Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 207

Themes

I went out last weekend with my husband, sister and brother-in-law for dinner and to watch the musical "Avenue Q."

It was a really funny play—sort of a risqué puppet show. As silly as it was, I noticed that it had an underlying theme to it—the search for one's purpose in life. Actually, this theme wasn't underlying at all—they put "Purpose" up on two big screens in a Sesame-Street-esque video to draw attention to it and poke a little fun at it.

The fact that a musical puppet show could bring up theme in such a huge way made me think about the element in my own books.

Theme isn't something I've thought about or deliberately planned into my books. But genre fiction has themes, too. I write traditional mysteries, so the big picture idea of my books is good vs. evil set in the form of a puzzle.

Not only that, but I do have underlying themes that I seem to come back to over and over and in different series. Did I mean to do this? Actually, no. Apparently, theme can act like the songs that get stuck in our head all day—we just keep repeating them over and over until our brain makes sense of them.

Do our characters have common problems that they encounter or work to address? My protagonists usually live alone (and enjoy it…usually) and encounter intergenerational stresses. They experience the changing roles and role-reversals that come with age. Neither of these things applies to me, but I'm apparently interested in these topics and see a lot of people dealing with them.

Theme doesn't have to be on an epic or literary scale. Have you noticed a certain repetition of ideas or problems in your books? Even small ones? Do your characters have the same types of transformations? If so, this might point to an underlying theme in your books. It really can be just an idea we're exploring…sometimes for more than one book. Heck, sometimes for more than one series.

Theme has an impact on our characters, too, and can make them have more layers. It can affect their view of the world and how they handle different types of conflict. It can provide internal conflict, too. It helps them come alive as they complete a character arc. Because the characters are exploring the themes on the page.

Need help finding your theme or developing one? There was a nice post some time back on the Yingle Yangle blog that featured some helpful questions to ask yourself. Janice Hardy has a nice post on developing theme. And Larry Brooks has a post called Finding – and Leading With — Theme on his StoryFix blog.

As a reader, do you spot theme quickly? Is it something you think about as you write?

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And...thanks so much to the folks at Writer's Digest for choosing Mystery Writing is Murder as one of their Top 101 Best Sites for Writers for 2011. :) It's truly an honor.

5 Tips for Quickly Writing Your First Draft—by Alan Orloff

Some writers I know bask in the writing process, savoring the time spent crafting a novel as the seconds turn into minutes turn into weeks (and months…and years). For them, writing is a drawn-out love affair.

I'm not one of those people. When I have an idea, I want to get it written as quickly as possible. Why? Because I've got a ton of other ideas, lining up on my brain's tarmac waiting to take flight.

Here are some tips for writing your first drafts (note: first drafts) as quickly as possible.

Give yourself permission to stink. (Put your head out the window and take a deep breath. That odor you smell? I just started a new project.) Don't worry so much about your grammar and sentence construction. Don't try to describe your setting to the finest detail. Dialogue a bit wooden? Don't fret about it now. All these boo-boos can be fixed during the revision process. Why waste time perfecting a certain passage when it might end up on the discard heap?

Don't revise as you go along. Start writing and don't look back. Plow ahead. Odds are, when you finish your draft, there will be tons of stuff (tons!) you'll have to change anyway. Decide to change a character's name? Fine. Highlight the new name and keep on trucking. You can go back and clean things up when you're finished with the draft. Why waste time and effort?

Set a quota and stick to it. Use either the "words-per-day" method or set aside a certain amount of time every day to write. Don't get up from your desk (or bench or bed or hammock or wherever you write) until you've satisfied your quota. It's that easy (insert diabolical laugh here). To get even more done, "fiddle" with your quotas. For instance, you could start out the week with a thousand word daily quota, then increase it by 200 words per day throughout the week. Or you could pick one day a week to "double-dip," where you write twice your daily quota.

Research? You don't need so much stinkin' research! Do only the barest of bare minimums of research. Some writers I know use "doing research" as a procrastination device (I know, can you believe it?). If you come upon something you don't know—a fact, a name, the capital of Justrevoltedstan—just type XXX and keep on writing. You can go back and fill it in during the revision stage. Again, why waste time researching something that might not even make it into the final draft?

