Judith Post's Blog, page 27
April 21, 2022
Writing Time
I won’t have time to write tomorrow. My grandson and his wife are coming Friday night and spending the weekend. Time to change sheets on the beds upstairs, clean the house, and cook ahead. BUT, I had time to write today. The first day to have a full day of writing since I got back from my trip. And I loved it.
My fingers skimmed across the keys. Words bloomed into sentences. Sentences blossomed into paragraphs. And paragraphs transformed into pages. I rewrote a previous chapter, then wrote a new one. And it felt WONDERFUL.
Karnie is blossoming in this book. She married Matt, loves his two kids, and is happy! And then her older brother, Porter, comes home. Porter is full of self-importance. He was always the golden boy in his parents’ eyes. He thinks he’s better than Matt and Karnie. When he learns that Karnie married Matt, a grass-fed cattle farmer, he’s unimpressed. And he lets her know it. Chuck, Karnie’s second brother, is offended. Matt is one of his best friends. And when he argues with Porter, the truth comes out. Porter moved back to Indiana because he got himself in trouble in Florida. It was a good time for him to leave there.
Porter always thought he was too exciting, too wonderful, to stay in a small town. HIs ego is too big for his family’s butcher shop. Two of my kids have moved away from Indiana, but not because of ego, because of weather and opportunity. I’m not making a statement about kids who move away. I’m making a statement about Porter. He’s full of himself. He’s good-looking and ambitious and …. self-important. Chuck is easy-going and a bit goofy. Karnie is too practical and straight forward. It makes for a fun mix.
I’ll lose this weekend because kids are more important than ANYTHING. But I can’t wait to get back to writing on Monday! What’s more fun than creating scenes that play out in your head? And I know Karnie better since this is my second book with her. And I feel more comfortable with her stories. So, she’s calling to me. So is the mystery. Who killed Farley? Glendale’s councilman made more enemies than anyone should. Because he wasn’t such a nice person.
Suspense
WARNING. THIS BLOG HAS SPOILERS, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE MIDNIGHT MAN BUT INTEND TO, YOU SHOULD AVOID THIS!
I read Mae Clair’s reviews every week on her blog https://maeclair.net/. I’ve found lots of books I love from her recommendations. So I need to thank her for alerting me to The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Man-gripping-introducing-Detective-ebook/dp/B09BVGYMD3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VQUU9SZHK6AB&keywords=the+midnight+man+kindle&qid=1650336968&sprefix=the+midnight+man%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1
I read more straight mysteries than suspense, but every once in a while, I like to change things up–both in my reading and my writing. That’s why I wrote Posed In Death. The Midnight Man hooked me because of the wonderful characters in the story. Sarah is a detective who took a year’s leave of absence because her husband, another detective, died with plastic over his face while looking at child porn, not to commit suicide but some kind of sexual game. She never realized his obsession and couldn’t face her fellow officers, ashamed of what they must think about her. The author was clever! She introduced us to Sarah, who was arguing with her husband. I didn’t realize that her husband was a ghost whom she talked to until much later in the book. And I thought the trick the author played on me was wonderful! And she had a couple more up her sleeve.
There were SO many characters I fell in love with. I’ll buy the next book just because I liked Sarah so much. She’s caring and wonderful. Life has given her more hard knocks than any person deserves, but she keeps struggling to overcome them. Then there’s her friend and her son, Elliott. Elliott “sees” things no one would ever want to see, and he’s only seven, so he doesn’t always understand the images that play in his mind. They frighten him. Then there’s Elsie, who went to school with Sarah. I really felt for her and her son. Elsie is so overweight she can hardly get out of bed, and her son dedicates himself to caring for her. But Elsie has secrets, and once the reader learns them, they understand why Elsie is the way she is.
Every character is well-drawn. They sucked me into the story. And the Midnight Man with his sick Halloween game is enough to keep the reader turning pages. My only problem with the book was the reveal of the killer at the end. It worked but barely. It almost felt, to me, as though the writer intended one thing when she started the book and waffled at the end. The killer killed the first girl he “invited” to the old manor house. The second girl escaped. And he used the third girl to lure Sarah to her old childhood home. I won’t say more, or I’ll spoil too much, but the ending felt a bit contrived, and I felt a bit deceived, but I’ll still buy the next book. I just plain liked the people I met in the pages too much.
