DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED WRITINGS
Ever since the publication of “Ark City Confidential” in early 2017, I have been firmly grounded in historical crime fiction. There has been research into all aspects of police work and everyday life from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s. I’ve scoured maps and photos and magazine articles, bought books on local and regional history, and even looked up real names in the Polk Directory of the time periods in question.
Within the parameters of fiction, I have done what I could to recreate a historical milieu that is true and plausible and as real as possible. After all, it only makes sense, right?
Yet, when my mind wanders to those “What if?” queries regarding OTHER things to write, I do not simply run parallel to another character in a slightly different time period, perhaps a comparable profession, or something more suspenseful and dramatic. Rather, my focus is to return to a couple of old works-in-progress. One is a Transgressive tale and the other a wildly experimental metafiction. Both of those are so far removed from what I do now as to be almost ironical.
I liken this, as I do many things, to a culinary example. Suppose you were to have a dinner of smoked pork, barbecued chicken, hot links, and some wickedly salty French fries. The savory aspects of your meal, the spice, would just about turn your palette toward a sugary confection to finish off the repast. You might not have the stomach capacity for chocolate cake but a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream would be a nice finishing touch.
My creative mind works in the same fashion. If I had the time and wherewithal to work on another project contemporaneously with my historical crime fiction series, it feels as though I would want a separation in terms of creative style. The detailed analysis and meticulous research of the former would need the freedom and almost anarchy of the latter. (Not to imply there is not discipline required for both, mind you.)
My cooking runs in the same trend. The menu I prepare for dinners at home might include something Mexican, something Asian, something Italian. I do not purposely vary things nor do I prevent myself from making chicken tacos one night followed by pork enchiladas the next. In order to remain engaged in cooking, I ensure that I am mixing things up. This mindset rings true for writing.
The primary difference is I eat every night of the week. I only write one book at a time. Ah, just wait until retirement!
