InkSpot

Milestone Mania

2012-03-02T00:01:00.006-05:00

a guest post from Midnight Ink author, Sue Ann Jaffarian

This week marked a major milestone in my writing career – I completed and turned into my publisher my 7th Odelia Grey mystery novel, or, more importantly, my 12th mystery novel in total. Twelve. Four quarters. A dozen. Wow, it astounds me to no end, especially when I clearly remember holding my first completed (and still unpublished) novel in my hands fourteen years ago. It was just a stack of printed white copy paper – not quite a ream – and contained my dream of becoming a published author. It was my first milestone in this long journey.

I was also reminded this week that I've been with my current employer six years. When I came to work here, I had two novels published: Too Big To Miss and The Curse of the Holy Pail. That means in the past six years I've written ten novels spread out across three different series, and held down a demanding day job.

During the fourteen years since I wrote that first novel, I have moved twice, had five employers (and gone two rounds with unemployment), and had three serious boyfriends. I've battled depression, and nearly ended up broke and on the streets twice. But I never lost sight of my dream and kept plugging away, often on hand-me-down computers.

I'm not saying this to garner ooohs and ahhhs, or any sort of kudos or sympathy, but to point out what can be done if 1) you want it bad enough, and 2) you want it bad enough. Only if you want something so much it hurts, will you make the commitment to make it happen, no matter what the obstacles.

The only sure-fire way to fail is to give up.

I've also hit another writing milestone and it involves change. After careful consideration, I decided to move my popular Ghost of Granny Apples series to a bigger publisher with wider distribution, and have agreed to a two-book deal with Berkley for Granny Apples books #4 and #5.

It's not easy to move an on-going series to a new publisher, but the timing was right for the Granny Apples series. Its popularity is growing and sales are strong. The third book in the series, Gem of a Ghost, was just released and going gangbusters. It was now or never. And going to a larger publisher doesn't necessarily mean bigger and better sales. Granny and I are going to have to earn our stripes all over again. I'm up for it, if she is.

The Odelia Grey mysteries will remain with Midnight Ink, where they are contracted through book twelve. I will begin the 8th book in the series next week and look forward to writing it as much as I did the earlier books. The 7th book in the series, Hide and Snoop, will be released September 2012.

I'd better get busy … I see many more milestones ahead of me and want to reach them all.

Processing My Process (or Not)

2012-03-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

by Sheila Webster Boneham

Most people have a vague notion of what writers do, and an even hazier notion of what we do.

Was that vague and hazy enough for you? Okay, let me try to explain. I’ve been writing professionally and teaching writing classes for [mumbles incoherently] years, so if I can’t tell you what it is that I do do, I may be in trouble. I bring all this confusion up because a couple of people have asked me recently about my "writing process," and I’ve been processing the question. Most English departments teach writing process as a theoretical necessity.

So what's the theory? Since the 1970s or so, "writing process" has been thought of as a five-part approach to writing.

First, they tell us, we "prewrite," which essentially means we figure out what we want to write and who might read it, and we brainstorm what we should include and research the things we need to learn or confirm.
Then we "draft," and when we have something that is more or less presentable, we show it to other people for feedback. (Note - "other people" should be neither your mother, who will love anything you write, nor the rabid Tasmanian devils we sometimes find in critique groups.)
Next, we "revise." This is a step that many new(ish) writers resist. That’s sad, for them and their work and, if they put it into the public realm, for their readers as well. Revision is the real writing in serious writing for most of us.
The fourth designated step is "proofreading." Yes, writers, please proofread. Okay, confession time. I’m a lazy bum about proofreading when I post quickly online. Manuscripts and galleys, though, are subject to my fine-toothed comb to check for my own errors and those inserted by gremlins during the production process. Alas, some still get by, but without the effort, they all would. And proofreading must be done by actually reading, not just by electronic "checkers."
The final step in formal process is "publishing," which is used in the old-fashioned sense of "to make public" by sharing. Publication may be what we usually think of – print – or it may be public performance or even simply putting the work in front of a limited group of family or friends.

Is that the way creative people work? I'm sure some do. The five-step process approach may help some people take their first steps as writers, rather like learning the scales helps a fledgeling musician or practicing brush strokes helps the begining painter.

Mostly I think of the traditional five-step construct is a nice way to pretend that we understand what we do when we "go creative."

Back to my readers' questions about my process. Is it the five-step approach? Well, sort of, but my way into, around, and back out of my work is much less tidy. Rather than an orderly multi-course meal, I prefer the deliciousness of creative work in more of a one-dish affair.

Take Drop Dead on Recall, my first mystery (which will be out in October!). It began with a first line that popped into my head as I was driving home from a dog obedience trial. I had a victim with a name. I had a crime, although no idea how it was committed, or by whom. I had a setting. I knew I had a book. I even had a narrator’s voice, although the narrator herself was a bit vague. On its way to publication, the book has gone through all the steps, but definitely not in a linear progression. Not even close.

Beyond that, I can't tell you exactly what happens when I write, but I can tell you that it takes about twenty minutes at the keyboard to warm up, and then the little driver in my brain shifts gears and my writing motor takes off, and creativity happens. Does such an apparently chaotic approach work, or am I in the trouble I mentioned earlier? I’ve written 22 books and hundreds of articles, and currently have two novels, a play, two long essays, and some poems underway, so other than having a lot of irons in the fire, I don’t think I’m in too much trouble. This approach works for me. It might not work for someone else.

Rather than a process, I like to think of what I do as more of a habit. An addiction, really. I write almost every day, and I have done so for thirty years. (Yes, I did start very young!)

Occasionally I take a break, but after three or four days of no serious writing, I break out in mental hives. Please understand that when I say "write," I mean I sit down and I work. Sometimes I get into the flow and pump out five hundred, a thousand, up to two thousand words a day. Sometimes I stare at the screen or (rarely now) paper and write two words. Sometimes I brainstorm or revise or make lists or charts or squiggly diagrams of plot. Sometimes I do all of the above, a few minutes here, a half hour there. And okay, sure, sometimes I play backgammon or surf the web. But I’m in my work place (usually a café somewhere - I like the hubbub), and even when I don’t appear to be writing, my subconscious is hard at it.

I have to assume that the people who asked about my process were really asking what I could offer them to help them write more or better (or at all). I’m sure there are writers whose "processes" are as convoluted as mine, and I’m sure there are writers who are organized and logical and linear as they go about their work. So here’s my advice if you want to write. Three simple steps.

Read everything you can. Read about writing and read all kinds of writing. Read writing you love and writing you don’t love and learn from all of it.
Try different approaches to the work, different environments, different schedules, until you discover what works for you. This is creative work, so be creative about how you do it.
Write. Write. Write.

(And don’t forget to play!)

Sheila W. Boneham, Ph.D., is the author of the forthcoming "Animals in Focus" mystery Drop Dead on Recall as well as award-winning books about pets including Rescue Matters! How to Find, Foster, and Rehome Companion Animals (Alpine, 2009), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Cat (Alpha, 2005), and fifteen others. Sheila's books are available from your local bookseller and on line. Learn more at www.sheilaboneham.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sheilawrites.

All images other than casserole copyright by Sheila Boneham. Casserole from iStockphoto.com. Watercolor painting "Pewter and Cherries" copyright Sheila Boneham.

Please Pass the Mayo

2012-02-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

I write to you today from the depths of writer's despair.

Yes, I received a critique of my work in progress. Strangely, my trusted reader did not share my mother's, "I laughed, I cried!" sentiments.

