Tag Archive for: writing

Plotting or Plodding, or Both?

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by Paula Gail Benson

About a month ago, I began noodling with an idea for a
novel. I started writing in a notebook, with a cover that had the phrase: “Wherever
life takes you–trust your journey.” Following that advice, I started generally
with entries about what I would like to write. I had a strong idea for a
protagonist and gradually figured out the people who surrounded her.

On the fourth entry, I heard my protagonist’s first words: “I
am a relic.” And then, her best friend’s response.

I continued on the journey and finally had a chronology for
the opening scenes of the novel, which I sketched out in another notebook, then
began examining the timeline more closely in the notebook containing all the
other entries.

Finally, I managed to name the central characters. While I still
hadn’t written out the opening scenes, I found myself developing one where the
protagonist is talking with her best friend about a choice she made and action
she took. The best friend disagrees with her decision and is worried about how
it will play out.

As the two characters talk, the scene becomes lengthy. It provides a perspective about the relationship between the two friends. Because
they indulge in mojitos, the protagonist stays over at her friend’s house. She’s
roused once in the middle of the night and can’t figure out why.

The next day, the protagonist and her friend are called to
come to the friend’s workplace, where a homicide victim has been found. The
victim is connected to the action the protagonist took and her friend found
problematic. After giving statements to the police, the protagonist and her
friend begin to investigate how the victim might have been killed.

I’ve progressed through several scenes without going back to
write the beginning. The other day I made some discoveries about the characters
that I wasn’t expecting.

As I contemplated what I’d learned, I wrote: Amazing where
the writing journey takes you. I had been wondering how the scenes with such
long conversations would evolve and was surprised by what I discovered.
Sometimes, when you’re wondering if the winding road is worth traveling, you
find the trip astonishing. All it required was to keep plodding forward with a
general goal in mind, flexible enough so any unexpected shift didn’t bump you
from the trail.

Abigail Drake

When I wrote “plodding,” I wondered if that was the synonym
or antonym for “plotting.” I decided both plotters (who plan out their stories
before writing them) and pantsers (who observe the emerging plan as they write their
stories) depend upon plodding, as in moving forward. I think what worried me at
first was the idea that plodding is often associated with the uninteresting,
the pedestrian. But, I think it’s more important to think of those gently
clomping horses’ hooves progressing methodically toward a target.

I remain concerned that my scenes are more talk than action,
but I know I can fix that. Maybe for now, I just need to hear my characters
tell me what they know.

Also, I’ve just purchased and started reading Abigail Drake’s
The Reformed Panster’s Guide to Plotting.
Abigail, author of seventeen novels, presenter of writing workshops, and
facilitator for Ramona DeFelice Long’s continuing Sprint Club on Facebook,
wrote this book after being asked to deliver a seminar on the topic in West
Virginia. Released October 7, 2021, and 86 pages in length, it is an excellent
discussion about how to plan a work of fiction, chapter-by-chapter. At the end,
an appendix outlines the overall process. Drake’s book works for building a
novel as well as for analyzing how to revise a novel.

I have to admit, it’s great to “plod” forward with a terrifically supportive guidebook, which describes Drake’s book. I recommend
that you try both.  

 

Interview with Debra Sennefelder

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 by Bethany Maines

Bethany Maines

Debra Sennefelder

Part of being a collective blog group is that we have many fantastic members that I’ve never met in person and aside from the sparkling repartee on group email threads (trust me we’re brilliant), we often don’t get a chance to interact with each other.  So this month, I’m taking the opportunity to get to know one of my Stiletto Gang members – Debra Sennefelder. Debra has nicely agreed to sit down and answer a few questions to let us into her writing bubble. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I have.


Q: What do you write?

I write cozy mysteries. I have two series, The Food Blogger
Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series both published by
Kensington Publishers.

Q: Plotter or Pantser?

