35 Tips to Get Your Writing Motor Running from James W. Ziskin

Have you found any hints or shortcuts to speed up your writing process? Energize your creativity? Minimize distractions? Do tell.

Okay, I’m going to unload here. Some of these might seem obvious or repetitive, but maybe you’ll find a tip or two that can help. I’ve divided my list into two categories, Tools and Tips. 

Ready? Go!

GET TO WORK!

Software/technological tools:

1. Text-to-speech — I’m against using AI to create, but it’s okay in my book as an editing aide. I would never use text-to-speech to publish an audiobook, of course, but for my own editing, it’s great. The best editing tool since WordPerfect 5.1 and spellcheck.

I used to use MS-Word for the text-to-speech step, but somehow they’ve changed the voices and I don’t particularly like them. I still use Word to write my books and stories. I tried Google Docs, but the file management was too wonky. It’s a mess, so, reluctantly, I went back to Word.

For text-to-speech editing, however, I now use a paid app. It’s great, but I’m not going to name it here unless they want to pay me for an endorsement… I’m an influencer, after all. (Haha.)

2. iPad — A fantastic tool for a writer. It’s lightweight, I take it everywhere, and write whenever I want. I’m never without it.

3. The Internet — This should go without saying. Truly, writers don’t appreciate what they have here. You can search for almost anything and have your answer immediately. Just be sure to cross check and be sure it’s correct.

4. The Cloud — This has solved my problems of storage and avoiding the loss of files. No more saving to a hard drive or a thumb drive. Those can fail. Another great solution is to email your files to yourself everyday. That way you’ll never lose anything more than one day’s work.

5. Use a thesaurus. Not to find big, fancy words, but to find the right ones. Sometimes you just can’t quite think of the word you want. But it’ll be there in the thesaurus.

6. Use a dictionary to check the exact meanings of the words you find in the thesaurus. Do I really need to list this one? You should check all your words.

7. Keep a spreadsheet to track your progress and words per day. I’ve written about this many times in this space, and I stand by it. It can be a tremendous motivator for writing everyday. Keep your words-per-day average up, don’t break that consecutive-days-writing streak!

8. Use Google Ngram Viewer if you write historicals. You can research which words were in use in millions of publications from 1800-2020.  https://books.google.com/ngrams/

Writing Tips/Hints:

9. Turn off auto save in your word processor. At least in Word. Too easy to lose work. Maybe other apps are better at saving temporary backup files, but Word isn’t.

10. Update/save files with new sequential names often, that way you’ll be organized and won’t lose much work, even in the worst of situations.

11. Music — listen to playlists that suit the topic you’re writing about. Writing about London in the swinging 1960s? Then don’t listen to classical music. Immerse yourself in the period.

12. Find a work space and treat it like an office. You go there to work. It can be a café or a library or a room in your house. Maybe even in your car. (Just don’t write in your car outside a school… Just don’t.)

13. Go to bed thinking of your story. It’s a quiet time with no distractions, except the ones in your head. Thinking of your story might just turn off those voices and help you fall asleep faster, too. But before you nod off, you might have a brainwave.

14. Don’t worry about forgetting brilliant ideas you get in the middle of the night. They’re usually not brilliant in the light of day. And if they are great ideas, as Stephen King said, you will remember them.

15. When stuck, remember the old trick of creating conflict in your story. Have two of your characters want the same thing, sit back, and watch the fireworks.

16. At the top of your first page, type “Write really good book here.” Then bold it. And make it a huge font size. It works every time.

17. Bargain with yourself. Make deals—x number of words earns a break or coffee.

18. Write now, check later (research, facts). Don’t get bogged down when you’re in the zone. You can check those details later.

19. Always be imagining your ideal reader as you write/edit. I find this is strangely inspiring.

20. Set deadlines for yourself. They work when a publisher sets them, so why not you?

21. Don’t ever believe in writer’s block. It’s a self-fulfilling prophesy. In fact, writer’s block is actually nothing more than avoidance. I don’t like to exercise, but it’s not “exercise block.” It’s laziness.

22. Stuck in your story? Put hurdles in front of your characters. Be mean to them. They’ll pay you back in spades.

23. Need to name some characters? Look in old phone books. I say “old” because they don’t exist anymore.

24. Want an appropriate name for a character? Check popular baby names for the year your characters were born.

25. Write chapter summaries immediately after finishing the chapter. Helps for writing synopses. Think of it as reverse outlining. Inlining? Out-rigging? Yes, let’s go with that. Out-rigging. It will help you plan future chapters and keep track of action. You may find plot holes too.

