Writers in the Storm

by Rebecca Forster

Years ago, I was a panelist at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books discussing legal thrillers. My fellow panelists were men, lawyers-turned-authors, and big names in the genre. When Q&A came, a perturbed woman stood up in the back of the huge UCLA auditorium and confronted me:  

“How can you write legal thrillers when you’re not even a lawyer?”

To which I responded:

 “I sleep with one.”

My flippant answer brought the house down. Maybe pillow talk with my husband didn’t count as credentials, but both the woman’s question and my response encompassed the truth about writing procedurals:

Those who read them want authenticity, and those who write them better have a way to deliver.

What you’re really writing

There is a difference between a procedural and a book in which the main character is a doctor, lawyer or cop. The difference is that a procedural lawyer’s personal relationships are secondary to the system she is fighting; a romantic heroine who is a lawyer is navigating an emotional landscape. The procedural demands an author’s systemic authority; the second calls for an emotional authority.

To write the procedural, get in the trenches. 

There are five things I recommend you do to prepare yourself for writing procedurals.

Educate yourself

Knowthe basics of the profession you are writing about. Titles and procedures will change in local, state and federal jurisdictions. Doctors labor under an umbrella of federal regulations, but licensing can be different at the local level. A rookie procedural mistake, for instance, is to misidentify an attorney’s title in the jurisdiction you’re writing about.

Research

Every police department, law firm, hospital, and court system have detailed websites where you will learn about the hierarchy, job titles, and anything else you need to know about the environment your character will inhabit. You can also find legal/medical journals and newspapers that will outline current concerns of the departments.

Be Curious

To make the trial in Silent Witness believable, I had to understand how secondary systems fed into the basic murder mystery. These included: child protective services, theme park safety regulations, coroner’s procedures, will provisions, political campaigns, and fathers’ rights.  A procedural works best when all the pieces of the puzzle fit together believably.

Observe

Courts are open to the public, police departments have ride-along programs, college and university professors can help with forensics, anatomy, and police studies. Arrange to visit the crime lab. Pay attention to sights, sounds, smells, and employee interaction. Look for the cubbyholes and inquire about them. It is amazing what you’ll learn.

Engage

Take a weapons safety course from your local police department. Enroll in the ATF, DEA, or FBI Citizens Academies. Volunteer at a hospital and get to know the different departments and people who work in them. Accept jury duty happily.

If you engage a professional with a question, make sure you can clearly state the problem your story and the outcome you wish to have. By doing your homework, you will know exactly the right questions to ask to move your story forward and show them that you respect their time.

Final Thought

Remember, a little information goes a long way. Do not try to sound like a doctor, lawyer or cop, you simply want your characters to sound that way.

You are an author and you are drilling down so that you can learn to enhance both your plot and your characters with realistic dialogue, plot points, and scene setting. Your readers will love you for it.

Question

About Rebecca

Rebecca Forster started writing on a crazy dare and found her passion. Now a USA Today and Amazon best selling author, Forster is known for her legal thrillers and police procedurals. Over three million readers have enjoyed her Josie Bates thrillers in the Witness Series alone. With over 40 books to her name, Rebecca had a long career in traditional publishing before becoming an indie author. Her fast-paced tales of law and justice are known for deep characterization and never-see-it-coming endings.

In an effort to make her work as realistic as possible, Rebecca has graduated from the DEA and ATF Citizens academies, landed by tail hook and spent two days on the nuclear submarine U.S.S Nimitz, engaged in police ride-alongs, and continues to court watch whenever possi

Rebecca has taught at the acclaimed UCLA Writers Program and various colleges and universities. She is a sought-after speaker at bar and judges' associations as well as philanthropic groups and writing conferences. Rebecca is also a repeat speaker at the LA Times Festival of Books.

Rebecca has just released The 9th Witness, the final book in her acclaimed Witness Series, Josie Bates Thrillers. Find all her books at any online bookstore or here: https://www.rebeccaforster.com/.