I’m a plotter. I like to have a detailed outline completed
when I sit down to write the first draft. My working outline (it’s not as
pretty as the one I send to my editor) can include snippets of dialogue, a
little description, links for research. While it may be long (sometimes thirty
plus pages), it’s not carved in stone, so changes can happen while I’m writing
the manuscript. Sometimes I find that a scene falls flat and doesn’t move the
story forward, sometimes inspiration sparks and I add or rework scenes,
sometimes I add a new character.

Q: What is your go-to relaxation
read?

My go-to relaxation read is a fashion magazine. Always has
been.

Q: Favorite authors or your most
favorite recent read?

I have way too many favorite authors to list. So, let me tell
you what I just finished reading. It was Three Single Wives by Gina LaManna.

Q: And of course, I would be remiss
if I didn’t ask… what are your favorite shoes?

I bought a pair of Sam Edelman black leather pumps a couple
of years ago and I love them. They’re a classic that pairs perfectly with jeans
or a dress.

Connect with Debra!

Connect with Bethany!

BETHANY NEWS UPDATE:

The Deveraux Legacy Series will be on sale Sept. 10 – 17.  Grab Books 1 & 2 and preorder Book 3, The Hardest Hit, for .99 cents! The Hardest Hit will return to full price 24 hours after release day. 
The Deveraux Legacy Series: The Deveraux Family is wealthy, powerful and in a lot of trouble.  Senator Eleanor Deveraux lost her children in a plane crash, but she has a second chance to get her family right with her four grandchildren – Evan, Jackson, Aiden and Dominique. But second chances are hard to seize when politics, mercenaries, and the dark legacy of the Deveraux family keep getting in the way.

https://books2read.com/The-Second-Shot – all stores
https://books2read.com/Cinderella-Secret – all stores
https://books2read.com/Hardest-Hit – all stores

Amazon Series Page: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GK7CK8M?ref_=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tkin&binding=kindle_edition

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Book Hangover

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 by Bethany Maines

I have a book hangover. I’m about to close out a series that’s very near and dear to my heart.  The Shark Santoyo Crime Series has characters that got under my skin and I’m loathe to let them go.  So much so, that I’m leaving the door wide-open for sequels, but I have two other series that are requiring that the next installments get done and I only have so much time in my days. 

It’s a difficult decision to walk away and I don’t know how other authors do it. I feel like there ought to be some sort of party where I eulogize and make promises I know I won’t keep about seeing them again soon and say something like “it’s not you, it’s me.” I’ll play their playlists and we can eat some Vaca Frita and complain about how it’s hard to get rid of bodies properly one more time. 

But at least I’m ending in a solid place. I’ve wrapped up the story line that ran through all the previous books and I have answered almost all the questions.  And for once, my characters get at least a moment or two of happy ever after.  They also have another adventure ready and waiting for them, should I happen to get back there, but overall I feel good about where I’m leaving them.  

I know a book hangover is real for readers, but is there one for writers?  How do any of my writer friends break up with their creations?  

LEARN MORE: https://amzn.to/3aUhDuA 

About the Series:

The criminals are savage, the stakes are high and even the suburbs hide secrets that can kill.

When twenty something Shark got out of prison and made a deal with Geier, the boss of his old gang, he knew he’d be walking into trouble, but he never expected to meet the teenage crime savant Peregrine Hays. The knife-wielding beauty may fuel his dreams, but Peregrine has secrets of her own, and soon Shark is swept up in a whirlpool of murder, revenge, and love. Both streetwise and hardened by dark pasts, Shark and Peri are the perfect match as they battle crooked federal agents, sex traffickers, and gangs in search of vindication. But when Shark is faced with an enemy that knows him better than anyone else, he and Peri learn that their options may be staying together OR staying alive…

About Book 6:

Shark Santoyo is dead. Or at least he was. But now he’s back in the city chasing an art thief and dreams of the past. He has no intention of going anywhere near Peri—she left him to rot in prison. But when Al Hays brings them back together, Shark vows that nothing is going to keep them apart this time. Except that Peri isn’t the only ghost of girlfriends past in his life. Francesca de Corvo, the woman who sent him to prison for a crime she committed, seems to be coming for him with both barrels. Shark has loved, lost, and bled to get his freedom, but will it be enough to get the life—and the girl—he’s always wanted?