Stay away from that durn Internet and other shiny, distracting things. As my blog host Elizabeth recommends, set a timer for checking email and blogs and Facebook and Twitter. Then, when it goes off, your break is over and it's time to get back to…ding!

Hey, gotta run!

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The first book in Alan Orloff's Last Laff Mystery series, KILLER ROUTINE, is now available, at your favorite booksellers and on-line. His debut mystery, DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD, came out last April and was nominated for the Best First Novel Agatha Award. For more information about Alan and his books, please visit www.alanorloff.com

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Thanks for inviting me to your blog today, Elizabeth! I always enjoy my visits here (You have such nice blog readers!)

Thanks for coming by, Alan! Congratulations on your Agatha nomination and your new release!

The Kindle as a Revision Tool

Now that I've brought up a drawback to the Kindle (which I believe will be quickly ironed out in future generations of the product), I thought I'd write a little on one unexpected benefit I've enjoyed with the Kindle…squeezing in extra revision time.

In the past, my revisions have mostly been done at a planned time and place—not spontaneously at all. I write on the go in little unexpected pockets of extra time, but haven't really been able to edit that way.

Instead, I've just taken my laptop and headed off to the library or coffee shop. There are definite drawbacks to revising on paper—one is the transcription process from paper to computer if I get too far ahead. Besides, it's a pain lugging around a 2-inch pile of paper in the off-chance that I can catch a few minutes to edit or revise.

The Kindle does make it easier to edit on the go.

I've just saved my Word docs as text files (.txt) to make things easier. (You can do that when you click 'save as' when you save a file, or you can just copy/paste the document onto NotePad.) You could also save them as PDFs, but the PDFs are like photos on the Kindle—and you can't make the font any bigger (and small type is starting to be a problem for me.)

There are a couple of ways to upload a file to your Kindle (my directions will be for PCs). The free way is to connect your Kindle to your computer using the charger you got with your device (the plug part of the cord comes off and you'll have a USB connection underneath.) Plug one end of the cord into your Kindle, the other into your computer USB port.

When your computer recognizes your Kindle, go to Start/Computer. You'll see "Devices with removable storage." And your Kindle will be there. Click on the Kindle icon and open the documents folder. This is the destination for your manuscript file.

Go to your Documents library and select the file you want. Drag the file to the Kindle (on my computer, I can see the Kindle listed in a column to the left of the Documents library.) Drop it in the Documents folder for the Kindle. Disconnect your Kindle from your PC, hit home on your Kindle device, and you'll see your file.

Or…you could email it to your Kindle. The cost, I believe, is now 15 or 25 cents to do so. Your Kindle has an email address—you can find it on the Manage Your Kindle page when you pull up your Amazon account on your computer. It's a @kindle.com address.

Editing on the Kindle is best for a global read of your manuscript for content problems and less for doing line editing. You can make notes on your Kindle for changes you'd like to make to the document. All the notes that you make on your manuscript can be transferred to your computer. You'll just attach your USB cable again, go to My Computer, find your Kindle device, look in the documents folder, and you'll see a My Clippings folder. Your notes will be in there and you can just copy the file to your computer.

Does it sound complicated? It's actually more intuitive than I've made it sound. It certainly does beat lugging around a huge manuscript with me everywhere. :)

How do you like to do edits and revisions on your manuscript? Do you print them out, do them all on computer, or have you tried using the Kindle?

A Kindle Drawback and Possible Implications for Writers

I had coffee with a friend of mine last week. She's also a big reader—now almost exclusively on the Kindle.

She's currently reading a novel for our book club. "Let me tell you," she said with a frown, "I'm having a real problem with this book."

I perked up. This is a friend that doesn't even have a problem with obscure Russian literature…so if commercial fiction was stumping her, I was all ears.

"This writer has 7 or 8 different names that start with the letter m. And there are absolutely no textual reminders of the characters' identities. I can't tell who the heck they are or how they relate to each other. And some of the characters have real names and nicknames."

She was pretty agitated about it by now and was waving her arms around and sloshing her coffee.

"And on top of it all, I can't just flip back and figure out who these people are! With a paperback, I'd spend half a minute just flipping back until I got a clue who the character is. With a Kindle, it's just not that easy. I'm getting ready to give up on this book."

What the author was doing wasn't good for any book, of course. Having characters with names that start with the same letter can get confusing…especially that many names. And this was an author published with a major house.

