Terry Odell's Blog, page 43

Conflicts. They’re Not Just for Characters.

Conflicts. They’re Not Just for Characters.

The current manuscript is supposed to be a Blackthorne, Inc. book, but instead of a Covert Ops field agent as the hero, Dante works in Security and Investigations. He’s sent on a mission, but isn’t sure whether he’s really the right man for the job.

As the author, it’s my job to create conflict for him. I normally use the “Why?” method.

Why is he being sent to Croatia? Why not a covert ops agent?

The former head of the company, Horace Blackthorne himse...

Visual Aids to Help the Writing

Visual Aids to Help the Writing

I’ve been working on my book set in Croatia, and I’m drawing on my own experiences (at least as far as the cruise goes—no crime on my trip). One thing that’s helping me write the descriptions—the pictures I took. Another lesson I’ve learned is that you can NEVER take too many pictures, especially in this digital age. Visual aids are a great help, plus they make sure I’m consistent with my descriptions.

I thought I’d share a few with you today.

First, to make sure ...

Don’t Sweat the Ups and Downs

Don’t Sweat the Ups and Downs

There are always going to be up days and down days. That’s life, not just writing, but this is primarily a writing blog so, let’s talk about the ups and downs of writing.

I set daily writing goals. For me it’s word count. For some, it’s pages. For others, it’s time spent writing. Whatever the measuring tool, unless you set a very low bar, there will be days you miss your target.

I’ve taken a page from James Scott Bell’s playbook, where he suggests setting weekly goa...

It’s Spring!

It’s Spring! Does it Matter?

Spring in Colorado is a calendar event, not a weather event. As I write this, we’re in the mid 50s. Over the past week, we’ve seen temperatures reach into the 60s. Tomorrow, when this blog actually posts, they’re predicting highs in the 20s and several inches of snow.

We lived in south and central Florida for several decades, where there were two seasons: summer and February 3rd. Here in Colorado, we have the normal four, although they often happen all in the same d...

What Color Is It?

What Color Is It?

Descriptions are critical to authors. Without them, our settings are bland, our characters are boring. I’ve talked about using the senses. Sight is a big one, since we humans are very sight-oriented. We see blue skies, green grass, brown earth.

Wait. That’s boring, and doesn’t really convey the reality of what we’re looking at. What shade of blue? Of green? Of brown?

A recent read mentioned a cerulean sky. Even if I didn’t know the word, using it to describe “sky” gives me a re...

Research to Right the Wrongs … and Mary Poppins

Research to Right the Wrongs … and Mary Poppins

I have a special guest, Lee Lofland, over at The Kill Zone Blog today. If you write (or read) cop-related stories, you’ll definitely want to see what he has to say about things writers get wrong.

In his words: “Writers sometimes bypass the research portion of their craft and rely on rehashing outdated inaccuracies and dog-tired cliches about police. Unfortunately, allowing those blunders to wiggle and squirm their way into dialog, scenes, character...

Speed Bumps, Roadblocks, and Brick Walls

Speed Bumps, Roadblocks, and Brick Walls

When I’m writing, there are always things that slow me down. I divide these into Speed Bumps, Roadblocks, and Brick Walls.

A speed bump can be a piece of research I need—like how to pick a lock, or what you call the earrings that are a big as the man’s earlobe. Those don’t bring the story to a halt, they simply slow it down. Most of the time, I keep going with a note or placeholder.

Roadblocks are more challenging. I was having trouble moving forward beca...

What’s Cooking: Guinness Chocolate Cake

What’s Cooking: Guinness Chocolate Cake

I’ve had reader requests for recipes, and here’s one from my daughter who lives in Northern Ireland. Guinness and Chocolate. What’s not to like? And in plenty of time for St. Patrick’s Day.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

Cake:
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c Guinness
1 c flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1/3 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla
1/3 c low fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8 or ...

A Gimmick or an Innovation?

A Gimmick or an Innovation?

A while back, for a Kill Zone Blog post, I talked about whether or not getting creative with fundamentals like punctuation was a good idea.

Recently, my daughter handed me a book she thought I might like because it was a mystery. It was huge–over 700 pages. Traditionally published, but its first edition came out in Canada. I don’t know if that makes a difference.

I’m not at the halfway point yet. It’s a bedtime read, and I’m averaging about 30 pages at a time. It’s go...

Back to Work

Back to Work

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The Antarctica trip was aborted. It’s time to end the pity party and get back to “real life.” The airline refunded our ticket price, but they haven’t done anything else to show me they actually care about me as a customer. Still waiting to hear from the travel insurance company for the cruise portion.

After about a week of ignoring the manuscript, the writing itch returned and I got back to work. What I did:

Step 1: Reread the manuscript from the b...