**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.


The Paintbrush and the Pen—by T.K. Thorne

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Writer, humanist,

          dog-mom, horse servant and cat-slave,

       Lover of solitude

          and the company of good friends,

        New places, new ideas

           and old wisdom.

During the pandemic I edited several books and started two novels, both of which seem stuck somewhere near the beginning and are sitting around waiting for me.  I don’t know if it was the stress of the year or I just burned out.  

A friend introduced me to a form of art doodling called Zentangle, which is usually done on 3×3 inch pieces with a pen and pencil shading.  Looks like this:

I decided I wanted to color them and bought some colored pencils.

Then I stumbled across water color pencils. Who knew?  Got some of those and the color intensified.

 

So I ordered tube water colors and real water color paper and “got serious.” I started painting scenes out of my head. This one went to my new grandchild:

 

And then from photographs:

My nine-year-old nephew said he wanted a painting of outer space.  

“I like planets.” he said.

Which one is your favorite?”

With a wicked grin, “Uranus!”

He didn’t get Uranus (I think he just liked to say the word! 🙂 This is what he got:

My other nine-year-old nephew liked space but opted for a type of dinosaur I’d never heard of—a Spinosaurus, which has a huge head and jaws and likes water. I threw in an eclipse to cover the space interest.

Connections between painting and writing have evolved along with subject matter. Since I had no idea what I was doing, I developed a silent mantra to keep me brave enough to try things—Don’t be afraid of the paint. Writing is like that. You can’t let fear of not having the right words stop you. There are ways to fix what you don’t like in both fields, but you have to put something down on paper first. (I think I am talking to myself here….)

Painting has expanded my “notice meter.” I look at the world differently, trying to take in how light plays in the tree canopy or on a field or a face, and I note how that affects my inner world. Writers look for physical, emotional and mental nuances, motivations, and behaviors. But we also are called upon to describe the world in terms of our senses and I suspect this “arting” thing is going to enhance my ability to describe the visual world.

One major lesson is that nothing exists without contrast. Light requires dark, even if it is in shades. An arc of character must, likewise, have contrast, a setup if you will.

A painting, like a story, takes on a life of its own. Not everything goes the way you “planned” it, and that is okay. Sometimes you have to let the colors and water do what they want to do and go from there.  The same for a story. A character you planned to grant a minor role may become a major player.  A plot can go off in a new direction. Your characters may say or do unexpected things.  These are part of the challenges and joys of writing and painting.

Science says creating art can help depression and PTSD, stimulate alpha (relaxing) brain waves, and reduce the stress hormone cortisol. They also say that learning new things creates new connections in your brain. I don’t pretend to be anything more than a beginning amateur at this, but I am loving this new passion. My words got stuck during the pandemic, and I don’t know when they will come back, but meanwhile I am determined not to be afraid of the paint and to see where it takes me.

T.K. is a retired police captain who writes Books, which, like this blog, go wherever her interest and imagination take her.  More at TKThorne.com

Untitled Post

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What’s Happening to the English Language?

by Saralyn Richard

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can
remember. My parents encouraged me to be an English teacher, instead. So, I
spent several decades reading and grading other people’s writing. I even taught
journalism and creative writing—to teenagers and later to seniors (aged 50+).
Although teaching kept me way too busy to write, it also kept me in the
universe of writers and writing. I was like a frustrated chef who had all the
best recipes and ingredients but couldn’t enter the kitchen.

            Several
years ago, I came to a crossroads in my education career. By then I’d moved
into administration and school improvement consulting, and the constant travel
had become too much. I stepped back from on-site consulting and began doing
what I’d always loved, writing. In this case, it was technical
writing—curricula, white papers, articles, proposals, and grants.

