Saturday, May 28, 2016

WRITING DURING THE ELECTIONS

By June Shaw

Are any of you like me--trying to pour out words and emotions and characters and settings--while being bombarded with presidential candidates? Or presumptive or potential candidates?

I don't want to sit and watch much of the chatter about the upcoming election, although in it we will elect the most powerful person in the world. Good grief, just thinking of that makes me feel I need to sit up and take notice. My vote can make a difference. So can yours.

My publisher has book one for my new mystery series, and I'm trying to work hard to get the second one done by the deadline. But then someone turns on CNN, and the volume is loud. Lots of people say the same type of things they have been saying for months. And yes, I know many more months will pass before we reach election time.

Darn, it really is distracting to hear even bits of the daily tasks those candidates go through. Even if they work really hard not to show it, they must be exhausted with all of the traveling and speeches they give to the media and groups of people every day.

I get annoyed with myself for paying close attention so often, and then--then my mystery-writer's mind gets to work. It doesn't focus on the books I'm working on, but hey, another one has to come next. What if those people in the campaigns wind up in a mystery? I certainly wouldn't set any of the candidates or people too close to them in harm's way in a book. But what about someone else? Don't we witness some fury?

No, I would never wish for harm to come to any of them or actual people, but what about those I could make up? What if? What if......?

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