Writing Suspense: Things that may derail your quest for the perfect suspense novel

I've been meaning to post this for some time--hopefully you'll find something useful in it:

Writing Suspense:
Things that may derail your quest for the perfect suspense novel.
By Pepper Smith

Not long ago, when I knew I would be contributing to this workshop, I ran several unscientific polls among readers, asking about their likes and dislikes in mystery/suspense fiction, primarily what things turned them off to a story. What follows was gathered from the responses to those polls.

There are always exceptions to every rule, but these are things that were of particular concern to the readers I corresponded with.

Look-alikes vs. Original fiction

Every now and then, a book will appear on the scene that becomes a runaway best seller. Like the weather, there’s no real way of predicting where or when it will happen—it just happens.

With it, though, comes a somewhat dangerous temptation, especially for newer authors.

“Well, if they liked The Mysterious Mountain so much, surely they’ll fall all over themselves to buy my novel, The Secret Precipice, which is just like it!”

Keep in mind that it’s probably going to take you a year or better to get your manuscript written and ready to submit, and that in all probability, you’re not the only one who’s trying to cash in on the popularity of that best-seller. Knowing that, the question becomes: Do you want to present some overworked editor with Mysterious Mountain clone #751, or with something original that will catch his or her attention because it’s different from what everyone else is submitting? And by about the fifth or sixth Mysterious Mountain clone to hit the shelves, readers are often already moving on, looking for something new.

Gimmicks

Sometimes writers will fasten onto a ‘gimmick,’ like basing a mystery/suspense story on or around an actual historical person. There are some really fine examples of using historical persons that work very well, where the characters become so real that you feel like you’ve actually spent the day with them. It becomes a gimmick, though, when an author takes the names of historical figures and slap them on generic characters, and use them as the selling point of the story—say, for instance, taking the names of a certain famous writer of Victorian era detective fiction and a colleague, and placing them in the roles of Holmes and Watson, without much regard to personality, character traits, and the realities of the time period the story’s set in.

Readers of mystery/suspense fiction are not ignorant—in fact, they tend to be highly educated, and will notice if a writer ignores essentials. If they feel a writer has simply labeled cardboard cutouts with famous names to dress up a story that otherwise isn’t particularly well-written and inventive, it’s likely they’ll pass on buying any more of that author’s work.

Research your subjects and the era you’re using; make those things as close as you can get to what actually was. Or better yet, research, and change the characters names. Write something that’s original. Maybe you’ll be starting your own series of Victorian era detective novels.

The Big Bad World

Sometimes it seems as though authors deliberately put both their characters and their readers through Hades, as if to see how much they can all take. Sometimes authors work to make their protagonists and their readers fall in love with someone, only to kill the love interest off in rather senseless ways, as if to say, “This is the real world, and it’s a horrid, nasty place.”

Well, yes, sometimes the world is a horrid, nasty place. And yes, there are readers who delight in being made to feel miserable. Most readers don’t mind if you take them on a trip through the worst parts of town, as long as there’s a payoff of some sort. If you take your protagonist to the depths of the pit and leave him/her wallowing there, it’s very probable you’re going to lose readers. To paraphrase one reader’s remarks about that sort of ultra-dark fiction, “If my life was like that, I’d slit my wrists. Why would I want to read something that’s going to make me feel like that?”

This is fiction, after all. Most people read it to escape from the realities of the Big Bad World. Does this mean that everyone wants happy endings all the time? No, of course not. But readers do like to feel that there is something, a sense of justice done, of completion. Even horror stories tend to have happy endings of sorts—the monster dies, and the protagonist has survived, scarred perhaps, but tested to the limits and proven worthy of our admiration.

The Overuse of Violence

A related issue to consider is that of the use of violence in a story. “But wait!” I can hear you say. “You can’t have a murder without violence!”

That’s true, and the issue is not whether or not to use it, it’s how to use it. Once you rely on violence to add shock value to your story, you find yourself in a cycle of having to increase the level of violence to give your readers the same thrill that they got in your last story. This spirals upward until you wonder if you can keep your protagonist alive through all the violence you’re throwing at him/her, because you feel the need to outdo yourself with each story, and what you wrote last time is now old hat to your readers. You also risk not only writer fatigue, but reader fatigue, on an emotional level. It can literally reach the point where just making it through the story is so draining that the reader feels relieved to have finished it. It’s along the lines of a critic’s complaint about a recent James Bond movie—by the fourth time a character yells out “It’s a bomb!” and there’s an explosion, the critic just plain didn’t care anymore.

Keep in mind that the suspense in a story often comes not from something happening, but from the threat of something happening. Simplified, it’s like worrying about getting a shot at your next doctor visit, as opposed to the reality of getting a shot. Once you’ve had the shot, the suspense, or the anxiety leading up to it, is gone. Once you’ve inflicted the violence on your protagonist, the suspense is gone. You either have to up the violence level, or keep the violence as an escalating threat, with the suspense coming from wondering just how far the protagonist can push things before the axe falls.

Playing Fair

Writing a mystery/suspense story can be viewed as a sort of game between the author and future readers. You want to do the best you can to present something that will surprise and delight your readers, while at the same time not giving away the ending somewhere around the middle of the book. Who is causing the bad things to happen? Why? Will the hero or heroine figure it out before the villain closes in for the kill?

There are a few, and probably more, ways of keeping your reader from figuring out the ending that amount to cheating in the game. One is a method that was frequently used by Agatha Christie. There was always some key piece of information, some vital clue, which the detective noted but the reader was never informed of. This makes for the dramatic reveal scene in the drawing room at the end of the story (or the modern equivalent), where the protagonist reinforces his reputation for god-like powers of observation and ratiocination by walking his captive audience and the reader through the events of the book before springing that last vital clue or piece of evidence on them, thus revealing who the villain is. In such a case, there was clearly never any real intention of giving the reader a fair chance of figuring it out on their own, which is half the fun of reading a mystery/suspense novel.

Another favorite among some authors is the deus ex machina, the unexpected event that saves a seemingly hopeless situation. This could be the mysterious stranger that steps in and saves the day by revealing that he’s actually Inspector Crandall from Scotland Yard, and he’s been following this ruffian for years. Now, thanks to the protagonist, he’s finally caught up with the villain and can arrest him, thank you very much… Which leaves the question of where Crandall was during the whole rest of the story, why he didn’t step in earlier to help, and actually works to negate the struggle that the protagonist has been through to that point, because it’s never actually resolved. This scenario might come about because of getting your protagonist into a situation you can’t get him or her out of. Think it through a little more, see if there’s something your protagonist can do to get out of it, or try something different. A last-minute rescue from someone who wasn’t even in the story prior to that point will leave the reader feeling cheated.

One more is the trick of making the murderer/villain someone who never shows up at any point in the story until the last few pages, where he’s suddenly revealed as being the heroine’s third grade crush, who has always been obsessed with her and is killing off her boyfriends because they’re not good enough for her. Or it’s Joe Farnam, the passing stranger who shows up in the final scene holding a dripping knife over the body of his last victim, but has never been introduced to the reader or been given any sort of motive for his killing spree. This is patently unfair, especially if you’ve been planting clues all along that point at other people. Red herrings are one thing, but never planting clues at all that lead to the actual perpetrator may cause your readers to pass on your next book.

The Villain

Somewhere along the line, it seems to have become politically incorrect for villains to be anything but poor hapless victims who had horrendous childhoods and became the way they are because they couldn’t help it. Or they’re suffering from some bizarre mental disorder that takes away their culpability. This has become so common that it’s almost trite. Yes, this does exist in the world, but a lot of people had horrendous childhoods and didn’t become mass murderers, and probably few people with a mental disorder are likely to turn into knife-wielding maniacs when someone accidentally says something to set them off. People from all walks of life commit crimes for reasons that they can easily justify to themselves, if not to the law. Using the insanity angle, especially when it’s without any sort of prior warning that there might be a problem with that character, is along the lines of using Joe Farnam, the passing mass murderer. Yes, you surprised your reader, but you didn’t play fair doing it.

Readers also indicated that they didn’t want to know too much about a villain’s motives and background, or his identity, too soon in the story. Revealing too much can take away from the sense of dread the reader feels. It takes away from the game of figuring out whodunit, and why. Balance is required to reveal just enough to provide clues without giving away too much. Many prefer the bad guy to be a mysterious figure until the climax of the book.

The Protagonist

Whether male or female, your protagonist starts off at a disadvantage. Face it—villains tend to be more colorful characters, because they don’t play by the rules. It’s up to you to make your protagonist interesting enough for a reader to care about, but there are pitfalls to avoid.

Too perfect or too flawed—As one reader brought out, there are protagonists that speak seventeen languages and can solve complex mathematical equations while working out tomorrow’s lunch menu and painting the Sistine Chapel, or other equally improbable things. There are also protagonists who are so flawed that it’s nearly impossible to imagine them being capable of dealing with the plots they’re presented with.

Too dull or wooden. Not fleshed out. Stereotypes. These are things that will render a protagonist into someone the reader cannot connect with. If they can’t connect with your protagonist, there’s a good chance they won’t read to the end to find out whodunit.

For your protagonist to connect, he or she needs to feel real to the reader. Overly perfect or overly flawed comes across as a caricature—someone who works well will have strengths as well as flaws in a good balance. Character descriptions should include physical details that will help readers picture them in their own minds, and some history to provide readers with a sense of who the protagonist is. Your protagonist becomes the reader’s closest companion for the course of the book. Would you want to go on an adventure with a perfect stranger who remains a stranger from beginning to end?

Think through who your protagonist is, how you want to present him or her. Does he or she have interesting hobbies or character quirks that can be logically worked into the story without detracting from it? Find things about your character that will make a reader want to take that journey with your protagonist as the guide.

Pacing

There are some things that can absolutely kill your pacing, which is important in suspense because the speed of the narrative, or the lack thereof, can make all the difference between a compelling tale and a slow tome that a reader might put down and never think to pick up again.