            It
was a joy to flex my writing muscles. I had a blast selecting the best words,
sentence structures, and arguments. The rules of grammar and mechanics rolled
back into my frontal lobe as if they had never left.


                                            Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com

            Soon
I was ready to try my hand at fiction, and I took great delight in practicing
other tools of the trade, such as imagery, figures of speech, and dialogue.
Grateful for a traditional education in grammar and composition, which even
included diagramming sentences, I forged ahead with fulfilling my dream
deferred.

            What
I didn’t realize is how much the English language had relaxed while I was busy doing
classroom duty. When had the Oxford comma controversy reared its ugly head?
When had use of “their” as a singular possessive pronoun come into acceptable
use? How had adverbs, those lovely -ly descriptors, become persona non grata?
I began seeing non-words like “supposably” and “irregardless” cropping up in articles
that had supposedly been edited and vetted for publication. And when did
“blonde” become an adjective?

            Fortunately,
my first publisher was as picky as I was, and the few times we clashed over how
to punctuate something, we let the Chicago Manual of Style serve as
referee, and most of the time, Chicago sided with me. I did go to the mat a few
times over such things as where the apostrophe should go in a possessive of a
proper name ending in “s.”


                                            Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com

            If I
sound like a hundred-year-old spinster schoolteacher, let me assure you that is
not the case. I can waltz and fox trot, but I can also hit the whoah. I’m sure
everyone reading this post has certain pet peeves regarding the English
language. What are yours?

 

Saralyn Richard is the author of A MURDER OF
PRINCIPAL, the Detective Parrott mystery series, and the children’s book,
NAUGHTY NANA. Follow her on social media and on her website here.

 

 

Partners in Crime: Operation Anthology (#giveaway!)

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UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS DONNELL BELL! CONGRATULATIONS!

Partners in Crime: you’ve heard of Thelma and Louise, Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Today, we’d like to introduce a new type of criminal duo, Cathy Wiley and Karen Cantwell. Working together, they’re publishing the soon-to-be-released cozy short story anthology MURDER ON THE BEACH. Welcome to Stiletto Gang, Karen and Cathy!

We’d like to share with you the pros and cons of working with a writing and publishing partner.

First a little history: we originally met in an online forum sometime in 2010. Later, we were surprised to learn we were both members of the same chapter of Sisters in Crime, and therefore neighbors (well, Virginia and Maryland), after having stories accepted in the chapter anthology.  From there, we became fans of each other’s work, as well as good friends. In 2020, Karen had the bright idea of publishing a themed anthology of short stories, and Cathy was one of the first people she approached. After brainstorming ideas, we thought this would be an easier task if we worked as partners.

 

So, let’s get to those pros and cons…

 

We’re not going to state the obvious, like “you can share the workload.” Unless your partner is that slacker kid from your tenth-grade group project, that should be the case.

We soon learned there are other pros beyond shared workload. 

 

Pros: 

You have someone to bounce ideas off of. This might sound like another duh moment, but it’s amazing how creativity flourishes when two people share ideas. Even the theme and title, MURDER ON THE BEACH, as well as the concept of making it a series came from bouncing ideas back and forth.  

 

Working together is more fun than working alone; we meet at least once a week (virtually) and our meetings are often filled with laughter.

 

Cons: 

Money is involved for cover design, ads, etc. When it’s your own money, it’s your own risk. When you are working with someone else, (not just the two of us, but all eight authors in the anthology who will be sharing profits), it feels harder to take risks.

Finding the time to meet or discuss: Cathy is a night owl and Karen is an early bird. That sometimes made it hard to communicate, since Cathy would have a brainstorm at night, then have to wait until the next morning when she’d read Karen’s reply. Likewise, Karen would write an email early morning, then have to wait hours before Cathy would wake up (and get her coffee).

