The Shame of Forgetting to Take Your Own Advice

by Jackie King

There are two writing challenges I’m facing just now. The first is creating a protagonist (heroine, in this case) for a new series I’m trying to concoct. The second is working with old characters in order to get my current work to the publisher.

Creating new characters is pure fun. Playing with those who have been around for a few years can sometimes be a bit tedious. These fictitious folk have had time to develop an attitude. To add insult to injury, I fear they learned this unpleasant trait from me. 

Not wanting to write is sort of like a young woman with a would-be admirer she’s (at first) uninterested in. The guy seems dull to her, and she doesn’t want to go on the date she’s agreed to. She does it anyway, because she promised.

This is what I’m like when I don’t want to write, but have to. I type what seems to be one dull word after another. Then later I’m astonished (as is the young woman) when the dullard springs to life and becomes exciting. This is part of the magic of writing fiction.

Writer’s block has been jokingly described as, “When your imaginary friends won’t come out and play.” In fact, I have a T-shirt with that in scripted on the front. But the opposite is also true. Sometimes writers just don’t want to play with the people they have created, that day. This happens to me quite often.

We writers can find very creative excuses for this malady. One writer friend I know used this method:

“You told me to make sure you wrote on this trip,” I’d say.

She’d lean back in her chair, shoot me an ultra-wise look, and tap her forehead. “I am writing,” she’d say. “Up here, in my mind.”

I never argued, because that’s not my style, but I also never believed her. When I’m writing or brainstorming for new characters or plots, I find it necessary to be at my computer or have pencil and paper at the ready.

Ideas can flash through a writer’s mind with such brilliance that you know you’ll forget never forget them. How could you? The character or plot concept seemed so alive it couldn’t fade. But it does. The inspiration burns itself out for want of a pencil and turns into ashes.

By the time I decided to put my rear in the chair and record my masterpiece, the whole thought had disintegrated. Much to my own chagrin, that sometimes still happens. Usually when I’m out somewhere with nothing to write on or with. Which, of course, is my own fault. I’ve told students to always carry a pen and notebook or index cards in their purse or pocket.

Oh, the shame of not listening to your own advice.

Just now I’m brainstorming for a new protagonist. (To non-writers, that’s the main character who is telling the story.) I’m interviewing females from 60 upwards to relate some new adventures.

Ms. Protagonist will have younger relatives to add balance to the story. One might be a a grown granddaughter who is also a police psychologist. To add depth and interest, this young woman could love anime and dress up each year for Tokyo in Tulsa. As a hobby she might conjure up characters by doodling pictures like these:

Brother and Kid travel a deserted wasteland

Thorn, a thief, wrestling with his own pride
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All characters were created and sketched by Morgan Sohl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At this stage there are no limits, and I’m having so much fun that the old characters may have to wait for awhile. 

It's Never Too Late for a Dream

by Jackie King

Is there anyone out there who longs to write but thinks it’s too late in life for them to start? Well, let me tell you that’s just not true. The secret to making dreams come true is immediate action! So if you long to write—start today. All you need is some kind of paper and a pen or pencil.

We can make our own dreams come true with courage and regular work. 

 

Pursuing dreams in Austin, Texas with Amanda Horn

If you only want to daydream about writing a novel or nonfiction book or your memoirs, there’s nothing wrong with just being a fellow traveler. Feel free to enjoy your fantasy with a clear conscience. I have my own just-for-fun pipe dreams—one of my books being optioned for a movie, winning the lottery, or becoming slim again. All very fun to think about, but I can survive if these things don’t happen. But if you’re serious about writing, that’s a doable goal. Put words on paper today with the goal of creating a story, a novel, an article or a poem, and presto chango, you’re a writer!

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well it is. But remember: creative writing is hard and you will have to work at your dream regularly. But achieving your dream is also rewarding. If you’ve always longed to write, the only thing that will satisfy that inner-craving is to put words on paper.

How to start?

Your first draft needs to be written without self-editing. We all have an evil voice inside our heads that says, ‘What makes you think that you can write?’ Even writers who are famous and successful battle this voice. The trick is push past those doubts and focus on the story you want to tell.

Something to remember:

Give yourself permission to write badly. Anne Lamott says in her wonderful book BIRD BY BIRD, that it’s required to write a sh*tty first draft. I love this woman’s advice on writing. This one tip alone can give a person the courage to put their fingers on the keyboard.

Oh, another thing: after that first burst of creative energy, say about chapter five, you’ll suddenly lose momentum. (This could happen earlier.) Another idea will come to mind and you’ll be tempted to start a new book with this ‘better’ idea. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked because writing the first book has become hard. I’ve already told you that writing is work. The very same thing will happen again with the new premise. Then again. And again. Make a few notes about your new idea and put it in a file called ‘story ideas,’ and soldier on with your first book. If you don’t, you’ll never finish a book.

This happened to me with THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE, my first mystery in the Grace Cassidy series. The initial chapter almost wrote itself. I was staying in a Bed and Breakfast, breathing in the atmosphere; sure I’d finish this book in a month. Sadly that didn’t happen. The process was lengthy but I learned a lot writing that first mystery.