The trouble was compounded by the fact that the writer hadn't put in any of those little tagging reminders of who the character is (especially when they've been offstage for a while.) It's helpful to have a 'Jenny hopped in the car, still wearing her scrubs from work.' Really, you don't even have to be that vague with the reminders: sometimes a 'Jenny, Cameron's sister, got in the car' is fine to slip in.

To make matters worse, there were nicknames for more than one character. And these nicknames weren't like 'sweetie.' No, these were actual names. And the nicknames weren't just truncated parts of the character name (Mike for Michael.) They were totally different.

My friend mulled aloud a few minutes about whether the book would have been salvageable if the story hadn't been on the Kindle. She said that she loved her Kindle, but still missed being able to quickly flip through a book instead of using a "go to" function.

I'm sure that future roll-outs of the Kindle will probably fix this issue—maybe they'll have touch screens or a quick scrolling option.

But in the meantime, it offered another reason to double-check my manuscripts for name problems. Is there anything confusing in there? Would a reader need to flip around in my book to try and figure out who the character is? If so, they're working too hard. This is supposed to be entertainment…better to just fix it.

Especially since flipping pages isn't exactly easy with Kindles.

Are there character naming problems that you run into as a reader or writer? If you have a Kindle, do you miss page flipping?

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter in the last week.

I'm delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the Writer's Knowledge Base search engine and software engineer and writer Mike Fleming's ingenuity. The links I tweet (which are writers' blogs, agents' and editors' blogs) all are added to the engine to make it easier for you to access the information you're looking for.

Interested in a monthly newsletter with the top writing articles, blogger spotlights, and interviews with industry insiders? Sign up for the free WKB newsletter here: http://hiveword.com/wkb/newsletter . (You can unsubscribe at any time, and your email information is never shared.)

4 distinct levels of competence in writing: http://bit.ly/fyLeBI

Would You Ever Turn Down a Contract? http://bit.ly/igiyeh @jamigold

Find the scriptwriters in your neighborhood: http://bit.ly/hTvynG

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Is there anything an egg can't do? http://bit.ly/eqv923

A few follies of Writerhood: http://bit.ly/eBoPnP

Thoughts on microfiction dark twist stories: http://bit.ly/exeXkc @camillelaguire

Quick public speaking tip : http://bit.ly/i9YH7u

Google alerts--how to set them up and why you need them: http://bit.ly/g98cbG @spunkonastick

Creativity Tweets of the Week – 4/8/11: http://bit.ly/ekqBCq @on_creativity

Plotbot Streamlines Scriptwriting: http://bit.ly/hrMeDu

Keep Characters True To Themselves: http://bit.ly/eYJprM

Best Articles This Week for Writers 4/8/11: http://bit.ly/ibSgYK @4kidlit

Proper Use of The Colon: http://bit.ly/g02QjC

Can Karma Help You Become a Better Writer? http://bit.ly/gRi9bt @jamigold

5 ways to see your manuscript with new eyes. http://bit.ly/ghtzJx @4kidlit

Want High Stakes? Amp up the Stress: http://bit.ly/fbnivd

5 revision tricks: http://bit.ly/ehQhhI

Do characters really need to be likeable? Maybe not: http://bit.ly/ijOx24 @JulietteWade

How to Find the Guts to Take a Leap: http://bit.ly/e4uYOx

An agent says: "Think of me as a conduit, not a gatekeeper." http://bit.ly/fHFi17 @jennybent

How to Survive a Writers Conference: Dos and Don'ts to making it out alive: http://bit.ly/dR3trb

This #FF follow these 12 Tweeters on Twitter http://exm.nr/eFctGl @SheWritesaLot

5 First Draft Tips: http://bit.ly/fxPRyK

Why readers buy books (and how to promote to these readers): http://bit.ly/ebYFjW

Why Agents Take So Long To Get Back To You: http://bit.ly/hdTe3L

Scriptwriters, know your story: http://bit.ly/i2HWZb

Top 5 Writing Tools: http://bit.ly/eiIz68

7 Overused Blog Habits That Look Amateurish: http://bit.ly/hmZZ3F

7 ways freelancers can make clients happy: http://bit.ly/ehJo7t

7 R's of Positivity for the Unpublished Novelist: http://bit.ly/f169Vo

The challenge of writing humor: http://bit.ly/faS5MM @alanorloff @mkinberg

7 Tips to sell your book on Kindle: http://bit.ly/gZNfz6

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Artichoke Dip inspired by Rick Bayless http://bit.ly/etBOLY

