Surprise!

 

Terry here with our question of the week: tell us one thing that you didn't anticipate about the writer's life, which surprised you once you became a writer. 

There are so many things I didn’t anticipate about the writer’s life, that I can’t hold it to one. I’m going to list a bunch! 

It starts with those last two words: writer’s life. I always wrote stories. Even when I worked long hours in computer programming and analysis, during lunch hour I often went to my car and wrote. And I wrote after work. BUT that didn’t mean I was living a writer’s life. I discovered (to my surprise) that a true writer’s life meant I had to take writing seriously—not just dash off a few pages at random. The writer’s life meant working and reworking the same thing again and again. It meant I often had to decide not to do something frivolous, but instead keep myself moving forward with whatever I was working on. 

I also did not anticipate how hard it would be to get published. Yes, I thought my prose was so brilliant that publishers would fall all over themselves for the privilege. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but still…Even after I started becoming more serious, I had many, many failures. And then, finally, the publishing gods smiled on me. 

That’s when I really was surprised. 

1) I was surprised at the success of my first novel. A Killing at Cotton Hill was nominated for numerous prizes, winning the Macavity Award. There was huge “buzz” about it. It was a heady adventure. 

2) My goal had truly been to have a novel published—period. It was a surprise when the next one in the series presented itself, and I wrote it! Two books. I’m still surprised that the ideas keep coming and that the books keep being published. And that I have readers who love them. 

3) I was surprised at how natural it felt. It was as if I had been auditioning as an author for a long time. Once it happened, it felt like I had finally come home. 

4) I could never have anticipated how much I enjoyed my relationship with my editors. I had no idea that an editor was the rock I could depend on. 

5) Same with my agents. I had some vague idea that an agent just handled the money. It was a shock to me when I found out they could also give me writing advice, and advice about what publisher might work best for my particular books. 

6) Here’s an odd one—I hated public speaking before I became a published author. My hands would sweat, I’d practice again and again and still feel nervous and embarrassed. After the first book came out, it was as if a switch had been flipped. I found that I could easily talk in front of hundreds of people and feel completely relaxed. What is that all about? I still don’t know. 

7) I never knew I would have fans. Fans who wrote to me. Fans who told me they read all my books—more than once. I had sat mesmerized when a friend who had just published a novel was approached by someone when I was with her, telling her how much they enjoyed the book. Wow! That seemed like it could never happen. I’m still stunned when someone comes up and tells me they’ve read all my books. It happened last weekend and after twelve years of being published it still stuns me. 

8) Perhaps the most amazing unanticipated result was that I found a whole new community of friends. People who have the same fears and doubts that I have. The same struggles. The same welcomed me into the writing life. Who always seem willing to help. And who admit to having their own struggles. A warm, generous community that I can laugh with and commiserate with. 

9) Reviews. I don’t know why, but I’m always surprised when my reviews are great. I’ve had some terrific comments, including one that I’ll list below. 

10) And finally, the biggest surprise of all is that I don’t sell that many books. I have loyal following, and a loyal publisher. I have fans and good reviews. And still, my book sales are modest. Go figure. 

 So now for a little BSP: Deep Dive comes out July 2, and just got a terrific review from Booklist, which ended the review with: “With taut suspense, scary moments beneath the sea, and a surprising conclusion, this twisty, watery tale is a must-read thriller!”

Introducing Myself - by Matthew Greene

I'm so excited to join these Criminal Minds! I tried to think of a more erudite first tine than that, but it never hurts to lead with a little enthusiasm. My name is Matthew, and I'm relatively new to the crime writing world. My first novel—There's No Murder Like Show Murder—came out last summer, and it's been a whirlwind debut year. During that time, I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the kindest, funniest, most generous folks I've ever known. That's crime writers for ya!

My background is in theatre (hence the subject matter of my first book), so that theatrical bias is bound to creep into my posts here. But I'm a long time mystery lover who has enjoyed bringing crime fiction to the stage before bringing it to the page. As a novelist, I've got some exciting stuff in the works and am thrilled to be part of this community. 

I asked the other bloggers to send over some interview questions for this first post, and they did not disappoint! So, without further ado...

*****

Why did you suddenly start writing a novel? 

It’s on a short list of good things that came from the Covid lockdown. When all my theatre gigs went on pause, I needed somewhere new to put my creative energy. I’d always wanted to try my hand at a novel but, to put it frankly, it just seemed like so many words. In 2020, though, I suddenly found myself stuck inside without much to distract me. (And it helped that my boyfriend was working on his novel in the next room.) So, I buckled down to transfer those playwriting skills over to prose.