Extreme detail: Detail is important, there is no denying that. But if it takes a writer three pages to describe the room the protagonist is standing in, could that perhaps be overkill? Sometimes you want the reader to see the revolver on the mantelpiece because you intend to use it later in the story, but describing it in detail if you never intend to use it will only slow the narrative. Is it really necessary to describe every fold in the drapes to let the readers know that there are heavy blue curtains at the windows? Huge blocks of description are like unexpected speed bumps. They slow the pace and draw the reader away from the action.

There are some things that can be considered common experience. For instance, most people know what a palm tree looks like. It’s not necessary to describe what each individual frond looks like and how it’s positioned for a reader to understand that there’s a palm tree there. Most people know what a horse, a cow, or a dog looks like in general. There may be a need to throw in a qualifier, that the horse was a Clydesdale, or the cow was an Angus, or the dog was a Labrador. That, and a brief description of the animal’s color, are generally more than enough for most readers.

In other words, use a big brush when painting in the common experience details, and a fine brush to bring attention to those things that are vital to your plot or characterizations. Unnecessary detail slows you down.

Plot exposition, or the info-dump: It can be very tempting to give essential details in one big paragraph, to get it out of the way. This is another speed bump. Can you work the details in a bit at a time in other ways? A bit here or there in dialogue, or in a character’s thoughts as they’re involved in an otherwise uninteresting activity such as driving or waiting for the bus? A truckload of gravel can either make a pile five feet high, or a nice driveway surface if it’s spread out. You want the one that keeps things smooth and makes it easy to get down your driveway.

Beware—the info dump can also take place as a solid lump of dialogue, as one character shares information with another and thus with the reader. This takes on a rather ludicrous aspect in its “As you know, Bob,” form, when one character is telling another something that the second character clearly already knows, as a ploy to make sure the reader knows it as well. It’s better to find another way of sharing that with the reader.

Unnecessary repetition: This can happen more easily than you’d think, because as writers, it can take us quite a while to get a story down on paper. Details that we wrote early in the story are no longer fresh in our minds, and it’s tempting to think that we need to explain something again that we first wrote about two months ago. Remember, though, that what takes us months or even years to write will be devoured by the reader in a matter of hours, perhaps days at the most for slower readers. The same details given over and over and over will interrupt the flow, and cause your reader to question whether they’ve fallen into a time warp because they’ve read that bit before.

Inconsistencies in pacing: Have you ever read something where someone turns the heat on under a kettle, turns to have a conversation with their companion, and before they’ve gotten five words out, the kettle is whistling? This example is literally only a slight exaggeration—I have seen this type of thing in stories before. How long does it really take for a kettle to boil? How long does it take for a woman with long hair to braid it or pin it up on her head? How long does it actually take to drive across town, pick someone up, and come back? If you have one character head off to pick up the kids while two others have a conversation, and you have only five minutes of dialogue before the kids arrive, either the kids were right across the street, or you didn’t think about the time actually involved in the scene. Believe me, your readers won’t miss the mistake, and they’re going to take time out from reading your story to wonder what you were thinking when you wrote that.

Also, in describing action, it’s good to keep in mind that if it takes much longer to read your description of the action than it would have taken for the action to actually happen, it can slow your pacing tremendously.


Some things would seem to be intuitive, but sometimes aren’t:

Research

Writing about something you’ve never had hands-on experience with means you’ll be doing research if you want to write about it knowledgeably. This is not a place where you can wing it. You will have readers who will know you got it wrong, in all likelihood ones that you wanted to attract by writing about the subject in the first place. Not only will they probably not finish your story, they’ll tell their friends about you story, so you’ll lose not just those readers who bought the book, you’ll lose others who will never bother to buy it.

Do readers notice what might appear to be inconsequential details? Yes. And they will let you know about it if you get it wrong, usually in terms that will make you feel stupid. This is easy enough to avoid by making sure you know what you’re writing about before you start.

Trust Your Audience’s Intelligence

Most readers of mystery/suspense stories are intelligent, educated people who resent being talked down to. They keep track of clues and details as they try to beat your protagonist to the solution of the mystery or the identity of the villain. If you’ve done your job properly, sharing clues and information throughout the narrative, you will not need to provide your readers with a detailed summary and explanation of what happened and how your protagonist reached the conclusions he or she did. As one reader pointed out, such a summary and explanation is insulting to your readers’ intelligence. If you’re concerned that you might not have explained things well enough through the narrative, have someone read it and tell you if they found it confusing. Leave the summarizing and explaining to the writers who never intended to let you beat them to the solution, so they can show off their protagonists’ detective skills in the grand drawing-room finale.

“Man Behind the Curtain” Syndrome

A writer’s job is to engage a reader’s emotions and senses in the story. One has to be careful, though, to avoid becoming the ‘man behind the curtain,’ writing things that are so obviously meant to make the reader feel joy or fear or anger that you can almost see the man standing there with cue cards and a cattle prod. The TV Movie of the Week needs to use these sort of tricks because they’ve only got an hour and a half to tell you the story, and usually have to engage your emotions within the first few minutes if they want you to feel for a character who dies early in the movie. Writers of novels, however, have time to be subtle about it. The best way to learn this is to read the works of other writers with an eye toward what they are doing and how they’re doing it. Practice it. It’s a skill that will make your narrative much smoother, and you won’t be insulting your readers by telling them how they should be feeling at any given point in your novel.


Presented at the Muse Online Writers Conference 2006
Copyright 2006 by Pepper Smith
Permission to distribute for educational purposes granted.

Click on the Writing label to find all other posts on writing.

'til later~~~

Links Updated

I've added a few links to the sidebar, so be sure to check out what's on other people's blogs in the writing and publishing world. Some agent blogs, some editor blogs, a blog dedicated to helping you polish your query letter, lots of good stuff.

Unless something untoward happens, I'm going to stop giving updates on the ankle. It's healing. Folks think I'm getting around a lot better, and it's not hurting quite so much anymore. I think I can safely say it's a hassle having to limp everywhere, but it's getting better and at least I'm getting around on it.

It's amazing how hard it is to write a story if you aren't using the right characters for it. I'm swapping some around in my current project, but I'm not saying more until I'm sure it's the right choice.

Currently reading: The Private Patient by P.D. James, and The Father Hunt by Rex Stout.

If you've signed up for our suspense workshop at the Muse Online Writers Conference, feel free to visit my website and download the articles on writing and adding suspense. They're not required reading, but it never hurts to prepare.

'til next time~~~

Editing round 2, done

Got back second round edits on Blood Money, as expected. Unless Alexandra finds anything that we missed the first two times through, we're probably done.

Here are some links to blog posts that might be of interest to writers:

What do you think? -- Talks about authors' attitudes toward themselves and their work, and how it can affect promotion efforts.

The Myth of "Just An Author" -- Can an author be 'just an author' and leave everything else to his publisher?

Book Publishing Glossary -- Ever hear a publishing term and wonder what it meant? Now you can find out!

Not publishing related, but hilarious: Cake Wrecks -- When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong.


Currently I'm reading Triple Jeopardy by Rex Stout, and Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie. Enjoying both.

Current ankle condition: I'm up and hobbling without support now, but goodness! Sometimes it hurts more now than I did when I broke the thing!

I'm going to have to look through my saved links and update the links in the sidebar. There are a number of useful blogs I haven't got listed there, such as Pimp My Novel, which are both fun to read and informative about the publishing business.

Until next time~~

Forward motion

Things are moving forward, although as usual not as easily or quickly as I might prefer. The ankle is still healing. I've gotten now to where I can walk without the walker or a cane while wearing the boot, so I am now adding in a bit of time spent walking in a regular shoe, which will no doubt help strengthen the muscles that stabilize the ankle. It's not quite as painful as it was when I started putting weight on it a few weeks ago, but it can still be very uncomfortable if I overdo.

We've done the first round of edits on Blood Money. Alexandra, my editor, says I may get the next round by Sunday. So far, so good. I'm not sure when the cover art will be started, so I'm still looking forward to seeing what the art department comes up with.

Recently read two books I enjoyed, Run Afoul, by Joan Druett, and Terra Incognita, by Ruth Downie. The first is the third novel in the Wiki Coffin series (Wiki is half-Maori, and works as a translator in an American exploring expedition fleet in the mid-1800s.) I liked the main character and the story enough that I'm considering getting the first two in the series. Terra Incognita is the second in Ruth Downie's Roman Britain series, and I enjoyed it as much as the first. I'm looking forward to reading the second.

More later~~

Ah, mobility!

As of today, I am on the way back to mobility. The doctor looked at the x-rays of my ankle and declared the bone healed, stating that the fracture line was close to unnoticeable. I've begun putting weight on the foot while working my way around the house with the aid my walker, which sometimes means working my way sideways through doors because the door frames are not wide enough. Still, after seven weeks, it feels great to be up and around.

One of the books I've read, from the recent spate of book buying, is Medicus by Ruth Downie. I hit it after about four other books that just didn't grab my interest, and was pulled into the story so quickly that I immediately began looking for other titles by the author. The narrative voice is great, the characters are fun to spend time with, and the historical era--Roman Britain--is one that hasn't already been explored to death, so it was a refreshing read. Her next novel is firmly on my to-buy list.

I've just started Royal Flush, the latest in Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series. It promises to be a fun read.

A bit of progress to report on the current WIP. Now that the brain is beginning to function better, the writing's coming more easily. Certainly being able to get up and get around should help some--it's not easy typing when you're lying on your side.

After a few really hot days, we've had a continued span of nice weather, really odd for the last part of July, but I'm certainly not complaining. Hopefully it won't mean we're in for nasty weather this winter to make up for it.

I contacted Mysterical-E, and my story, "Picture Imperfect", is scheduled for the fall edition, which should be out somewhere around the end of September. I'll post a link when it's up.