 

Things to watch out for if you are thinking of partnering with someone, whether it be for an anthology or co-authoring a novel:

 

It really helps to like the other person. You’re going to spend A LOT of time with each other, and like some couples found out during this pandemic, it helps if you enjoy that time together.

 

Whether you like them or not, you have to be able to be honest with each other and communicate well. This isn’t the time for white lies—like saying you enjoyed the ending of that first draft of the blog post when you really meant you were just happy that the blog post had ended.

 

You also have to trust the other person and know their vision, especially if other people are involved, like with this anthology. If one of the other authors asked a question, it would take forever if we had to consult with each other before answering. 

 

Finally, don’t take it too seriously. Is it a lot of work? Sure. Everything is. But ultimately, while working your buns off, have fun with the process, talk often, laugh more. You know—like life, it’s all what you put into it.

 

MURDER ON THE BEACH is the first in the new Destination Murders anthology series, coming out on May 28, 2021. It’s now available for a special pre-order price of 99 cents. 

 

In addition to stories by Karen and Cathy, there are also short stories from Ritter Ames, Lucy Carol, Barb Goffman, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Shari Randall, and Shawn Reilly Simmons.

 

Karen Cantwell grew up on heavy doses of I Love Lucy and The Carol Burnett Show. She loves to laugh as much as she loves bringing laughter to the world. A USA Today bestselling author, Karen writes the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery series, the Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance books, and currently has a new humorous series under construction. When she isn’t writing, Karen can be found wandering aimlessly, wondering why she isn’t writing. To learn more, visit KarenCantwell.com and If you are on Facebook, join her @KarenCantwellAuthor.

 

Cathy Wiley lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland, with one spoiled cat and an equally spoiled husband. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She’s written two mystery novels set in Baltimore, Maryland, and has had several short stories included in anthologies, one of which was a 2015 finalist for a Derringer Award.

She is currently working on a series featuring Jackie Norwood, a former celebrity chef trying to reboot her career. The first novel, CLAWS OF DEATH, will be published in the fall of this year. For more information about this series and her other books, and to sign up for her newsletter, visit www.cathywiley.com. You can also visit her author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CathyWileyAuthor

 

Ready for MURDER ON THE BEACH? One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of this fun cozy mystery anthology. Just tell us, what’s your favorite kind of book to read on the beach?

 

 

 

 

Short Stories

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 by Bethany Maines

Writing short stories is a unique art form, one that I used to pursue and then, like someone finding a new love, I dropped in favor of novels.  Because novels were dreamy and just so much cooooooler than those short stories. But in the past few years, I’ve found myself once again taking up the challenge of short form writing. Now that I’m a more experienced writer I see the structure of novels and short fiction differently and find that they present different challenges that require different skills. I think that previously I only had one set of skills that I applied to all writing. Which is a bit like trying to paint with only one brush.  Now that I have a few more brushes in the paintbox it’s been fun to tackle short stories.  

Interestingly, I’ve found that while previously my short stories were sci-fi or fantasy based, my current crop are all crime based. I may have been hanging out with my Noir at the Bar buddies too much, or maybe I just have become more criminal as I’ve gotten older, but I keep coming up with some dang good crimes to write about. But as I’ve collected more stories, I’ve started to think that perhaps I should put together an anthology. I would add another three or four to truly round out the group, but I think it might be fun.

Below is a rundown of my criminal little tales.  What do you think?  Should I pull them all together into one collection?

Mayhem & Mahalo –  Switchblade Magazine, 2019 – Hawaii—the land of sun, surf, and a giant pile of dead bodies. Paige Kaneko thought she had left the Kaneko family’s criminal ways behind her, but when a 3 a.m. text from her brother asks for one simple thing—help—Paige can’t say no. Now Paige must get her brother and herself out of a situation that includes six dead bodies, a backpack full of cash, and one slightly dented heroin addict.