 

And why crime? 

It may not be a very interesting answer, but it’s no less true—crime fiction is my favorite genre to read. There’s something about the high stakes and forward momentum of a mystery that make way for fascinating characters and scintillating dialogue. I’d also recently finished a murder mystery play called Bad Accents, and I must have been in that headspace still. Early on during lockdown, I started writing little whodunnit dinner party games I could play with my friends over Zoom. But I'd get irritated when they didn’t quite grasp the character complexities narrative nuances I could see in my head. (Not their fault, of course—it was supposed to just be for fun, but I ended up taking the whole endeavor too seriously. Story of my life.) So, it only made sense to pivot to a format where I had more control.

 

And why cozy crime? 

Before I started on There’s No Murder Like Show Murder, I didn’t really know what a cozy mystery was! But we were watching a lot of Murder She Wrote, and I started to research the genre from there. I assembled a stack of paperbacks and read them on my fire escape with a glass of rosé, devouring cozies one after another like our favorite readers do. I learned about the conventions and the unspoken “rules” of a cozy, all of which presented an interesting challenge. Most importantly, I fell in love with the various small-town settings of these books, and it made me pine for the picturesque Connecticut theater I was supposed to be working at. And thus, the Eastbrook Playhouse came to be!

 

Describe your best and worst day being in theatre in NYC.

I always say my ideal day is spent in a rehearsal room with talented people, then followed up with dinner and a Broadway show. It’s a blessing to have access to so much great theatre, so I try and see as much as I can. (Current Broadway recommendations: Operation Mincemeat and John Proctor is the Villain.) But I’m a bit of a workaholic, so there’s nothing more fun than collaborating with other artists on something new and exciting. This can make even the “worst” days feel worth it. Reading this question, my mind flashed back to early years at the Fringe Festival, waiting on the sidewalk in the sweltering summer heat until we got the go-ahead to carry our set pieces inside and start the show. Or the all-nighters I’ve pulled trying to get new pages ready for actors by morning. Or the time a new musical workshop stressed me out so much I got shingles. But, let’s be real, I was lucky to be doing what I love.

 

What are you reading and watching right now?

I recently moved to New Jersey and joined three book clubs in order to make new friends, so I’m letting them choose a lot of what I’m reading. But when I’m making decisions for myself like a big boy, I love a traditional mystery with memorable characters, a cozy with a little edge to it, or a thriller with a protagonist questioning their own sanity. Over the last year, I’ve made a lot of author friends, so I’m making my way through their books, and I’m currently loving the Every Day a Little Death short story anthology. And yes, I admit, I watch a lot of TV, and I couldn’t be happier to have new seasons of Poker Face and Hacks to enjoy, along with new discoveries like The Studio and Overcompensating.

 

You’ve written in both narrative and dramatic formats. What are the biggest challenges or shifts in writing for the stage as opposed to the page?

In theatre, you have collaborators to help bring the story to life. I often think of a script as a blueprint, something others can use to build something greater. But in the process of writing a novel, you have to build it all yourself! You won’t have a costume designer come in and decide what the characters are wearing. You won’t have an actor making creative choices with the dialogue. You won’t have a director helping to set the pace. It’s all on your shoulders! In some ways, I like the control. But it does get a little lonely, by comparison. 

 

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m a plotter who sometimes veers dangerously far from his outlines. If I had it in me to be a pantser, I’d probably have a lot more fun. But I need structure in place before I can deviate.

 

Do you read your reviews?

It’s so gauche to say so…but yeah, sometimes. I think all feedback is useful input, even if it hurts my feelings more than I like to admit. I don’t read everything, of course, but I'm pretty good at parsing out what’s worth paying attention to...then leaving the rest behind. At least, I try.

 

What was your favourite book as a child?

In chronological order, it went from In the Night Kitchen to Harriet the Spy to The Westing Game to The Picture of Dorian Gray. 

 

Which author - living or dead - would you love to take out for dinner, and where would you go?

Oscar Wilde, without a doubt. He'd be endlessly entertaining. I'd take him to Cafeteria in Chelsea for dinner, he'd probably find some withering way to call my choice of restaurant "basic," and then we'd hit up a gay bar or two. After what he went through, he deserves a little fun.

 

Which book do you wish you wrote?