If you've tried following the link to the interview in the post a couple back, it works now.

'til next time~~~

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is, basically, taking the words another has written and putting your own name to them, as if they were yours.

There are some wonderful blog posts around the web on the subject of plagiarism and why it's something writers and readers shouldn't tolerate.

Anti-Plagiarism Day!

It's Anti-Plagiarism Day

The posts contain a lot of links to other posts on the subject as well, so expect to spend some time looking.

Intellectual property has always had trouble getting the respect it deserves. It is exactly that--property. When you take someone else's words and present them as your own, it's stealing. It's the same as if you walked into a craftsman's workshop, picked up a fine carving from his workbench, walked off with it, and put it on display as your own work.

This is not flattery. The person you stole from will not feel that you've paid homage to them, and will not thank you. If you like a turn of phrase or a passage from a book that much, buy the book and put it on your shelf where you can re-read it all you want. Don't steal what someone else labored over and display it as your own work.

Plagiarism doesn't happen by accident. Don't be guilty of it.

Click on the Writing label to find all other posts on writing.

'til next time~~~

Hey, who let it get so hot?

Actually, we've had some really nice weather for the past week or so, but it's about to get back to summertime conditions, which I'm not looking forward to. Hot, humid air is still hot and humid, no matter how many fans you have blowing on you.

So, have I gotten anything written while I've been housebound with this ankle? Erm...no. I have been reading a lot, though. You can't call it slacking, because reading is as essential to the process of storytelling as putting words on a page. You never know when something you read will spark an idea that spins off in an entirely different direction and gives you something else to write about.

The ankle appears to be healing. I've got two more weeks of no walking, unless the doctor decides to add to it when I see him next. Hopefully he won't.

I've been telling everyone that the cutoff date for registration for the Muse Online Writers Conference is the end of August. Turns out it may actually be the first of August. If you're going to sign up, do so quickly. There's only about three weeks left in July.

My family's been bringing me gift cards from Barnes and Noble, so I can order books off their website. I've got a lovely stack of things waiting to be read, which is a delight, because I read fast. Current read is Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout. Previous reads include other Rex Stout stories, some by Donna Leon, Rhys Bowen's second "Royal Spyness" book A Royal Pain, and the first in a new series by Thea Phipps, Charades With A Lunatic. Lots of great reading there! Also looking forward to the new Dick Francis/Felix Francis book, which is out in August.

Looking forward to being up and around again, in a few weeks. Watch your footing, so you don't end up spending the best parts of summer staring at the ceiling!

Until later~~

Those low down, imperfection blues

Isn't it fun when life decides to remind us that we're not the indestructible creatures that we like to think we are?

On June 2, I put my foot down wrong stepping out of my parents' house and twisted my ankle, in the process also breaking my fibula and tearing a bunch of ligaments in my right ankle. The orthopedist decided I needed a plate and screws to fix the break, and I underwent the operation on the 9th. Today was my first post-op checkup with the doctor. According to the x-ray, I have six screws in my ankle, five of which are attached to the plate and the bone, and the sixth appears to be directly linking the two bone ends. Got another four weeks to go before I'm supposed to begin walking again. No putting weight on it until then. The stitches came out today as well. I can say that I'm glad I didn't look at the incision site until after it had had a chance to do some healing.

The interview and article at Mysterious People, which I mentioned in my last post, are up, and have been since June 1 and 2. Of course, I haven't felt up to doing much computerwise during the last few weeks, so here are the links I promised before the broken ankle:

A Conversation with Pepper Smith

Writing Suspense

Hope your summer is injury-free. At least with all this down time, I don't have many excuses for not writing, lol!

'til next time~~~

Upcoming interview

The lovely Jean Henry Mead, who runs the Mysterious People blog, has been posting a series of author interviews and articles, some by well known authors and some by less well known ones. I'm honored that she's chosen to include me in the series. When the interview and article post, I'll post the links here.

As a reminder, if you're looking for previous posts on writing and don't want to search through the archives, there's a link in the sidebar that will bring up only those posts with the writing tag.

If you're looking to keep up to date with posts here...the only thing I can suggest is to add yourself as a follower on the widget in the sidebar. I post when something comes up I want to yak about, which isn't as often as I should.

Another reminder about the Muse Online Writers Conference. This is a free event held for one week during October. To find out what workshops are on offer this year, please visit the website and look through the list. JD Webb and I will, of course, be doing our suspense workshop again this year. Registration is open, but will close toward the end of August, so don't wait if you want to check it out.

Still have future writing posts rolling around in my head. Will get them out here once they stop rolling...

Till later~~~

Delayed gratification

Hmm. Well, if you’ve checked over at Mysterical-E, you’ve no doubt noticed that my story didn’t make this issue. Perhaps the next one, coming out in July? I’ll have to check back with them to see exactly when it’s supposed to show up if it’s not out in July.

Work is progressing on the current WIP. It remains to be seen if writing during allergy season is a good or bad thing, though. I feel like I’m in a fog so much of the time. Got to give some thought to another writing post. With everything blossoming right now, though, all I really seem to want to do is hibernate.

Once upon a time, I figured I’d put together a newsletter when enough interesting things happen to let people know about. I guess my life is just not that interesting. Check back here for any updates that I thought might be of interest, because I’m probably going to ditch the newsletter idea.

What makes suspense?

I have to warn you that it's a big part of allergy season for me, so if you detect a slight incoherence, you know why.

In October for the past three years, the Muse Online Writers Conference has offered a number of workshops and live chats with authors, editors, publishers, and even a few agents, with the goal of helping authors to improve their craft and their chances at publication. We will be offering our course on adding suspense to fiction again this year, following the same lines as last year–

JD Webb and I posted a number of writing prompts, sentences that students were to take and begin a suspense story with. The results were interesting–and by the end, I believe the participants understood more clearly what suspense is and how to incorporate it.

So what is suspense? It is the feeling that something bad might happen. It is not violence, it’s the fear that the violence might happen. It is not shock effect, although suspense and shock effect work hand in hand in some genres. It can be compared in a minor way to the fear you might feel going to the doctor when you know you’re going to get a shot. You feel apprehension about getting stabbed in the arm with a needle, but once it’s actually happened, you no longer feel the fear and apprehension. In the same way, suspense loses its punch if you let the bad thing happen. The goal is to keep the reader on edge by keeping your protagonist just this side of the bad results threatened by your villain.

As instructors, we, too, each took one of the prompts and began a suspense story with it. Mine is posted below:

_______________________

The small hairs on the back of Roger’s neck rose as he slid the nozzle of the gas hose into the Miata’s tank.

He stiffened, looking up. The driver of the black Chevy at the next island over had his back to him. Close to the station’s front door, an elderly man held the lid of an old-fashioned chest freezer open, while two young boys picked out ice cream treats. No one from inside the station’s office seemed to be looking his way.

Someone, somewhere, was staring at him. And hard, by the feel of it.

He squeezed the pump handle and locked it on before turning slowly on his heel, looking around with a feigned casual air. Heat rose from the faded asphalt of Hwy 236. Directly across from him, a farmer wheeled his tractor in a tight arc and started back along the length of his field, cutting the long grass for hay. Down the road to his left, houses clustered on both sides for a distance of about a quarter of a mile. To the right, on his side of the road, was a feed store. The farmer’s field took up the rest of the other side, green grass stretching away for as far as he could see.

The small community was little more than a spot along the road, too small to be incorporated as a town. Quaint, Marissa had called it when they’d passed through on their honeymoon. There was also no one in sight, aside from the farmer, who was headed away from him.

Still…

He shook himself and turned back to the car. Marissa had fallen asleep not long before they’d gotten here. He leaned his forearms on the driver’s door, smiling as he studied her. She wasn’t one to let things get in the way of her plans. They’d made the reservations for this trip last year, before their honeymoon had ended, and not even the surprise discovery seven months ago that she was pregnant had been enough to deter her from it. He reached in and gently brushed a few strands of her long black hair from her face.

“Hey, hon, better wake up.”

One corner of her mouth quirked. “I wasn’t asleep.”

He grinned. “Sure. This is the last chance for a bathroom stop before we reach our hotel.”

She grimaced, opening her eyes. “You do know that this child of yours plays kickball with my bladder, don’t you?”

“You’ve mentioned it before.”

She sat up, unfastened her seatbelt, and opened her door.

“Need any help?” Roger asked.

“I’m not as big as a house, yet.” She carefully levered herself out of the low-slung car. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

The weight of the pregnancy had given her walk a cute little sway. Roger pushed himself upright, watching her over the roof of the Miata as she walked away.

The sense that he was being watch returned, so strong that he gave up any pretense of casual interest in his surroundings. He scanned the area, looking first past Marissa to be sure she wasn’t heading into trouble, then turning to look intently toward the small cluster of houses. A couple of children had come out onto a front lawn to play catch. An ancient Ford Fairlane rattled past along the highway, pulling off at the feed store. There were a few places where someone could have hidden behind bushes to stare at him unobserved. There was no way of knowing if anyone was using them without going to check.

The pump handle clicked off. He turned back to pull the nozzle from the tank and return it to the pump. As soon as Marissa came back from the bathroom, they’d be leaving, and his hidden observer would just have to find someone else to stare at.

A red pickup truck approached from the direction of the houses, slowing as if to turn in at the service station. Marissa swung around.

“Roger, do you have a couple of dollars for…” Her voice trailed away. He looked at her quickly. She stared past him, her eyes wide, and her face pale and blank with shock. “Billy--”

Roger half-turned, looking behind him. The red pickup had slowed to a crawl. Its driver, a lean, muscular man with short dark hair and a bushy mustache, stared back at him, cold, arrogant, a slight smile curving his mouth. Marissa’s psychotic ex-husband, who’d beaten her so badly that she’d lost their nearly full-term baby, and gotten himself convicted of manslaughter in the death of their child. She’d divorced him while he was in prison. He wasn’t supposed to be out yet.

