OLD IS COOL AND SO IS WRITING!

by Jackie King

I’m a writer, so I write. Sometimes I have to write what’s foremost on my mind. Today that happens to be writing as I grow older.  If you’re a writer, everything is connected with your writing. And no matter what your age is today, one day you too, will be old. So this morning, instead of trudging ahead on my latest Work-in-Progress, I’m talking about my Life-in-Progress.

Arranging your life successfully as you age isn’t as easy as it looks. And I’m one of the lucky ones. I have two daughters in the area who are both willing to help. The problem is, I don’t want to be a pain in their backside. I must say that hard as I’ve tried, I have complicated both of their lives. But I make a discernable effort to minimize their problems.

Years ago I vowed that I wouldn’t unnecessarily cause my children pain. I won’t go into the history of why, just that this was my goal for dealing with adult children. Did I always accomplish this? Of course not. But with all honesty, I can honestly say that I’ve tried.

Here was my game plan when I hit about 75: Since I’m single, I sold my four-bedroom house and downsized to fit into a three-room apartment in a complex for seniors. My daughters helped me, but the decision was mine. Here are my self-imposed ground-rules:

The “treasures” that I spent a lifetime collecting are just “stuff.” Look at the need to shed them as a relief, not a tragedy.

No “meltdowns” allowed. (I had one rather serve collapse right after I moved. Luckily my youngest daughter was with me, and she was wise enough to just let me boohoo in her arms until I recovered my equilibrium.)

I had to try two senior complexes before I found the right fit for me.

I made up my mind that I’d be happy.

I adopted the motto: OLD IS COOL! Because it is. (imo)

I chose a drop-dead date when I would stop driving, and then sold my car to my youngest granddaughter. Her delight at having a bright red, sporty-looking car, sweetened the bitterness of this pill.

As with all of my decisions, I made up my mind not to grieve over what laws of nature governor.

My rule as a writer: NEVER GIVE UP WRITING.

Write something each day that it’s humanly possible. (Did I break this vow? Of course. But as soon as possible, I went right back to writing. And I’m not talking about my grocery list.)

Growing old is sometimes a challenge. One must reject bitterness, regret and loss, and then press forward with hope, courage and faith.

Now back to my new cozy with the working title of Corpse Under a Sagebrush. Which more than likely will change.

Cheers,

Jackie

So You Want To Write Mysteries . . .

By Mark W. Danielson

It’s been a while since I’ve addressed writing so here is a frank discussion on the subject.  Those of us who write murder mysteries have at some point all been asked the same question – where do we get our [warped] ideas?  The question seems reasonable enough, but the answer is far from simple.  Rather than speak for anyone else or say “I don’t know”, I must first state for the record that I had a wonderful childhood, my parents are still married after sixty four years, I have never done drugs or committed any acts of violence, nor do I have any plans to do either.  I have a graduate degree, have painted all my life, and had written non-fiction for many years before discovering fiction in the late eighties.  And so began my endless drafts of mystery and suspense novels that killed off people with traits I didn’t much care for.  Yup, that’s the beauty in novels – the ability to plug ’em and plant ’em at will.  Oh, what a stress reliever it is.

One of the more notable author/artistic traits is the power of observation.  We tend to hear and see things that others may not, and then transfer these details into a scene from a book.  Background noises, indistinct whispers, a clunking shoe, television, even a sneeze can all play important roles in a story.  Intentional or not, many storylines are stolen from one’s memory.

The power of perception is an essential sleuth requirement.  One must be able to understand multiple points of view in order to create believable characters.  This means we must get inside the criminal mind as much as those defenders of good.  Personally, I like to people watch, read, or watch news accounts that border on fiction with their sensationalism.  I happened to have been in LA when another car chase came on the TV.  LA car chases are so routine they are hardly worth my time, but this one was entertaining as Robin Hood tossed money from the car as he drove through neighborhoods with six police cars behind him.  Yes, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.  I hear the culprit was the bank manager’s boyfriend.  Go figure.

There are plenty of whacked out people in this world, and while the percentage of nut cases may remain the same, their numbers climb proportionally with population growth.  Newspaper and magazines can stir volumes of sinister characters and complex plots.  Just don’t get too carried away.  Every plots must be plausible.

Any author will tell you that you can’t write if you don’t read.  You don’t read other authors to emulate them, though.  Instead, you do it to get a sense of their pacing and character development.  Reading within your genre also gives a sense of what is topical and publishable.  In a society of requiring instant gratification, news, and texting, it is unlikely that Hemingway or Michener could get published.  Today’s audience simply doesn’t have the patience for their writing style. 