The Bible. Just kidding. I’m not sure…maybe something so far outside my genre that I’m not sure I’d ever be able to pull it off. Like Giovanni’s Room or People of the Book. Or maybe The Lavender House, because I think that’s such a cool series. Highly recommend. 

*****

And that's me in a nutshell! Like I said, I couldn't be happier to be welcomed into this fantastic community of authors and to be joining this cadre of Criminal Minds. 

See you on Mondays!

Flaw. Want. Need. (my not-so-secret recipe to writing)

Poppy teaching a crime fiction workshop at Logan North Library last week.

Craft - How do you come up with character personality sketches for your books - do you plunge in and let your characters develop on the page, use real life people as inspiration, turn to personality frameworks like the enneagram? Especially for those who've written a lot of previous books - how do you keep your new characters from looking and feeling like your old ones? 

Initially, I thought this was a hard question to answer, my instinct was to say that my characters just pop into my head fully formed. Of course, that's not true. I teach crime fiction writing workshops, and in the class I share tools that I use to lean into the characters, to explore them to make sure they appear authentic and fully formed on the page. 

I use a tried and tested technique. For each character, (even the smaller ones) I write notes addressing these three things: Flaw, Want, Need. Once I know these things, it helps me shape the plot, for it shows me the character’s motivation. In one of my works in progress, I have a disgraced hotel night manager who arrives to stay at her estranged stepbrother’s beautiful home. She’s a Curious Connie, she likes to snoop and pry. This is her flaw. Her want is to find a home, and a job, as she has lost both because of her troubling behaviour at the five-star hotel where she worked. Her need is more complex. She needs to learn to trust herself, to accept people as they are without craving to learn all their intimate secrets, and to not be so needy – she needs to mind her own business and stop snooping in order to be happy.

Once I worked out these aspects of my character, the narrative starts firing on all pistons. The momentum picks up and so does my motivation to write. I can feel where the story is going. It’s a fantastic feeling, like being on a fast train heading to a great location. The urgency is what makes writing fun.

For me, the seed of an idea for a character often comes from real life. The seed for the hotel night manager came from my brother, who used to be a night manager. He told me lots of funny stories about rude or weird guests, about the complaints he had to manage, about the strange behaviour of certain staff members, and about the furtive comings and goings from the hotel late at night. It was fascinating, and I turned many of his stories into plot points in my novel. 

I like researching seemingly ordinary but interesting jobs for my characters. Fish farm manager, viticulturalist, colonial art dealer, chicken farmer – I’ve found a person who does each of these jobs and I interviewed them, and used parts of their stories to make my characters. There are so many interesting jobs in the world, I'll never run out of new ideas. 

A Ruth by any other name, by Catriona

How do you come up with character personality sketches for your books - do you plunge in and let your characters develop on the page, use real life people as inspiration, turn to personality frameworks like the enneagram? Especially for those who've written a lot of previous books - how do you keep your new characters from looking and feeling like your old ones?

I too have no clue what "enneagram" is, so that's that out of the way.

Next, I want to say how much I love Mary Higgins Clark, whose every book had a young, slim, pretty, red-haired, Irish-American heroine. It mattered not one jot to me, but I bet you wouldn't get it past an editor if you were anyone else.

I've never tried. But how do I do it? I remember making up Dandy Gilver, in 2002: I worked out where she lived, what her name was, what she looked like, her family structure and then started writing her first adventure. I can't remember what happened after that except for the still strong memory of being terrified, when I started writing book 2, that it wouldn't be the same person. That was the question I asked,voice shaking, when I handed over the draft to an early reader. The feedback was, "Of course it's the same person. Get a grip, you maniac." (The early reader was my husband.)

When it comes to the other, one-and-done characters in the Dandy Gilver novels, I try to find photographs of people who look like them and then I stare at the pictures until their names come to me. Imagine my surprise when, leafing through a coffee-table book about the golden age of travel to find an industrialist I needed, I came upon Dandy herself! To the life! (That's her on the right, with her rouge in the wrong place, looking uncomfortable.)

Modern characters come about differently, for some reason. I don't seem to need to find pictures of them; maybe because the people around me every day look enough like them? Who knows. For them, it starts with the name. Until the name is right, I can't do anything with the characters, and consequently with the story. In Deep Beneath Us, it took me ages to name the family at the the heart of the story. They finally became the Muirs, which is just right. It took even longer to come up with the given names for four cousins (Jo, Johnny, Davey and Tabitha) and their parents (Zelda, Roddy, Watson and Rowan), but the two other voice characters snapped into focus as soon as I knew they existed. Barrett Langholm, a jobbing gardener in his fifties, and Lyle "Gordo" Gordon, a thirty-ish fast-food cook, walked into the story and introduced themselves. 