26. Stay with your characters, even when you’re not writing. At dinner, in the car, etc. Make them your imaginary friends. They may give you ideas. 

27. Start your writing day by correcting previous day’s work. Others have said this and it works. It helps you slide back into the groove.

28. Go to see a play or a classical music concert or an opera or ballet. Cirque du Soleil. Your awe and admiration for so much talent will surely fire up your creativity. 

29. Out of ideas? Eat or drink a childhood favorite treat in a darkened room. “Proustify.” Taste, smell, experience it. The memories might stimulate your creativity. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy a trip down memory lane.

30. Consult/revisit Georges Polti’s thirty-six dramatic situations. This will give you a shot in the arm for ideas to ratchet up the action in your story/subplots.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Six_Dramatic_Situations

31. Take a cold shower. That will wake you up and set your synapses to firing.

32. Have a beta reader review your WIP and give you questions, not suggestions.

33. Put a MacGuffin in your story. Even a minor one. It shouldn’t change the plot, and will create tension. “MacGuffin: an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance.” Think the Maltese Falcon—the physical statuette—which is never found in the book.

34. Learn from Scheherazade how to insert a cliffhanger in your novel. It may save your life.

35. Annotate your manuscript. Leave notes for yourself and/or your editor. e.g. Websites where you found/confirmed some information.

That’s it. I’m done spitballing for now. I hope one or more of these is of use.

 

Khkjb

Battle-Tested

Have you found any hints or shortcuts to speed up your writing process? Energize your creativity? Minimize distractions? Do tell.

by Dietrich

Shortcuts and ways to spark inspiration keep the process flowing and save me from staring at a blank page.

First off I should confess, I learned to blind type way back in school, but those 40 to 50 wpm days are far behind me now and my skills have devolved into more of a hunt-and-peck technique involving mainly my index and middle fingers. I’m about half as fast, but on the upside I'm still fast enough to keep up with the speed of my thoughts. Oh well.

Anyway, believable stories thrive on details, so early on I carried a pocket notebook. Now I use an app like Evernote or voice memos to snag ideas on the go. Overheard dialogue at a cafe or a bus stop can be gold. Jotting them down ensures I don’t lose something that might fuel a twist or deepen a scene.

And I people-watch — observing body language, tics, tone and subtle conflicts in everyday settings like a coffee shop, subway or grocery store. Noticing how the barista fidgets when dealing with a rude customer, how a commuter avoids eye contact, or listening to the way coworkers talk to each other can inspire realistic reaction and dialog.

Writing detailed backstories for my characters, including quirks, fears, and past traumas ensures their actions seem real and their words sounds authentic. I read their lines out loud and sometimes I talk to them—yes, it may sound odd, but vocalizing their thoughts helps me nail their motivations and makes their arcs more compelling.

When a reader spots an error—a wrong gun caliber or a shaky forensic detail—it kills immersion. I cross-check any research found online, verifying for historical and technical accuracy. Online research and AI assist is fast and leaves more time for creative output, but I need to be sure I get it right.  

During the messy draft, I keep the momentum by ending each writing day mid-scene, where I know what’s coming next. This lets me dive back in the next morning and minimizes the time spent staring at that blank page. 

I’ve found the approach that worked for one novel might flop for the next. So, I’ve tried various ways — working to an outline, reverse outlining, juggling two novels at the same time, alternating between drafts. Most of the time I prefer starting with a single image and letting the story unfold organically. After the first draft, I step back for a breather and write a timeline. After a week or so, I start the second draft in passes, improving the plot and subplots, character arcs and dialogue. The final polish is for prose. Three drafts usually does the job—any more and I might risk overcooking the story’s tension.

Shortcuts?

 

Terry here with our question of the week: Have you found any hints or shortcuts to speed up your writing process? Energize your creativity? Minimize distractions? Do tell. 

 I am a fast writer, but there is only one hint I have for writing at speed: Butt in chair (or stand, if you’re that kind of writer), hands on keyboard (or with pen in hand). Go!

That’s it. That’s my hint. If you insist, here’s a little more: Do it every day. Set goals. Meet the goals. If you don’t meet the goals, don’t beat yourself up. That’s just wastes time and energy. Just get at it the next day. 

 I imagine there are writers who will cite their use of some writing program to keep them organized and speed things along. But the only thing I’ve ever noticed about these types of “helps” is that they give the writer something to do while their mind is working on the book. That doesn’t mean they aren’t useful for some people. But I have an organized mind, so when I’m writing, I tuck things away in “corners” and pull them out when I need them. It’s probably the same process as Scrivener, or any other type of writing aid. I just happen to keep mine in the air. 