Sure, he said it was fun and funny (the bread) and had cool quirky characters (the other piece of bread) but the meat in the critique sandwich was as hard to swallow as week old dry turkey. A Turkey Club sandwich apparently, because couched in between an equal number of compliments, none of which I can or will ever remember, were some not so delicious slabs of constructive criticism:

"The characters gossip too much."

"Not sure about the pacing in the second 100 pages."

"Maybe you should add another death sooner in the book."

While I didn't agree with all the comments, I can certainly read between a line or too. My perfect, wry, funny mystery which was going to be finished here in a matter of weeks will need a run through with an eye on tension and a pacing edit before it's ready for the big time.

Ugh!!!!!!

If it weren't for a newly acquired intolerance for lactose and butterfat, I'd have headed right down to Bonnie Brae Ice Cream (If you're ever in Denver don't miss it) for a banana split.

Instead I'm going to quit the writing biz (but only for tonight) and dig back into finishing this not quite final draft tomorrow. As I'm working, I'll be praying for the inspiration I'll need to go along with the perspiration it's going to take to serve up the book the way I want it to be.

In the meantime, I'd love any tricks, hints and suggestions on upping tension and pacing from you pros out there.

Please? I'll buy the ice cream.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2012-02-28T04:30:00.004-05:00

by Shannon Baker

The laundry is about done, the gear is rinsed and drying in the shower, I’m mopping up all the emails and issues that came up in the last week and our dive trip is now memories. But what a mess of memories we accumulated in just one week. I know this post has nothing to do with writing (unless I set my next book along a reef somewhere--which I might) but my brain is too vacation addled to focus.

We have the good:

Diving on Bonaire is amazing. There are so many shore dives with a short swim out to a reef we’d have to go back for years to dive them all. Corral looks like something from a Walt Disney acid trip and fish are so abundant and diverse we’d constantly have our mouths agape if we didn’t have to keep the regulator firmly rooted to breathe.

Then there was the bad:

As in Bad Boys of the Reef

This is a Lion fish. They are invasive and breed like rabbits on speed.

And Bad as in the sorry sack, bottom feeder who busted our window and slinked his way inside to steal my laptop.

And last but certainly not least, there is the ugly:

Who else has some vacation stories to share?

INKSPOT NEWS, FEBRUARY 25, 2012

2012-02-25T08:59:00.002-05:00

Lois Winston will be giving a talk and signing copies of Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun and Death By Killer Mop Doll next Saturday, March 3rd, from 1pm - 2:30pm at
Foxtale Book Shoppe

105 East Main St., #138, Woodstock, GA
FMI: 770-516-9989

The Pancake Rule

2012-02-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

By Joe Moore

You finished writing your first book. Congratulations. The good news is, you’ve accomplished something that only a small percentage of the population ever will. Most just dream about it. Few really do it.

Now for the bad news: Your first book is not publishable.

What? Joe, are you crazy? Everyone says my book is great. My mom loves it. My neighbors and the girl that cuts my hair said it was a potential bestseller—as good as King and Patterson. I’ve even been told by my uncle who watches lots of movies that it would make a blockbuster feature film. JJ Abrams would snap it up in a heartbeat. So how can you say that about a book you haven’t even read?

The reason I can say it with confidence is that I’ve found first novels to all be the same—not in subject matter but in common, predictable flaws. And if by some miraculous stroke of luck the literary gods smiled down and your first book is publishable as written, then I would suggest you run to the nearest convenience store and buy a lottery ticket. There’s a good chance you’re on a roll.

I’ve made a list of the most common flaws of first novels. Keep in mind that having one or even a couple of these present in your book will not render the manuscript DOA. But I guarantee you’ll find all of them in the typical first attempt at writing a novel. Here they are in no particular order of importance.

You often use adverbs at the end of dialog tags to “tell” the reader what emotion the character feels. Example: “I’m mad as hell,” he said angrily. “I love you,” she said adoringly.

You rarely utilize any of the 5 senses to draw the reader into the scene.

You resolve conflict with coincidence or luck.

Your manuscript is filled with back-stories that don’t relate to the plot or develop the characters.

You head-hop within a scene between multiple POVs.

You tell the story rather than show it.

You have a “unique” approach to the use of the English language and the mechanics and structure of writing in it. Note: I mean this in a bad way.

Each page is filled with an abundance of adjectives that if deleted would not change anything other than make the writing cleaner.

You recently discovered the exclamation point and want your readers to share in your excitement.

You love ellipsis . . .

You have a pet word or phrase that you feel compelled to repeat often in hopes that it will become a favorite of your reader.

You beat your readers over the head with repeated facts just in case they didn’t get it the first dozen times.

You often rely on the lazy technique of imparting information to the reader by having a character tell another something they already know.

Your text is riddled with more clichés than you could shake a stick at.

You use profanity for no other reason than shock.

Your dialog sounds as natural as a first grade primer.

Your characters continually use the name of the person to whom they’re speaking.

You overuse flashbacks and/or start the story with one.

Act II sags like a piece of pulled taffy.

Your story wanders.

Your story starts in the wrong place.

You’re not sure how to create suspense, so you commit “author intrusion” even though you have no idea what the term means.

You confuse the reader.

Your facts are incorrect. Example: The assassin attached the silencer to the revolver so no one would hear the shots.

You slip from past tense to present in narration.

You describe every movement, every second, every detail and every breath of your characters actions for no apparent reason.

You don’t know when to end a scene.

Your plot is a rehash of The Perils of Pauline—your protagonist jumps from one terrible situation to the next equally terrible situation with no dynamics or variation in terribleness.

You either have no subplots or enough for 10 books.

All your characters sound the same when they speak.

Your characters have no flaws.

You rely on stereotypes. The men are all handsome with chiseled faces and athletic bodies. The women are beautiful fashion models. And the bad guys are ugly, disgusting monsters. Note: This is OK if your antagonist is actually an ugly, disgusting monster.

Your story is melodramatic.

Your target audience doesn’t exist.

You manuscript is infested with misspellings, the wrong use of words, grammatical errors, and missing or incorrect punctuation.

You believe that placing the word “very” or “really” in front of an adjective increases the descriptive value of the adjective.

And the one that I see most often: You find it impossible to tell someone what your book is about without rambling on for 10 minutes.

Everyone’s first book contains just about all of the above. Mine did, and I’ll bet yours did, too. But that’s OK. That’s part of the learning process on the road to becoming a published novelist. Every professional was first an amateur. Every bestselling author wrote a first novel that should never see the light of day. Chances are, it was just as full of these flaws as yours and mine.

The secret to this whole novel-writing thing is to keep writing. Few first novels are accepted by an agent much less bought by a publisher. Published first novels are the exception to the rule. For the rest, you’ve got to write that second book. And the third. And the fourth. That’s how you refine the craft. And with each manuscript, you learn to use less clichés, eliminate “very” from your vocabulary, delete needless “ly” words, make your characters more human, find your voice, and all the other thousands of parts to crafting a well-written story.

My mother used to say that when making pancakes, always throw the first one out. That’s because it takes cooking one to make sure the temperature of the griddle is properly set, the thickness and consistency of the batter is just right, and the timing of when to flip the cake is confirmed.

This pancake rule should apply to all first novels. Write it. Learn from it. Make the adjustments. Put it away. And cook some more pancakes.

How many of the flaws-list items did your first book contain? How many books did you write before you got published? Are there any other additions to the list that you’ve seen with first-time writers?

The Telling Detail

2012-02-23T05:00:00.004-05:00

by Beth Groundwater

Russian author Anton Chekov, 1860-1904, is often called one of the greatest short story writers in history. He is often quoted as saying that short fiction is "the casual telling of a nuclear experience in an ordinary life, rendered with immediate and telling detail." Much thought and discussion has gone into defining what a "telling detail" is, exactly, after he made that pronouncement, and writers have struggled for years to craft those telling details to include in their stories.