April 18, 2022
San Antonio is fun!
I’ve never done a vacation with just my daughters. My younger one, Robyn, picked San Antonio for the river walk and wine tours, and Holly and I joined her. We had a wonderful time! That city is just plain fun. Full of friendly people and tons of things to do.
Today, I tried to catch up on e-mails and twitter and things I missed. Tomorrow, it’s back to the keyboard and hopefully more scenes and chapters.
My grandson called today, and he and his wife are coming to stay this weekend. And after that, I think I’ll have a long dry spell to settle fanny in chair and write. I’m ready to get back to routine.
I had some of the most wonderful food I’ve had in a while in San Antonio. If any of you have a wonderful Salsa Verde recipe, I’d love to try it. Darn, it was good! I love chilaquiles. I’m going to have to eat healthy for a while to recuperate from the meals we had there. I need to think of something to make for my grandson and his wife when they come, too, but my mind can’t even wrap itself around menus right now. Food Overload. And it was wonderful:)
But it’s back to the real world tomorrow. Wish me luck.
April 16, 2022
Do “improvements” make you nuts, too?
I love wordpress for my blog, but every time I get a note that they’re making it “better,” I groan. Yes, they’re adding all kinds of new bells and whistles to it. No, I probably won’t use them. All I want to do is write my blog and post it. And every time they change something, it costs me time I don’t want to spend learning how to use it.
The last change–the “paragraph” whatever–made me nuts for a while. And to this day, when I hit “tags” to add key words, it NEVER gives me enough time to list everything I want. It cuts me off, and I can’t even find the stupid “tag” thingie again. And then I fuss.
My grandson would laugh at me. He works in business data and is constantly amazed by people like me who just want to do what they do and not learn anything else. But I picked wordpress because it was simple and easy. The more they add, the less simple it is, at least, for me. I liked it as it was. But EVERYTHING on computers keeps updating. There are people out there who want bigger, faster, more options. I’m not one of them. I don’t care if they add all kinds of things for those people, but I wish they’d leave what I do and use alone. If they had to add options, I wish they’d add buttons to convert Amazon format to Nook format and print format and every other kind of format with one push of one button. But they haven’t done that yet. Why not?
I love my computer. I love WordPress. And I’m one of those people who actually enjoy writing my blogs. Not sure if I really am, but it feels like I’m connecting with people I like who like me. And it’s odd, but I’ve grown really fond of a lot of people I’ve never met and probably never will. But I feel like I ‘know’ them.
Anyway, I guess my final gripe is that when computer geniuses change something for the “better,” I wish they’d remember there are people like me who just want to keep it simple. I don’t want to relearn what I’m already happy with. And I don’t want to be a computer whiz. I just want to write and blog and connect.
That’s why I quit bothering with Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, and Amazon Ads. I don’t WANT to learn a new challenge. Make it simple, or you lose me. I’d rather spend my time writing.
April 13, 2022
Her Last Night
Our daughter’s been a traveling nurse for a few years now. Her last assignment was in our hometown, which meant that when she drove up here to work three nights in a row, she could stay at our house. Twelve hour shifts from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. would do me in, but she loves them. Legally, she had to pay us “rent,” and she did, because she wanted to do everything RIGHT, but the best part, for us, was getting to see her more than usual.
We bought a second coffee pot so she could wake up to hot coffee. And I cooked a meal for her every time before she had to go to work, because if she got busy, she never knew when she’d have to time to grab something to eat. I sent her a “lunch box” every night she worked, too. HH teases me that I show my love for people through food, and he must be right. Because I tend to cook for the people I care about.
I have to admit, I’ve had a lot less time to write since she’s been staying with us. But let’s face it. Once this assignment’s done, I won’t get to see her that much again. And this is her last night at the hospital The hospital liked her enough to reassign her as a traveling nurse over and over again, but hopefully, Covid’s calming down, and nurses won’t be swamped anymore. As a matter of fact, for the moment, there are enough empty beds that even regular nurses are getting down-staffed there.