If I build it, will they come? http://bit.ly/hZWOww @authorguy

Morning Pages Experiment: One Year Later: http://bit.ly/fOwOBl

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: And the winner of the cheese knife is... http://bit.ly/hwxwb6

6 Reasons Why Romance Rocks: http://bit.ly/gnK01b @writeangleblog

Romantic comedy truisms: http://bit.ly/gBBX2P

The Better Mash-Up: An Exoneration of a New Literary Genre: http://bit.ly/g3KWjl

Worldbuilding Considerations Part One -- Setting: http://bit.ly/gH4jWN

Borders Plan for Recovery Is Described as Doubtful (NY Times): http://nyti.ms/h8CemJ

Not every writer enjoys a writing group: http://bit.ly/hV6Zsu

Description--Gestures and action tags: http://bit.ly/fnuzC1

5 Things a Bad Dog Can Teach You About Writing Good Copy: http://bit.ly/fXJjlc

The Right Time for a Critique Group: http://bit.ly/eN9XfL

A look at literary assistants: http://bit.ly/esYe9T

How Can Authors Reach (Non-Writer) Readers Online? http://bit.ly/grvAXC

Top 6 movies about writers: http://bit.ly/hd5YEr @cristinterrill

Talking plot: http://bit.ly/gBNAia @dirtywhitecandy @victoriamixon

Putting our characters in their place: http://bit.ly/hk32GQ

Kindle: http://huff.to/dV54m5

Writing book acknowledgments: http://bit.ly/hFcY03

67 Things to Remember When Writing: http://bit.ly/gpxlUP @cristinterrill

Orienting by marking insiders vs. outsiders: http://bit.ly/gtEuJp

Reading your novel backwards: http://bit.ly/fVFV7V

How to have an impressive book signing: http://workingwritersandbloggers.com/2011/04/06/how-to-have-a-book-signing-like-t-c-boyle/

Sculpting character: http://bit.ly/h0GFgj

4 Ways to Make Your Writing Schedule Work: http://bit.ly/fn2vAf

Finding Your Voice: http://bit.ly/gLBEdv

Revising by Color: http://bit.ly/ekuFgE

The Old-School Content Marketing Strategy That Scores Freelance Writing Clients: http://bit.ly/dFG68x

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: San Simon Prosciutto Appetizers http://bit.ly/hy2QR9

Story Structure - Four Acts in Erotic Romance: http://bit.ly/dFg1VS @SaschaIllyvich

10 tips for a great story: http://bit.ly/hrZvXB @SanguMandanna

Why Writer Friends Are Crucial: http://bit.ly/gRPHIu @4kidlit

Tips for realistically capturing a crisis: http://bit.ly/hZQDR1 @bluemaven

Think like a publisher--all about covers: http://bit.ly/gQ7Ljy

Self-editing checklist--consistency: http://bit.ly/hZ0o0p

Your Better Half: What Happens When One POV is Better? http://bit.ly/hvFk7m

3 Barriers You Must Eliminate to Maximize E-Book Sales: http://bit.ly/hEbl0K

Subtext: The Most Critical Tool in the Storyteller's Box: http://bit.ly/hwgMLc

TADA Method of Studying Character: http://bit.ly/fEiGpk

The Writer's Bane: Describing a Character's Physical Appearance: http://bit.ly/hhkFem

Are You Ready To Query? http://bit.ly/hWWvOe @writeangleblog

Why mechanics matter: http://bit.ly/ihIKEJ @ajackwriting

Acting lessons for writers--vulnerability: http://bit.ly/hJmshG @cristinterrill

Conference Surprises--Ah ha moments from SCBWI: http://bit.ly/dI0lts @WriteAngleBlog

Deliver the Payoff: http://bit.ly/gQDQbf

How to get your book reviewed – by avoiding book reviewers: http://bit.ly/ijOQpU

5 Ways to Make the Most of A Small Blog Audience: http://bit.ly/ijtMJH

How to write cool literature: http://bit.ly/glcFPj

The Learning Sequence and Why It Matters to Nonfiction Authors: http://bit.ly/hMVS80

