Best/Worst

All jobs, no matter what they are, have bests and worsts. 

Take a chocolate shop for instance. If you worked there, you could eat chocolate all day long (that would be a best). Yet, if you did, you’d run the risk of a) wearing what you eat and/or b) becoming a great big giant zit (a correlation I made in high school).

Then there’s being a fitness instructor. If you had this career, there’d be no reason to be out of shape (another best). Ever. Yet, everyone would expect you to be in shape (a worst).

And so the story goes. One job after the other.

Being a mystery writer is no exception. Let me offer a few exhibits in the “best” category:

1) You can stay in your jammies all day if you want. 

2) If you come across a personality you don’t like, you can poison (or strangle) them and cover your tracks.

3) You have an excuse to read (because everyone knows that reading translates to better writing).

4) You get to travel for book events and meet lots of amazing people.

As for the “worst” column…

1) I tend to snack on junk food (candy corn) during the final few weeks of a deadline even though I know it’s bad.

2) Money is sporadic.

3) No matter how many wonderful reviews you get, the nasty one or two always hurts.

4) You’re very isolated during the writing process unless you go elsewhere to work (but, even then, it’s still really just you and your computer).

So how about you? What’s the best and worst parts of your job (bonus points to those of you who can refrain from telling us what you do for a living yet describe it so vividly via your bests/worsts that we can guess, anyway)?

~Elizabeth

My Cheating Muse

One of the most interesting questions I get as a writer–the one that makes me pause and give thanks for the truth behind my answer–is what happens when I run out of ideas.

While I can’t answer that question for any other writers, I can say this…I don’t. As I’m nearing the three-quarter mark of whatever my wip (work in progress) is at the time, another seed starts to grow. I never write them  down, opting instead to go the route of trusting my memory (meaning, if it’s worth writing, I won’t forget).

But a strange thing is going on in my head right now in that stories are warring. On the one hand I have the book I need to start this week–the one that’s contracted and has been brewing in my head for the last few days. On the other hand, I have an idea that grabbed hold of my imagination a few months ago and refuses to let go.

Why didn’t I start writing when it first surfaced, you ask? Simple. I was working on a proposal that was taking longer than normal (a fact I now recognize as a casualty of my muse’s stubborness). And even now that the proposal is off to my editor at Harlequin, I still can’t tackle this particular story because the contracted book takes precedence.

Yet, I can’t shake it from my mind. And the more I try to ignore it, the more it digs in its heels and takes over my thoughts. Which, as you can probably imagine, is causing a little bit of a dilemma. Especially when I know the muse is always right. Always. It’s when I don’t listen that I get in trouble. 

So I think I’m going to do what I’ve tried before yet abandoned out of weakness (or a bent toward writing monogomy)  every time I’ve tried in the past. I am going to write the book that needs to be written (the one that is tugging on my brain just as hard) while taking a real stab at this new idea. The idea itself is a slight departure for me. It’s not mystery and it’s not romance. It’s more toward women’s fiction (which might explain my personal reading choices as of late)–the kind of book that makes you think and reach…and, maybe even grow.

Which leads me to today’s question. Or, more appropriately, a plea. Have you ever tackled two big projects at a time? How’d you do? Any advice or tips?

~Elizabeth

I Write Romance, Wanna Make Something of it?

I was reading John Gardner’s craft book, ON BECOMING A NOVELIST, the other night as I was stirring the risotto for dinner. The book was published in 1983, the year I went to work leaving my infant son home with his father. Mr. Mom, a movie about a stay-at-home dad came out that same year. The world was in flux.

Pouring in more chicken stock, I came across this bit of advice: read bad fiction so you can appreciate the good (read, literary). And where did Mr. Gardner suggest we find the bad fiction? Woman’s fiction, mostly. He goes on to tell us that we should underline passages that stream with triteness, cuteness, and sentimentality.  By this time, something was steaming. And it wasn’t the risotto.

Why is romance, and women’s fiction, the stepsister of the publishing world? Why are cozy’s looked down upon by the noir division of the mystery world? Tell me what’s wrong with not having bloody body parts showing up, page after page. And why do we, as readers, love the books we love?

I’ve been struggling for a while to define and claim what I write. When I announced that I had sold a short story to people at work, they thought it was cute that I’d sold to True Love. Selling three months in a row, my stories are claiming me. I am a romance writer. Romance with a touch of mystery and humor.

I kept reading as I was stirring. Mr. Gardner redeemed himself at the end of this chapter with this one idea: even though you can get advice from a lot of great writers, in the end, it’s your story and you must face that blank page on your own. In other words, trust your gut as my accountability partners tell me. I think readers are given that same advice. Read what you love, not what people tell you to read.