Billy’s smile widened. He raised an arm and mimed pointing a gun at Roger’s head. His index finger crooked as if pulling the trigger. Roger’s skin crawled. Billy looked past him at Marissa, then stepped on the gas and accelerated away.

____________________________

Does this give you the feeling that something bad is going to happen? Billy has announced his intentions. If I were to continue the story, of course, it would become a contest between Roger and Billy, with the lives of Roger, Marissa, and the unborn child at stake. Keeping the suspense high requires that the readers care about what happens to this young family, which is another vital aspect of suspense. If your readers don’t have a strong desire to see them escape, they might just root for Billy to track them down and kill them.

Click on the Writing label for all other posts on writing.

Back on Blogger

Erm...never mind. I didn't care as much as I ought to have for the new blog software on my website, so I'm back to posting here. I'll just transfer a couple of posts from the other blog to here, then shut the other one down.

New blog

Well, I'm in the process of setting up a blog on my website. Don't know yet if I like it more than this one, but I've got a post on it about writing suspense. The new site is here. This one will stay up, in any case, because google already sends people here for a few of the writing posts.

Edited to add: In case you get here through some freak of Google pointing you here, I gave up the blog on my website and have continued this one. Just click the home tab at the top of the page to get to the newest posts.

Update on publishing schedule

My books have been assigned dates for publication. They are as follows--

Blood Money--April 2010
Rio Star--October 2010
Reef Runner--April 2011

Haven't been assigned an editor yet, but that's coming.

If you haven't read anything of my series yet, don't forget the short story "The Uncle Hunt" is available in pdf on my website. Just click on the link on the front page, which will take you to the page where the download link resides (look for the download link toward the bottom of that page).

In looking through the stack of links I've been collecting, I found a couple that I think I'll add this time around. First is called The Cardinal Sins from over at Mysterious Matters, regarding what not to do in writing mysteries. Useful if you have aspirations in that direction.

The second: You know those emails going around every now and then about the woman who paid $250 for the Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe and generously decided to share it with the world via email? Guess what? It's an urban legend. To get the history of that particular story, visit Snopes, the urban legend site, and enter Neiman-Marcus cookie in the search box. If you want the REAL Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe, visit their website. It's free to whoever wants it.

Publishing news

Well, publishing news as it applies to me, that is.

Mundania Press has acquired my Patty O'Donnell series, as of the end of January. Blood Money is tentatively scheduled to come out next year, though there's no firm date yet. The other two are expected at six month intervals after that. Will post updates as I get them.

Whoohooo!!!

First post of 2009...

Well, if you've been checking in from time to time, you've noticed that I don't tend to post much. I've added (I think) the followers function to the sidebar--if you add yourself to it, and I happen to post something, you'll know about it rather than hoping to catch a new post through randomly clicking on my blog. Not that I'm expecting there are many people actually reading this...

In any case, we're still stuck in the old house. Once the weather got cold, the mold problem got to be much less of a problem because the mold doesn't like the cold much. Still looking for financing to build the new house. The first company we applied with kept us hanging for a while before informing us that our part of the country is a declining market and declined to make the loan. The fact that pretty much the whole country is a declining market doesn't seem to figure into it.

So far as I know, my story "Picture Imperfect" should be coming out in the Spring issue of Mysterical-E. I'm thinking somewhere around the first of March, but we'll see how it goes. I'll post more on it once I get word for certain.

I have a ton of links I've been saving up, but since I'm not posting from home, they'll have to wait until the next post.

'til next time~~~

Changes...

Just about wherever you are in my house, you see boxes. Some are packed full, others are flat and in stacks, waiting to be chosen because they're just the right size to put that set of knick-knacks inside, or for my husband's billion pairs of shoes. (Okay, so he doesn't have a billion pairs, but he wears size 12/13 depending on the shoe maker, so a big box is a necessity.) This process has been going on for probably two months now, mostly because I didn't want to hold off to the last minute and pack trash along with the stuff we wanted to keep. There's nothing like opening a box of treasured possessions and finding an old straw wrapper from a long-forgotten fast-food meal to bring home the need for pre-planning and organization for an undertaking of this size.

Yes, we're moving. Sort of. If all goes to plan, we're pulling down the old house we live in now and building new on the same lot. I don't think I'm going to miss this place all that much. But we've been here nineteen years, so there's a lot of junk to wade through in search of the things we really need and want to keep. Ask my son. Now that he's packing up his own things, I think he finally sees the wisdom in all those admonitions to pick up the trash so he can see what needs to be put away. He's already staked out the back bedroom in the yet-to-be-built house, which happens to be the master bedroom, but since the new house's two bedrooms are of equal size, I don't mind, because I really like the big windows in the second bedroom. Besides, the master bath is going to be cut down to a half-bath to make room for the furnace and the water heater. It's funny how not all house plans come with designated spots for those things.

I've been hearing geese, most likely on their way further south. Can't say I blame them. I hate cold weather. Leaves are falling off the trees at an increasing rate. Both remind me that we have little time left here. Not in the metaphysical sense--there's a lot of mold in the floor and the walls, and we have to have the windows open for the fresh air. Once it gets cold enough that we have to shut the windows, we will have to abandon the place, if it hasn't been pulled down before then. Mortgage paperwork is such a joy, especially when you have to rely on others to get back to you with requested information. I'm not sure we'll be done with it before we have to be out of here.

The Muse Online Writer's Conference starts next week. So far, we've got a bit over 150 people signed up for the Suspense workshop. If you're one of them and you haven't gotten my papers, "Writing Suspense" and "Adding Suspense", you might want to grab them off my website. They're not required reading, but you might find them useful, since this year, workshop attendees get to write their own short suspense scenes. My workshop partner is also running his tagline workshop again, so keep that in mind.

Now, off to wrestle with myself over whether I should be writing fiction or packing. Choices, choices...

'Til next time~~

Website update complete, plus Muse Conference

Finally, got the website update finished and posted. If you find any links that don't work, click the link at the bottom of the website pages to report them, please.

The Uncle Hunt is now available as a pdf download on my website. Enjoy! I ask that you don't pass along the file. Please help me keep track of how many downloads it gets by directing people to the appropriate page on my website. They can download it themselves. Requires Adobe Reader or an equivalent pdf reader to open the file. Adobe Reader is a free download from Adobe.

The Muse Online Writers Conference registration is open until September 1, 2008. If you intended to attend this year, you've only got a few more days to register. Lea is making no exceptions this year. If you miss the cutoff date, you'll have to wait for next year's conference.

Mysterical-E has accepted my story "Picture Imperfect" for publication. It will probably be out in the spring issue, from what I'm told.

Still waiting to hear back from the publisher about my books. I will post information as I get it.

Until next time~~~

Website updates coming soon

We've had problems with a computer virus getting in and messing things up (my husband's user account on the computer vanished entirely, including all his current bookmarks, which were considerable in number), followed by weeks worth of getting the harddrives reformatted, getting all the software loaded back on, and getting the computer and the router talking to each other again. A frustrating series of events for all sentients involved. I'm sure the computer didn't care one way or the other.

I plan on revamping my website, which may or may not include changing the background color scheme. Probably any future sample chapters will be posted in pdf format, and I'll likely have a free story download available sometime in August. Articles I've written for the Muse Online Writers Conference are also posted there, on the articles page. Those will continue to be available.

My three out-of-print books are currently in the queue at another publisher. The first has made it through the initial read and is waiting for an editor to give it a good look before they'll make any decisions on it. If there's one thing the writing biz teaches you eventually, it's patience.

Speaking of the Muse Online Writers Conference, registration is now open. Registration runs sometime through September--my bad on not remembering exact dates. I'll post them once I've tracked all the information down. The conference is free, and you have the advantage of being able to attend your chosen workshops in your pajamas if you choose, because no one will ever see you. Except, perhaps, your housemates and the delivery man.

Many thanks to Lynne Patrick of Creme de la Crime, an independent British crime publisher, for unwittingly giving me exactly what I needed to get my latest Patty story moving forward. You rock.

Until next time~~

Stereotypes in Writing

My apologies for the extended delay in posting again. You really don't want to hear all about my allergy problems and the effect they have on my brain, so I won't get into that.

I’ve been pondering this post for a while, and decided to finally get my brain in gear and write it.

A number of years ago, before my first novel made it to print, a reader complained about the fact that my characters of a particular nationality weren’t the way characters of that nationality were portrayed in movies. I explained to her, politely, that the characters in the movies were stereotypes, and that I don’t use them.

Stereotypes are a sort of shorthand that is used to invent characters without giving much thought to it. Movies and television use them because they’ve got only so much time to tell a story, and they can’t afford to spend much of it developing their characters. Since movies and tv are such a pervasive part of our culture, their use of that particular shorthand is a trap that we can easily fall into. Got an Italian character? Throw in a love of pasta and a few ‘Mama Mia’s and you’ve got it, right?

Well, only if you’re writing a five minute children’s cartoon.

Writing characters according to stereotypes is somewhat undesirable because a) people are not all alike, inside or outside arbitrary national lines, and b) stereotypes often originated as uncomplimentary characterizations based on national prejudices.

Writing to stereotypes also suggests that the author didn’t do his/her homework.

If you have a character of a nationality other than your own, take some time to do some research into the history of the country your character comes from. If you can find books that tell you about the culture of that particular nation, it will help you to understand your character better, and you can write a more fleshed-out person rather than a one-size-fits-all, flat stereotype.

A word of caution, though—if you intend to use that nation’s slang and idioms in your character’s conversations, try to get someone from that nation to help you get it right.

Some time ago, I decided, for reasons I won’t go into, to learn Irish gaelic. I quite enjoyed the studying, learning new words and sentence structures, but discovered something that stayed with me a lot longer than the language did. Slang and idiomatic sayings are intimately tied into the culture and history of the people who made them up. If you have no understanding of the culture and history, and have no one to help you correct your mistakes, it’s better not to use them. There is nothing that screams ignorance louder than the improper use of them.