A telling detail is the description of some single aspect of an object, person, setting, or action that distills the very essence or uniqueness of what is being described. Upon reading the description of the telling detail, the reader knows what the author needs him or her to know, for the purposes of the story, about the described item. Also, the telling detail often reveals emotion and hidden meaning along with it.

I've recently finished the rough draft of Cataract Canyon, the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series and have begun editing the chapters. I have multiple goals for my editing work, but one important goal is to make sure that I have telling details that pull my readers deeper into the story by making them feel they thoroughly know the characters, the setting, and the events in the book.

In describing characters, telling details can reveal what the characters are feeling at the moment, their underlying personality, what they do for a living, or how the POV character feels about them. For example, in the photo below, the age of the book, the lines and hair on the hand, and the way the hand grasps the book tells a lot about the character of the man pictured.

In another example, in the first chapter of Cataract Canyon, my river ranger/guide, Mandy Tanner, and her business partner and lover, Rob Juarez, are checking in clients for a multi-day rafting trip on the Colorado River that will go through Cataract Canyon. Two women step up to the counter, who have similar features but vary in age, so Mandy surmises they are mother and daughter. Then comes the following sentence:

"Contrary to expectation, the daughter wore a loose T-shirt, and the mother’s V-necked stretch top clung to her curves and showed some cleavage."

What does this tell the reader about the characters? Maybe that the daughter is shy and not very confident of her body image. Also, the mother excessively displays her sexuality (this is a river trip, not a night out on the town) and may be on the prowl. Lastly, by Mandy noticing the difference, the reader gets a sense that Mandy doesn't approve of the mother's outfit, because it is "contrary to expectation."

In describing setting, the writer wants o include telling details that make readers feel they are there, experiencing the environment right along with the characters. In Cataract Canyon, early the next morning after checking in the clients, the trip begins with transporting the clients and rafts to the river. Here's how I describe the vehicles:

"The vehicles sat with full gas tanks and engines running, so heaters could warm the interiors. The exhaust steam rising around the dark hunks of steel made Mandy think of hunkered-down dinosaurs, with the prehistoric-looking backdrop of Moab’s looming sandstone formations in the background."

From the description, the reader knows that the morning is cool. The use of the words "dinosaurs" and "prehistoric" are meant to deliberately evoke a sense of the primitive, wild country and geologically rich canyons the travelers will explore. Also, the description is meant to be foreboding and anticipatory, implying that something dangerous is going to happen on this trip.

As a final example of "telling detail," I'll give a description of an event, in this case, unloading the vehicles and carrying everything to the river. Rather than just describing what happened, I wanted to show some emotions and client behaviors that would be important later. Here's what I wrote:

"The whole Anderson family, except for Alex, treated the guides like porters at the put-in. The five of them stood off to the side, talking about the ugly structures of the Potash mine just upstream and taking photos. The others did all of the work, lugging gear and rafts between the vehicles and the river bank. The Andersons didn’t even carry their own personal dry bags down to the river."

The description conveys Mandy's dismay over how the Andersons are treating the guides and shows their disdain for not only the guides, but the environment around them. The use of the word "lugging" shows that the work is hard, and by mentioning gear, rafts, and dry bags, I convey the sense that a lot of stuff had to be moved. This is another aspect of the telling detail, to convey the essence of meaning in as brief a description as possible, so you're not boring the reader.

In the next few weeks, I'll be whittling away at my descriptions, trying to hone them into the evocative shapes that I need. And, I hope my readers will appreciate my efforts when the final book is published. I know that when I read an especially good passage of telling details in a book, I often go back and re-read the passage, savoring it and teasing out how much emotion and information the author crammed into it. A small, well-written "telling detail" can hold as much beauty in the words as the delicate butterfly in the hand in photo below.

Do you have a favorite example of the use of "telling detail" that you'd like to share with the rest of us?

THE WILD AND WOOLY WEST

2012-02-22T02:25:00.005-05:00

Darrell James

“It was Saturday, February 21, 1925 and in Tucson, Arizona, excitement was everywhere. This community of 34 thousand souls was getting ready for a thing called La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the Celebration of the Cowboys. Thousands of visitors had arrived for the festivities and rooms were as scarce as snowdrifts. Cowpokes drifted in to pay their entrance fees, parade contestants turned up to register, and long lines of prospective spectators waited to buy tickets for the western show. The sun had just begun to peek through gray skies raising the mercury to a comfortable 68 degrees. An eager crowd lined the route and 300 persons waited to fall into procession. Gear was checked, horses calmed, hats adjusted, drumheads tightened. The signal was given promptly at 10:30 and the La Fiesta de los Vaqueros parade moved out onto Congress Street and headed east…”

Thus reads history.

It’s rodeo time in the Old Pueblo this week. La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. While modern Tucson is a city of close to one million inhabitants, it still celebrates, with honor, its grand tradition of rodeo. More than 200,000 fans will attend this week’s wild west eshow and rodeo.

Bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, calf roping--it’s rough and tough doings-- that mirrors the past, exemplifying the rugged nature of the men and women who first settled the territory.

I look forward to rodeo week each year. A chance to step back into the old west for a short time and relive the cowboy past. It’s a tradition that defines the area and, as in the past, defines the people who choose to live here.

As authors, we look for settings for our fiction that are rich in history and tradition, and that can serve to define the fictional characters that populate the stories. It was for this reason I made the decision to place my series protagonist, Del Shannon, in Tucson.

Coming this fall, book two in the series, SONORA CROSSING, will draw on setting in a big way, taking my female protagonist, Del Shannon, on a quest into the dangerous drug corridors along the Arizona/Mexico border near Tucson. An area that, in many ways, is as lawless, today, as the territory of old.

Great story settings define the characters that populate them. And Tucson, rich with a tough and rugged history, serves to define Del Shannon.

There will be more forthcoming on the book. But for now, I’m going to don my cowboy hat and head for the rodeo.

In what way, does setting work to define your character? What traditions work to define your setting?

Nazareth Child, the first novel in the Del Shannon series, has been nominated for the Left Coast Crime Eureka Award for Best First Novel. It is available at bookstores and online retailers in print and for all popular electronic reading devices.

Deadly Row to Hoe Cover

2012-02-21T02:55:00.000-05:00

Cricket McRae

Here’s the official cover for my sixth Home Crafting Mystery, Deadly Row to Hoe. I’m really excited about this revamp! The book will release this November.

Looks pretty different from the previous covers in the series, doesn’t it? This is the direction all the covers will be going from now on, and the earlier books will likely change over to this illustrated style in subsequent printings.

Now don’t get me wrong: I absolutely love the wonderful photographed covers put together by Midnight Ink’s Lisa Novak. She captured the clean, spa feel I wanted for a series featuring a woman who makes her living making soap and bath products.

However, the home craft featured in in Deadly Row to Hoe is vegetable gardening, specifically a community supported agriculture farm. Another photographed cover would have probably involved vegetables, and a few people have already commented that the books look a bit like cookbooks – despite the fact that one has soap and bath oil on the cover and another is all about fiber and yarn. Granted, though, a lot of traditional colonial crafts involve food. ; )

So this illustration captures the whole farm (and even includes a mountain that looks a lot like Mt. Rainier in the background – how cool is that?).

Many thanks to Midnight Ink for making this change, and to Lisa for spearheading the mockup and finding the illustrator!

Change is good.