In one way, we’re all relieved this assignment’s over. She’s made the two-hour drive back and forth for over a year. She won’t miss it. She’s even talking about looking for a job as a regular nurse in Indy and calling traveling quits. It takes a toll after a while. I’ll miss her, but I really could use a regular routine and write more again. But all in all, I’m so glad she was part of our household for a while. I’ll miss having her pop in for a few days at a time. For all of us, it was wonderful while it lasted. And now it’s time to return to regular routines once more.
April 12, 2022
Gone Again
I’ve scheduled two posts for when I’m gone, so I won’t be here to see your comments until after Easter, but I’m leaving poor HH to his own devices and heading to Texas to hang out with my two daughters. This is the first time EVER I’ll miss Easter with my family, but everyone’s ready to enjoy themselves anyway. Wishing you and yours a happy Easter, too–if you celebrate the holiday. And happy days and happy writing either way. I’ll be back again after Easter.
April 11, 2022
Do They Come Out the Same?
When I first started writing, I concentrated on plot. I’m still a mostly plot-driven writer. WHAT happens in a story pops into my head before WHO is in the story. But over the years, the characters matter to me more and more, almost to the point that the people in the story are as important as the story itself.
On my first draft, though, the plot’s what I hammer out. This happens, then that happens, and that causes something else to happen. I pay more attention to setting and senses on the first write than I used to, and I add a few feelings in but not many. How did X react to that news? Etc. But it’s not until the second day that I go back and flesh the scenes and chapters out. Without that second polish, my work would be too lean, too simple. On the second day, I ask myself about what else might be going on in the scene. Who’s there? How do they feel? What do they think about what’s happening? Does it change any of the dynamics between people?
So the first draft is mostly about what’s happening. The second draft’s about characters.
Most of my friends start writing, driven by their characters. The characters’ reactions lead them to what happens next in the story. They have to work to keep their plots moving in the right direction. My question is, if you get the balance right, can you tell a difference between plot driven and character driven stories? Can you find a balance that has the perfect amount of each?
I think some of it depends on the genre you write. Mysteries need a certain amount of plotting. Thrillers do, too. But the best plots are enhanced by characters who grab us like Louis Kincaid. His personal story is almost as important to me as solving the mystery he faces in each book. Literary novels are character-driven where the internal struggles of the character are more important than what happens in the story. But if nothing much happens, the story grows stale, so the character still has to face some conflict and work to resolve it. I consider Elizabeth George’s novels literary mysteries because the characters’ growth is almost as important as the mystery that needs to be solved.
I found a great blog about plot vs. character that might interest you: https://nybookeditors.com/2017/02/character-driven-vs-plot-driven-best/#:~:text=A%20character-driven%20story%20is%20focused%20on%20studying%20the,inner%20transformation%20or%20the%20relationships%20between%20the%20characters. How do you write? Does the story come first or the characters? Do you have to go back to reinforce plot or add depth to characters? Or both?
And the truth? There is no right or wrong, but it helps to know what kind of writer you are, so that you can work to balance your finished product.
April 7, 2022
Responsibility
I taught school for six years, meant to teach more, but life happened. When I taught fourth grade, one of my students was named John, and he was such a nervous kid, so intense, I worried about him. Kids move on at the end of each year, though, and I lost track of him. His mom, however, walked past our house a few times a week, going to the grocery store down the street. She was much older than most moms,, and I never heard why that was. All I know is that when John hit late high school, all of a sudden, he became paranoid.
I talked to his mom one day, and she told me that John had gone to a party, and she THINKS he drank something spiked with drugs and was never the same. I’m not sure if that’s true. Another young person we knew started hearing voices when she was in her late teens. A common occurrence with schizophrenia. That’s the age when it commonly hits. All I know is that when John’s mom left the house, he hid under her bed until she got back so that “they” couldn’t find him. If an airplane flew over the neighborhood, he hid in the closet. I don’t know what happened to John, but I know his mother spent every minute of her life worrying about him. “What will happen to him when I die?” she asked me.