Don’t worry that not throwing in the stuff you hear in the movies is going to keep your readers from knowing who your characters are. I usually just have mine speaking good old plain English, and I can’t tell you the number of times people have told me, “Oh, such and such sounded so (fill in nationality).” Once your reader knows a character is a certain nationality, they’ll fill in the accent, among other things.

Click on the Writing label for all other posts on writing.

End of March Blues

Can you say 'tax time?' April 15 is suddenly just a short period away. A quarter of the year is gone. How did that happen so quickly?

Patty has suddenly made it plain she's ready for her next story, so I guess I'll have to oblige her. It's about time, really. Some people claim there's no such thing as writer's block, but I imagine that's just because they've never experienced it. Like the girl who tried to tell me there was no such thing as PMS. Uh-huh.

I've gathered a few links to posts on other blogs that I found interesting. Especially as writers, we tend to be isolated and have ideas about how the business works that aren't really accurate.

The first is Wait, you mean THIS is the hard part? Just how do those books get to the bookstore?

Next is The Other 90% Someone may be getting rich off those books, but it might not be who you think it is.

Sandra Ruttan has some Unsolicited Advice...For Aspiring Authors Seeking Advice.

And finally, if you have something through a small press that uses a POD printer, this will probably be of interest to you, because Amazon's changing their policy about doing business with any POD printer but their own. Writers Weekly

Sigh. As if life wasn't already difficult enough.

Tomorrow is the last official day of my contract for Reef Runner. The series will be out of print in April. Hopefully I'll have news soon on if it's going back into print elsewhere.

Out for now~~~

What makes a writer a writer?

I tend not to say an awful lot while I'm online. Mostly, I 'listen' to the conversations going on on message boards and lists, learning and picking up interesting tips and tidbits as I go along. I'm still too new at this, and a bit too unknown as a published author to have much of importance to add.

I have to admit that there are times when my fellow authors do and say things that leave me scratching my head. There are writers who seem to feel all authors are involved in some sort of vicious competition for readers, and that it behooves them to do everything in their power to sabotage those around them. In their opinion, anyone who hasn't jumped through all the same hoops they did isn't worthy of the name 'writer' and should be slapped down with utmost speed. Those who haven't been published yet are beneath their notice. I believe the term that often crops up in these cases is 'wannabe'.

Frankly, it's a form of 'me-ism' that turns me off. Thank you for revealing your attitudes, folks. I have quite enough stuff in my TBR pile as it is. I'm thankful that you stepped right up and took your books out of the stack.

I'm not going to point at specific individuals or organizations. That's not what this is about. It's about what makes a writer a writer.

We all, or at least most of us, learned to write in school. We learned to put words on a page in an order that made sense. Under that definition of the word, we are all writers. We all use those basic skills in some form or another in everyday life, even if it's just in making out the grocery list. That's not, however, what most people think of as being a writer. But they are the basic skills that all writers begin with.

The major difference between most people and 'writers' is that writers take those basic skills and try to convey something with them. Not all writing fields are fiction, though that's the one I'm the most familiar with. Writing is like any other skill--you start out with the basic understanding of how it works, and you work upward from there. You wouldn't spend two hours learning how to toss a set of juggling balls back and forth between your hands, and then expect to get on stage and juggle fire. The flashy tricks come after perhaps years of practice. But it's interesting to note that jugglers who are at the beginning of learning, who have mastered the basic skills and are working their way upward a bit at a time toward that goal of juggling fire, are not called 'wannabes,' except perhaps by those with a high opinion of themselves. They're simply less skilled jugglers.

If you're at the beginning, you feel the drive, you have stories to tell, and you're working on your skills, you're a writer. Publishing is a wonderful goal, a validation of your hard work, but like juggling fire, unless you're that extremely rare, extraordinary person, you're not going to get there overnight, and certainly not without the hard work. In fact, most of what is called 'overnight success' is actually the result of years of hard work.

The only time 'wannabe' should apply to any 'writer' is when that 'writer' makes big claims about what the books they're going to write and how they're going to be the biggest thing since sliced bread, but never makes an effort to see it through. That's a 'wannabe', they wannabe a writer, but don't want to put the effort into actually being one. 'Wannabe' should never be applied to writers who are making the effort to learn and practice their skills.

I know I've used the W-word quite a lot in this post. And by that, I mean 'work'. Writing is a skill that requires an apprenticeship of sorts, though nobody ever tells us that. We're taught the basic skills and then tossed out into the world to flounder around until we either figure out what we're doing or give up. If you're wise, you'll seek out a group, or maybe several groups, where you can get your work critiqued. Expect that you'll be doing your fair share of critiquing. You learn by reading what works and what doesn't in other people's work, as well as having your own strengths and mistakes pointed out to you. Don't think you're not going to make mistakes. It's how you respond to them that will make a difference in whether you'll get to your goal or not. And just because your name isn't in Books In Print, don't let anyone ever tell you you're not a writer. You may not be a published writer, but you are a writer.



My apologies for not being a more regular blogger. I seem to have hibernated through the winter, lol!

Click on the Writing label for all other posts on writing.

Erm...

Hello, neglected blog. Sorry I've been away for so long.

I have a character in the Maui novel who is a jewelry maker, and have been indulging in a bit of bead-stringing so I can get a feel for what she does. Nothing spectacular, but I can see offering those neat little metal bookmarks with dangley strings of beads or interesting charms or something in future giveaways. Stay tuned--

Things have gotten cold--granted, that's not surprising considering it's the first part of December. What I want to know is where the rest of the year went. It's going by much too fast.

In case you'd missed it, Blood Money is now out of print, though I do have it out on submission again. Rio Star will go out of print at the first of the year, and Reef Runner at the first of April 2008. If you want them, get them while you can.

I have plans for some short stories, which I will hopefully get written soon. And I imagine I'll have something in the way of a contest before too much longer. Just have to think about what I want to offer. Maybe a bit of that bead-stringing I mentioned earlier.

I've got a few links for you. The first is for a post on the Rap Sheet, Authors, On and Off the Page, which includes links to author interviews (I think they're audio).

Next is from The Rejecter, Rethinking "Genre", an interesting discussion on how this whole genre distinction issue got started to begin with.

Third is from Tess Gerritsen's blog, Action Is Boring. I'll let you read why.

And finally, because this is not to be missed, a breathtakingly beautiful shot of the Earth and our Moon, taken by Voyager 1 on September 18, 1977 and posted online in honor of the probe's 30th anniversary. There's a small thumbnail of the photo on the righthand side of the page, and links below it that lead to full-sized versions. Check out the rest of the site while you're there. There are a lot of great shots from the Cassini probe, which is in orbit around Saturn.

Until next time~~

Post-conference brain-drain

The Muse Online Writers Conference was earlier this month. I'm nearly recovered--I guess I shouldn't have signed up for so many courses all at once!

While I'm still trying to sort out my thoughts about it, here's a link you might be interested in, if you're interested in the crime-fiction scene. Its for the archive site of the Carnival of the Criminal Minds, a traveling post moving from blog to blog in the crime fiction world. The archive tells where the carnival's been, and where it will be next. Four weeks in, it looks pretty interesting.

Back soon...

Has it really been a month?

My apologies, I never intended to let this long pass between posts...

Kira's story is presently on hold while I work out some problems with characterization. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to it soon. In the meantime, I've got a short story I'm working on. More about that at a later time.

The weather's finally changing. Days have been comfortable, in the 80s mostly, and we've had rain. The mold level's also gone up a bit, which makes it more difficult to think and write coherently. Blog posts may continue to be a bit spotty.

The Muse Online Writers Conference begins in October. I hope you have already signed up if you had intended to, because I believe registration closed on the 15th of this month.

There are a couple of posts from other blogs that I'll pass along the links to:

Jim Huang, a bookseller, makes these observations about the publishing industry from his perspective on the retail end of things--Where I am, after 20 years in bookselling The comments column is also worth a read.

If you've been following the uproar over the cutting of newspaper space for book reviews and the rather elitist view said reviewers take of online book reviewers, this post from Kassia Krozsner might interest you--Stop Your Sobbing

And finally, because you can't help but be appalled and amused at the same time over stuff like this--Clientcopia's list of the top stupid client tricks. The list changes over time, so you may want to bookmark it if it appeals to you.

Until next time~~

Greetings in August

Dropping in for a quick hello before the storms get here.

You know it's been really, really hot when 82F feels wonderful. We've had a string of days in the upper 90s/lower 100s, and without air conditioning (our house never had one) it's been a lot of taking it easy and accomplishing little during the worst parts of the day. Since the most comfortable parts of the day have been at night, it's also meant getting less sleep, because that good part of the day has to be divided between getting stuff done and sleeping. It looks like we're in for a few days in the lower 90s, so maybe the really hot stuff is gone for the summer.

I'm now on chapter 6 of the new novel. I'm still not certain Kira will end up with the hero of the story, since he's got some issues with her, but there's still two thirds of the book to go, so we'll see.

I've saved some links to share with you, some of which will go in the sidebar when I eventually get around to adding them there--

From the Writer Beware blog: Writers and Money, an instructive look at reality in the writing business.

From Galleycat: The Bookshelf at Your Fingertips, Literally, a short article about what the future of reading will include.

And finally, from Crimespace: Why A Published Author Will Decline to Read Your Unpubbed Manuscript, a must-read for aspiring authors.

I'm hearing thunder, so I'm off to pull fans from windows until the storm's past. Until later~~

Website update, and Pet Responsibility

Cross-posted from Crimespace--

Got to playing with the website builder and revamped my site. In doing so, I got to wondering, who sort of information do readers want to find on an author's website? Feel free to check it out, and let me know what else you might have wanted to see. The link's on the right. Updating again is no biggie.