Last, But Not Least

2012-02-20T01:00:00.003-05:00

by Kathleen Ernst

(Note - I wrote this before heading out on a trip, not knowing that Lois would address the same issue last week. Scroll down and check out her take on things too!)

At the recent Love Is Murder conference (“when wine and chocolate aren’t enough”), I participated in a panel discussion about endings. As I prepared, revisiting some of my favorite books, one of the things that struck me was a fundamental choice that writers with a series underway make about closure in each particular book.

≈ The End ≈

The crime is (almost) always solved by the last chapter. What may or may not be solved is whatever emotional dilemma is driving the protagonist through the series.

Some authors choose to end each book on an “all is well” note. Life may not be perfect, but the protagonist is in a good place. Readers who care about this character can close the book feeling content, reassured that all is well. Yes, she’ll surely get in trouble again, but there’s no need to worry about her right now.

Other authors do just the opposite. The crime is solved, but some final plot twist knocks the protagonist for an emotional loop. Readers are now anxious all over again, concerned for the main character’s well-being.

When I finished Old World Murder, the first book in my Chloe Ellefson series, I decided to go with the latter option. I’d heard that the second book in a seris can be the hardest to launch (the theory is that they lack the flash of a new project, but have yet to develop a true following). I hoped to entice readers by placing an emotional hook in the last line. Just when Chloe has finally turned a corner, leaving behind a painful episode…surprise! The past reaches out to grab her again. Is she strong enough to resist this time? Stay tuned.

The second Chloe book, The Heirloom Murders, addresses the question raised at the end of Book 1. This time, I gave the final scene to Roelke McKenna, a local cop who very much wants to win Chloe’s affection. And this time the twist moves in the opposite direction: just when he has given up, and concluded that a romantic relationship with Chloe is beyond his grasp…surprise! He receives an unexpected spark of hope. Is it enough? Can it happen? Stay tuned.

Either approach, of course, offers both opportunities and risks. We writers strive to comfort, but not bore; intrigue, not but annoy.

What do you consider a satisfying ending?

PLOTTING THE NEXT BOOK IN A SERIES

2012-02-16T00:05:00.013-05:00

by Lois Winston

I recently began working on the fourth book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. When I first began to write, I never thought about writing a series. I wrote stand-alone novels. Once I typed “the end,” that was it for those characters.

I sold The Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries based on a completed novel, Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, and a partial (three chapters and a synopsis) for the second book in the series. The end of Death By Killer Mop Doll, the second book in the series, leads into the premise for the third book, which I turned in the end of the summer and which will be called Revenge of the Crafty Corpse.

Although a mystery has to be solved at the end of each book in a mystery series, because the books are part of an ongoing series, there needs to be a story arc that encompasses all the books in the series. All personal issues can’t be resolved within the confines of one book. With each book the characters in the world I’ve created continue their journeys, pursuing their goals and dealing with the conflicts that get in the way of achieving those goals.

Goals. Motivation. Conflict. What do the characters want? Why do they want what they want? What’s keeping them from getting what they want? Every major character in a book needs both internal and external goals, motivations, and conflict. In a stand-alone book, these questions are all answered by the end of the book. In an ongoing series, they continue from book to book to book. Give the characters everything they want, and the series ends.

So I’m going to throw obstacles in Anastasia’s way for as long as readers want to follow her journey. She’ll continue to solve a murder by the end of each book, but the financial problems that set the series in motion will continue to dog her. And her family problems? Those of you dealing with your own dysfunctional relatives know that those problems never end.

Lois Winston writes the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series. The first book, Assault With A Deadly Glue Gun, was a January 2011 release and received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Death by Killer Mop Doll was a January release. Visit Lois at http://www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, http://anastasiapollack.blogspot.com.

Down, Dog! I'm Writing.

2012-02-15T00:52:00.001-05:00

By Deborah Sharp

The question is common at book-signings, workshops and panels: How do you deal with writer's block?

During my days as a newspaper reporter I learned there's no such thing, I tell people. Take one ill-tempered editor with the power to fire you, add a looming deadline you know you must not miss, now sit down at the frickin' computer and write. Abbacadabra, writer's block disappears!

The truth is even the best writer's flow can hit a snag. Not saying MINE has . . . just sayin.'

There's all kinds of advice out there for overcoming that blo ... er, snag. John Steinbeck counseled blocked writers to pretend they're writing to an aunt. P.J. O'Rourke said: ''Write badly. Bad writing is easier.''

The Internet is rife with offers to unblock through meditation and yoga. Hmm ... I've practiced yoga for many years. I wonder if this yogic writing thing could work for ... er, a friend?

I have my doubts about yoga helping my concentration, though. I usually spend about two-thirds of my class thinking about food. Indian food, in particular. Though sometimes I dream about layer cakes, too.

I’ve dabbled in yoga for almost 20 years. But I’m old, so my down dog refuses to learn new tricks and my half-moon pose is more of a crescent. Even so, I’ve pretty much grasped the physical aspect. The meditative part has always been a bit more slippery for me.

Here's my typical yoga class:
Instructor, employing guided imagery: Imagine the tension in your neck and shoulders floating away.

I’m with her---picturing the stress of the day soaring off; a gray ball of bad energy cushioned in a cleansing white cloud.

Instructor: Now, relax the muscles in your jaw and throat.

I swallow. My mouth waters. I think: Wow, some tandoori chicken would taste REALLY good about now.

My meditation skills are even more lame. The teacher is chanting OMMMMmmmm, and I’m compiling a mental to-do list. She instructs us to center ourselves to the soothing sound of ocean waves. That makes me think of water, which reminds me my dishwasher needs to be unloaded, and the water heater at my mother's house just sprung a leak.

I crack open an eyelid and steal a glance around the room. Am I the only one incapable of clearing my mind? Hey, who's the hottie with the buff biceps? Haven't seen him in class before.

Finally, the instructor clinks her little finger cymbals together: Binggg . . . Binggg . . . Binggggggg. Class is over. We’re at one with the universe. And I’m that much closer to dinner.

Still, I might be getting more mentally from yoga than I realize. A recent episode convinced me something might be sinking in. Near the end of every yoga session, we can hear the Abs-Workout people clamoring outside the door, wanting in. They’re the stalking tigers of the gym, versus yoga’s fluttering butterflies. When the studio door finally opens, in rush the abs people, nearly trampling the mellow yoga folks.

A few days ago, a twenty-something taut-ie grabbed a floor mat right out of my hand as I was trying to put it away. Once upon a time, I’d have growled, tiger-like, and yanked it back. Instead, I smiled serenely, and bid her Namaste.

My spirit salutes yours, it means. Which was true in a way, since I had centered myself by imagining her head as a giant slice of coconut layer cake.

Step aside, Frosting Face, I chanted to myself. Nobody makes me late for dinner.

What do you do to clear your head? Writers, have you ever tried meditation as a cure for blo ... er, a snag in your writing flow?

Happy League of Women Voter's Day*

2012-02-14T05:38:00.000-05:00

*Brownie point for those of you who get the reference

by Jennifer Harlow

When I was informed I was the person to post on this blog on Valentine’s Day I was a bit flummoxed. I mean, I’m the only one of our posters who has never been married or been in a long term relationship. I am one of the least sentimental, romantic women on the planet. I'm a fighter, not a lover. I've cried at exactly two movies in my lifetime. I'd much rather watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre than The Notebook, unless I want to fall asleep from boredom or see how many times I can roll my eyes in the space of two hours. When I read Romeo and Juliet I just wanted to smack the two teens upside their heads for being so stupid. I mean, hello! They were fourteen! So I was a bit wary about writing about romance, especially on Valentine's Day, as I am perpetually single and through feminism classes know that Valentine's day is just a holiday sprung from corporate greed and the only real reason all us female singletons feel bad about VD is the not-so-subtle brainwashing of females that we need a man to complete us and make our life worthwhile. (Thank you Disney).