I understood her dilemma. My cousin was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, cutting off oxygen to her brain. She had cerebral palsy but got lucky. She’s a wonderful, funny person but the right side of her body is distorted, and she suffered lots of seizures when she was young. She still has a seizure occasionally, but with physical therapy, she can walk with a walker and do a lot of things no one thought she could. The doctors said she wouldn’t live to be sixteen, but she’s happy at sixty-eight. Still, my aunt and grandma–who raised her–worried about what would happen to her when they died.
In the new Karnie mystery I’m working on, the barber in Glendale–where Karnie lives–has a son who’s mentally challenged. He can function and lives separately from his father. He’s dependable and works hard, but his father worries about what will happen to him when he’s not there to care for him. It’s a real worry some parents have to face. Eddie, the barber, is hoping he’ll live long enough and save enough money to get his son in a good, supervised home of some sort when he’s not there to support him anymore.
My cousin’s now in a wonderful nursing home that offers lots of activities. She joins into all of them, is enjoying herself and her new friends. I go to visit her once a week, and she gave me a sheet of all the things she likes to do and told me the only time she has free for me is from 3:30 in the afternoons to 5:00 when she has supper. That’s their time to relax and visit with each other. She won’t miss Bingo in the dining room two evenings a week for anything. I love seeing her so happy. She tells me what snacks she misses, and I try to make them for her a couple of times a month, but she’s gained weight since she’s been there. She loves eating in the dining room with all of her friends, and the food there is wonderful. She wouldn’t need any snacks at all except that she can’t have milk and cheese, so can’t always eat the desserts they make.
We got lucky. My cousin has some of the best care you can find. Eddie, the barber in my story, hopes he gets lucky with his son, too. And since I’m writing his story, I can make that happen:) In fact, I hope it happens for every parent in that situation. But I also understand it’s a real concern. And those parents have my sympathy, so I wanted to include one in my story. I’m not sure I’d have ever thought about them if I hadn’t met a few.
April 5, 2022
Thicker Than Water
A writer friend used to say, “No one completely escapes their family.” When she was coming up with a character for a story, she always took into account how the character’s family affected his life–if the person had a happy childhood, a miserable one, if he was close to his parents and siblings or tried to escape them.
In my Karnie Cleaver series, Karnie works in her family’s butcher shop. Her mother’s sister and her two kids work part-time there, too. They all get along. Her brother, Chuck, spends most of his time in the back room, cutting the meat.
Their older brother, Porter, moved to Florida to open his own seafood store. He wasn’t satisfied being part of the family business. He often complained about living in Indiana. He wanted something bigger and more exciting. But when he runs into problems, he decides to move back home. When their dad tells Karnie and Chuck that Porter’s returning and wants to work with them, it opens old wounds.
To their parents, Porter was always the golden boy who could do no wrong. The favorite. And their dad still thinks of him that way. Porter wants to convert one section of their shop into a seafood counter for him to run, and their dad loves the idea. Anything to make Porter happy. And just like the story The Prodigal Son, it rubs Karnie and Chuck the wrong way.
It’s going to be interesting to me to write about Karnie’s family in inner turmoil. They all enjoyed each other and got along so well, they were easy to write. Their scenes will be trickier now. But that’s how families are. A lot of dynamics go into close relationships. Blood is thicker than water, though. Usually. And they love each other enough to find solutions, but some of them might be bumpy ones.
March 31, 2022
Off the Grid
HH’s brother lives in California. He’s getting married on Monday, so we’re flying to San Francisco to celebrate with him. We leave early tomorrow. Our daughter and her fiancée are coming, too. He’s never been there before, so we have a few fun things planned. We’ve never taken the Big Bus tour, so that’s on our list. One of the stops, I hope, is China Town. The next day, we want to go to the Ferry Building, shop around for a while, then take a ferry to Sausalito for supper.
I’m not going to connect to my computer and plan to be internet free, so I’ll miss my favorite posts until next week. Have fun without me!