On the other matter, we've just adopted a new cat, our third, and our second stray. The first one we adopted a year ago. She'd been hanging out in our yard for a while, and I figured she was a neighbor's cat taking advantage of the fact that our first cat was a house pet and hadn't staked a claim to the yard. She was skittish and would run before we could get close enough to check her out, so I didn't start worrying about her until she got real skinny and got bold enough to come right up onto the front porch and meow at me through the kitchen window, looking for food.

The new cat, which we adopted about a week ago, wasn't originally a stray. In fact, I know exactly where her family was. They lived in the house next door, and moved out maybe half a year ago, I'm assuming due to the breakup of the family, leaving their critters behind for a local family member to care for while they tried to sell their house. The two dogs gradually disappeared--one was an escape artist, and got the gate open, which allowed the other to get out on the road and get hit. The family member was aware of this, but it was the city that came by to dispose of the body. The escape artist eventually disappeared, though I don't know exactly what happened to it.

They also had the cat, which the family member faithfully came by and fed every day until the day the house sold. The cat hung around the house, and the new neighbors never seemed bothered that it was there, so I'd assumed they'd agreed to take the cat along with the house. The cat had always been skittish and wouldn't let me get close, so it wasn't until about a week ago, when I noticed she was terribly skinny and that her black fur was turning brown in patches, that I realized she had been abandoned and was staying alive by eating whatever she could scavenge. Once I started offering her food, she let me get close enough to pet her. She was almost literally skin and bones. I'm not sure how much longer she would have lasted if things had gone on as they were.

Which brings me to my point--when one adopts an animal, one accepts responsibility for its care. This is something at a lot of people don't really seem to understand. They'll get a puppy or a kitten, raise and care for it until it becomes inconvenient, and then dump it somewhere on the assumption that either someone will take it in, or it will hunt and feed itself. They ignore the fact that an animal raised in the wild by its mother knows how to hunt, but an animal raised by humans often will starve to death because it doesn't know how or where to find food. The casual cruelty in the act of abandoning an animal because it's become 'inconvenient' to continue owning it is appalling. I don't understand how people can leave something they once loved to die such a horrible death.

Enough for now~~

Beginning of Summer Fuzz Edition

Well, it's nearly the end of June. (Where did half the year go?) I did warn you in the first post that I have some pretty fearsome allergy problems, and this is one of those times of year when it pops up and really flattens me. It truly wasn't my intention to leave this blog sitting untended for so long.

In recognition of the fact that I'm just incapable of coming up with anything interesting to post of my own at the moment, I'm posting some links to other blogs.

Diana Peterfreund has an interesting primer on publishing. You can find it here and here.

Over at Mysterious Matters is a post on why some perfectly good books get the 'not right for us' pass: How Much Formula Is Too Formulaic?

And just because I thought this was absolutely hilarious when I first read it, Protag No Nos.

Playing Catch-up

Apologies for the long space between blog entries. I've actually been writing lately. May not sound like a big deal, but when you've had next to nothing in the way of output for a few years, its a relief to have the stories flowing again.

There are a few things to clear up in the first three chapters of the new novel, but other than that, I'm about to start chapter four. My husband is my first reader, and every now and then I have to stop working and get him to read and make sure it's still working and that I haven't written something terribly confusing. (Erm, yeah, it does happen.) Especially when it's something that has a strong emotional content, I have to let someone else read it to make sure I haven't over- or under-done it.

The long spell of rain has stopped, at least for the present, and the days are pretty nice, in the 70s and 80s and breezy. I don't look forward to July and August, when it will be up in the 90s and 100s.

Let me give it some thought, and I'll see if I can't come up with another writing post, or some interesting links.

~~~

Progress

Ah, the joys of having new toys to play with. I think I like the new Blogger.

I’m adding a section to the sidebar with the occasional link to posts on other blogs that I think should be considered. The first one’s called “The Cost of Free Books”, and is a look at this publicity gimmick from the point of view of the publisher. Something to think about, anyway.

I’m into chapter three of the new novel, after a major rewrite of the first two. The whole mapping the story out in an outline thing didn’t work. That really doesn’t surprise me, though, since it never really has. For something non-fiction, an outline seems to work best, but not for fiction. The initial storyline is almost never what I finish with, and the story is probably that much the better for it. Kira has told me some things about herself that I hadn’t planned, familial relationships have shifted again, and this is working so much better than what I started with.

Which brings me to an interesting point—writing advice isn’t one-size-fits-all. When you’re learning to write, you’re flooded with hints and tips from every source you can get your hands on, from books to classes to critique groups, and not everything that’s suggested is going to work for you. In fact, probably a lot of it won’t. You’re getting the benefit of other people’s experience, what works for them, but what fires them up might leave you cold. Try things to find out what works for you, but if it doesn’t, don’t feel deficient or let it stop you in your tracks. There’s nothing that will give you writer’s block faster than trying to follow advice that doesn’t work for you.

The picture in the sidebar is not current. The filly with me is now probably 13 years old. She was a surprise gift from my mare, who’d secretly mated with the previous owner’s colt just before we bought her.

Until next time~~

Crimespace, and a big Thank You

Erm...yeah, I've kind of been neglecting this blog lately...

Just recently discovered a place called Crimespace, which is a place for readers and writers of crime fiction to get together and discuss the genre. Great place to wander around if you're interested.

The "Thank You" goes to Lea Schizas. She's a very generous author/editor/mother hen who has taken it upon herself to help new authors get their start in the world of publishing. She's got a website and a blog, and she runs The Muse It Up Club. She is also one of the driving forces behind the Muse Online Writers Conference, at which I'll be a presenter this year. This is a free-of-charge event, over a five day period, and worth checking out. Registration ends in August, so if you're interested, don't wait around.

More later~~~

April Showers...

Well, we haven't had much in the way of April showers yet, but it is only the 5th. Maybe we'll see some rain soon. The grass is green and growing, but the ground is cracked and dry where there's no ground cover.

The anthology I posted about a while back is out on submission--hopefully we'll hear back about it soon. The Book Pedler is due to review "Blood Money" sometime in the next month. I'm close to finishing chapter one of the new novel. It's still slow going--I don't think quickly during the Spring allergy season--but at least it's going. Kira's about to meet the man she might eventually marry. It depends on if I really want to inflict that on her or not. Patty insists that she's on vacation. Can't say I blame her much, considering what she went through in Reef Runner. Besides, her husband, Micheal, will get to share the task of narration in this next one, and I'm not sure either of them are ready for that yet.

I've been enjoying a blog written by a variety of professionals in the mystery publishing/selling field, titled Hey, There's A Dead Guy in the Living Room. The different perspectives on the publishing biz are quite interesting.

I will be doing another post on some aspect of writing. I just haven't decided what yet.

More when I'm thinking better~~~

Being a Butterfly

Coming out of Winter makes me feel like a bit like a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis--maybe not a pretty one, but at least no longer earthbound.

Kira has changed jobs and familial relationships in the new story, which seems to be working fine. I love it when a story starts to flow! I'm much more comfortable with the character and the level of knowledge she should be expected to have in her environment.

I'm running a drawing for copies of my books in e-format. Visit my website for further info on this--but the contest ends at the end of March, so don't wait too long.

The two Stargate series start up again next month--wooohoooo!! I'm also looking forward to when the new Doctor Who series starts. Also enjoying CSI (the original series), NCIS, House, and enjoyed Eureka when it was on. My reading life has been a little sparse lately. Probably ought to dust off my library card.

I've got some links to add soon. But for now, here's one to the Writer Beware Two Thumbs Down Publishers List, which is a companion to their list of agents and agencies to avoid.

More soon~~

How time flies...

Yikes! It's been a while since I posted last.

The Eppies have been awarded. Alas, my book didn't win, but I'll be getting a nice frameable finalist certificate, so I'll have something to show for it. To find out who did win in the various categories, visit the Eppies page for the complete list. And Congratulations! to the winners!

Spring is arriving at long last. I have to say that I'm much happier with the temperatures outside the house and in. Of course, eventually my worst pollen allergies will strike, but for the moment I'm all right. The grasses are pollinating, but I'm also not eating wheat right now, so it's made a difference in how reactive I am to it. (Gotta remember--don't eat wheat in the Spring!)

I have to confess that a few years ago, I wrote so much stuff in a short period of time that I burned out. It's been a chore getting myself back to the point of wanting to write, but it's happening. All my usual tricks for getting a story started aren't working anymore, so I'm having to find new ones, including something I never used to do, plotting a story out on paper before I started writing it. I've already got a lot of Kira's story plotted out on paper (although some things have changed since I first wrote it all down), so I'll give it another go and see if I can make some progress on it. I'll let you know if it makes a difference.

Hope your Spring is a great one!

~~~

The Critique, Part Two

Part one is found here.

Some thoughts about the other side of the critiquing partnership…

Yes, I did write ‘partnership’. A critique is not the same as a review. It’s serious business. It implies that the one seeking the critique recognizes that their work isn’t perfect and wants to improve on it. If all you are looking for is someone to tell you how clever you are and how you’ve written the best book/story/poem/whatever that mankind has ever seen in the entire history of the planet Earth, you’re not looking for a critique. Give your story to Aunt Jane or Granny Sue. They’ll be happy to do that for you.

If you view the words that you’ve written as sacrosanct, you need to consider what your goals are as a writer. Are you happy with where you’re at? Do you have hopes of getting published? Did you know that even multi-published authors have editors? No matter how good you believe you are, there’s room for improvement. If you don’t believe that, don’t bother having someone critique your work. It’ll save someone else the aggravation of having to deal with you. Submit your work as-is, and see how many “Not right for me” rejection letters you get.

If, however, you’re serious about your craft, and you want to make your work the best it can be, getting it critiqued is highly recommended. Is there a local writers group you can join? If not, is there an online group you can join? You will be expected to critique other people’s work as well as getting your work critiqued, which will offer you valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t.