But even with the names in place, in standalones I don't know any of these people. So, yes, I plunge in. I write that first draft not worrying about whether the characters are hanging together. I know I'll know them by the end. When I go back to the start to read the first draft, it's odd to find - for example - Gordo saying something in Chapter 3 that Gordo would never say. What idiot wrote this?

The genesis of Lexy Campbell in the Last Ditch comedies was different. For a start, I wanted her name to be the most ridiculous example of Gaelic spelling I could come up with. I think I nailed it with L-E-A-G-S-A-I-D-H: Lexy. It's Katrina-with-an-O dialled up to 11. After that, she's . . . me. She doesn't look like me or have my life but she has the misunderstandings and mishaps I had when I, like she did too, moved to California. And she says some things about life here that I don't entirely disavow. 

As to how I keep from writing the same character over and over again, now that I'm working on novel number ... OMG, I just clicked over to my website to check ... novel number 39?! I don't think it's up to me to say whether I do manage it. Maybe Mary Higgins Clark thought every one of her heroines was nothing like any of the others. But to the extent that they are different (whether that extent is yawning or titchy) I think jobs are a help. A therapist is different from a librarian. Someone who enjoys working in a supermarket is going to be different from someone who resents it. Someone who's stifled in a family business is not the same as someone who feels safe and happy with her dad telling her what to do. It's not everything, but you've got to start somewhere. 

Cx

Who are these people? by Eric Beetner

How do you come up with character personality sketches for your books - do you plunge in and let your characters develop on the page, use real life people as inspiration, turn to personality frameworks like the enneagram? Especially for those who've written a lot of previous books - how do you keep your new characters from looking and feeling like your old ones?

I definitely don’t start a book until the characters start talking to me. To be clear, I am NOT one of those people who says stuff like, “I don’t write the book, the characters do” or “I’m just here to transcribe what the characters want to say.” It’s a craft and the author is in charge.

That said, once I can start to come up with lines, dialogue, little moments in my head that sound like the characters, that’s my green flag to know I’m ready to start and I won’t be fighting on the page to figure out who these people are.

I don’t formally write anything out about characters. I have my outline of the story, but I don’t do full backgrounds or anything like that. One of the holdovers from my screenwriting background is the idea that character is action. People reveal themselves by what they do as much, if not more, than by what they say and think.

We all know an unreliable narrator. But even the most unreliable can’t hide their actions. So I generally let the actions let the reader know who a character is. And if I ever get stuck, I look at my story outline and I work to stay true to a character who would do those things.

Now, the second half of this question is interesting to me. I have written a whole lot. 33 published books, 5 more completed manuscripts (about to be 6 if I stay on track) I constantly worry about repeating myself.

I’ve written a few trilogies, so there is comfort in following the same character for multiple books. You not only get to know them better, you don’t have to invent all new people each time out.

But I do love to switch it up. I’ve written first person female protagonists. I’ve written older characters as well as younger. I’ve written period pieces, different styles like Western which require a different style of character.

But ultimately I write “my” type of people, which will lead to some inevitable echoes if not repeats.

For my Carter McCoy novels, the last of the trilogy I am finishing now, that name was always a placeholder. I had written about an older character in my McGraw novels named Calvin. So a C name with a Mc last name. I thought, “Nah, too close. I’ll have to change that.” By the time I got through with the book, Carter McCoy was who he was. Changing his name felt like changing the man himself. So I left it (a happy by-product of knowing not a whole lot of people read those McGraw novels…)

But my character naming schemes are awful and ill-advised anyway. Writing so much – all those novels plus 120+ short stories – means I burn through a lot of names.

The McGraws came from a movie poster on my wall featuring the actor Charles McGraw. Carter McCoy came from my bookshelf and picking a Horace McCoy novel to give him a temp name that stuck.

So maybe I should give the names a little more thought. But in a weird way, once they reach that point of starting to talk to you, then they begin to have their own life. I certainly wouldn’t change the names of my daughters (unless they asked for it). 

I’ve resisted using names of real people in my life mostly because I don’t want anyone thinking the character was inspired by them. My people quite often do unsavory things. So unless it’s for a good reason, I don’t like to use real people. 

Someday I may run out of usable names. The good news is, we all know people with the same names. I know a lot of Steves, a few Johns, quite a few Jennifers, Jens and Jennys. Repeating isn’t a writerly no-no. But WHO those name are attached to is the key.