I started on a post to reflect this, but since my last one about the West Memphis 3 was kind of aggressive and a downer I decided to embrace this “holiday” and do something upbeat(ish). So today I will pour some antifreeze in my veins to combat the ice and write about the romantic influences in my writing. Because I do believe in love, and do enjoy writing about it (as long as I get to kill a few things along the way.)

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Titanic: This was one of the aforementioned movies that made me cry to this day (the other being Apollo 13 for some unknown reason.) The first time I saw it when my parents came to pick me up at the theater I was sobbing so hard they thought I'd been assaulted. It took a couple minutes for me to calm down before I could tell them what really happened. That I'd just seen the most touching love story ever. Not only is it a thrilling movie, the love story between Jack and Rose is wonderful. They shouldn't be together but find one another. They sacrifice for this love, him his life for her. And that last scene, when old Rose is on the boat, dies, then is reunited with Jack on the Titanic with everyone still makes me verklempt. Best epic love story ever.

2. Charlotte Bronte: Not her books, though Jane Eyre is a pretty decent love story especially considering something like it had never been done before. No Bronte's life is something that no writer could ever have come up with. Cliff's Notes version. A plain girl, she was born to a poor clergyman. Her mother and two older sisters died, leaving her the eldest girl. She had an isolated childhood with only her remaining three siblings and imagination to keep her company. As she got older she had to go to school to learn to be a teacher and she fell in love with her married teacher. He rebuffed her and she returned to the moors. Then she wrote a book, and it was a sensation. Of course within a year of it coming out all three of her siblings died, leaving her alone with her hard father. Then, out of the blue, her father's curate tells her he's been in love with her for years and wants to marry her. Her father goes ballistic, and though she's in her late 30s tells her to refuse. Curate then falls apart all over town, performing grand romantic gestures. She eventually gives in, and realizes on her honeymoon she's fallen in love with her husband. They're not even married a year when she dies of complications from her pregnancy. You can't make this stuff up.

3. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie: This is one of my favorite books ever. I laughed, I got misty, I stayed up all night reading it. It's about two un-perfect people who try to stay away from each other but fate keeps throwing them together. It's how I wish love could be. Just read it.

4. Ralph Fiennes: Yes, I heart Voldemort. While all the other girls had Johnathan Taylor Thomas or Brad Pitt posters, I had Mr. Fiennes. From age 12 to 20 he was the lead of all my insomnia fueled imagination sessions. He was my romantic hero, and from The English Patient to Strange Days (I still melt in that final scene when he scoops up Angela Bassett, stares into her eyes, and kisses her) he gave me a lot to work with. I even decided to write my first book after seeing one of his movies, Red Dragon (it hasn't been published yet). He's still my favorite actor.

5. My grandparents and parents: Once upon a time there was a 19 year old girl living in Nottingham, England who attended an Air Force dance with her mate. There she met a dashing plane mechanic from New Jersey. They danced the night away, had two more dates, then she agreed to move to America with him. They are celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary this year. On the other side of the pond Jim and Ginny were introduced through friends. They married, had two sons, divorced, then ten years later realized they still loved each other and re-married. Right now he has Alzheimer's and she's taking care of him. From those two unions came Mark and Susan. They met on a blind date, dated for two years, then married 30 years ago. They've survived ten moves to four states, cancer scares, a sick possibly dying young son, raising four children, and having the snarky me as a daughter. This is real love. It's all about mutual respect. Loyalty. Compromise. Being equal partners. Theirs are true love stories.

What about you? What is your definition of romance and love? What movies/books/songs make you feel the love?

So anyway, Happy League of Women Voter Day AKA Valentine's Day! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a box of chocolates I bought for myself and Leatherface.

Happy Valentine’s Day! =P XXXOOO

What’s So Funny?

2012-02-13T04:48:00.000-05:00

by Alan

I’ve blogged before about my stand-up shtick, but here’s a recap of my recent DEADLY CAMPAIGN launch party, in pictures:

Me and my larger-than-life book

Me trying to lead the group in Simon Says

Bookmarks for all!

At least someone thinks my stuff is funny

Standing room only - I guess they heard about the free cake!

And speaking of the cake, it was the funniest thing of the afternoon!

(Look closely…)

Hair of the Dog, Part II

2012-02-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

Sheila Webster Boneham

A couple of posts ago I wrote about dog hair, which is a big part of my life, especially now that shedding season is upon us here on the coast of North Carolina. Dogs (and cats and horses and birds and other critters) are not only vital characters in my forthcoming Pets in Focus Mystery series, but also an important part of my larger life. I showed horses in my teens and twenties, and I’ve been active for two decades in canine activities, competitive and not. My profession, though, for the past few decades, has been writing and helping other people learn to write better. At first glance it may seem that showing animals and writing are completely different sorts of pursuits, but they have more in common than you might think.

I’ve considered the similarities in my passions before, but a couple of weeks ago I entertained myself with this question as I languished in an airport after judging a dog show. I was tired of playing backgammon on my iPad (it cheats), and I had finished the book I brought to read. Assuming that I’m a reasonably consistent human being (potentially a topic for another time), I figure that dog sports and writing must have elements in common to keep me so passionate about them for so many years.

The first element that comes to mind is aesthetic appeal. Beauty, yes – a well-turned phrase, a gorgeous head. But there’s more to aesthetic appeal than beauty. There’s rhythm, function, timing, and all the other things that come together to stir us to respond emotionally and intellectually to the thing before us. A dog may be beautiful in itself, or in its performance, or – ideally – in both, just as a piece of writing may be beautiful for its language and rhythm, or the way it moves us, or – ideally – both.

Then there’s the challenge of doing well in either arena. Training a dog to compete successfully is a lot of hard work for trainer and dog alike. Learning to write well is also a lot of hard work. This is, of course, true of anything we want to do well. To the casual observer of the finished product – the book, the competitive performance – it may appear to be no big deal. Trust me, it is. In fact, novices in both fields are often amazed to discover that they have to work, and work hard, if they want to make it look effortless.

Of course, no matter how good you are, you don’t win every time. Editors say no thanks. Judges put you and your dog at the end of the line. Rejection is part of both games, and rejection sucks. But here’s the thing.... the people who win a lot – with book contracts and in canine competitions – have also lost a lot. You just keep playing, and learning to play better, and eventually you win more often. And along the way, you're bound to get a little messy.

I thought of a few other parallels before we started boarding the plane, but the one that stood out - that has stood out for me for many years – is that I write and I show dogs because they’re both so darn much fun. In fact, despite the hard work and disappointments and frustrations that come with the territory, I’ve found some of my best friends through both activities, had some great laughs, enjoyed profound and moving moments. I can’t think of two better ways to live large parts of my life.

Drinking at the Conference Bar can be Murder

2012-02-08T00:30:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks,

Luckily it's morning and the bar here at Love is Murder in Chicago is closed. In fact, the conference is coming to a close. Before our esteemed and beloved editor Terri Bischoff hops into her car and drives back home, or better yet, to her office to do a little catch up to make sure all our author type needs are met, I thought I'd pull her aside for a little Q and A.

To set the scene, our dear Terri is sprawled on the couch in my room, having nursed a few (or a lot too many) cocktails last night. She claims to remember the evening spent at the bar, so all should be well.