 About halfway through a book, I often find that the air is getting too crowded and I can no longer remember all the details--a minor character’s name, or exactly where or when something took place. That’s when I take time out, review the chapters, and make quick notes. The notes look something like this: 

 Chapter 1 Monday morning, headquarters, S gets phone call from Jane Marple. Reports missing cat. S sends Connor to find cat. Cat up tree, dead body at bottom of tree. Red herring: Bow tied around tree. Real clue: Funny odor. 

 In my notes I highlight names of characters and make note of red herrings and real clues. I sometimes will jot down a character trait or description. But it’s pretty basic. I suspect it would save time if I did this as I wrote, but I find the process is useful halfway through because it reminds me of where I’ve been and helps me adjust any writing that seems to wander away from the point. In other words, it works for me.

 So the best advice I can give is to do what works for you. And if you think something isn’t working, try something else. 

 As for the next part of the question, I don’t worry too much about energizing my creativity. I’m at the odd point right now where I’ve finished a couple of books and short stories, and started noodling around with a few ideas, but am not feeling particularly motivated or serious. I used to panic at that point: Oh no! I’ll never write again. I’ll never have another idea. I’m done. 

 Now I have enough experience to know how this will work. I’ll do a few projects that need doing, around the house write lists of things I “should” do, and then ignore the list. I’ll putter around, clean out a drawer, see friends. But at some point, I’ll start to get antsy. Conversations will make me impatient. I’ll find myself staring at something that seems more important than it is. I’ll wonder why it intrigues me. And then I’ll know. My brain is starting to assemble itself for another writing project. Simply noodling around has energized me for the next book. 

I may not even know what the book will be about, but I’ll find myself on high alert for prods: That lecture I heard yesterday? What if…? That painting I was staring at ? What if…”

The conversation I overheard that seemed odd…What if? It feels effortless, but at some point, the ideas will start to coalesce. 

As for minimizing distractions, I’m really lucky. I get hyper-focused when I’m writing. So much so, that if I answer a telephone, or someone speaks to me, I’d better write down what was said or it’s gone! Of course important things can come up that I must pay attention to, but even while I’m distracted, I keep feeling this pull back to the keyboard. The only advice I have about that is, if you realize you must leave your work for a while (a few minutes, an hour, a day, or longer), write a few lines saying what comes next. Then when you sit back down, you can read over the last few pages, read your prompt about “what comes next” and get back to it. 

A side note: A fond farewell to Brenda Chapman, who will be leaving 7CM after a good, long ride. Good luck with new adventures!

 Now comes the BSP: I got a fantastic review from Booklist for DEEP DIVE, the next Jessie Madison, which comes out July 1: “The tension ratchets up to a nerve-tingling level. With taut suspense, scary moments beneath the sea, and a surprising conclusion, this twisty, watery tale is a must-read thriller."

So Long My Friends

Have you found any hints or shortcuts to speed up your writing process? Energize your creativity? Minimize distractions? Do tell.

Brenda here for my final post!

Before I tackle this week's question, a note to say that this ends my run on 7 Criminal Minds. I began blogging five, six, ten? years ago and feel it's time to pass the torch on to a fresh voice. I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts alongside a stellar cast of authors, and will continue to follow their posts from the sidelines.

To my fellow Minds -- thank you for so generously including me in this special place. I will follow all your careers and lives with great interest and hope one day we can meet up in person. Onward!

I haven't come up with shortcuts to speed up my writing process. Each book takes about eight months to write and the editing takes what it takes. No matter what else is going on in my life, the timeline hasn't varied much. I try to hit a minimum daily word count now and find this helps to keep me on track and steadily moving forward, but my overall output remains quite constant.

The very act of writing energizes my creativity. I also enjoy reading and watching movies -- anything in the arts keeps me motivated. Talking with other authors and webinars also gives me a boost.

As for distractions, I'm fortunate that I can focus no matter what's going on around me. I'm not bothered by frequent breaks and actually find them refreshing.

On another note, we launched my most recent novel, Who Lies in Wait, this past week and I'll end with a few photos taken by my friend, Fred Taylor. The event was held at a local curling club.

I've enjoyed my years blogging here and hope you keep in touch through one of my sites. So long for now!

Website: www.brendachapman.ca

Facebook & Instagram & Threads: BrendaChapmanAuthor

Bluesky: @brendachapman.bsky.social

Festival Finance by Poppy Gee

What do your writing expenses look like for a conference? Airfare, hotel, meals, books, booze? What about ROI (return on investment)? Are conferences worth the expense?