Stirring the last bit of broth into my risotto, I realized something. Writing is like food. Not everyone has the same tastes. And that’s what makes this journey so much fun.

So today’s question, what one book did you read because you thought you had to? Did you enjoy it?

Lynn Cahoon’s work has appeared in Grit, Chicken Soup for the Soul, True Romance, and True Love. She is currently polishing two romance novels, working on a cozy mystery, and waiting for a call from the slush pile. She lives in the St. Louis area with her husband.

Creating Characters

Today’s Writing Thursday consists of yet another exercise–a show/don’t tell character sketch.

Ready?

1) Think of something you want to get across about your character–wealth or lack thereof, ethnicity, religious beliefs, patriotism/or lack thereof, etc.

2) Now, think of ways you can show this aspect without saying, “Richard is patriotic.” For example, perhaps a flag is mounted from his mailbox, maybe he has a red, white, and blue sticker ribbon decal on his back bumper, maybe he has patriotic music wafting from his apartment windows. Do you see where I’m going with this? By showing this aspect of his personality, you’re allowing the reader to imagine it rather than having it spoon fed to them.

3) Now take the aspect you’ve decided to give your character and write a simple paragraph for us in the comment section. The follow-up person guesses what the aspect is (wealth, diet issues, whatever) and then gives a paragraph of their own. And so on, and so on.

Let’s get to it!

~Elizabeth

Creating Tone Through Setting

Let’s try another writing exercise, shall we?

This one focuses on setting a scene, making it so vivid your reader can imagine being there thanks to the use of as many senses as possible (without going overboard)…

I’m going to start this off by naming a location. The first person to comment will use their senses (hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling) to describe the location. Then they will throw in a monkey-wrench. Something that–should it happen in your location–might determine tone in conjunction with setting.

For example:  Classroom.

See: Chalk dust, pencils, wall clock, kids hunched over their desks, etc.
Hear: The buzz of the overhead lights, coughing, pencils dropping, etc.
Smell: Spoiled milk, body odor, perfume from classmate next to you, etc.
Touch: Crinkled paper, smooth chalk, etc.
Taste: (sorry, drawing a blank at the moment)

Monkey wrench:  thunderstorm.

See: Kids looking outside. Trees swaying. Concern in teacher’s eyes, etc.
Hear: K ids crying, screaming, teacher giving instructions, perhaps a siren in the background.
Smell: Smell of rain wafting through the windows, etc.
Not sure touch and taste would change…

Get it?  Okay here’s the first setting:  Major league baseball stadium.

~Elizabeth

Dialogue

 For today’s Writing Thursday, I’ve decided to share a few dialogue tips. So here goes…

# 1.  When writing dialogue for characters, read it aloud. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can pick out what’s wooden and what’s natural.

# 2.  Beginning writers tend to think that people speak perfectly, with little to no contractions or skipped words. But this isn’t true. To prove this point, try being a fly on the wall at a coffee shop or mall or wherever. Listen to the way people talk. They’re not as perfect as you might think…or as perfect and wooden as you’re trying to make your characters talk.

# 3.  Try a fun writing exercise to illustrate my # 2. Come up with two characters in your head. Put them in conversation but don’t allow them to say more than three words at a time. While this is an extreme, it illustrates how few words we really need to say to get our points across. Watch…

A: Where ya’ going?

B: I don’t know.

A: Taking the bus?

B: I guess. Why?

A: Just wondering.

B: Kinda bored lately.

A: Oh?

B: Yeah.

A: Hoping this helps?

B: Can’t hurt, right?

A: True.

B: (Points at bus) Here it is.

A: Well, have fun.

B: Yeah. You, too.

Pretty cool, huh? This was an exercise I used to do with my Basics in FictionWriting Class at a community college in Missouri.

Go ahead, give it a try in the comments. Three words, no more. And see if you can set a scene in our heads through your dialogue!

~Elizabeth

Critique Group, Anyone?

This week’s Writing Thursday question comes from Dru…

Q: How do you pick a critique group?

A: Dru, I’ll be honest, I no longer do a true critique group. In the beginning it was useful because it allowed me to see what I was doing well/what I was doing poorly. And when surrounded by other writers at your level or higher, that’s priceless. The thing to watch out for, however, is members who aren’t at your level. If they listen and take comments well, you’re still learning, too. But when they don’t listen or continue to make the same mistakes time and time again, you have to question if the squeeze is worth the juice.