Q: What was your favorite cocktail this weekend?
A: I don't know what it was called. It was a Martini with cranberry and mint, served in a glass made of ice.

Q: Sounds fancy. Who paid for it?
A: I have no idea. Oh wait, Several were purchased by agent Christine Witthohn with whom I'm afraid I may have made several deals.

Q: Did you actually attend the conference?
A: Why yes I did. I participated in three panels. One, with Kathleen Ernst. I also took hours and hours of pitches.

Q: Did get interesting pitches?
A: Of course, but the proof will be in the pudding when the manuscripts appear in my inbox.

Q: What was your favorite conference moment?

A: Dreaming up our new sitcom with you and Ben LeRoy--The Housewife, The Lesbian and The Bachelor. Also my new illegal business venture with Donna Bagdasarian, Ben LeRoy and Christine Witthohn. (Please, no questions).

Q: Do you think you will sober up enough to get to another conference this year?
A: I will be attending the Writer's Institute at UW Madison, Malice Domestic, The Rocky Mountain Fiction's Writer's May Workshop and Bouchercon in Cleveland.

Q:What is the value of a conference like this for you as an editor?
A: Taking pitches and finding potential new authors, but talking and networking with agents and other editors.

Q: Is there a downside?
A: The damage incurred to my liver. Also, I think I agreed to feed Jessie Chandler's cat while she's out of town.

Q: Thanks Terri!
A: I need another drink.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

2012-02-07T04:00:00.007-05:00

by Shannon Baker

I admit, sometimes I need a little inspiration. Once in a while (daily) I doubt myself and wonder just what makes me think I can do this thing called writing. Even though I know almost every writer has times of doubt, sometimes I think everyone else is confident and fearless. For those of us who don’t always feel like Super Man or Woman, here are a few tidbits to pump you up.

One of my favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill, a man famous for failure. He flunked 6th grade and lost a handful of elections, in fact, every race he attempted, until he was elected Prime Minister.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Among a myriad of failure to success stories I have collected, here are a couple of blubs I plagiarized from the InterWebs. (It’s not a sin if I confess, right?)

J. K. Rowling: Rowling may be rolling in a lot of Harry Potter dough today, but before she published the series of novels, she was nearly penniless, severely depressed, divorced, trying to raise a child on her own while attending school and writing a novel. Rowling went from depending on welfare to survive to being one of the richest women in the world in a span of only five years through her hard work and determination. Did you know that this author of the Harry Potter phenomenon (which has sold more than 400 million copies), was rejected by twelve publishers? In her own words: “So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable.”

Stephen King: The first book by this author, the iconic thriller Carrie, received 30 rejections, finally causing King to give up and throw it in the trash. His wife fished it out and encouraged him to resubmit it, and the rest is history, with King now having hundreds of books published and the distinction of being one of the best-selling authors of all time.

Jack London: This well-known American author wasn't always such a success. While he would go on to publish popular novels like White Fang and The Call of the Wild, his first story received six hundred rejection slips before finally being accepted.

One story close to my heart is that of Mari Sandoz. She was a famous Nebraska writer, publishing from the mid-thirties through the mid-sixties. She grew up in the same isolated and rugged region of the Sandhills where I spent twenty years. Her controlling and abusive father ridiculed writing; she married and divorced in the 1910’s, and pursued her writing through poverty and illness. By her own account, she received thousands of rejections over the course of sixteen years. Yet, she kept writing. Kept sending it out. In the end, she had a slew of award-winning books and I can tell you, they are amazing.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that I can't win if I don't play and for every great writer, there are hours of self-doubt, angst, and ultimately, seat in the chair. They did it. We can, too. I’m ready to climb back into the cab and fire up the old engine.

Finding the Quiet Center by Vicki Doudera

2012-02-06T07:34:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I’d planned to walk down the hill to church, but at the last minute I started re-thinking my decision.

There are so many clients I need to contact, I reasoned, plus two websites that need updating, long-overdue Facebooking, Tweeting, and blogging commitments, housework, and, oh yeah, the biggest “have to” of all, my 300+ page manuscript needing another revision and due in just a few short weeks.

There’s no way I can spare the time to sit quietly for an hour or so, I figured. What about fitting in some exercise? Making something for the Superbowl party? But then I thought about the times I do change my plans at the last minute and how usually I’m annoyed at myself later. So down the hill I went.

Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed. Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see, all the things that really matter, be at peace and simply be.

Those words were the first verse of the opening hymn, Come and Find the Quiet Center, written by Shirley Murray in 1989. Our new music director prefers using the Steinway piano to the organ, and for me, this makes the music more approachable and meaningful. We stood and sang, and of course my eyes teared up instantly at the powerful message of the simple words. “Be at peace and simply be.” I found myself wondering whether this crazy Gemini knows how to do that anymore.

Even when I undertake solo endeavors such as hiking (there is a great trail walking distance from our house in the Camden Hills State Park – that’s the view pictured above) I’ve generally got my mind whirring away. Car trips to show property down on “the peninsulas” aren’t quiet times for reflection, they are opportunities for me to figure out Darby’s next move. (I used to make endless phone calls, but I gave that up at New Year’s.) I’m sure it’s the same with you. You’re plotting out a troublesome scene, making that “to do” list a little longer, or wondering how you can write the next best seller.

Is it important to clear the chaos and the clutter? If so, how do you do it? Does it make you more productive when you do? (Oops – wrong question! But see, I can’t quite fathom the “simply be” part yet!)

I would love to hear how you find the quiet center. In the meantime, shalom to you, my writing friends!

Top producing Realtor Vicki Doudera uses high-stakes, luxury real estate as the setting for a suspenseful mystery series starring crime-solving, deal-making agent Darby Farr. A broker with a busy coastal firm since 2003 and former Realtor of the Year, Vicki’s next mystery, DEADLY OFFER, takes Darby to a winery where murder, mayhem, and Merlot all mingle. As in the popular KILLER LISTING and A HOUSE TO DIE FOR, Darby discovers a dangerous truth: real estate means real trouble. Read more about the Darby Farr Mystery Series and Vicki at her website, www.vickidoudera.com.

INKSPOT NEWS - FEBRUARY 4, 2012

2012-02-04T01:11:00.000-05:00

The nominees have been announced for the Left Coast Crime 2012 awards. Congratulations to:

Jess Lourey on her nomination for The Lefty (best humorous mystery novel) for her Murder-by-the-Month mystery Octoberfest.

Darrell James on his nomination for the Eureka! (best first mystery novel) for his first Del Shannon mystery Nazareth Child.

The Importance of a Good Critique Group

2012-02-02T05:00:00.004-05:00

by Beth Groundwater

I have been in a long-standing writing critique group that originally formed at the 1999 Pikes Peak Writers Conference. The group has had between four and six members since its inception, and members have come and gone. I'm now the only original member remaining, but regardless of the make-up of the group, I've ALWAYS received useful feedback on chapters that I've submitted for review.

I'm currently submitting chapters from the manuscript that will become the third mystery in my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures series, that I'm calling Cataract Canyon. The group members are once again proving their high value to me, and the manuscript is improving a great deal. Also, over the years, I am sure I have become a much, much better writer because of my association with the group. Different members have brought different skills in areas ranging from plot logic to grammar, portrayal of emotions to fight scenes, and more, and all of those skills have rubbed off on me.

I think it is vitally important for authors to have either a critique group or a few trusted first readers to run our manuscripts through before they go to our editors. We need fresh eyes to read those words and fresh brains to try to decipher those sentences and understand those characters and plot points so mistakes can be found. And there are always mistakes! No matter how carefully I pour over my chapters before submitting them to critique group, they always find things I've missed.