Poppy and New Zealand author Vanda Symon became good mates at a festival in the Huon Valley!

For rest and relaxation, my husband likes loading up his motorbike trailer, packing his swag and an esky full of food, and driving five hours west to camp by a river, beneath gum trees and the stars, usually with our boys and a bunch of friends. I like everything about that plan except the sound of the motorbikes and the dust.

For me, a fun holiday is to attend a writer’s festival (or conference, if you're in the USA). I love them. I love the panels, the people, the readers, the feeling of being away from home on a writerly trip. I don’t hope to get anything out of being there except the joy of hearing other writers talk about their work, of being around like-minded people, and the pleasure of meeting new friends.

I haven't travelled to many - maybe four interstate trips. I’m fortunate that where I live the excellent Brisbane Writers Festival is held every year. It goes for five days and hundreds of local and international authors congregate in a pretty area on the bank of the river next to the library. It costs me $17 to park, I usually spend $200-$300 on event tickets, and I buy books – that’s the most unpredictable cost. Last year I had a beautiful lunch with my writer friend Steve MinOn at a fancy restaurant nearby – that cost $40. I’ve bought a ticket to next year’s GenreCon, also located in Brisbane. It was $350 for a three-day conference. I think that’s expensive, but every year when I don’t go, I see everyone posting about it in their socials and I get FOMO.

The interstate trips I've taken are to Tasmania writers’ festivals - Terror Australis and Tamar Valley. The four times I went, I was there as a panellist, so my airfare and accommodation were paid for. I was paid about $300 to be on each panel. I paid for my own hire car, as I like to have my independence. The cost isn't that that bad. I don't make money, but I don't lose that much either. 

I haven’t managed to get to any other festivals in recent years because of family commitments. It’s hard to get away when you’re a mum. But those commitments are lessening, and I have some plans but nothing I can reveal yet – watch this space!

I think it’s worth paying for workshops and events when you admire, or are interested in, a particular author. This doesn’t always happen. And I feel bad as I proofread this piece, because I fear I'm becoming the curmudgeon-writer of the Criminal Minds gang. But I have a good cautionary tale... 

My cautionary tale occurred twenty years ago. I was a student. An opportunity came up to attend a three-hour workshop that was pitched along the lines of: meet this fantastic thriller writer and his Stanford educated, book-marketing guru wife, hone your author branding and leave with a sharply tuned marketing plan for your work-in-progress. Submit fifty pages and these two experts will start preparing your amazing marketing plan.

Twenty aspiring authors, including me, gathered in a room. The fantastic thriller writer was a debut author whose book hadn’t been released yet. The dynamic duo hadn’t read anyone’s pages; they seemed a bit confused about that aspect of it. The wife, a self-described marketing whiz, told us her marketing plans for her husband’s soon-to-be launched book. The advice was fairly basic, like – always thank your publisher at any public occasion and hand out business cards or book marks to anyone you meet. I laugh now but at the time I left feeling annoyed that it cost $100 to watch a weird husband/wife presentation. Needless to say, we left with no marketing plan or any helpful advice. They over-sold, and under-delivered and it was a big let down at the time. 

Most people in the industry can write, which means alluring descriptions of workshops can sound more wonderful than the reality of the outcomes. Therefore, writers need to do their research before paying for workshop spots or conference tickets. Do you like an author’s book? Is the line-up at a festival interesting? Or, is the event held in a place you’d like to visit? If so, it will be worth it. Writers generally don’t have vast disposable incomes, but I think it’s worth spending what money we can afford to be with other writers and book lovers. I’ve met beautiful friends through writers’ festivals - writers and readers - and I hope to make more at the next one I attend.

To illustrate my point ... by Catriona

What do your writing expenses look like for a conference? (Percentages are fine.) Airfare, hotel, meals, books, booze? What about ROI (return on investment)? Are conferences worth the expense? 

With the divine Mr M, Bouchercon, Raleigh, 2015

Did everyone read Eric yesterday? About how ungrateful it looks when you're nominated for an award and you don't even bother to show up? Well, I'm nominated for two Anthony awards at this year's Bouchercon and I won't be anywhere near it.

Michael Mueller, Kristopher Zgorski and me
 gussied up for the Malice banquet, 2018

Before you judge me, though - I had already committed to appear (and moderate a panel) at Bloody Scotland. Imagine emailing Big Bob McDevitt and saying "Yeah, find someone else, B-Boy, I got a better offer". 

