Kathy McIntosh's Blog, page 10

People Vary, So Should Our Characters

Spending time over the holidays with our daughter, who is much more candid about her emotions than I can ever hope to be, I was struck again by how different we humans are one from the other.

I once spent a few days with my mother and my adult sister. At the end of the weekend, they complained that I never shared anything about myself or my life with them. How could I? They never stopped talking!

We all know the differences between men and women. Huge. But within genders, we all have different...

Starting Over: Ultimate Blog Challenge

This post could be about the New Year and my resolve to finish novel two in the series and to do more publicity.

Okay, it is that. It is also about giving yourself permission to recognize when a story or a novel is not working and to toss it and begin again! This is the dilemma I faced mid-2012. I had nearly 200 pages of a novel that I knew would not work. It didn’t follow the same humorous weird mixed-up style of zany characters in trouble that I’d used in MUSTARD’S LAST STAND. It put a baby...

Emotions, Seen But Not Heard

Today I was at the gym, an all-too-rare event for me, and happened to look out the window. Today was blistery cold for Boise, and as you left the gym and rounded the corner, icy gusts greeted you.

A woman holding a well-bundled toddler passed by on her way to her car. Seconds later, another child, a girl about seven, followed. She too was bundled against the cold in cute pink boots, jacket and cap. She stopped and stomped both her feet. She wasnotpleased. Indeed, her little face revealed every...

Take a bite out of writing!

On one of the many Facebook groups I belong to, someone posted his problem: having multiple stories in the works, but “losing the muse” about three pages in.
As writers we each favor certain parts of writing: some are good with ideas, others love to storyboard their plot, others love editing, and still others enjoy telling the story, whether from an outline or from the seat of the pants.
This guy sounds like an idea person, something akin to an entrepreneur who’s great at starting new business...

Baking or Writing, It Pays to Stay in Practice

I confess I’m not fond of all the lessons life so generously provides me. This week I was reminded that there is an art to baking, and that practice does indeed create a better baker.
In my first novel, Mustard’s Last Stand, coming out this October from L&L Dreamspell (yee-hah!), two characters eat scones in a restaurant I named The Blind Chukar, for no particularly good reason. The scones, the characters report, were delicious. So I decided to try out my old scone recipes (the real Scottish...

I surrender!

Playing around at Bouchercon 2012 with another Idaho author, Conda Douglas, wielding the weapon

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Kathy at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bouchercon 2012

Don’t Dress Your Puppies in Cashmere

Six years ago I made a mistake.

Where did I go wrong? I tried to dress my puppy in cashmere. The puppy probably wasn’t happy and now, after several years’ more experience editing others’ words, I understand why.
You may be wondering why I tried to dress my puppy in cashmere. More likely, you’re wondering what the heck I mean by the silly phrase. You’ll understand soon. But first … the story.
I was accepted to speak at a Toastmasters’ convention. Woo hoo! I was excited to share some of my thoug...

The Perplexing Prologue

“There are three rules to writing fiction. Unfortunately, no one can agree on what they are.”

- Somerset Maugham

We may never agree, but writers can and do argue endlessly about those rules. Prologues seem to be a frequent subject of discussion, and a major concern to beginning writers. What’s the big deal? Do prologues enrich good writing or are they useless appendages, to be cut off whenever they sprout?

First, let’s clarify what a prologue is. Technically speaking, a prologue is a frame, tha...

Five Ways to Please Your Audience

Parasailers in Aruba

“You can’t control the wind but you can adjust your sails.” Yiddish proverb


Hooray for Kristin Armstrong! Our Boise cyclist and Olympic competitor conquered some strong gusts and sailed in for the gold in the time trials in London yesterday. She didn’t let a fall in the team race, a broken clavicle and a number of other obstacles stop her. She simply worked smarter and harder and won. Strike “simply.” Nothing simple about her hard work, training and dedication.

I’m doing so...