Why Most Writers Are Blind to Their Own Faults: http://bit.ly/fnqpyV

The signs of a good independent editor: http://bit.ly/f3M7uw @victoriamixon

10 Tools for Author Success, #1 Have a Plan: http://bit.ly/gp1Tqe @SaschaIllyvich

Polishing Your Manuscript: Beyond the First Pages: http://bit.ly/gSJ4OM @yahighway

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Spaghetti and Meatballs—With Chili http://bit.ly/guDrer

Simple tips for the Christian writer: http://bit.ly/dKrrka

40 Questions You Need to Ask Every Copywriting Client: http://bit.ly/fZ2CS8

Mystery Writer's Guide To Forensic Science - DNA Profiling: http://bit.ly/hBOkur @clarissadraper

Survival Tips for the Newbie Writer: http://huff.to/dIEJRk

10 signs you're *not* in the writing zone: http://bit.ly/gDWcgI @elspethwrites

Past tense or present tense? http://bit.ly/f1OZtQ

Advice for Amanda Hocking from authors and agents: http://bit.ly/hVAtCX

Bring attention to your books with promo items: http://bit.ly/ho5C5I

What were this month's most popular writing articles? Sign up for the monthly WKB newsletter for links & interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1

Bringing Out Emotions in Your Scene: http://bit.ly/fM4OeP

Things to do after getting an agent: http://bit.ly/erK6tS

Description 911: Over Expressed Emotions: http://bit.ly/eMeiq8

Why Understanding Conflict Will Make You A Better Writer: http://bit.ly/gw0aMY @bubblecow

Back to basics--writing to a certain length: http://bit.ly/fugsVe

6 Benefits of Agent Representation: http://bit.ly/gQ2ZRz @writeangleblog

Acting lessons for writers--physicality: http://bit.ly/gra6KM @cristinterrill

Preparing for a book club talk: http://bit.ly/egJO7d

3 Questions to Ask Before You Jump on the Indie Publishing Bandwagon: http://bit.ly/hHyTs8

Writing battles: http://bit.ly/haQVwE

4 Ways to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Writer's Solitude: http://bit.ly/hdIdbq

Ambiguity and Anchoring in Fantasy Contexts: http://bit.ly/if9K4S

Think Like A Publisher #5… Some Basics on Production: http://bit.ly/ecwIBy

4 questions to ask about eccentric characters: http://bit.ly/hSYvB3 @flawritersconf

Busted!—Janet Fitch and her unlikable character, Part 2: http://bit.ly/hnnEJz

The new rules for self-publishing: http://bit.ly/ehzTx3

National Poetry Month: http://bit.ly/gHXzGI

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Supernatural Sticky Wings from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/hEJ268

Lemmings are cute, but sometimes they just don't think: http://bit.ly/efLCKE @hopeclark

Time to Unclutter Your Manuscript? http://bit.ly/dX166U

I See No Possible Way How This Incredible Cover Letter Could Ever Fail: http://bit.ly/fLXwiI

Never "just description": making description subjective: http://bit.ly/hJ0aWF

5 Writing Tools to Carry in a Conspiring Universe: http://bit.ly/hzefIS

Tiny beginnings--how one writer starts a novel: http://bit.ly/fmzunT

Exploring an Issue for Coherence: http://bit.ly/gekpmw

On creating your press kit: http://bit.ly/hEu6Lq

7 Microsoft Word tricks for writers: http://bit.ly/hvFilv

Paragraphs past and present: http://bit.ly/gz929p

Put your secondary world to the test: http://bit.ly/eraVlN

Agent research: http://bit.ly/fxC1I4 @WriteAngleBlog

How To Create Sympathetic Characters: http://bit.ly/dPfmfd

7 Dos and 7 Don'ts for New Bloggers: http://bit.ly/fpoJwP

New ways to read blog posts: http://bit.ly/dJwkda

Writing for Survival: http://bit.ly/dLabYE

The Secret of Subtext: http://bit.ly/fmDPkB

5 Ways to Persevere Through Blogging Slumps: http://bit.ly/hbPoXE

Freelance writing jobs: Top 10 places to find quality work: http://bit.ly/fX7Ds8

Self-Publishing: 9 Things To Know Before You Make the Leap: http://bit.ly/gCQq6d

4 Top Book Formatting Mistakes to Avoid: http://bit.ly/eA7GuH

Aliens on book covers--human fears transferred into depictions of extraterrestrials: http://bit.ly/egS51V