If there are no groups that you want to join, is there someone you know who is good with English who might be willing to critique your work? A working knowledge of the English language, of grammar and spelling, is an invaluable tool, so choose wisely. Pick someone who isn’t intimately concerned with your emotional well-being. You’re more likely to get an honest appraisal of your work.

Will you like everything your critiquer says? Probably not. It’s human nature. We do our best, and because we’re imperfect, our work is imperfect. We don’t see the flaws ourselves when we’re so close to it. And it’s natural to resent it when someone tells us we’ve done something the wrong way. However, try setting the critique aside after the first read, get a couple of days away from it, and then read it again. What was said will probably make more sense to you. As time goes by, you’ll learn to recognize your usual mistakes and correct them before sending future work off to be critiqued.

Will everything that your critiquer says be something that you’ll want to apply? Again, probably not, although it would be good to give each point some serious thought. Sometimes other people simply dislike words that you may have used, and their personal tastes might lead them to ask you to change those words. Are they the words you meant to use, or would the others be better? Try setting aside your ego as you go through the critique to see which suggestions you’ll apply. Do you have a love of long and complicated sentences? Or of big words? The term ‘purple prose’ is defined as prose that is too elaborate. This is not a writing sin you want to be guilty of.

Writing is not so much a destination as it is a journey. You will never reach perfection, but a good critiquer will help you get as close as you can. You will never stop learning, but the better you get, the more satisfying it will become. Don’t give it up just because, at the beginning, you found out there was actual work involved.

And don’t forget to thank your critiquer. You’ve been given a gift of someone else’s time and attention, with the aim of improving your craft. This was not something they had to do, and should never be taken for granted.

Click on the Writing label for all other posts on writing.

The Critique, Part One

So you’ve been asked to critique someone’s writing.

Before you plunge headlong into that manuscript, you need to ask some questions. Not everyone means the same thing when they want a critique. You need to ask them what exactly they’re looking for. Do they just want a read-through and a pat on the head? Or are they serious about their craft and want the works—grammar errors, spelling, syntax, what works and what doesn’t in the story? Finding out these things in advance can save you some grief later.

Is the person whose work you’re about to read related to you? Someone who’s otherwise close to you? If you want my advice, don’t do it. Not only is it very hard to tell someone you’re emotionally close to that you didn’t like parts of their story, in all likelihood, they’re not going to take it well. It’s better to recommend a critiquing group. Many towns have writing groups that meet at libraries and coffee shops. Help them find one that will work for them.

It’s best to give a story a read-through first, then go back and see about errors. That will give you a chance to look at the overall structure and flow of the story, to see if anything jumps out at you right away. Take notes if something does, so you’ll remember what your impressions were. Were there mechanical errors that need fixing? Misspellings, sloppy grammar, sentences that are way too long or too convoluted to be easily followed? Make note of those, too. Is it an electronic copy of the manuscript? Some people use the ‘track changes’ function in MSWord to show their suggestions for fixing those problems. Others type the suggestions into the sentences in parentheses, in another color, to make them noticeable. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy, and possibly a grammar guide, if you’re not that familiar with the rules.

Remember, this is someone else’s story. All you can do is suggest, and if the writer doesn’t want to take some or all of your suggestions, it’s aggravating, but you can’t force them. As you’re writing your suggestions and giving your overall impression of the story, try to start off with something you liked or that you thought was done well, even if it was only a short description of something that really hit home with you. This will make the person on the receiving end a lot more ready to hear the not so good stuff. Try not to say things like, “This is so bad, I can’t believe you thought you could write!” You may be thinking that, but you’ll accomplish nothing useful by saying it.

When you list the things that don’t work, make suggestions for how to improve it. If word choice was a problem, what words would work better? Are there sentences that say something that the author probably didn’t intend? Point out why, and suggest other ways of saying it. Can long and convoluted sentences be divided to make several sentences that say the same thing in a less confusing way? Make note of that as well. Try to phrase things in a way that doesn’t come across as harsh. None of us like to be poked with a sharp stick. Think about how you’d feel if you were on the receiving end of your own advice.

All stories are someone’s baby. It’s human nature not to like it when someone tells us our baby isn’t beautiful. What if you did your best, offered the best advice you could, and the recipient is offended? It happens. Sometimes people tell us they're ready to hear everything that’s wrong, but they really aren’t. All you can do is let it go, and if they ask for your help again at a future date, politely decline. The same with someone who repeatedly asks you to critique for them but never takes your suggestions, even on things that are glaringly wrong like spelling and grammar. It’s not worth the aggravation. It’s also why you shouldn’t critique for family. If they get angry about what you’ve said, you’ve got to live with them, whether in the same house or within the confines of the extended family.

Next time, Part Two. ~~

Click on the Writing label for all writing posts.

Another cold weekend

Did I mention before that I hate winter?

It's the all-pervasive coldness, I think. Even places that are heated are cold, at least to me. I really hate going to bed with cold feet.

The anthology story that was going through edits, titled "Picture Imperfect," is now back with the head editor. Glad to have that done. And I'm back to doing research...Kira's story is going to be a slow write, so I'm going to work on it between working on other projects.

The diet's going great. Went out to buy some new jeans this weekend, and got the next size down from where I was, figuring I'd be able to wear them in another week or so. After I got them home, I tried them on and discovered that I should have gotten the next size below that, because these are loose. Nice problem to have, though.

My website has moved to a new addy. It's now at http://www.peppersmithbooks.com There's a forward set up at the old address to get you to the new one, but that will eventually be gone.

Still pondering the critiquing post.

Until next time~~~

Mission Accomplished

Whew! The talent show that got canceled last week was rescheduled for the 19th, and as the day got closer, it looked like the weather was going to get us again. It held off just long enough, though, and the program went off almost as scheduled. A couple of acts couldn't be there that night, due to scheduling problems, but all the rest came off well, I think.

Just got back that story I wrote for a new anthology, so I've got a bit of work to do. Thankfully, it's just small things, like the overuse of the word 'that'. Funny how that stuff creeps in and I never notice it. Thank goodness for editors.

Still working on the critiquing post, although I think it'll be two posts, now.

Until next time~~~

Sigh. I hate winter.

We're looking at getting freezing rain Saturday. Okay, I know, it's not like other parts of the country haven't been inundated by freezing stuff already this year, but the singing group I'm part of was scheduled to be part of a talent show Saturday night. There's been a lot of time and effort put into it by all parties involved, and it will be a shame if we have to cancel, although of course lives are more important than getting up on stage and singing. There's still a chance that the weather will change before Saturday actually gets here, but it seems like every time I check the National Weather site, the forecast gets worse. We'll be rescheduling, of course, if we have to cancel. Just a matter of finding another time when the performance site is going to be available.

I'm working on a post about critiquing. Don't know exactly when it will be ready.

Kira's story is still evolving. The baddie is finally making some serious input into the story. 'Bout time, is all I can say. I hate when they hang back and don't tell me what they're up to.

Christine Speakman over at Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine reviewed the entire Patty O'Donnell series as one piece. Very nice review.

The wind that's coming in ahead of the weather has stirred up a lot of crud, so I'm a bit allergy-brained right now. More when I'm a bit more lucid.

~~~

The Eppies

EPIC is an organization of electronically published writing professionals, and every year they hold a contest to determine the best electronic fiction published during that year. This time around, RIO STAR, the second of my Patty O'Donnell novels, has been chosen as a finalist in the Mystery category in the 2007 Eppie Awards.

If you guessed that I'm excited, you're probably right. ;D

It will be March 10 at the EPIC convention before the winners are announced, so I've got a while yet to sit on my hands and wait. In the meantime, I've got plenty to do writing wise.

Till next time...

~~~

Making it real--Showing vs Telling

If you've been writing for any length of time, you've probably heard the admonition to 'show, don't tell'. What exactly does that mean? And why should it be of concern to writers?

In fiction, you want your reader to feel a part of the action. "Telling" is a mere recitation of the action. It informs the reader of what is happening in the story, but at the same time it holds the reader at arm's length, refusing to let them in any way experience what's happening. "Showing" involves inviting the reader into the action, though vicariously. The experience can be anything from close to extremely intimate, depending on if you're writing third person or first, and on how deep into a character's thoughts and emotions you're willing to let your reader get.

Telling is a straightforward statement of what happens. For instance, one might write:

Ardith left in an angry huff.

This gives you the essential details. But it doesn't pull you close to the character. How angry is she? And why is she angry? It's a bit dry.

Showing might look more like this:

Ardith spun away and half ran across the parking lot. She jerked the door of her silver Mercedes open and climbed in, slamming it shut again as she inserted the key in the ignition. Her hand was trembling, and tears of anger blurred her vision. How dare he treat her like this? The engine started with a roar. She flung the car into gear and pulled away, her tires spitting gravel. Pings of rock hitting metal told her she'd showered his car with them. She smiled, unable to suppress a surge of vindictive joy. Served him right.

The second version pulls you tighter into the character's pov, how she felt, what she thought, and shows you what she did and why. You now know that this unnamed man made her angry enough to cry, and that she's vindictive enough to be happy she left pockmarks in his car's paintwork. Yes, it takes a little more work than simply telling does, but the reward is a more interesting experience for your readers by making the character and situation a bit more real for them.

Click on the Writing label for all writing posts.

~~

December once more

Ugh. Where has this year gone? I must have slept through most of it--doesn't seem it should have gone by so quickly.

The big winter storm brought snow and cold temperatures, along with the requisite cars off in the ditch. Had to buy tires for the hubby's SUV last week. Talk about making your hair stand on end! Cost over $600, and that was with a $148 discount. The worst of the storm went around us, which we were happy about because our heat is all electric, and we don't have a fireplace. If you'd like to see a shot of what the area of snowfall was, this satellite image will be of interest to you. (Sigh. The image is now in the archives. The link will take you to the site, but you'll have to look in the archives to find it now, because I know nothing of putting photos on the blog.)

