Every Picture Tells a Story

We moved into our current house in Farmington three years ago just about this time. When I was packing up the last house (in three weeks!), I came across a bulletin board that had been tucked in a closet. I hadn’t seen it for years, and it was like finding a long-lost treasure. I was so excited I even took a photograph. On it was the curled-up sonogram of my grandson (he’s 12 ½ now), other family pictures (that adorable baby is almost 15), several contest award certificates from when I was pre-published, illustrations meant to capture my characters, etc. The bulletin board used to hang over my desk, and I’d stare at it when I got stuck.

Well, I’m stuck now, and that corkboard is in the garage behind the freezer. It’s pretty inaccessible unless I decide to somehow wedge myself between the wall and the loft stairs without decapitating myself. Everything on it is old news now, though—the books inspired by it have long been published, and I’ve forgotten half the plots, LOL.

But I’m still a visual person, and have a Pinterest account. It’s a very handy way to save images, and I’ve organized them for my three most recent book series. (I also keep recipes too, though I confess I hardly ever cook any of them). I have a collection for the new series I’m working on, and I think I need to scroll through it a couple of times to jog myself out of the half-way mark of the current WIP.

I’ve always loved beginnings—so exciting! Everything’s new and sparkly!—and sometimes I write endings way before I get to them organically. At present I am in the dreaded “mucky middle” of Book #2 of the Lady May Mysteries (move over, Lady Adelaide) and have seemingly been here forever. There is no last page in sight.

To be accurate, I probably have about 25,000 words to go to write The End, so maybe I’m 2/3 of the way through. I have only recently decided who the killer is. As you can tell, I am not a plotter. I wish I was. How envious I am of those writers who have sticky notes and, yes, bulletin boards that outline every chapter. My brain absolutely refuses to work that way (actually, my brain is absolutely refusing to work, period), and it is quite a nuisance. Sometimes I am shocked to realize I’ve managed to write 20+ books in such a haphazard manner, not to mention that I still can’t type with all my fingers.

Here’s what’s caught my eye: (780) Pinterest Check out a young Gary Cooper. Swoon. Do you use Pinterest, mood boards, or have bits of paper all over your desk?

For more about Maggie and her books, please visit www.maggierobinson.net