Because of the group members' thorough review, most of those mistakes get fixed before my editor sees them. And that makes me look good for my editor. I know that it's because of my critique group that my manuscripts usually only need light editing before they're published as novels.

One thing I always do, though, and I advise other writers to do with their critique groups or first readers, is to get at least halfway through the first draft of your manuscript before you start submitting chapters for review. This is so you have a firm idea of where you're going with the story and who your characters are before you get feedback. Then you can evaluate suggestions from the group against those firm ideas. You'll have a basis for deciding which suggestions to use and which would derail you from your plan.

Otherwise, if you keep re-writing the first three chapters based on multiple people's opinions (which, unfortunately, I've see writers do), you'll end up with mud. Your unique voice will have been lost. However, making the opposite mistake of going it alone all the way won't help you, either, and could very well prevent you from getting published. If your critique group or first readers aren't working for you, find some others, but don't give up on the concept all together.

There are lots of ways for critique groups to work. Some meet weekly, some meet monthly, many meet twice a month or every two weeks. I prefer groups that meet in person, but I know of very effective groups who operate completely on-line. Some groups are single-genre and some are multi-genre. I've seen both work well, and my group is multi-genre. Then there's size. My personal preference is to keep the group fairly small, so everyone has a chance to submit a chapter or twenty pages for every meeting, and everyone's suggestions can be heard.

Also, I think it's very important to have members of both sexes in the group. I find the feedback I get back from my male partners who say "No man would do/say that" to be extremely helpful. You're going to want both sexes to read your published books, so it's important to have both sexes give you feedback on how they perceive your novel.

The most important criteria is to find a group of fellow writers who you can get along with and work with and whose goal is to help each other improve and publish your manuscripts. You don't want a mutual appreciation society or the opposite, people who stroke their own egos by cutting down others. Constructive criticism has to be the purpose of all feedback in the group.

I know for a fact that I would not be published without my critique group, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I have them!

If you're a writer, what experiences have you had with critique groups, good or bad?

A Bitter Sweet Release

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

GEM OF A GHOST, the third book in my Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series, just launched. It’s also my 11th published novel, my 14th written novel.
You’d think the release of an 11th book would be ho-hum. You know, old hat by now. But it isn’t. I get just as excited now as I did with my others. The only exception might be the publication of TOO BIG TO MISS, my first published novel. Like the birth of a first-born child, nothing could surpass the anticipation of seeing that book in print and on book store shelves and available from on-line retailers. The first time is always the first time, whether we’re talking books or losing one’s virginity.

But this release is bitter sweet.

As most of you know, Diana James, wife of author Darrell James and my manager, died suddenly on January 10th from a pulmonary embolism. With the exception of my first few Odelia Grey novels, Diana played a major part in the releases of my books. She set up most of my book signings, designed my bookmarks, put out my newsletter, set up radio and blog interviews, contacted reader groups and libraries, and did everything she could to get the word out on new releases. She even read my draft manuscripts and made suggestions. Every book signing to promote GEM OF A GHOST over the next several weeks was set up by Diana, and each one will constrict my heart.

A few literary PR people have recently contacted me asking if I was looking for a new publicist. It seems cruel to me that they are already circling. But, times are tough and they need to make a living, just as I do. I’ve decided not to hire anyone at this time. I will go it alone, as I did before Diana and I hooked up, at least for a while.

GEM OF A GHOST has received some rave reviews, including the following starred review from Library Journal, which arrived just days after her death.

"Jaffarian’s welcome third entry in her paranormal series … sparkles as brilliantly as the story’s haunted diamond. Incorporating historical interest with likable characters and steady suspense, she also makes paranormal activity seem plausible. One of the best cozy authors for light chatter and low-key humor, Jaffarian is currently juggling three series with aplomb! "

Diana would have been pleased. She loved GEM OF A GHOST, and thought it was one of my best.

Sue Ann Jaffarian
www.sueannjaffarian.com
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Creative Passion

2012-01-31T04:24:00.000-05:00

Cricket McRae

Last Saturday a friend and I went to see an exhibit of Dale Chihuly glasswork. It was small, at least for a Chihuly exhibit, from a private collection. Still, with five of his famous chandeliers and dozens of pieces from the Venetian series, I can only imagine how much that collection is worth!

I have a particular love for Chihuly’s work, and was delighted to find the small theater showing a documentary that chronicled a week-long “blow” that brought together the primary players in each of the visionary’s different series. For an hour and a half, we watched as they created examples of what Chihuly refers to as Cylinders, Baskets, Seaforms, Macchia, Venetians, Putti, Persians, Niijima Floats, Ikebana, Fiori and Pilchuck Stumps.

As soon as the movie started I realized the blow had taken place in the hot shop of the Tacoma Glass Museum. Four years ago I sat in one of those red theater seats and watched another glassblower create amazing pieces.

And years earlier, one of the half-dozen times I’ve attended the summer open house at the Pilchuck Glass School outside of Stanwood, Washington, I was lucky enough to witness Chihuly actually working with glass. He was one of the founders of the school in 1971, but since he lost vision in one eye in 1976 he rarely works directly with glass. He’s the designer, the (big!) idea guy, and the work is carried out by other amazingly talented glassworkers.

Reading this I realize it sounds like I have a latent desire to learn glasswork. I don’t, but I do find the medium utterly fascinating. The molten liquid seems to be almost alive. It behaves organically in the hands of skilled artisans. When cooled it’s solid and fragile all at once. And Chihuly’s vision, implemented via precise teamwork, just blows me away.

So, no, I don’t want to blow glass. I am, however, incredibly inspired by it – by the beauty of the work itself and by the passion that is so evident in the faces and movements of the people I’ve seen working with glass. They are completely present to the process, to each movement, and to each other. Seeing passion like that in any creative endeavor fills my writing well and even primes the pump. It reminds me that art is intensely valuable in its own right.

I hate that I forget that sometimes. Do you? Or are you lucky enough to carry that awareness with you at all times? What acts or products of creativity particularly inspire you?

I’m not sure when I’ll be able to respond to comments, as today I’m flying south to be further inspired by snorkeling in blue-green water and whacking at a golf ball on a course that wends through an Audubon wildlife sanctuary.

Putter in one hand, camera in the other…

Switching Gears

2012-01-30T02:38:00.001-05:00

by Kathleen Ernst

My third Chloe Ellefson mystery, The Lightkeeper’s Legacy, has been delivered to Midnight Ink. I’ve also sent copies to content reviewers so that by the time my production editor has a clean copy for me to review, I’ll be ready with their feedback.

It takes me a year to write an adult mystery. Since Chloe is a museum curator, the plots include historical themes and elements that require some research. The Lightkeeper’s Legacy has two timelines—one in the 1980s and one in the 1800s—and so was more complicated to plot and research than my previous mysteries have been. I spent a lot of time immersed in the story.

I’ve also been juggling a couple of projects, so finishing Legacy in time to meet deadlines was a bit intense. I ended up spending a week with my laptop at a monastery so I could work without interruption. There were moments when I dreamed of hitting “send” so the manuscript was---at least for a while---someone else’s baby. I had thoughts of all the things I’d been putting off: having coffee with a friend, excavating piles and files in hopes of finding the surface of my desk, actually cooking dinner.

As soon as the manuscript was delivered, though, I got itchy to work on the fourth Chloe book. I want to keep to the book-a-year cycle if I can. I also had ideas circling in my head that needed to be captured before they flew away. I missed the main characters, and wanted to get back in touch.

