another man. And, so on. There are currently 30 titles for the 30 single police officers that man the fictional precinct I’ve created. I can visualize each cop, a boon because I introduce one or two with each book, building the precinct and series as I go.
My romantic suspense Thorne’s Thorns series (written as K.L. Docter) is about six foster brothers and the women and dangers that enter their lives. In Killing Secrets, there are a multitude of secrets (some worth killing for) among the characters. The second book, Dead Ringer, is about identical twins, one of which witnesses a murder, while her sister steps into her life and becomes the target. Another is Lethal Games, with the killer literally playing a dangerous game with the hero and heroine. The titles round out with Mortal Promise, Fatal Switch, and Cold Blooded. Each title helps me to keep each individual book focused on one brother, but also allows me to prepare the reader—and me—for subsequent books. The backstory for each builds upon, and focuses, the entire series.
Thankfully, as an Indie author, I don’t have to give up my titles. I think I’d go a little crazy if a publisher came along and changed my “vision” of the book, even after the fact. They’re that intricately linked in my brain…and I’ve learned not to mess with my brain. It can be dark and scary in there.
Thanks, Karen! I find your process fascinating. Readers, do you have a Muse-Control process you use? Tell us about it in the comments below.
About the Book: Some secrets are better left dead.
Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her little girl — the child is his key to controlling the James fortune. Frightened, Rachel flees to Denver with the child who hasn’t uttered a word since her daddy went to prison.
Contractor Patrick Thorne wants nothing to do with another of his parents’ charity cases. He failed his own wife so abysmally she took her own life as well as his unborn son’s. After two years, it’s time to concentrate on the bid he’s won and the saboteur trying to destroy his construction firm.
There is no room for trust in either of their hearts. But trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.
About the Author: Bestselling Author Karen/K.L. Docter writes two different kinds of romance novels. Her suspense novels are filled with romance, although the dangers the hero and heroine face are intense, usually because a serial killer is bent on ending their lives before they can fall in love. Her contemporaries are cute & spicy romances. She loves writing about real men and women with dreams and goals that don’t allow for a relationship just so she can throw them in each other’s path…with a tickle and a smile.
Karen’s a four-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist, and won the coveted Kiss of Death Romance Writers Daphne du Maurier Award Category (Series) Romantic Mystery Unpublished division. FMI: https://www.karendocter.com
Karen, I absolutely love your process. I also love improv. Don’t know if your title idea would work for me, but I’m willing to try it. Thanks for being my guest today.
Thanks for having me today, Donnell. Until we started this discussion at the book club, I didn’t think what I did was that unusual. Made me think, though! 🙂
I’m thrilled to know there’s someone else who counts on the title to stay on track as a pantser (or at least did). I changed the title of my GH finalist to what I thought might work for my target publisher only to have them ask me to change it. I did—back to original working title ? My tendency is to think in terms of song titles or lyrics. That helps me.
Thanks for posting this!
Virginia, oh my gosh, we were separated at birth. My debut book unpublished title was Walk Away Jo based on Tricia Yearwood and Don Henley’s song with the same title. My publisher changed the title. But it’s okay, in the story I got some satisfaction. One of the darkest moments in the book is when the warden says to Melanie, “He’s a walkaway, Melanie.” Thanks for stopping by and adding your thoughts!
Which book was this, Donnell? What was the final title it was published under?
Karen, unpublished title of Walk Away Joe became The Past Came Hunting 😉
Another good title. Although, I do still prefer the original title. Maybe BECAUSE I relate it to the song. 🙂
I love Walk Away as a title. My working title and the one the publisher liked was/is To the Limit. Worked beautifully for the story and characters, which was a romantic suspense/adventure
And To the Limit should guide you! Thanks, Virginia!
It’s good to know I’m not alone. I hadn’t thought about the impulse like song titles, but it really is like that. I’m sorry you had to change your title. Yes, I’d change it if I were to publish traditionally and it was requested. I wouldn’t like it though.
Love the post and your great process, I wish I had it. Sometimes titles are the most difficult thing for me…and sometimes they are first and prefect. I wish that happened more often.
As a short story writer, my muse is all over the place. Sometimes a whole plot, characters, setting, and title appear in my head. Other times, I have to work at it. A character will want me to tell their story, sometimes a crime will appear and I’ll have to develop everything else to go with it. Sometimes it’s jus the setting that I have to work with. Being a writer is a crazy life for sure.
Pat, when a book or a short story comes easily, I call it a “gift” book from my muse. Strike that no book comes easily, but the process might. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I like that term, Donnell. “Gift” book! My one shorter story, Catch That Santa, was a gift book.
Hi, Pat! I wonder if it’s more difficult with short stories as opposed to longer books. I’d be lost without my titles. It’s the “shortest” writing I’m able to do. LOL I’m a long writer, so short stories just don’t usually work for me. I’m envious of those who can write short. My RS, Killing Secrets, is 110k+ words, and that was after culling over 20k. My one novelette, Catch That Santa, is my one anomaly. I’ve never tried another one. But, yes, before you ask, I had the title first. Like you, my stories come from all over the place. Definitely not the crazy life for everyone!
I loved Karen’s comments on her title. She is such a prolific writer my hat goes off to her. (I don’t wear hats but the cliche works.)