Suzy Makes Cupcakes – Shotgun Honey V. 4, 2019 – Johnny Stills, a mid-level mobster, has a Tuesday routine:
pick up the pay-off money, swing by home to get a blow job from his wife Suzy,
and then deliver the money to his boss. But this Tuesday is a little different
– for one thing Suzy met him at the door with a gun. Now Johnny is realizing just how badly he may have underestimated his wife.

Tammy Loves Derek – Moonlight & Misadventure Anthology, June 2021 – Tammy Lee Swanley has a med-spa job, a cheating boyfriend, and a plan—a five-step, sure-fire plan to wealth and happiness. But what Tammy’s boyfriend doesn’t know is that Tammy’s plan doesn’t include him keeping him around.

Fireball Rolled a Seven –  Murderous Ink, Crimeucopia: Funny Ha Ha Anthology, Forthcoming – The pandemic is a drag, but with everyone in lockdown, that means the streets are empty and the Pandemic Drags are about to hit the fast lane. As Kendra, Doc, Mike, Jim, Stacy and Douchebag Carl all gather for illegal street races they soon discover that even at drag races, pandemic politics still apply. Masks become a tipping point and Kendra and Doc go from racing for money, to racing for their lives. If they can make it across the finish line they’ll be home free, but they have to get there first.

Every Single Funeral – On Submission – When greedy Bruce Stagg attempts to have his dying sister declared incompetent and steal her fortune, Lark Jeffers—live-in nurse, ex-stripper, and firm believer in pockets—knows something has to be done. The question is: can she pull the trigger?

**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Our Journeys as Writers – Clicking Our Heels

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Our Journeys as Writers –
Clicking Our Heels

Writing Careers are journeys. Today, the Stiletto Gang
authors talk about the road each has followed. No two are quite alike – even
those writers on the blog who do some writing together.

 

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – Like many others, not at all. I am currently
traditionally published both with the Sparkle Abbey series (Bell Bridge Books)
and the Sugar & Spice series (Kensington) but the path has been more roller
coaster than anything I could have imagined. Still with all the ups and downs,
I feel incredibly lucky to get to do something I love so much! 

 

Shari Randall
– My
writing career? My vision of a writing career was formed by watching Joan
Collins in Dallas – fabulous travel, fabulous assistants, fabulous wardrobe.
The reality is a bit different, but happier with a lot less feuding.

 

Linda Rodriguez – No, it’s always a surprise. I didn’t expect to
debut (for novels) with a major trade publisher, but I won a contest. Later, I
didn’t expect to be dropped when my books were doing well, but they engaged in
an editorial bloodbath and shed a lot of writers, too. I have to keep
reinventing myself as a writer—and that’s okay.

 

Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey – For the most part
yes. I thought I’d have published something on my own, but I’m not there yet.
As Sparkle Abbey, we’re getting ready to venture into self-publishing so ask me
again in a few months. I might have a different answer! Ha!

T.K. Thorne – Heavens
no.  It’s been a roller coaster. At this
point, I guess I’m a hybrid. Mostly traditional, but one self-published.

Debra
H. Goldstein – Not knowing better, I thought it was a snap the first time I had
a book accepted. Then I was orphaned. I was told, write something different. I
did. It too, was orphaned after publication, but both books were later
reprinted in a mass market format. And then, I had a series take off. I’m about
to turn in book 5 of the Sarah Blair series, but hold your breath, pray, (and
buy a few copies of Four Cuts Too Many on pre-order) and maybe they’ll give me
a contract for books six through?

Kathryn Lane – My writing career began after a two-decade
career in the international corporate world that took me to over 90 countries.
Those travel experiences have provided me with a wealth of material I
incorporate into the settings of my novels. Being an author has been incredibly
satisfying and has led me to paths I never envisioned – such as traveling to
research specific locations where I set my novels, and the most important part
– wonderful encounters with fans, either in person at book presentations or
online, who tell me my Nikki Garcia mystery series or my short stories have
impacted them and brought them good memories.

Debra
Sennefelder – Yes, it has. I am traditionally published with Kensington
and I’m very happy for where I am at the moment.