10 of the best teeth in literature (Guardian): http://bit.ly/f2KIWr

WriterDesign: Installing WordPress: http://bit.ly/epkfpV

Best underground lairs in SF and Fantasy: http://on.io9.com/g5FiFh

The Difference Between Copyediting and Proofreading: http://bit.ly/fMdwYz

What your 1st love and your 1st book have in common: http://bit.ly/dS8F68

Setting in tone: http://bit.ly/fFNIai

3 Reasons Your Blogging Resolutions Are Doomed to Fail: http://bit.ly/eJMKWk

How to launch any product (incl. books) using social media: http://on.mash.to/gb3MPL

A writer on what being a published author is like (and what's surprised her): http://bit.ly/e7mjfb

The Ubiquitous, Wandering It: http://bit.ly/fT0XXo

What You Need to Write Right: http://bit.ly/gaDJnJ

Wanted: One Character Willing to Work With No Questions Asked: http://bit.ly/eJsPxL

Preparing for publication: writing your book's premise and synopsis: http://bit.ly/hML4P7

Sustaining curiosity: http://bit.ly/es8wRl @RavenRequiem13

Wanna be a writer… need credibility: http://bit.ly/eCfWjo @mjcache

Are You Ready To Query? http://bit.ly/hWWvOe @WriteAngleBlog

Yes, I Am Original! http://bit.ly/gVlGgD @ellaschwartz

Tips for Writer's Block: http://bit.ly/dQUfWy @WriteTime2

For Career Authors, Staying Published is the Real Challenge: http://huff.to/hjbiGg

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The 1,200 Calorie Nightmare http://bit.ly/hRepim

Getting the most from a writer's conference: http://bit.ly/hWFvmi

Hitting it big and how to do it: http://bit.ly/hd8NdJ

Avoid the Poison Apple: http://bit.ly/fVovu1

Nice weekly roundup for historical writers: http://bit.ly/h2emXA @2nerdyhistgirls

How To Stop Your Creative Muse Walking Out And Cheating On You: http://bit.ly/eWFjxz

Affording to Write

My son is interested in guitar lessons so I called up a teacher that our friends were using for their son's lessons.

The guitarist and I talked for a little while about scheduling the classes. "Actually," he said, "I'm at the point where gas prices are so high that I am thinking about not driving around to students' houses, but have them to come to mine."

Still trying to work these lessons into our weekly craziness, I asked him where he lived. He hesitated, then mentioned a neighborhood that admittedly doesn't have the best reputation and was a good 30 minute drive from here.

"It's not as bad a place as you think," he said quickly. "The neighborhood is pretty safe. You really wouldn't have to worry about your son here. My wife and I are both artists, so we're just living where we can afford. And I'm holding down three jobs right now and still can't make ends meet."

"Oh, I totally understand," I said. "I'm a writer."

He laughed. "So you're scraping by, too."

"Not even! But I'm luckily married to someone who isn't an artist, so I've got a personal patron of the arts."

It's a sad fact that most writers, artists, and musicians don't make enough to live on. I get asked a couple of times a month if it's possible to make a living writing books. It isn't for me. But maybe if you're writing a blockbuster book or if you end up with a TV or book deal, or if you write a lot of midlist books in a year (and are getting royalties on your backlist)…yeah, you could do it. But I still don't think it's a great living. It makes for nice additional income. Do you have children? Need health insurance? You probably shouldn't even consider leaving your day job.

To get a hint at what most YA, romance (and, I'll add—mystery) writers are making for books, here is Brenda Hiatt's famous "Show Me the Money" post where authors have anonymously written in to tell their advances, etc.

How do most artists get by? If they're not married to someone who can support them, they have a day job.

You could even find a writing-related day job. I've had those in the past. I'll still occasionally submit articles to one of those weekly or monthly free local periodicals that you'll see in restaurants and coffee shops, just to keep my hand in it. But I've worked for them full-time before, too—you can write articles, sell ads, etc.

There are a lot of writers I know who teach—either part time or full-time.

I know quite a few writers who also freelance. I know a couple of journalists, too.