Mary, I could have sworn I saw you in a hat once. No? Well, then, fine. But we’re in complete agreement about Karen’s prolific nature and her process. Thank you!
It’s always wonderful when we find the processes with which we’re most comfortable. It’s taken me a long time to get to that point. 🙂
Thanks, Mary. I don’t wear a hat either…unless I’m writing outside and need to keep the sun away. Wish I could write faster!
Finding your title first is a great idea! And maybe one clue as to how you’re so prolific, Karen. Titles are tough for me. After Blood on the Tracks came out, my publisher said: “No more rock and roll titles” because Bob Dylan’s work would appear above mine in a search. Every time. 🙂 Go figure. 🙂 🙂
Donnell, love your new website!!!
Thank you, Barb. Austin Design Works did a very nice job. I get how the rock and roll titles could interfere. But, wowza, did that title and the fabulous author behind it launch a stellar career! Thanks for stopping by!
I often see Indie titles that depend on those connections so maybe it works better for Indies than traditional markets. Who knows? Marketing can be so challenging sometimes.
I love that title, Barbara! Of course, I don’t have the informational background the major publishers have on what works and what doesn’t. It never occurred to me that “Bob Dylan” would appear in front of mine. That is the kind of marketing expertise I’m missing with my choices. Thankfully, my titles have served me well…so far.
Great blog, Karen and Donnell. In the beginning of my writing, I was the same way. I’d have to come up with the title before I could write the book. And I still kind of do that but I’ve had a couple of books that I started, knowing a part of the title but the rest of it came after I was about a third of the way into writing the book. I’ve developed from a pantser to a bit of a plotter. In my series, I know who the main characters are so I sit down and make a suspect chart with the dead person at the top and how they were killed. once I get that figured out I start writing some events that can happen in the beginning and through out the book. Then I sit down and start writing when I know the starting point I want to use. Thanks for sharing!
That’s an interesting process, too, Paty. Victim organization chart and how suspects are connected. You’re your own personal crime scene-related white board!
Thanks, Paty. I’ve been known to start writing without a solid title. So far, every time, I’ve had to stop and get it “fixed” in my brain. At heart, I AM a pantser. I plot a little, as much as my creativity will allow with the W technique, but I do love the adventure of creating, too. Writing suspense is a lot different than writing contemporary, I’ve found. Our antagonists truly are the primary reason for writing RS so, like you, I need to have those basics figured out fairly quickly. Thanks for stopping by to comment!
Oh my gosh, it’s as though your brain is hard at work on editing, Karen. NO TITLE. Fix this 😉
I just wish the writing part would come as easily. 🙂
Loved this post, Karen and Donnell, and I’ve always loved listening to you talk about your titles and work over the years, Karen. I’ve written books both with and without titles, and I’ve found it so much more fun and focused to write with the final title as well.
Let me tell you a funny story. Every now and then I get a promotion letter from a website building company which informs me that I’ve misspelled a word on my website: the word “doctor.” I get a kick out of it because I know this refers to Karen Docter since your name is mentioned several times under my Spotted tab on my website. I always think, well if that’s the only “misspelled” word your bot was able to find, I’m doing pretty good! Ha! (And even as I type this, auto proof has red-flagged your name. Must drive you crazy!)
Thanks so much for this great post, and thank you both for spotlighting other authors’ works the way that you do. Very enjoyable!
Margaret, it just occurred to me. Do you think Karen has been misspelling her name all these years?!! 🙂 That’s a great story and a very clean website.
Bite your tongue! It’s my story and I’m sticking to it. LOL
Thanks for commenting, Margaret. It does focus things for me pretty well, at least until I can fine-tune more details.
I’m sure the grammar/spellbots tagging my name drives everyone crazy. I know it does drive me a bit batty sometimes. Spell checkers are not always our friend. LOL Let me tell you a story in turn. When we opened an account with our current bank–and back when we were still mostly using checks–our bank rep had to resend our information for checkbooks three times. Every time, the E got bigger on the form until it practically filled the entire form, and they finally got it right. We all spend most of our lives learning to spell doctor the “right” way. Fiddling with that can be a challenge. Whenever someone says they can’t find me, I ask them how they’re spelling my name. 🙂
That is quite a task to control your Muse. I do not even try. I just let the characters dictate what I write down. Tweeted.
I don’t think of it as controlling my muse, just giving her a place to start and a goal. How she gets there from that point is whole ‘nother thing. LOL
Wow, Karen, I never thought about story titles being the compass for writing the whole manuscript. That’s pretty amazing if you ask me. I can’t wait for your next book to come out. 🙂
I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing all of those early years. I can’t wait for the next one to come out either. Getting back to work today, even if only for a couple of hours each day. Moving is taking up all of my spare time.
Love this!
Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by, Kiddo!
In my Pantser way, I recently reached the critical turning point in the first draft of my novel-in-process, “Wistful Creek.” It’s my first try at a murder mystery, yet I realized the title did nothing to identify it as such. And the title wasn’t helping me with the complexities of the murder angle as I wrote. In a serious chat session with myself on my living room couch (away from the computer), it came to me: “Murder at Wistful Creek.” How simple, how perfect. That small but significant change has recharged my writing. Now I know exactly what I’m doing!
FREEBIE ALERT: The e-version of my first novel, “Paying the Price,” set on Maui where I lived for many years, is FREE on Amazon through midnight, Thursday, April 21.