Kathleen Kaska – My publishing path has
been traditional.

 

Saralyn Richard – Mine is just getting started–a lifelong dream come true.

 

Lois
Winston – Definitely not. I started out traditionally published, then went
hybrid, and now I’m completely indie. Back when I started out, that was the
last resort of the writer who couldn’t sell a book to a publisher and turned to
vanity presses. Now it’s where you find many authors who have taken similar
paths.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plotting Party

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 by Bethany Maines

Last weekend, I reached peak pandemic and hosted a gathering in my carport. It was a writer’s gathering, aka a Plotting Party, so there was a lot of sitting and staring at our notebooks. And also snacking and freezing. But, as with other joint writing gatherings I’ve hosted, we did use each other to work through problems in our outlines. No one asks more “but why?” questions than a writer except a four-year-old trying to stall bedtime. But why do you want a ball in your story?  But why is she in Ireland?  But why did the killer drain all the blood? Each story has it’s own answer and it’s fun to hear the reasoning that went into each one. 
Of course, being the writer in the hot seat isn’t quite as much fun, but it does serve an important purpose. Searching out the answers to those questions forces me to examine the clues in the story I’m writing as well as my intention for writing the character or story that particular way. When another writer points out that my characters motivations seem implausible I’m forced to confront why I want that scene or why I want the character to behave that way.  Being faced with well-intentioned friends who simply want to understand my story is the equivalent of Law & Order level third-degree. Pretty soon I’m caving and confessing that I just like something and I’ve been ignoring my characters motivations all along. 
But the added benefit of a plotting party is that I have additional minds to help me brainstorm. And with brainstorming comes encouragement and a cheering section that is irreplaceable. The pandemic has put a lot of things on hold, but creativity and friendship clearly haven’t been one of them. I see more outdoor plotting parties in the future, particularly as the weather gets warmer and I wish all of you a carport full of friends of your very own.
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Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

The Accent Mark Goes Here

/in /by

 by Bethany Maines

You know how Madonna now talks with a British accent?  And everyone kind of mocks her?  It is annoying to have someone you know grew
up in Michigan try and sound all posh, but at the same time… I would be the
same way.  I once realized that I had
been watching twenty minutes of a cooking show with an Australian host and I
had no idea what was being made.  I’d
spent the entire time watching her mouth trying to figure out how she was murdering
pronouncing her vowels that way.  I
sounded like a monkey on the couch as I clenched and unclenched my teeth trying
“ehhh-oooh-uh” my vowels.  I was two
seconds away from throwing a shrimp on the barbie when my husband came home and
gave me the look that implied that while our marriage was a joy and a blessing,
it was also occasionally weird.

The unfortunate thing is that, just as I’m addicted to
copying other people’s accents, I find that I’m also prone to picking up the
language of whomever I’m reading.  I’m
sure my writing/reading group can tell when I’ve been reading Regency
Romances.  One cannot help but be
addicted to the opulent turn of phrase. 
And if I could work some sort of line about puce satin and a cravat into
the paragraph all the better.  What if
I’m reading fluffy chick lit?  Pretty
sure that my character needs to mention her thighs and a cupcake in the next
sentence.  Taut thrillers? Sentences get
shorter.  Characters become brutal. And
adverbs?  Kill ‘em.  Kill ‘em all. 

The brutal snuffing out of “suddenly” aside, this habit does
real damage to my narratives.  Characters
don’t sound like themselves (why does that Texan sound English?) and plots can
veer wildly off course as I spend a page (or three) describing clothing.  So when I’m writing I have to take a bit of a
hiatus from reading unless I can find that wondrous book that matches the tone
that I’m writing.  I think it’s
incredibly unfair that my reading has suffered as a result of my writing, but
currently it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. 
Of course, if I could just figure out how to retire with a million
dollars so that I could segregate my year into reading quarters and writing
quarters life would be awesome.

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Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, The Deveraux Legacy Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.