Wee Blaize frae Skye 
at Bloody Scotland 2019

Speaking of Bloody Scotland, though, here's a snippet of info that might make some blood boil. At UK writing festivals . . . they pay the authors' hotel bills and give them a stipend. Doesn't help with the bar bills but it doesn't hurt. Also Britain is a titchy wee country and no one's travel costs very much, unless you decide to go by sedan chair, I suppose.

Banquet table, Left Coast Crime, 2019
when I made nine Americans wear Jimmy wigs

But back to the rough and tumble and six-hour flights on this side of the pond. I don't live anywhere near any of the cons that don't move - Malice Domestic in Bethesda, CrimeBake in New England somehere and Thrillerfest in NYC. So my year always includes that schlepp from Sacramento to Dulles to celebrate traditional mysteries, and a shorter hop to Left Coast Crime - Denver this year, mind you, so not that short - and usually another jaunt to wherever Bouchercon is. I'm going to Calgary next year and DC the year after.

Just about to relinquish the official seal of the office of 
the President of Sisters in Crime, Bouchercon, Long Beach, 2014 

Even with taking the window seat in an exit row on United (where you might have to hold the door closed) this isn't cheap.

When I land, I tell myself I'm using public transport to get to the hotel. I promise myself. I look up how easy and cheap the trains are . . . and book a Lyft. Every time.

Parnell Hall of blessed memory
on his way to his panel at LCC, Hawaii 2014

Then I get to the hotel and start charging eye-wateringly pricy food to my room for three days.

Next, I visit the book room and make it look like an episode of Supermarket Sweep (and that's before attending new authors' breakfasts and thinking they all sound great too). 

Book haul from Malice, 2022

There are two financially repsonsible things I do in the midst of all that. But not for reasons of prudence or frugality. I only ever drink club soda because every other soft drink is too sweet and I don't drink actual drink. And I never ship books home, because I'd rather pack my case with new books and ship dirty clothes. 

I reckon Left Coast Crime in Denver cost $1500 and Malice closer to $2000. 

Did I make that back in sales?

Diana Chambers and I repsonding to that
idea, at Left Coast Crime, Vancouver, 2019 

But, as Gabriel said on Tuesday, that's not in the same hemisphere as the point. Going to cons is about hugging people who're tiny little profile pics for the other fifty-one weeks of the year, hearing those new authors and hoping they don't notice you vampirically feeding off their shiny enthusiasm, hearing from readers of your books who know more stuff than you do, fangirling your favourite authors, getting into a lift with someone holding a book and knowing they want to talk about it and won't get off at the next floor to escape you, sharing imposter syndrome panics, moaning about bits of the industry that seem designed to quash all creativity, and making the memories that will get you through the fifty-one weeks to come.

My mum meeting MC Beaton
at Bloody Scotland 2014

How lucky are we that all of that is tax-deductible?

Cx

 

To go or not to go? by Eric Beetner

 What do your writing expenses look like for a conference? (Percentages are fine.) Airfare, hotel, meals, books, booze? What about ROI (return on investment)? Are conferences worth the expense?

This question comes at a timely moment for me. I had planned not to attend any conferences this year. My finances have been depleted as my day job industry (TV/Film) goes through a major readjustment if not a downright upheaval. So things have been tight around here.

I've had years where I can justify going to a Bouchercon or Left Coast Crime by showing my wife I am paying for the conference entirely from book royalties. Not so this year, or the last couple to be honest. And yet I find myself now in possession of plane tickets to New York in June and New Orleans in September. How, and why?

Well, I got nominated for awards. I hate to write that with a disparaging tone, but mixed with the elation of the nominations, came the crushing fact that I had to now decide whether to attend Thrillerfest in NYC and Bouchercon in New Orleans. 

I feel like it's the least I can do to show up if I get nominated for an award. Plus, there's a darn good chance it may never happen again, so I don't want to miss out on the experience. Not to be overly self-deprecating, but I don't hold out much hope of winning. The nomination is the win in both cases. But on the off-chance my name is called, I'd feel ungrateful if I were not there to accept and to break out the dusty acceptance speech I've had in my pocket for years as nominations come and go with zero wins under my belt.

I attended Thrillerfest only once before when I was nominated in the Short Story category (this time it's for Best Series Novel). Thrillerfest was a grand time, but it's no secret that it is the most expensive conference out there. ITW does a great job of putting on a show, but just being in NYC makes it more than most cons. So that one wasn't on my radar at all.

I've been to ten Bouchercons at this point and I love seeing old friends and making new ones. I've met future agents at Bouchercon, met writers I admire. All the non-monetary reasons to attend. 