Scripting requires perseverance.  Unless you are a celebrity or some quirk of fate happens your way, the odds of publishing anything in a timely manner is remote.  I know far too many excellent authors who will remain unknown because most readers buy with name recognition.  Because of this, book stores tend to limit their books to known authors and publishers.  Of course, this stacks the deck against new authors, but if your novel is good enough, it may still hit the chart one day.    

If you write to get rich, you’re probably better off investing in lottery tickets.  Computers, internet, paper, ink, queries, editors, proof readers, promoters, all cost money.  Unless you are an established author, publishers won’t be sending money your way because they simply don’t have it.  Expect to spend whatever advance you receive promoting your work.  Sadly, you won’t see another dime until your sales have worked off your advancement.  I don’t recommend giving up your day job until you have stashed away a couple million.      

For those who are married or live with significant others, know that creative writing is a solitary task.  It’s probably easy to tell when I’m writing because I am thinking more about the plot than what’s going on around me.  When I finally sit down to write, I find myself in a different zone.  Stephen King likes to write with rock music blaring.  For me, silence is golden as I download my subconscious thoughts into a Word document.  If the dog barks or phone rings, I flinch.  Because of this and my preference to stay married, I tend to write more while on the road so I’m not ignoring the person most important to me. 

Writing is my passion.  It is something I need to do.  I strongly encourage others to put their thoughts down as well, and if you happen to make a few bucks along the way, consider it gravy.

WRITER'S BLOCK

June Shaw

What is writer's block? Is it real? What can cure it? Those are today's questions.

In my early days of writing, I was happy to learn of the term writer's block. That was it: my ailment. I'd caught it, and that was why I couldn't think of anything else to write. Gosh, I loved knowing about it and having that terrific, legitimate reason for not having any more words to put on the page.

My excuse was NOT that I hadn't planned a thing for my book except who a couple of people were and what they wanted. Of course why they couldn't get what they wanted didn't take much to solve, so I couldn't go on.

But the fault was writer's block--not mine!

Wow, I discovered I could start lots of stories this way whether I wanted to write a script or short story or novel. Each time I reached a spot where I didn't know what might come next--I could get up and go to the mall! I mean, why not? Writer's block had grabbed me and dug itself right under my skin and wouldn't let me put down another word, so--off to purchase new earrings (which are so easy to shop for since they don't have to fit :) Shopping for earrings is almost like having the ailment that kept me from writing.

Back at home with my new pair of earrings, I needed to find just the right spot to put them. And the outfits they would go with. And then I needed to iron the shirt that would go perfect with them. And since I went through the trouble of getting the ironging board out, I couldn't believe how many other items I owned that needed pressing.

Oh, and then later I'd get back to writing. Of course first I needed to put supper on. And then keep an eye on the pots so nothing would burn.

And back to my story. But goodness, it was time for my favorite TV program and then I needed to shower and get to bed. After all, I had to get up and keep writing my great American novel in the morning..... If that dreaded disease, writer's block, didn't snag me again.

Of course if it did, I had a friend I hadn't gone out to eat with in a few weeks and that extra bedroom closet I'd been meaning to clean out......

Christmas

As you all wake up to December 25, I hope special warmth comes into all of your hearts. May this season guide you to your muses or to whatever space your heart takes you.

Mystery Writers' Websites

By Beth Terrell

I'm always on the lookout for good websites, books, and other resources for writers--especially mystery writers. Today, in lieu of a long involved post, I'd just like to share some sites you might find helpful--or at least, interesting.

Crimespace at http://www.crimspace.ning.com: This is a social networking site, much like Facebook or MySpace, but specifically geared toward readers and writers of crime fiction. Each member gets a page, a Crimespace email, and access to the discussion forums. It's not an extremely busy site yet, but I always learn something new there.

Mystery Ink, at http://www.mysteryinkonline.com: This site has author interviews, book reviews, and a list of other crime fiction websites.

Mystery Writers' Forum at http://www.zott.com/MysForum: The forums include discussions on publishing, agents, crime fiction sub-genres, mystery writing contests, and much, much more. The site also provides a list of resource links for mystery writers, including topics like police, forensics, firearms, private detectives, and poisons.

Agent Nathan Bransford's website at http://www.nathanbransford.com: Nathan's blog is not mystery-specific, but it's one of the most comprehensive agent sites, complete with a blog and discussion forums. His regular Friday post on "the week in publishing" is a must-read for anyone who wants to keep up with the latest news from the publishing world.

Absolute Write at http://www.absolutewrite.com: Again, this is not a mystery-specific site, but the "water cooler" forums have a wealth of information relevant to writers of any genre.

Happy surfing.