One side effect of the virus I had a couple of weeks ago is that, after two days of basically fasting because I couldn't stand the thought of eating, I started reacting to foods that I shouldn't have been eating anyway, so it's jump-started that diet I've been meaning to start. It's amazing how bad some of those things were making me feel, but the cumulative effects of all of them kept me from realizing just how bad it was. Feeling much better, thinking much better, getting more done.

My new heroine, Kira, has been a bit slow talking to me, but she's finally making herself known. I've got her story started, and want to get moving on it, because Patty's next story is starting to come together as well. An effect of the diet, making my brain work better? Maybe. Makes me wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

In the meantime, I'm trying to think of another writing subject to post about. Maybe next time.

~~~

Recovering...

I've been out with a nasty little respiratory virus for a bit, so I obviously haven't posted in a while. There's nothing like a 101F fever for frying your thinking ability. I'm on the upside of it now, though not entirely over it, and may have the joy of getting hit by it again, since this one goes around two or three times every winter.

Got news of a new review for the Hate Anthology at The Romance Studio. Thought the rating of 5 hearts was nice to see.

Things are a tad slow at the moment. I'm waiting on the edits of a short story written for an anthology, and the next Patty O'Donnell story is on hold temporarily while I get some details worked out. In the meantime, I'm getting back to a story set on Maui, which features a different set of characters, so I'm still working. I may post bits from time to time, to let you meet the heroine.

If you have emailed me about the mailing list and you haven't heard back from me, please leave a comment. Email can be tricky.

That's it for now--still a little fried. This dratted cough kept me up for a big chunk of the night.

~~

Lazy November afternoon

The year continues to pass at an incredible rate. When you're little and your parents tell you that one day the time will pass at a much higher rate of speed, it's impossible to imagine. Of course, it doesn't go any faster or slower in reality, but subjectively, it seems like only a short time ago that I was training myself to write 2006 rather than 2005 on my checks.

Patty's cousin Eddie has bowed out of the next story after all. Her husband insisted it was his turn to spend a whole book with her. Who am I to argue?

One of my favorite e-authors, Pauline B. Jones, has been saying some very nice things about my book Blood Money lately on her blog. If you haven't had a chance to read any of her work, check her listings at Fictionwise.com. Her latest book is Out of Time, which I have not yet had the pleasure of reading. I'm quite fond of the Lonesome Lawman series.

Until next time~~~

Research is essential

Did I just hear some folks groan?

Writing is the portraying of a thought or image in your head as a word portrait. Whether your intended audience is the average reader or specialists in the field, you need to make certain that your word portrait is accurate.

This means you need to do some studying. If you're an expert in your field, you've already done your studying, but if you're not, you'll need to get a good working knowledge of your subject before you try to write about it.

Where can you find what you're looking for? One good place to start is your local library. Your librarian can help you find books and articles in the field you want to write about.

Do you want to write about a specialized field? People who work in or are experts in the field that you want to write about are a good resource, provided that you can find someone who is willing to give you all the time you need. Many people are flattered to be picked as a source for such research. Don't forget to mention them in the acknowledgements when your book is published.

Another source is bookstores, whether in your locale or online. It can be handy to have basic texts in the field you're writing about, whether you're writing something technical or writing fiction. Inspiration may strike in the middle of the night, when you can't make it to the library. Or if it's something that you might revisit in future work, having the texts on hand will speed up refreshing your memory.

The Internet is another resource. Just remember that anyone can put anything on the web and claim to be an expert, so double-check things.

Are you writing about a foreign city or country? Sometimes tour books can provide you with basic knowledge and a brief history of the people and the area, but if you want to do something more in-depth, read up on the history of your chosen place and get a feel for the people and the reasons why their culture is as it is.

Do you need help with places and cultures that you might not otherwise be exposed to, or about earlier periods in your own country's history? Historical societies preserve records and items that might be of use to you. There are also often tourist information or cultural sites online where you might be able to contact someone for information. If they don't know an answer, they may be able to direct you to someone who does.

Is it important to be accurate when using real places and people and periods of history? Yes, it is. Readers in certain genres are familiar with what is normal for the time period/country that you set your work in. Anachronisms are spotted quickly, and will cause your readers to lose respect for you as a storyteller. Some will even stop reading your work all together.

You don't want to lose readers because you didn't take the time to make sure you knew what you were writing about.

Click on the Writing label for all writing posts.

~~~

Useful Links

If I've done this right, there should be some links in the sidebar now. Two are for literary agents who blog, Miss Snark, and Agent Kristin, both of whom are great sources of information in the world of agenting and publishing. One is for Evil Editor, who takes query letters and shows you why what you've written in them doesn't work.

Then there are three links for Writer Beware, a good place to check for information on writing scams and the folks who perpetrate them. One is for their blog, one is for their website, and one is for the list of the 20 Worst Literary Agencies. I highly recommend checking these links out.

Recovering nicely from mush brain. Next time, hopefully I'll have another post on writing for you~~

Mush Brain

The first Muse Online Writers Conference was quite an experience. Such an incredible amount of information exchanged over a five-day period--I'll be weeks sorting and absorbing everything. All the week-long workshops held on the yahoo message board were open to anyone who was interested in the subject, so I've got notes and handouts from a lot of workshops that I hadn't signed up for originally. I'd set aside a three-inch, three-ring binder to put handouts and notes in, and it's completely full. There was information there for all levels of experience. Quite worth the time and effort spent on it.

As a result, though, I'm still a bit mush-brained. But spending a week doing something else entirely has made me want to get busy on my novel. Knocked a lot of rough edges off the first bit, and it feels like it's going to flow a bit better now.

I'll be back when I've had a little more time to recover...

A few random thoughts

Well, the writing conference begins on Monday. Registrations closed on the 4th. We have around 102 people signed up for the workshop we're doing on writing suspense stories. 5 days of questions and answers on the yahoo conference board, and an hour-long chat on the 13th. And that's only the workshop I'm helping to present. I've signed up for a number of others, and a bunch of them came with paperwork to read ahead of time. LOL! I've got my work cut out for me, but it's great to be able to attend a conference this way.

The new Patty O'Donnell novel is starting to finally shape up in my head. I've gotten six pages into writing it--yeah, I know, you're supposed to plot it all out and have everything down in an outline before you start, but that never works for me. If I write it down as an outline, it never gets written as a story. Besides, the process of writing is very organic for me, and the outline would never match what I eventually wrote. I'd intended it to be a Patty and Micheal story, but Patty's cousin Eddie, who is something of a clown, shouldered his way in and took over. One of these days, I'll write one where Micheal gets a more substantial role, but it's not going to be this one.

My allergies are really stirred up right now--it's the fall mold season, we had a couple of deluges not that long ago, and the trees are dropping leaves. There's a lot of stuff rotting out there. One lesson I seem to need to learn every year around this time is that I should never try to communicate with others during the worst part of mold season. I always end up making a horse's behind out of myself. Apologies to all whom I've managed to offend so far this season. Which of course means I'll really have to watch myself during the conference.

It's a full moon tonight. I love the moonlight. Guess you couldn't tell that by my books. ;)

'til next time~~

Traffic Blues

There are some good things in living in a college town/metro area, and some bad. When I was younger, around the time I was learning to drive, my birthplace boasted a population of somewhere around 25-30,000 residents, not counting the cows and chickens that surrounded us in what was then a mostly agricultural region. Summer breaks for the college meant that there were a couple of weeks in the summer when the streets were so empty that you could practically walk down the middle of all but the busiest and not have to worry about getting hit. It was always a relief, because most of the kids coming up for college hadn't been driving more than a year or two, and were still in that awkward, 'I can drive anywhere and anyhow I want, 'cause Mom and Dad aren't here' phase. It was a great time to learn to drive, because you weren't having to contend with other, relatively new drivers.

The population has jumped since then by 40,000 or more residents, just for my hometown. I'm not sure of the numbers for the rest of the area, but some magazine named us one of the top ten places for something or other, and people started coming. Summer breaks no longer mean quiet streets. My son learned to drive last year, and drove himself to work over the summer. He tells me, "Those kids drive like maniacs," even though he himself is younger than most of them. Winters, now and in the past, tend to be adventures in idiocy. Many of the kids come from places where it doesn't snow. You can almost guarantee that you will see cars off in ditches all over town the first time or two the roads get slick. They find out that four-wheel-drive doesn't mean you don't slide when the roads are icy.

Sure, there are some things that are nice about the growth. We've got new restaurants and stores that we used to have to drive to Tulsa or Joplin to visit. And the small-town, roll up the carpets and lock up at 5:00 mentality has long since vanished. It's nice to be able to pop out to the store and pick up toilet paper or other essentials at 9pm.

The metro area includes three cities and a number of surrounding small towns. The roads were not designed for the volume of traffic that we get. There are often lines at the off ramps on the interstate, which has become the main traffic artery for folks trying to avoid the clogged city streets. These days, neither is a faster way of getting there than the other. On game days at the local college, the best time to try to get out and do things around town is during the game, when everyone else is at the stadium. Careful timing is essential. My husband and I misjudged the end time of the game one day not long ago. It took us nearly an hour to reach our restaurant of choice, when it normally takes around 15 minutes.

This past half-week, the nearest big city hosted Bikes, Blues, and BBQ, one of the fastest-growing, family-friendly biker rallies in the country. They were expecting an attendance of around 300,000 people. There was a ton of traffic, but I honestly think it moved more smoothly than game-day traffic. In spite of their reputation, bikers on the whole seem to be pretty polite drivers. If only we could teach the fans of the college football team to be so polite.

~~~~~~~

The Muse Online Writers Conference begins in 8 days. So far, registrations are running around 1,000. There's still time to register if you're interested in it. http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/index.htm