If you think going to a conference and appearing on a panel is your ticket to soaring sales numbers, I have bad news for you.

If you're contemplating going, think of it as any other trip. You're not going to recoup your investment in dollars, but in experience. 

For Bcon this year, it falls a day after my 25th anniversary and my wife has never been to New Orleans, so we're going to make a weekend of it. I honestly won't be around the conference halls much as I'll be out seeing the city with my wife as much as I'll be doing book related things. Perhaps she'll be my good luck charm for the Anthony Award where my novel The Last Few Miles Of Road is nominated in the Best Paperback original category. 

But boy they do add up. Even with discounted room rates, there are still fights, meals, books to buy. I don't drink so I save on the booze, so that's something. But figure at least $1200 for a weekend away. 

As others have said, the "worth it" factor is all in the experience. I was fine skipping out on the experience this year, but now with award nominations, the experience changed for me and justified the cost. So that tells me what the experience is worth.

Now, will it be more "worth it" if I come home with awards in hand? Absolutely. I don't mind saying so. Maybe I can get rid of this old speech in my pocket too. But whatever happens, I'll go in trying to make the most of what I've spent and come away with memories, hopefully some new contacts and new friends, and this time I promise to take pictures. (I'm sure I'll forget. Again)

Next year, though...pending any nominations, I plan to lay low.

The LOL of ROI, by Gabriel Valjan

 

What do your writing expenses look like for a conference? (Percentages are fine.) Airfare, hotel, meals, books, booze? What about ROI (return on investment)? Are conferences worth the expense?

Let’s just say I could fly to Europe, or I could go to Bouchercon. 

 

Same price point, wildly different emotional outcomes.

 

Rough breakdown:

X% hotel (writers need sleep, allegedly)
X% travel (planes, trains, Uber, and the privilege of TSA judging your bookmarks)
X% meals (half of which are Hit-or-Miss)
X% books (some are signed, some to support friends, some I swear are ‘research’)
X% Registration fee (for the right to speak on a panel called Murder Is Success)
X% bar tab (which somehow buys more responses than your query letter ever did)

 

X varies with the venue. Both Malice Domestic and New England Crimebake are fixed on the map, whereas Bouchercon is a mobile beast.

 

ROI? [Return on Investment, if you didn’t know the acronym]
If you mean “Do I make back the money in book sales?” Excuse me while I laugh through the ambiguity of tears. If you’re looking for a clean return, go invest in crypto. The answer is NO. Definitely not.

 

Conferences aren’t stocks. But if you’re talking about the kind of ROI that builds careers—maybe. Cons are where relationships start, where a face replaces a social media handle, and where people remember your name two years later when a panel needs a chair filled, or an editor needs to fill a vacancy in an anthology.

 

Malice Domestic is where the bodies are politely arranged in Bethesda. Heavy on traditional mysteries, light on blood spatter, but don’t mistake cozy for soft. The fans are loyal. If you show up with respect for the genre, even if you write darker—they notice.

 

Bouchercon is Disneyland with corpses. Bright lights, big names, packed panels, and sensory overload for the introverted soul. It’s loud, fast, chaotic—and it’s where you swim in international waters. Things happen there. You just have to stay afloat long enough to catch the wave.

 

Crimebake is smaller, local, and fun, though the location and food leave much to be desired. You come to work. To connect. To pitch. To learn. It’s the least expensive, but not lightweight. The lobster mascot Lola might be cute, but the writers are sharp and smart. And if you’re one of them, they take you in because Crimebake is like attending a family reunion.

 

So yes—conferences cost money. But they also build trust, visibility, and community, which are the currency of this business. You don’t “buy access.” You show up. You listen. You contribute. That’s the investment. If you’re lucky, you land an agent, walk away with an Agatha teapot, or an Anthony award, and friends for a lifetime, especially when writing and the rejections diminish you. We write outlines of bodies in fiction, other times we feel like real ones.

 

The returns don’t show up on a receipt, even if all you do is come home with a stack of new books, a fresh burst of inspiration, and a slight hangover.

 

That’s still a win until I open the door and I have to make amends with my cat Munchkin.

 

Money Money Money...

 

What do your writing expenses look like for a conference? Airfare, hotel, meals, books, booze. What about ROI (return on investment)? Are conferences worth the expense?

 

What a question! And a question that every writer probably has asked themselves at one point or another during their journey. I saw a post from a fairly well-established writer a while ago struggling with a decision on whether to attend a major upcoming conference. They ultimately decided against because the royalties they earned this year would not cover the cost of the conference. Something I had never thought of before. To be fair, if I used my royalties as a deciding factor on whether to attend a conference it might be a while before I saw any of my wonderful writing friends again.