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Featured photo purchased from Depositphotos.

by Jenn Windrow

Let’s face it, preparing your novel to send to a professional developmental editor can be stressful. Creating the perfect story line, compelling characters, and perfect pacing takes time. But a wonky plot and flat characters aren't the only things that drive an editor crazy when they are editing a book.

But how do you know what to fix to save your editor a headache or keep your edited manuscript from looking like someone bled all over it when you get it back?

Well, that's where developmental editors like me come in.

I recently had the opportunity to ask six developmental editors about the most common things they find that they would love authors to be aware of and correct before sending them their manuscript.

And today, I am going to share them with you!

Without further ado, here are the 20 mistakes in no particular order…

1. Characters who do not have unique voices - they all sound the same.
2. Writing the inner dialogue correctly in italics, but then following it with he/she thought to themselves. You definitely don’t need that tag because the italics tell us that it’s inner dialogue.
3. Continuity issues!
4. Proper punctuation/spelling when doing dialogue tags i.e. "I don't know the answer." He said. (To me, this falls under copy editing, but it is still a good one to know.)
5. Homophones.
6. Talking Heads, the band = awesome! Talking heads in dialogue, not so much. It’s good to break up large sections of pure dialogue with some actions or internal thought so the reader gets a break from the conversation.
7. Internal dialogue instead of deeper POV.
8. Crazy amounts of dialogue tags, especially when not said, that could be strengthened by grounding and showing more. (I’m almost positive I am guilty of this one.)
9. Overstating things or repeating things in dialogue tags that the character said in dialogue. Example: "That books is too long," he said, annoyed at the length of the book.        
10. The character’s goal, motivation, and conflict should drive the story. If that gets lost in scenes and etc, it loses tension and pacing.
11. Dialogue tags like "she sneered."
12. When the character is supposed to be an "expert" but the author did not do enough research into a field. Example: archaeologists do not dig up dinosaurs. That's Ross from Friends (a paleontologist).
13. Timelines - the person is a certain age in this section but what happened in the past does not correlate to how old they would have been back then - i.e. they are 22 now but 10 years back they would have been 12 but they are portrayed as 16.
14. Dialogue... unless your character is Data from TNG, characters should speak in contractions because people do, after all.
15. Spelling characters correctly - Delia here, Dalia there - which is it? (This one is for all you fantasy writers with crazy-spelled names. Raises my hand!)
16. In reference to dialogue: accents. I'm Southern and nothing makes my blood boil more than someone stereotyping the dialect. (That also goes for AAVE, Gaelic, etc.)
17. Dialogue...don’t do the Jack/Rose thing from Titanic...No one really says each other’s names as much as those two did when speaking to each other.
18. Head-hopping and lack of POV control are big issues for me. X can't know what Y is thinking/feeling unless Y shows/tells it. Keep POV to one per scene, at a minimum. I prefer one per chapter.
19. When it is written in first person, you are in their POV and their dialogue does not have tags like I said, etc.
20. Filler words. Examples – like, just, either, felt.

Final Thought

I am sure if I asked more than 6 editors we could fill 100 pages with the little things that drive them crazy. But this list is a great start for anyone editing their book in preparation to send it to an agent or an editor. So, while you are editing, use this list to make sure you remove as many of these as possible. It will make your editor's life easier in the end! And we all want to make our editors happy, don't we?

But, as with all my posts, I love hearing from the community. Do you have any pet peeves that you’ve found in critique partners books or even published novels that you would like to share? Let's start our own list in the comments!

About Jenn

Jenn Windrow is an Award winning author, developmental editor, and illustrator.

She loves characters who have a pinch of spunk, a dash of attitude, and a large dollop of sex appeal. Top it all off with a huge heaping helping of snark, and you’ve got the ingredients for the kind of fast-paced stories she loves to read and write. Home is a suburb of it’s-so-hot-my-shoes-have-melted-to-the-pavement Phoenix. Where she lives with her husband, two teenagers, and a slew of animals that seem to keep following her home, at least that’s what she claims.

Website: https://jennwindrow.com/

by J.W. Zarek

How many words make a compelling children's story? 100? 1,000? More? The answer might surprise you. Stories are as short or as long as they need to be, and with picture books, each word carefully chosen to advance the narrative and capture young imaginations best.