I need to make them “mine” to stay true to the stories I write, but make them different enough to keep readers engaged and not thinking “This is the same old recycled crap.”

The biggest advantage there is my own desire to mix things up. If I’ve just spent weeks, months with a book and living with those characters, I really want to write something totally different the next time out. I like the change because I also don’t want to think I’m generating the same old recycled crap. After all, I’m the first reader, and I only write books I’d want to read. 

Same Riff, Never the Same Solo

 How do you come up with character personality sketches for your books—do you plunge in and let your characters develop on the page, use real-life people as inspiration, or turn to personality frameworks like the enneagram? Especially for those who’ve written a lot—how do you keep new characters from looking like old ones?

First off, I don’t know what an enneagram is. I assume it’s either a personality chart or a Scandinavian death metal band. Either way, I don’t use it.

Explaining creativity is like diagramming a punchline—it only gets less funny the more you pick at it. But here I go.

Characters show up when they want to. Some arrive fully dressed with a name tag and a past. Others sneak in late and mutter. I write until they start talking, then I listen.

Writers are professional eavesdroppers. We steal from bar talk, funerals, waiting rooms, subway and bus rides, or whatever’s going on. We watch people not because we’re nosy—okay, we are—but because human nature is our raw material. Most people are acting. Our job is to catch them when the mask slips.

As for keeping characters from turning into reruns, that’s an architecture problem. You write long enough, types resurface—the liar, the romantic, the bastard with a conscience—but if you’re doing it right, they evolve. Or unravel. It’s jazz: same riff, never the same solo.

And yeah, trauma helps. Not being flippant—life’s traumatic.

We all compartmentalize to survive. Writers just monetize it.

Writing, for me, is part instinct, part discipline, and part con. The trick is discernment—knowing what’s signal and what’s noise. Some call it Talent. I call it knowing when something’s alive on the page, and when it’s just typing.

I started with poetry, which is ironic considering I have a profound hearing loss. But words on the page? They give me sensation—sometimes even color. I hear the music. I’m also obsessed with old films, especially Thirties flicks where the dialogue crackles and the subtext cuts deep on sex and social commentary. Preston Sturges. Early Wilder. Anything with Myrna Loy giving a guy the look that says she already knows the ending.

Writing comedy is harder than murder. Ask anyone who’s tried to write both.

Final thought: writing’s democratic. Everyone gets the same blank page. What’s not democratic? Your relationship to language. That’s the real trick. That’s the one thing no one can fake.

 

Hello, my name is...

 

 

How do you come with character personality sketches for your books-do you plunge in and let your characters develop on the page, use real life people as inspiration, turn to personality frameworks like the enneagram? How do you keep your new characters from looking and feeling like your old ones?

 

I love this question because it seems that it’s one that always comes up once anyone realizes you’re a writer. It’s right up there with where do you get your ideas from. From the idea fairy, of course!  But there are no character fairies. Who needs them anyway.

For me, characters are the beginning of every story. When that first character steps onto the stage of my creative brain and announces themselves, they are fully formed. I can see them and hear them as clear as any other co-worker. But I won’t lie, sometimes these characters do seem a bit familiar.

The first book I ever wrote, Fat Chance, centered around three strong-minded, brave, audacious black women, that some in my family will argue, fiercely, that those three characters were based on them. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to deny it; they stand firm in their belief that I have essentially stolen their character and used them to tell this story. Good thing they liked the story.

The thing is, and it’s quite wonderful too, is many other readers, not in my family, have told me the exact same thing, that these characters could be them, or their sisters, or best friend, which is what I think we writers want more than anything, relatability. We want the reader to find something in our characters that feel familiar, for good, or bad, it’s that connection to the character that keeps readers turning the page.

Have you ever picked up a book that everyone swears is the greatest book ever written but for you it’s as dry as reading an encyclopedia? I bet if you thought back to that book, you’d realize that there was no character that you connected to. Without that connection, forget about it. That’s why for me, character is king.

Full disclosure, I’ve never actually sat down and completed an actual character personality sketch. I am definitely a plunge in and let the character develop on the page kind of girl. Having said that, I will acknowledge that intentional or not, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the people around you.

I’m at the beginning of my writing career. But I do believe that as long as I continue to let my characters reveal themselves to me, I won’t have to worry too much about them looking or sounding like each other since every character has their own story to tell. I hope.

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 aid. 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.