So alas, my desk is still largely buried, stacks of reference books cover much of the floor, and I’m still not cooking and baking as much as I’d like. I am, however, having a lot of fun tiptoeing into a new story. This one will be set in a new location, so I’m getting to know a different environment. Aside from Chloe, her mom, and cop Roelke McKenna, the cast will also be new. So many possibilities to consider!

Writers – do you take a break between books? Or do you dive right into the next? Readers – do you appreciate series that generally add one new book a year? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Please visit me at http://kathleenernst.com to learn more about my mysteries for adults and young readers.

Writing is Rewriting

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

By Joe Moore

I just finished the first draft of my new thriller, THE BLADE, co-written with Lynn Sholes. This is our sixth novel written together; this one coming in at a crisp 92,500 words. Now that the first pass on the manuscript is finished, the rewrite begins. As E.B. White said in THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, “The best writing is rewriting.”

Some might ask that if the manuscript is written, why do we need to rewrite it? Remember that the writing process is made up of many layers including outlining, research, first drafts, rewriting, line editing, proofing, more editing and more proofing. One of the functions that sometimes receives the least amount of attention in discussions on writing techniques is rewriting.

There are a number of stages in the rewriting process. Starting with the completion of the first draft, they involve reading and re-reading the entire manuscript many times over and making numerous changes during each pass. It’s in the rewrite that we need to make sure our plot is seamless, our story is on track, our character development is consistent, and we didn’t leave out some major point of importance that could confuse the reader. We have to pay close attention to content. Does the story have a beginning, middle and end? Does it make sense? Is the flow of the story smooth and liquid? Do our scene and chapter transitions work? Is everything resolved at the end?

Next we need to check for clarity. This is where beta readers come in handy. If it’s not clear to them, it won’t be clear to others. We can’t assume that everyone knows what we know or understands what we understand. We have to make it clear what’s going on in our story. Suspense can never be created by confusing the reader.

Once we’ve finished this first pass searching for global plotting problems, it’s time to move on to the nuts and bolts of rewriting. Here we must tighten up our work by deleting all the extra words that don’t add to the reading experience or contribute to the story. Remember that every word counts. If a word doesn’t move the plot forward or contribute to character development, it should be deleted.

Some of the words that can be edited out are superfluous qualifiers such as “very” and “really.” This is always an area where less is more. For instance, we might describe a woman as being beautiful or being very beautiful. But when you think about it, what’s the difference? If she’s already beautiful, a word that is considered a definitive description, how can she exceed beautiful to become very beautiful? She can’t. So we search for and delete instances of “very” or “really”. They add nothing to the writing.

Next, scrutinize any word that ends in “ly”. Chances are, most adverbs can be deleted without changing the meaning of the sentence or our thought. In most cases, cutting them clarifies and makes the writing cleaner.

Next, go hunting for clichés and overused phrases. There’s an old saying that if it comes easy, it’s probably a cliché. Avoiding clichés makes for fresher writing. There’s another saying that the only person allowed to use a cliché is the first one that use it.

Overused phrases are often found at the beginning of a sentence with words like “suddenly,” “so” and “now”. I find myself guilty of doing this, but those words don’t add anything of value to our writing or yours. Delete.

The next type of editing in the rewriting process is called line editing. Line editing covers grammar and punctuation. Watch for incorrect use of the apostrophe, hyphen, dash and semicolon. Did we end all our character’s dialogs with a closed quote? Did we forget to use a question mark at the end of a question?

This also covers making sure we used the right word. Relying on our word processor’s spell checker can be dangerous since it won’t alert us to wrong words when they are spelled correctly. It takes a sharp eye to catch these types of mistakes. Once we’ve gone through the manuscript and performed a line edit, I like to have someone else check it behind us. A fresh set of eyes never hurts.

On-the-fly cut and paste editing while we were working on the first draft can get us into trouble if we weren’t paying attention. Leftover words and phrases from a previous edit or version can still be lurking around, and because all the words might be spelled correctly or the punctuation might be correct, we’ll only catch the mistake by paying close attention during the line edit phase.

The many stages making up the rewrite are vital parts of the writing process. Editing our manuscript should not be rushed or taken for granted. Familiarity breeds mistakes—we’ve read that page or chapter so many times that our eyes skim over it. And yet, there could be a mistake hiding there that we’ve missed every time because we’re bored with the old stuff and anxious to review the new.

Spend the time needed to tighten and clarify the writing until there is not one ounce of fat or bloat. And once we’ve finished the entire editing process, put the manuscript away for a reasonable period of time. Let it rest for a week or even a month if the schedule permits while working on something else. Then bring it back out into the light of day and make one more pass. It’s always surprising at what was missed.

One more piece of advice. Edit on hardcopy, not on a computer monitor. There’s something about dots of ink on the printed page that’s much less forgiving than the glow of pixels. And never be afraid to delete. Remember, less is always more.

How do you go about tackling the rewriting process? Any tips to share?

GOING UNDERCOVER

2012-01-26T00:05:00.006-05:00

This week I’m winding down a month-long blog tour to promote the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll. Since the last weekend in December, I have been the guest blogger at 27 different blogs, with six more to go. I dubbed my tour the Sit on Your Butt Book Tour because all of my interaction with readers has been while…well, sitting on my butt. As exhausting as it was to come up with 33 different posts over the course of a month, a virtual tour sure beat driving hours and hours from one book store to the next and hoping that someone showed up.

There are many benefits to a virtual book tour. For one thing, I can do it while wearing my Disney jammies and fuzzy slippers. I’m not constantly filling my tank with gas at close to $3.50 a gallon, and I’m not racking up toll charges on my EZ-Pass account.

However, what I like most about a virtual tour is the interaction I have with readers. I once did a book store signing where in the two hours I was there, exactly two customers entered the store. One wanted to buy a newspaper (the bookstore didn’t sell newspapers,) and the other was looking for a gift for a birthday party her kid was going to attend later that day. Needless to say, neither of these customers was interested in my books.

On a virtual tour many readers pop in to say hello and comment. Do they then buy my books? I don’t know. But that’s a whole lot less stressful than sitting at a table with a pile of unsold books.

The virtual tour is also a lot more fun than trying to engage shoppers at a bookstore. I swear, these people must think that they’ll get sucked in by my “author ray” and be forced to buy a copy of my book! People go out of their way to avoid making eye contact. When I approach them and try to engage in conversation, half the time they act as if I’m a stalker for merely smiling and offering a friendly hello and a bookmark.

I’m a shy person by nature. Putting myself “out there” has never been easy for me. So it takes a lot for me to step out of my writer’s cave and psych myself up for these events. Over the years, I’ve become much better at faking an extrovert personality, but it’s still hard for me.

Except when I can go incognito.

Years ago, I had a friend who made mascot costumes for sports franchises and various companies. Once at a design conference, she needed someone to dress up in one of the costumes for a talk she was giving. Since we were rooming together at the conference, guess who got elected? That’s right, little ol’ shy moi.

I had a blast!

No one knew I was under that red kitty costume. It was a totally liberating experience for an introvert. And that’s what a virtual book tour is for me. This month has been tiring, but it’s also been fun. And a lot less stressful than sitting for two hour stretches at a bookstore.

Maybe next time I’m asked to do a bookstore signing, I should dress up as a giant red kitty.

Lois Winston writes the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series. The first book, Assault With A Deadly Glue Gun, was a January 2011 release and received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was recently nominated for a Readers Choice Award by the Salt Lake City Library System. Death by Killer Mop Doll is a January 2012 release. Visit Lois at http://www.loiswinston.com and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, http://anastasiapollack.blogspot.com.