These days, when I’m writing three to five books a year, I can’t afford to spend too much of my writing time doing anything other than writing. That said though, I have two dear friends who I can count on for honest feedback. I also engage in friend-to-friend goal setting on a weekly and monthly basis. We send daily emails about our word count, weekly emails about our goals for the coming week, and a monthly phone call where we essentially answer for how we’ve done and plan for the month ahead. I’ve found it helps with accountability and I think Lynn agrees.

But if you’re at a point where you feel as if you’d benefit from a critique group, there are several ways to find one. First, you can join a professional writing organization (Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of American, Romance Writers of America, etc..). Very often these groups have local meetings where you can find others interested in improving their craft. Second, consider taking a writing class at a local community college. During the course of the class you’ll undoubtedly find people interested in writing the same thing you write as well as people at a similar level. Finally, consider posting a sign at your local library. You may find the group doesn’t work for you…in which case you move on. But you may find it’s the best thing you could have done for your writing.

Thanks, Dru!

The mailbox is now open. Fire off some more questions, everyone!

~Elizabeth 

The Lasting Word

I’d be lying if I didn’t say computers have made my job, as a writer, far easier. To be able to back space and delete, copy and paste, save in various places… Well, you just can’t beat it. 

But there are drawbacks to the computer-written word, or, more specifically, the computer-written email as opposed to a good old fashioned letter. Letters, you tend to save. Emails you tend to save for a few weeks and then delete. You just do. And the story behind a yellowed letter that’s been unfolded and folded time and time again? Not really one that can be replicated with an email.

Which got me thinking. About letters I’ve written and letters I’ve received over the years. The saving kind of letters.

One I sent? That would be a thank you letter to my history teacher on the day of graduation from high school. Mr. Filo was the Dean of Discipline and thus, not always a favorite among the students (at least the ones who saw him on a frequent basis). Mr. Filo also taught a senior level history class. Prior to his class, I despised history. Mainly because we seemed to learn the same stuff year after year, always stopping around World War I…as if nothing important happened after that. But Mr. Filo? He asked us what we wanted to learn. And then he taught it. Not from a book. But by making it come alive through his words. He made a difference for me that year and I wanted him to know that. So I wrote him a letter. A real letter. Mr. Filo died two weeks later. To this day, I’m glad I took the time to sit down and say, “thank you.”

One I received? There’s been lots. From my kids, from the girl scouts I led for eight years, from friends… They’re all treasured. And saved. Why? Because someone took the time to let me know I mattered.

So how about you? Any letters you’ve written and/or received that stand out as keepers?

~Elizabeth

Pass It On

I thought I’d try something a little bit different this week. Something that’ll bring the writer out in all of us.

I’m going to give a prompt–a single word springboard designed to spark the opening paragraph of a story. The first person to comment writes their paragraph (take it in whatever direction you want).  Then, after that person writes their paragraph based on my prompt, they leave a single word prompt for the person who opts to comment behind them (writing a paragraph of that person’s prompt).

Ready?

Okay, here we go…   Sister (yes, that’s the prompt). 

~Elizabeth

Snow in the Summer?

 Today’s Ask-A-Writer question comes from Joe… 

Q:  Because of schedules, writers are always out of sync with the seasons. You’re writing Christmas scenes when it’s 90 degrees outside your door, or laying out a picnic when there’s ice on the windows. What do you do to set the mood and put yourself in Story time and place? Are there external cues you use to fool yourself into the season of the story, regardless of what your calendar says?

A: I love this question! You’re so right on being out of sync with seasons when you write. I just finished a romance that’s set at Christmas time. There I was, typing away the day while an early spring breeze was floating through the screen door. And somehow I had to bring a winter scene (equipped with a shivering protagonist) to life.

I can’t say I use any external cues (unless my hot chocolate counted), but I do run through the various senses in my mind, reminding myself how I’d react if it was freezing at that very moment. When it’s a scene that needs tension (as in a mystery), I try to think of the aspects of that season that will amp it up (winter can mean pulling one’s coat tighter as you walk through an abandoned parking lot, eyes cast downward just to make the walk go faster…while spring might bring the menacing clap of thunder or a storm-related power outage). If it’s a scene where I want to pull out the most enticing aspects of that season (as in a romance), I try to think of the things that are special to me (a crackling fire in the winter, a picnic in the summer) and make it come alive with sensory description.

I hope that helps, Joe. And thanks for the great question.

Now here’s a related question for all of you. What’s a book you’ve read where the setting popped off the page…making you feel as if you were there, too? What stands out about it even now?

~Elizabeth

Got a question for a future Thursday Ask-A-Writer? Email it to me at: ElizabethLCasey@aol.com.