Melinda’s writer tip of the day:

I often find myself struggling with plot hole issues in the middle of a manuscript. Instead of staring at my plot board and taking Facebook quizzes for three days, I should reach out to a writer pal right away.  Sometimes the answer to a problem is so simple I haven’t seen the resolution because I’m too deep in the book.  I’m buried in the pages so deeply I can’t see the overall plot arc.

Last week I wasted three entire days on what-happens-next.  I had a loose plot so I knew where my story needed to go, but how it was going to get there remained elusive. How did I bridge the gap between my first turning point and my mid-point?  I reached out to a friend and explained my issue. In three texts, she pointed me in the right direction. THREE texts. <face palm>

Her answer was simple and logical. Why hadn’t I thought of it? Because when I’m 25,000 words into a project with another 75,000 still to write, it’s easy to get lost in the details. There is no substitute for a fresh set of eyes. Also, there have been occasions when the act of explaining my problem has triggered the solution in my own head, as if I just needed to talk it through.

A week later, the same pal called me with a road block in the emotional resolution for her characters. In about five minutes, we talked through the problem and resolution. I saw her plot lines much more clearly than I saw my own.

So my writer tip of the day is to cultivate writer peeps.

They will get you. This applies to a whole host of career issues from dealing with a horrible review to marketing to the writing process.  Your author besties are your “safe place” to vent.  They know what it’s like to spend a week locked in a room with imaginary people.  Your writer friends will know what you’re doing even when you don’t.  (Writers’ brains function don’t function like those of normal people.)  Other writers understand the elusive magic inherent in the writing process, the way you have to trust your instincts and have faith in your ability. I’ve written twelve books, and I still hit a wall in every story where I think I’m not going to finish. My book is the worst ever. No one will ever want to read it.

My family does a collective eye-roll. But my writer friends know exactly what I’m feeling. Every time.

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Let’s check out Melinda’s newest release

Midnight Betrayal

Midnight #3

Amazon| B&N

Curator Dr. Louisa Hancock left behind Maine and her troubled past for Philadelphia and a job at a prominent museum. Just when it seems that Louisa’s new life is safe from her dark secrets, the body of a museum intern is found—the victim of a brutal and baffling murder.

Louisa realizes this is no random crime. And when another intern goes missing, the abduction is linked to the only man who has ever tempted Louisa’s heart—Conor Sullivan, the sexy owner of a Philly sports bar. Louisa’s past has taught her to be wary, but her heart refuses to believe Conor is guilty.

Now Conor and Louisa must dodge a police investigation—and their growing desire—as they race to find the real killer before another girl turns up dead. But trusting Conor could be deadly, especially as the evidence against him mounts…and as a merciless killer targets Louisa as the next victim.

A little about Melinda: 

Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker, wife, mom, lifelong dog lover, and second degree black belt in kenpo karate. She is a 2012 Thriller Award nominee and the bestselling author of romantic suspense novels. Her next book, Midnight Sacrifice, releases in April 2013. Find out more about Melinda: website / facebook / twitter

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Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.