 

1st book in the Grace Cassidy Series

Problems started when I got home, and that voice in my head started spouting off: ‘Okay, smarty-pants, the dead guy’s clothes weren’t anywhere to be found. How are you going to explain that? And, ‘your murderer is way too obvious; no editor will want to publish this story’. Plus, ‘You’ve set this poor woman up to be totally destitute. No one is completely without resources these days, how can that be? And so on.

I was full of doubts, but I was also stubborn. I dug in my heels, brainstormed alone and with friends, and solved each of these problems. Then my protagonist (heroine to you folks who just started writing five minutes ago) solved the murder in much the same way that her creator would do, by muddling through and refusing to give up.

This woman-of-a-certain age, with no job skills and no resources, finds herself a job, makes some quirky new friends and solves the murder. There’s also a touch of romance involved, just for fun.

Foolishly I thought the second in the series, THE CORPSE WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR, would be easier to write. After all, I had all of the characters, didn’t I? What a surprise to learn that writing a series brought problems of its own.

 

http://tinyurl.com/o5rljqo

I’m now working on book three, titled THE CORPSE AND THE GEEZER BRIGADE, and I’m still struggling. As I said earlier, writing is hard. Sometimes I feel as if I’m walking uphill through almost-set concrete. Nonetheless, it’s what I love to do. And I know how lucky I am to be living my dream.

  

My Grandpuppy Sadie and Me

You should follow YOUR dream.

Cheers,

Jackie

Dog Days and Trusting Your Reader

by Jackie King

The dog-days of summer arrived early this year, and along with the heat came lethargy and indolence. I’m calling this the lazy-day-syndrome, and I fear that I’m infected. Coining a disease sounds less harsh than calling myself a slug, don’t you think? (I have a habit of excusing all of my bad habits…my favorite is describing my tendency toward untidiness as artistic clutter.)

I needed to spend today editing an almost-finished book, but the word-smithing isn’t going at all well. My dialogue sounds as if it needs heavy starch and a hot iron. (I repeat, I'm suffering from lazy-day syndrome.)

I spent considerable time scanning through my dialogue, knowing that what I was reading wasn’t quite up to snuff, but not sure how to fix the problem. I wanted to put the work aside, telling myself that it was too hot to work, but that’s not going to bring in royalties and pay the bills. So I decided to let off some steam by lambasting my pet peeve, as a reader. Complaining always makes a person feel better, don’t you think?

I abhor the current odious trend of using both a punctuation mark and a question mark at the end of a sentence. Why? It’s insulting to me as a reader. It’s as if the author is saying, “I can’t trust you to get this, so I’m red-lighting the words to help you out.”

News flash: If the sentence is written correctly, I’ll get it. Also, when I see double punctuation at the end of one sentence, my first emotion is to throw the book across the room.

Why? Because it’s insulting to my intelligence. If the sentence is exciting, trust me, I’ll know that. If it isn’t, an exclamation mark won’t convince me.

Okay, I’ve had my little verbal temper-tantrum and now I feel all better. Guess I’ll go back to editing.

Hugs to all,

Jackie

By Jackie King

A writer never retires and that’s a good thing for me since I was old enough to die when I started. Re-started would be more accurate. After beginning to write early in my life I got sidetracked by distracting circumstances. I went away to college at 16, was married at 18 (my brain hadn’t even stopped growing) and then raised three children. In other words, stuff happened.

But the time is now and I’m learning to live in the present moment. That happens as you age and begin to feel your own mortality. So on this post, I’m talking about today.

Finally I’m Living My Dream

A writer never retires, which is a good thing for me since I was old enough to die when I (re)started at age 49. Because I had neither husband nor trust fund, I counted beans for a living and wrote at night and on weekends. That’s what most writers do. I loved those days made rich by writing, reading and hanging around with other scribes when time allowed.

The wonderful thing is that one eventually retires from their day job, and that’s when I became a full-time writer. I had listened to a lot of talk about getting prepared for retirement so I didn’t go into some kind of a funk (aka depression). No need for me or any writer to worry about that particular problem. My job had served me well, but I’d long been counting the years, months and days until I could finally say:

THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY!

It’s hard to believe that my favorite day is now Monday. (I usually keep quiet about this fact. No need to upset those who are still paying their dues.)

A few years ago, my new (dream) schedule started like this:

Rise at 7:00 a.m. and put on makeup. Reason for bothering with makeup? To signal my auto-pilot self that I had NOT retired, I’d just gone into business for myself. Then I took a walk through the neighborhood and worked at my computer until noon. (Coffee and breakfast fitted in somewhere, depending on the day. You’ve seen my picture so you know that I don’t skip meals. And coffee is essential, not only for my sanity but for the (mental) health of anyone near me.)

About five years into my dream life I gave up putting on makeup except for special occasions. That Pavlov’s dog thing had kicked in and I automatically walked to my computer each morning. I had learned that there just wasn’t enough time for small stuff. I had (finally) come to understand the importance of living in the present. I’d learned that not all good things are expedient. (That’s a King James’ Bible sort of word.) So now, with the limited energy of an old gal, my ‘primetime’ has become shorter. I write in the morning and then again after meals. These are the times when my energy level is highest. In between writing and short rest periods, I do such things as load my dish washer, pick up messy stuff around my house, and call a few friends. I usually read in the evenings.