The last conference I attended was Bouchercon 2024. In between flight, hotel at a massive, expensive resort where nothing cost less than $20, food, books, and of course wine, that conference cost me a few thousand dollars, easy. For that price I got the pleasure of seeing old friends, meeting a few new ones, and hopefully finding a few new readers. Was it worth it?

I think how you answer that question depends on where you are in your writing journey. If you are a new writer, I think a good writer’s conference is invaluable. Writers need other writers, to encourage, support, and tell us we’re not absolutely crazy for fighting so hard to be a part of this world. And when you’re used to writing alone there is no better place to find other writing friends than a writing conference. If you’re lucky those friends will stay with you throughout your writing career. I honestly believe I would not have a writing career had I never went to a writer’s conference. We live in a world where sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and the writing world is no different.

There is another benefit of attending a writer’s conference that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Inspiration. I never feel more inspired than after returning home from a few days of being surrounded by all things writing. The nights at the bar talking writing. Listening to a writer you long admired talk about their process. Meeting your writing hero or heroine. And, of course, feeling like a writer. That’s a big one. Most of us, especially those of us who still work a 9 to 5 never really get to feel like a writer in our everyday lives, so it’s cool to feel like a writer only, even if it's just for a few days. That feeling is priceless.

I have three conferences that I love. I try to go to at least one of them every year when my coins allow. I come home feeling refreshed, accomplished, and loaded down with more books than I'll ever be able to read. It's the best feeling in the world.

 So, are writing conferences, worth it? Maybe not on paper, if you look at it from a strictly dollars and cents standpoint. But for me the FOMO is far greater than my struggling bank account. So, I’ll see you there.

 

Deleting the 'is' and 'was' - possible or impossible? by Harini Nagendra

Look at your last book and count the number of times you used is, are, was, and were. Thoughts? Lessons learned? 

I must confess, the first time I saw today's question, I was very confused - what was wrong with using 'is, are, was and were'? Then I read some more. Many contemporary writing coaches and editors suggest that this entire set of words - all variants of the verb 'to be' - should be, if not deleted from one's writing vocabulary (which is clearly an impossible task), at least minimized. 

But why? Experts argue that these words are 'passive' (some even insist that these words belong to constructions written in the passive voice - which is not always true). Many argue for the use of stronger word choices, which could vastly improve the construction of their sentences, making their writing more powerful.

I did what several of my fellow Minds did this week, like James Ziskin - who found thirteen uses of 'was' and 'were' in the opening paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities. I love the book too, it's one of my all time favorites. 

I looked at another of the writers I love best - albeit one who writes in a very different style from Dickens - A.A. Milne. 

“Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

How could you rewrite this beauty of a paragraph without the 'was' and 'were' and improve on it? I defy you to. It would remove the very Pooh-ness of Winnie The's character if you edited his speech.

Ah, but that's dialogue, you might argue. What about narrative?

Here's another of my favorite writers - Lewis Carroll, writing Alice in Wonderland, in a descriptive paragraph without any dialogue.

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything: then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves: here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed: it was labeled "ORANGE MARMALADE," but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar, for fear of killing somebody underneath, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.

This is writing packed with action - a descriptive paragraph that no one (in their right mind) would term passive.

Phew. Such a relief to see this. Despite my explorations, it was with some trepidation that I decided to follow the rules of the assignment, which was to look at my own writing and see how much I used the various variations of to-be.

In my non-fiction? 2-3%. Sample size - 4 books. 

In my fiction? 2-2.4%. Sample size - 4 books.

That seems about right. Non-fiction, especially about ecology, is descriptive and I tend to use more of the 'to-be' words - but looking back at my fiction books, there are certainly sentences which I feel I could rewrite, replacing these verbs to create alternate versions that would make them punchier. And of course, equally, there are sections where I've used these words, but wouldn't want to edit to delete them.

It's been a fun exercise responding to this question, and a very educative experience too. If you'd like to read an interesting exchange of views on Reddit on this theme (with some hilarious comments) - here's this one

What is your opinion about "was" : r/writing  

 Until next fortnight!

-Harini 

   

  

To Be Is the Strongest Verb from James W. Ziskin

Look at your last book and count the number of times you used is, are, was, and were. Thoughts? Lessons learned? 

This week’s question deals with the verb “to be.” Since we mostly write in the past tense, I’ve decided to concentrate on “was” and “were,” instead of the present “am,” “is,” and “are.”

