Deborah J. Chavez's Blog, page 5

Underlying messages

Have you ever read a book and tried to discern the underlying meaning - the real message being sent by the author? My first Harley Fremont novel, Virginia Rising, was about white supremacy. But the real message was hope that some extremists would turn their life around; make different decisions. The second book, California Juncture, was about a man who had lost his wife to suicide and how he fell apart. The real message was about our treatment of veterans; how we can do so much better than we have. The third book, Oregon Unrest, was about environmentalism gone awry. The real message was about domestic terrorism, which abounds in our country, sometimes in new, and unexpected ways. Have you read Colorado Searing or Montana Bedeviled? What do you think is the underlying meaning of each of those two novels? As I write novel six, I am thinking about the real message I want to impart.

The bad guy

Sometimes I am challenged to write from the viewpoint of the bad guy. It can be difficult to get into the head of someone who willingly takes another life. In the new novel, I am sketching in all the chapters from the bad guy's point of view. I must say he's rather fascinating and I keep coming up with new ways to show you just how he might come to find himself in the position he's in. He's had a bit of a rough life, but a lot of that hinged on his own poor decision making.

Next, I'll go back through each of those chapters and describe more of the locations from his perspective.

Writing can be so fun. Try it sometime.

Happy Holidays

I appreciate those of you following me. Thank you for your support.

Happy Holidays to you and yours, from me and my family and pups.

In 2022 I have two novel goals...that is, two new Harley Fremont and Gemma novels. The first takes place in Arizona. I haven't decided on the second one yet - Maybe it'll be near where you live.

Back from vacation

There's nothing like camping next to a river to energize you. I left my computer at home so I could just relax, but I thought of new ideas for the upcoming novel while I did that relaxing. It made me wish I had brought the computer along. Okay, not really. I'm glad I just stopped to think some more. I think the novel will be better for it.

We camped with friends and enjoyed their company. Two other friends stopped by for a visit. There were only six other groups camped there. One of those was a couple who live in our town and another couple we met had retired from the Forest Service (like me) and the National Park Service. It's a small world.

I hope your Thanksgiving was nice, with lots of great food and great company.

Almost Thanksgiving

Wishing each of my followers a very Happy Thanksgiving.

I took a detour on the latest book. I was considering adding a few new stories about Harley and realized I had no list of the stories I already shared previously. So I have been reading the other five novels and making notes for this newest novel and future novels. I am almost done with that review but it won't be done this week or even next.

Like you, I will take a bit of time to enjoy the season. I'll be back to writing soon.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Back at it

I took some time off. Now it's time to return to writing. John Grisham tells writers to write an hour each day, every day. I am reminded of his words when I leave the novel to do other things. When I return, I realize that I need to backtrack a bit so I can be sure of where I was headed. I do write myself some notes about what to work on next, but there's nothing like reading it all again to be sure. Maybe I'll heed Grisham's words and write an hour or more every day.

Character prep

The story is coming together. I'm sure I'll make changes as the novel develops, but the outline is fleshed out quite a bit more. Now I know how many characters I'll need and what their roles are in the novel. I have a list of twenty or so questions that I ask myself about each character. It takes several days each to really be sure I have made those characters as real as possible. Until I really know that character, it is impossible to write either from their perspective or from a main character, who is talking and interacting with them. Sometimes I start with a character who is likable, but then I end up loving them. There are other times when I struggle to understand how they got to the place they are since their experiences are so different from mine. Before I write anything from their perspective, I read my answers again and be sure I'm staying in their character. Finally, I look at my usual cast of characters and decide what new things the reader will get to learn about them in this novel.

Still prepping

Been a busy week of prepping. Each time I think I'm making progress, a few more ideas arise and I stop think them through and do more research. Such is the way of writing, I'll know the time has come to write the novel when the opening chapter flows freely from my head and onto the page. I'm not there yet.

I want to thank the readers who have taken the time to read my books. I know every person experiences them a bit differently, and likely different from my experience working on them. A shout out to those who offer reviews and comments here on Goodreads and on Amazon. Those are much appreciated. I'm open to answering questions too.

Okay, time to get back to work for me.

Prepping for writing

Time to get back into writing. The research is mostly done and ideas are forming. I have selected the location, learned a bit about the history of the area, and what kinds of trails and recreation activities are nearby. I haven't selected my support character names yet but I know there will be a few new people and maybe an appearance from a character in another novel in the series. Next, I'll type in all my notes from the research, figure out where in the new novel that information ought to go, and then expand the outline. Right now the outline is bare bones, but packs a punch. I'm looking forward to moving forward.

Research continues

I have been enjoying the research tasks I made for myself. It's taking me longer than expected to complete them. My excuse is the new canine member of the pack. He's a handful most of the time. He's still at an age when putting everything in his mouth is required. He tests everything, and has not yet learned boundaries. Still, he's sweet and cuddly. I can spend hours watching him play with our other dogs. I also spend lots of time tossing toys for him to fetch. In between all those hours of observance are my efforts to continue working toward the next novel. It's funny how pieces of chapters, and a draft ending just popped into my head as I've been doing other things. I'm making notes as I think of ideas. I can't wait to see how this one will go. Meanwhile, read the other novels and please post your reviews and comments.