It's probably more fun for a writer to find a writing-related day job, but it doesn't have to be that way, either. And one writer believes that you shouldn't feel pressured to find a high-paying, prestigious day job, either. I read an interesting post a week or so ago: In Praise of Crummy Day Jobs, on the Genreality blog.

In the post, author Carrie Vaughn mentions that many writers overlook the fact that they don't have to find and hold down a career-track kind of job…they can find an hourly-pay gig and then come home and write. She wrote:

The thing about all these jobs: I rarely had to work overtime. They weren't difficult. I usually came home ready to write. In fact, especially at the book store, I'd jot down notes about the current work in progress throughout the day, shove them in my pocket, and in the evening come home, pull out all the notes, and write.

There's a lot of truth to hackneyed sayings…and 'starving artist' definitely isn't too far off the mark.

Although making time to write involves sacrifice, the nice thing about writing as compared with some of the other arts, is that we can easily slip a notebook into a laptop bag or a purse. We can write a couple of sentences here and there. Harder to do that when you're lugging around a harp or a baritone or a canvas.

How do you work writing into your life?

Quick Tip for Public Speaking—Ask a Question

The book club meeting went really well yesterday—there was a great group in attendance and the museum where we were meeting was a great facility.

The format was for me to give a talk to the group first, followed by a Q&A section.

I always like to be really well-prepared when I give a talk—well, actually, I just like to be well-prepared for everything. In the past, this has meant that I put everything on note cards. While I didn't read off the note cards (because that would be incredibly boring for everyone in attendance), I've always memorized my cards.

This time I used a great tip that I came across recently (and I wish I remembered where I read it.) This time I still had my paper with me, but I had a list of questions on it. Questions that I, of course, knew the answers to.

If you ask a list of questions, then answer them, your speech will sound more natural and relaxed. And—you still have a paper to go off of in case you lose your way.

So instead of note cards that detail what I'm going to say, my paper would say:

When did you start writing books?
Why did you choose mysteries to write?
How did you find your first publisher?
When is your next release?

That kind of thing. It worked out really well because I stayed on track but sounded more casual because my speech was less-rehearsed.

Have you got any public speaking tips? I'm always looking for new ways to improve because public speaking definitely doesn't come naturally to me. :)

Acknowledgments

I have to admit that I enjoy reading author acknowledgments.

These days, a book is really a collaborative effort between a lot of different people operating behind the scenes. At least, these folks are behind the scenes until they're put on the acknowledgments page of a book. :)

These pages were really useful for me when I was researching publishers and agents—because agents and editors are always thanked (or should be) by published writers.

Now I think they're just fun to read. For me, they're a window into the writer's world and the people who are part of it. Plus, it's usually the only personal note directly from the author. For that reason, I've always enjoyed reading them.

The acknowledgments can be tricky for me. I want to make sure I haven't left anyone out, but I also don't want to go on and on as if the page was an Academy Award speech.

There's usually a little list I try to go through in my head to make sure I haven't left anyone out:

Agent
Editor
Agent assistant or Editorial assistants (anyone I know by name)
Anyone who helped with research/sources
Family who put up with me while I was writing. :)
First readers
Writing mentors
People (teachers, etc.) who provided encouragement or support

Do you read the acknowledgments in books? Can you think of any other people who should be included in a list of whom to thank?

The Pleasure of Writing

I've been absolutely slammed with activity the last couple of weeks and it doesn't look like it's letting up until maybe another week down the road.

I was running errands on Monday when I remembered my son had asked me to pick up some nonfiction books for a paper he's writing on typhoid and the American Civil War, so I made a detour into the library.

I pulled out a bunch of books and was about to check them out and scurry off again for more errands when I noticed how peaceful the library was. It was about 11:00 in the morning and there were only adults quietly reading or researching on the second floor of the Morrison Library. I pulled out my notebook from my pocketbook and took a seat.

And just like that (and I'm not a sentimental person) but the craziness of the past week melted away and I felt complete joy.

The funny thing is that I can't really explain why writing is so enjoyable. It's almost like I'm a kid again—pretending. That was fun, too. Except that, as a grown-up, you can't actively go around making things up and pretending….unless you're a writer. Then it's allowed—and encouraged.