Dickens opens A TALE OF TWO CITIES with this famous passage: 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

That’s thirteen instances of “was/were” in the first paragraph. (And “being,” too.) Technically, in the first sentence…

We writers are taught to embrace so-called strong verbs (except when attributing dialogue. I’ve written about that random contradiction several times in this space, most recently on January 9, 2025.) The implication of this week’s question—posed by me, true enough—is that the verb “to be” is weak. If that’s so, how should we feel about Dickens’s colossal run-on sentence above? Not only does he repeat a form of “to be” thirteen times, he blatantly flouts the rule of three in the process! They say he wasn’t actually paid by the word, but that opening passage begs to differ.

Regardless of the word count, A TALE OF TWO CITIES makes me feel a little better about sharing how many “was-es” I use in my work. In my latest book, THE PRANK (July 2026), “was” accounts for 2.45% of all the words I wrote. I choked on that number. That seemed like a lot to me. So I counted “was” in a different book I’d written, TURN TO STONE. Whew! Much better: 1.69%. In A STONE’S THROW, the total was 1.65% and STONE COLD DEAD clocked in at 1.54%.

Why the discrepancy? Without proof, I can only hypothesize that the narrator in THE PRANK is to blame. He is a thirteen-year-old boy, after all. Perhaps his age explains why. His language is simpler than that of my trusty heroine, Ellie Stone, in TURN TO STONE, A STONE’S THROW, and STONE COLD DEAD.

But is this a problem at all? Is the overuse of “to be” wrong? Is it a weak verb?

I’ll be contrarian here and say that, despite popular opinion, “to be” is perhaps the strongest verb there is. (Notice how I used it in one form or another four times in that sentence?) 

We’re taught in school that verbs describe action, and “to be” certainly doesn't do that. But it is a verb. It describes essence (a word that comes to us from Latin, from the present participle of esse—to be). “To be” is actually a tremendously versatile word, which is why we use it so much. It can act as an intransitive verb with many shades of meaning, from existence, to belonging, identity, coming and going, and more. 

It’s also an essential (another word related to “to be”) auxiliary verb, used in many tenses: 

present continuous—I am going

present perfect continuous—I have been going

past continuous—I was going

past perfect continuous—I had been going

As well as the conditional and future continuous tenses:

I would be going

I would have been going

I will be going

I will have been going

And, of course—my favorite—“to be” used to be used as the auxiliary verb for several intransitive verbs in the present perfect:

He is come

He is risen

How the mighty are fallen

As a French and (former) Italian teacher, I am happy to point this out to my students who struggle to understand why the auxiliary verb for some verbs is être in French and essere in Italian. (Hint, these are intransitive verbs—they can’t take a direct object.)

Je suis allé au marché.

Sono andato al mercato.

It’s fascinating to me that, despite English and Romance languages coming from different language families, the word “to be” fills (or used to fill, in the case of English) this function as auxiliary verb for intransitive verb constructions. And guess what. In German it’s the same. “Sein” (to be) is the auxiliary for the present perfect of intransitive verbs, e.g. “Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!” 

Damn! “To be” is one bad m&%^fing verb!

“To be” is also our most irregular verb. I am, you are, he/she is, etc. And it’s our most common verb. If it weren’t so common, of course, its “irregularity” would never survive. It would “regularize” because no one would remember its forms. “To be” is also the most irregular verb in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.

Okay, but I’ve strayed from the subject at hand, which is do we overuse the verb “to be” in our work and what do we think about that? As a reality check, I counted the word “was” in Raymond Chandler’s THE BIG SLEEP. 1.45% of the words. That’s a lower percentage than I use. Hmm. I should definitely pay attention to this. Not necessarily change anything, but definitely be aware of it going forward. 

Then, when I was feeling down about my overuse of “was,” I had the idea to check a book written with a young narrator, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. And what did I find? Approximately 2.5% of the words in that book is “was.”

VINDICATION!🎈🎉

Finally, just to cover all (some of) the bases, I thought I’d check a book written in the present tense and chose our own Terry Shames’s MURDER AT THE JUBILEE RALLY. As I suspected, “was” accounted for a far lower percentage of the words used, a paltry 0.925%. (Great book, by the way. Love me some Samuel Craddock!) Bravo, Terry!

CONCLUSIONS

I’d like to think that a book can have anywhere from 0.8% to, say, 3.0% usage of “was” and still be okay. It all depends on the narrator, the point of view, and the individual style. Still, as for any other word we choose to include in our writing, we should always remain vigilant and challenge it at every turn. “Was” must be the right word or we must strike it out.

Let the arguing begin in the comments!

Slvjkn