I love my writer’s life! Back when I came home to write after working a 10-hour day, I loved that, too. When I had the energy to spend long hours at my computer as a younger full-time writer, I loved that even more. But writing today is best of all. Even my rest periods are spent writing; I mull over plot problems and character motivation. Then after I get my second (or third) wind, I hit the keyboard again.

Life is never perfect. Everyone gets their share of tragedy, illness, and cranky grocery clerks. But for this writer, LIFE ROCKS!

Post Script: This was written on a sunshine filled day. I may post my thoughts on a ‘downer’ day at another time. J

Hugs to everyone who loves books.

Jackie King

A couple of my mysteries:

THE INCONVENIENT CORPSE in a nutshell:

…No credit cards, no cash, no resources, no job skills. Fleeced and abandoned by her husband, Grace Cassidy learns she is the prime suspect in a bizarre murder.

STATEHOOD FOXY HENS AND MURDER MOST FOWL: Historical Mystery (Anthology) Set in 1889 Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory: “The Spinster, the Pig, and the Orphan,” a novella by Jackie King:

A most proper spinster, Harriet Lauren, decides to buy herself a husband, the handsome Zachariah Garrett. What she didn’t bargain for was murder in her brand new hotel that threatens her investment and then her life.

Website: www.jacqking.com

If you’re on Facebook, please ‘friend’ me. I’m listed as Jacqueline King

Do You Like to Figure Out the Killer?

by June Shaw

When you're reading a mystery, do you want to figure out who the killer is? Are you disappointed if you figure out that person before the end of the story? Or do you really care about whether you determine the killer at all?

I know lots of readers really care -- I mean REALLY care about determining the antagonist long before the sleuth does. Many readers say they will toss a mystery if they figure out "who done it."

I won't. Whenever I'm reading a mystery, I need to stay invested in its characters--the people who bring it alive. Once I am, then I don't normally care whether I can determine the bad guy or not.

But I seem to be in the minority.

Okay, so I am a big fan of Janet Evanovitch books (some have compared my books to hers, and I'm thriled.) By the time she's letting us know the bad guy, I really don't care who it is. I'm just having fun with her stories.

Of the three books in my humorous mystery series, I have never had anyone say they determined the killer before my main character. No one does. I kind of planned it that way, although actually what I wanted to do was write books kind of similar to Janet E.'s, but with a more mature heroine.

People tell me my books are fun. That's what I was going for.

If you are a mystery reader and can determine the bad guy or gal before my sleuth does, please let me know. I'll tell people, "Your name ... is the only reader of my books that I know of who's ever figured out who the killer was long before my amateur sleuth does." And who knows -- maybe I'll send you a ribbon or something.

So how about you? Do you always like to figure out who the killer is, or do you even care?

Review: Revenge Served Cold

By Beth Terrell

Revenge Served Cold is a cozy mystery with a touch of the paranormal. Written by Ohio businesswoman and attorney Jackie Fullerton, the novel features court reporter and part-time law student Anne Marshall solving the hit-and-run murder of one of her professors, Elliott Spence. Spence's wife, Kathy, is the prime--and only--suspect in the crime, but Anne becomes convinced of her innocence. This is largely through the influence of Anne's father's ghost. Her father, James, died several years before, but occasionally returns to involve his daughter in a bit of amateur sleuthing. Though a bit cavalier with his daughter's safety (understandable perhaps, for a man who knows from experience that life does not end with death), James is a likable character, and the interplay between Anne and her father provides some touching moments.

The book is a fast, light read by an author who clearly cares about her characters. Though it was clear from almost the beginning who had committed the crime and why, this did really not bother me because of book's focus on the relationships between characters rather than the mystery itself.

One challenge for writers of PI or amateur sleuth mysteries is how to give the protagonist the bulk of the work without depicting law enforcement officials as either corrupt, power-hungry bullies or incompetent fools. To her credit, Fullerton's police detectives are decent and sympathetic human beings. However, they seemed ill equipped for criminal investigation, and I wished they had been more competent. I also wondered why Anne was so averse to sharing pivotal information with Kathy's defense attorney, but since this book is the second in a series, the groundwork for some of Anne's more questionable decisions may have been laid in the first installment, Piercing the Veil.

Here's an excerpt:

Anne drove in silence, enjoying the company of her father. She took in the tobacco aroma and felt the assurance of him by her side. Memories of baseball games floated through her mind. When she was thirteen she had been part of the girls' traveling team and was wild about anything to do with baseball. That summer, her dad took her to every game he could. She particularly enjoyed the night games. It was magical to her when the lights came on and the stadium lit up like a stage. She remembered sitting there on those warm summer nights with her dad, a stadium hot dog covered with mustard and onions in one hand and a soda in the other. And that was just the start.

You can learn more about Jackie and her books at http://www.jackiefullerton.com.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author's publicist in return for an impartial review.