Sometimes, the writing isn't as fun. Sometimes the deadlines and the promo and the worry over the story make me forget the fun. Sometimes writing is tedious. Sometimes I'm scared to death that the ideas won't come as obligingly as they always have. Sometimes I look at my publishing contracts and think that I'm just a business person after all, and not a creative person.

To forget the bad parts, when I feel that surge of---well, it's almost an endorphin rush of elation, I remember it. I hold onto it. Ultimately, the reason I keep on writing is my love of writing. The left-brained part of the equation is a more calculated plan involving the readers and what the readers would enjoy reading. That's important, too. But it's my love of writing that keeps me going.

The headlines have been rough lately for writers—bookstores closing, confusing choices to make, a changing future for books. What I keep going back to is the writing itself.

Because even a bad day writing is better than a good day spent doing most other things.

What keeps you writing?

Preparing for a Book Club Talk

In a couple of days, I'm speaking to a book club about my book, Pretty is as Pretty Dies.

It's been a bit of a busy week with field trips, birthday parties, and other activities. So now I'm trying to make sure I'm ready to talk to the book club.

For me, it's all about preparation whenever I'm speaking in public. If I'm not prepared or don't feel like I'm prepared, I'll definitely get flustered.

There are usually two different types of book clubs that I've come across. One type is very casual and you sit in a circle with the other members and engage in the general discussion. The other type is more structured—you'd give a talk about the book or writing or both, followed by a question and answer session.

It's good to know what to expect before you go. This sounds like a no-brainer, but I've been surprised before by groups that functioned as covered-dish suppers/book clubs and felt like I should have brought something (although I was assured I didn't need to.) You might want to ask if you should prepare a talk (and on what subject), or if it will be a more laid-back program.

I never charge a book club for an appearance—to me, it's enough that they've bought my book. But I usually have to regret if the club meeting is too far away…travel expenses have definitely gone up.

I bring small things to give away—bookmarks, magnets, postcards, pencils, etc., Candy is always popular. :) Sometimes I'll bring something larger--a door-prize type gift that I pull out of a hat.

If you have a newsletter, you could bring a signup sheet to collect emails to notify readers of your upcoming releases, etc. Be sure you're being upfront that the list is for a newsletter…and that they can unsubscribe whenever they'd like.

Carry the address of the venue with you and the organizer's cell phone number. Frequently the club meetings are in someone's house and it's easy to get lost. I'll program the address in my GPS, but I have a backup on paper—and I keep the organizer's cell phone number close by, just in case.

Look nice. I usually am dressed nicer than everyone else, but it makes me feel better than being underdressed. And if I dress well, the book club members know that I treated their meeting like a special event and dressed accordingly.

Review your book before you go. Or your cheat sheet on the book. I have a Word document that covers characters and plot twists in great detail. It's easy for me to forget things, especially when I'm under a little pressure. And the book club will have just read the book. It's not good for them to know more about the book than we do!

The questions I get from book clubs are different from the questions I get from writers. (I receive more questions about the book's characters—are they based on real people? What do those people think of my books? etc). I'm prepared to talk more in depth about my characters and their motivations. I'm also prepared to talk about small plot points in the book.

The book club might find hidden meaning in your book…that you didn't intend. I usually just smile and nod when this happens. :) Who knows—maybe I subconsciously included symbolism?

People may challenge you on your book. I think this has happened at every book club meeting I've ever been to. If you're speaking to a big group (15-20 people or more), then you really need to expect some criticism from someone.

Someone may not like a character or might find a continuity error or could disagree with a position they think you're taking in the book. I just roll with it and don't take it personally. Remind yourself going in that you're not there to get defensive about your book…you're discussing it. Most times everyone is very nice, even if they're bringing up a point they didn't like or a problem they had. The more professionally we can handle this kind of situation, the better we look in the end.

They will ask what you're working on next. Practice a succinct summary. If you're writing the first part of your draft or would rather not talk about your book, you could just briefly answer that you're working on a follow-up to the book they read, or that you're working on a new project that's very different from the one they just finished.

Bring extra books. If you have other books, bring them, too. Sometimes, book club members will ask you to sign a book for them to give as a gift. You'll also need to bring ones, in case you need to make change.

I enjoy book clubs because they're frequently the only times I get to meet with readers in person (conferences are mainly made up of writers). Have you talked to book clubs before? Got any additional tips?

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