The Evolution of Word Counts

This principle of purposeful writing has deep roots in literary tradition. Kurt Vonnegut famously stated, "Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action." Similarly, E.B. White advocated in "The Elements of Style" to "omit needless words," emphasizing clarity over arbitrary length.

The publishing landscape has evolved significantly over the past decades. While picture books of the 1940s-1970s often contained 1,000+ words, today's market favors more concise storytelling. This shift reflects both changing attention spans and the increasing sophistication of visual storytelling in modern picture books.

Current Industry Standards

Picture books follow clear word count guidelines based on their target age group:

• Board books (ages 0-3): 0-100 words, often using single words per page, perfect for developing vocabulary and object recognition
• Picture books for toddlers (ages 2-5): 100-500 words, ideal for short attention spans while building narrative comprehension
• Picture books for older children (ages 4-8): 500-800 words, allowing for more complex storytelling and character development

The current publishing "sweet spot" typically falls between 400-500 words—a significant shift from the traditional 500-600 word range of previous decades.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

The rise of different publishing channels has created new opportunities for varied word counts. Traditional bookstores often favor books that align with industry standards, while digital platforms and direct-to-consumer channels may offer more flexibility. However, success in any format depends on maintaining reader engagement.

Minimalist Masterpieces

Some of the most beloved picture books demonstrate the power of sparse text:

• "Pat the Bunny" (Dorothy Kunhardt): Uses single-word instructions like "pat" and "wave"
• "Goodnight Moon" (Margaret Wise Brown): Employs economical, repetitive phrases
• "Tuesday" (David Wiesner): Contains only time markers, letting images drive the narrative

Recent successful examples include:

• "Journey" (Aaron Becker, 2013): A wordless adventure that sparked a trilogy
• "They All Saw a Cat" (Brendan Wenzel, 2016): ~100 words exploring perception
• "Du Iz Tak?" (Carson Ellis, 2016): Uses invented language to tell a garden story

Breaking the Rules Successfully

While today's market favors brevity, both classic and contemporary works demonstrate how expanded word counts can serve ambitious storytelling:

Classic Example:

• "Just a Dream" (Chris Van Allsburg): ~1,500 words
• "The Polar Express" (Chris Van Allsburg): ~1,000 words
• "Curious George" (H.A. Rey): ~1,200 words

Modern Success Stories:

• "Last Stop on Market Street" (Matt de la Peña, 2015): ~800 words
• "The Day You Begin" (Jacqueline Woodson, 2018): ~750 words
• "After the Fall" (Dan Santat, 2017): ~850 words

Practical Tips for Word Count Success

1. Read your manuscript aloud:
   • Time your reading (aim for 3-5 minutes for ages 4-8)
   • Note where you naturally pause—these are potential page turns
   • Listen for areas where the pacing drags
2. Analyze each sentence:
   • Does it advance the plot AND reveal character?
   • Could the illustration convey this information instead?
   • Is every word essential to understanding?
3. Consider your audience and format:
   • Physical books: Factor in page turns for dramatic effect
   • Digital formats: Consider screen-by-screen pacing
   • Reading level: Match vocabulary and sentence length to age group

The Picture Book Balance

The essence of picture book creation lies in the delicate interplay between text and illustrations. This partnership allows for minimal text while maintaining rich storytelling through visual elements. Whether working with traditional publishers or pursuing independent paths, successful picture books achieve their goals through purposeful word choice rather than arbitrary word counts.

Remember: The perfect word count is the one that serves your story best. Focus first on crafting a compelling narrative, then refine your word count to match your chosen format and audience.

Have you noticed any changes in word count recommendations over the years?

About J.W.:

J.W. Zarek is a Wall Street Journal bestselling co-author of "Writer's Success Secrets" and "The Happiness Code." His latest works include the Golden Book Award Finalist "Bella Brown's Messier Than Messy Room" and the 41-award-winning novel "The Devil Pulls the Strings." Connect with him at his website, jwzarek.com.

Top image from Pixabay.