Mike Befeler's Blog, page 6

Wordle

My wife enjoys Sudoku and crossword puzzles, but I likeWordle. The idea of one puzzle a day appeals to me. I look forward to thechallenge every morning, but then I’m done with my puzzles for the day.

Mystery Conferences

As of right now, I have one mystery conferencescheduled to attend in 2025, the Left Coast Crime Conference in Denver. I haveattended this conference almost every year since 2007, missing one because offamily plans and another because of knee problems and being unable to fly. Mywife and I lived in Colorado from 1977 until 2015, and this Left Coast CrimeConference will be my first return trip to Colorado since we moved back toSouthern California in 2015.

Men of Mystery

One of my favorite mystery conferences is coming up onSeptember 28 in Long Beach, CA, Men of Mystery. I’ve been attending this one-dayconference since 2009. In addition to being a short commute from my home in Lakewood,it’s an enjoyable time to see old friends and meet new mystery fans. This yearthere are 27 mystery authors and between 250 and 300 attendees. All the authorsgive a one-minute pitch, followed by a signing session as well as guestspeakers and lunch. During lunch each author is at a table with a host andmystery readers and provides an opportunity to answer readers’ questions.

Outline or Seat-of-the-Pants

Writers fall into two categories in how they approachtheir manuscripts. On one side are outliners who sketch out an outline of theirstory. On the other hand are seat-of-the-pantsers who just start writing andsee where it will go. I am a basic outliner: I write a simple outline, but onceI start writing it always meanders into a direction I wouldn’t have predicted.As a mystery writer, I often don’t know who the bad guy is until abouttwo-thirds of the way through writing. This keeps me engaged because I’m tryingto figure out who done it as I write. I am currently experimenting with amanuscript with no outline. I work on it for a while and then take a break. I’mnot a natural seat-of-the-pantser. I’ll keep working on it to see where it goes,but I find this much more difficult than starting with an outline. The beautyof writing is that there is no one way of doing it.

Writing Different Genres

I primarily write mystery novels. I have also writtena thriller, a non-fiction biography of a World War II veteran and a middlegrade novella. Of the mystery novels, three are paranormal mysteries and twoare historical mysteries. Upcoming in November is a middle grade mystery novelfeaturing a fifth grade Sherlock Holmes lookalike who solves mysteries in afictional California town. Stay tuned for more information about this book.

Apps for Sending Emails

I used to use Mailchimp to send emails to my list. NowI’m using Beehiiv. I send out emails to my list when there is new informationabout my books. For example, I have a middle grade mystery that will bepublished in November. I’ll send out notification about this as it approaches.I also send out emails about anniversary dates for published books. In August Iwill note the  thirteenth anniversary ofthe publication of Senior Moments Are Murder, the third book in the PaulJacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series.

Fiction Writing As Entertainment

Writing a novel provides a form of entertainment forreaders. We are story tellers. I pick subjects that I’m interested in, and it’smy job to write an exciting plot with fascinating characters. If I can provideentertainment, joy, laughter while taking the reader out of daily troubles, Iwill have achieved my goal.

The Joy of Creating

Many creative activities can provide joy to thecreator and the recipient of the creation. A painter starts with a blank canvasand creates a painting. A sculptor starts with stone and creates a sculpture. Amusician creates a sheet of music. An inventor starts with an idea and endswith an invention. As writers, we start with a blank sheet of paper or a blankscreen and then create a manuscript. Through all the trials and tribulations, wewriters have the opportunity to enjoy the creative writing process.

The Importance of Editing

A lesson I’ve learned is that a writer needs to havean independent editor. After I go through many passes of editing, I still needan expert with an outside perspective to edit my work.

Another Observation as an Author

One other thing I’ve learned about being an author. It’sa lonely avocation. It’s just the writer and the pen or keyboard creating astory. On the other hand, there are ample opportunities to interact withreaders through conferences and speaking engagements. Although many writers areintroverts, we learn to speak out and present ourselves to the public. I attendmystery conferences such as Left Coast Crime and Bouchercon. I enjoy speaking atbook clubs, libraries, service organizations and bookstores.