Lately, I’ve been pouring a lot of time and energy into creating bonus gifts for you, dear reader. Each book will include a link to download a themed bonus that extends the story’s universe. Since I love crafting, food, and learning new things, this seemed like a natural way to give you something extra.
But wow—it’s more work than I expected.
I keep asking myself:
Does this add value for readers?
Does it deepen your connection to the story?
Will it make you excited to read the next book?
Honestly? I don’t know.
I just finished creating the Ruff Justice Gift Bundle. Here’s a sample page:
As an author, that can be hard to answer. We create in a vacuum much of the time. We throw our work into the world and hope it connects with someone. Meanwhile, every day brings more marketing advice and more social media noise.
And, of course, I do want new readers. Every author does. But deciding where to spend time, energy, and money feels overwhelming sometimes.
How do you discover new books worth reading?
What makes you feel connected enough to an author that you keep coming back for the next book?
Would you take a quick look at the entire Ruff Justice Gift Bundle and tell me honestly: as a reader, does it feel valuable to you? Does it make you feel appreciated? Does it invite you into the world I’ve created? https://dl.bookfunnel.com/4jn35qa57q
Note: I was so impressed by Nancy’s organizational ideas that I asked her to share with all of us! To read Parts I and II, go to my previous Monday posts.
Spreadsheet
I create a new Excel workbook for each novel. One sheet tracks the word count of each chapter.
A second sheet lists biographical details for every character mentioned in the book: date of birth, death, marriage, and divorce, along with a few relevant facts and a column identifying the chapter in which each character or place is first mentioned.
Background details
While I don’t plan plot points in advance, I do like to keep track of details and ideas that I think will fit into the story down the road. (You know what I mean: those brilliant notions that occur to you as you’re driving down the highway or taking a shower or trying to fall asleep.)
I use a single Word document that has everything:
· A rough outline of the story: the conflicts, the goals, the setbacks, and the conclusion, along with how the main character changes from beginning to end.
· A collection of facts about each character (more details than what’s in the spreadsheet): relevant history, personality, preferences, appearances. I enter these as they surface in the story and note which chapter they first appear in.
Most importantly, at the beginning of this document, I note the year and the age of the main character when the story opens, and the logline. Here’s what I have for Investing in Iris: “The story opens in 3.28.25 when Iris is 61; her birthday is 4.5.25, and she’ll turn 62. She is investing in Iris’s Bookshop—A Garden of Literary Delights—and in herself, too.”
If I make any major changes to the characters as I’m writing, I update this document to reflect that. Then, every 10 chapters or so, I’ll do a two or three-sentence summary of what’s in each one, essentially a reverse outline.
I hope these tips are useful to you during your novel-writing process. And if I’ve whetted your interest in my Midlife Moxie novels, you can check them out here!
Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction books, including her Midlife Moxie Novel Series. She’s the creator and host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and teaches workshops and gives presentations to groups, at libraries and at conferences. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and X.
My own book, Paper, Scissors, Death, is part of this wonderful collection of nine free books. If you haven’t met Kiki Lowenstein yet, now is the perfect time! Between her scrapbooking, her larger-than-life Great Dane, and a murder mystery that has her at the top of the suspect list, she’s definitely got her hands full.
You have until May 18 (that’s today!) to grab all 9 books. It’s a treasure trove for cozy fans!
This Monday, May 18, join us at 7 p.m. ET at Joanna’s Readers (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1602372550058785/) for Mystery Mondays. My guest will be Emmie Lyn — and yes, you can download one of her books for free as part of the promotion above!
Love to all—Joanna
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