Writing tips 3-10

I am totally and utterly behind on my writing tips. I only posted two? Really? Hmm. I was sure I’d done more than that. To catch up, here a few tips rolled into one nice post:

#3 Jobs
Most of us have fairly mundane day jobs. But just how much do you know about the professional life of a postal clerk? Or a dental hygienist?

Research jobs here: www.oalj.dol.gov/libdot.htm

#4 Character Bios
There are plenty of character sheets available on the net. I think they are a great way to get to know your character in the beginning stages and an excellent way to keep track of your characters as they grow. If you are writing a series, there are a lot of details to keep track of. Make sure your character sheets are up-to-date.

#5 Professional organizations
If you can afford it, join a professional organization. I’m a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, for example. In fact, I was crazy enough to volunteer for a position on the board of SinC HI and became Secretary. I’ve met some great people with SinC. Most recently, Jerrilyn Farmer whose Flaming Luau of Death is on my to-read list.

If you’d like to join an organization that doesn’t have a chapter in your city or state, see if an online chapter is available. There’s nothing like the support and friendship of people who know what you are going through.

#6 Workshops and classes
I just love the Romance Writers of America’s Kiss of Death chapter (www.rwamysterysuspense.org). They have great online workshops for writers. If you can afford it, take some workshops or writing classes. Feedback and support are always appreciated, right? And there’s always something new to learn.

#7 Writing/critique group
Definitely join a writing group, whether online or in person. This is as much about feedback and support as the classes or workshops you might take. Show up regularly. But choose your group with care: A romance writers group, for example, might only be of limited use to a mystery writer. Feedback needs to be honest, fair and constructive (which is why friends and relatives often make lousy [i.e. biased] reviewers).

#8 Agents
Chances are you’ll need a literary agent some time in your writing future. Finding an agent is time consuming. Start your research now. Read trade publications and keep an eye out for agents who sell books like yours. Jot their name and information down in your agent file. If you read a book in your genre that you enjoy, see if the agent is mentioned in the Thank You notes. Sometimes they are. Jot down the agent’s name and the book’s information in your file.

When the time comes to find that one perfect agent for you, don’t despair. Also, keep in mind that rejections are business letters, not personal put-downs.

#9 Read
Trust me. Read. Read a lot.

#10 Write
Regularly. Often. Some writers I know wait for inspiration. And then they wait some more. Other writers I know show up daily in front of their computer, sit down and write. With or without their muse. If you’re not particularly inspired to write something new, there’s probably something old you can edit. It’s important to show up and write.

I’ve read somewhere once that it was easier to get back into the flow of things, if you finish in the middle of a chapter rather than ending the chapter and then trying to start a new chapter the next writing day.

Find your own best way to work. Establish a routine. Show up for work. With or without your muse.

Call for submissions

Please inform your SinC members and other writers in your area of the following market:

Red Coyote Press (www.redcoyotepress.com), P.O. Box 60582, Phoenix, AZ 85082, publisher of MEDLEY OF MURDER (2005) and MAP OF MURDER (2007), is seeking submissions of original, unpublished short stories of 5,000 words or less in the mystery/suspense genre for a trade paperback anthology, tentatively titled MEDIUM OF MURDER.

The theme of the collection will be a play on the various meanings of the word "medium" and the connection with murder. The central theme or a key element of each story must utilize a valid meaning of the word "medium." Examples include, but are not limited to: 1) a means for storing or communicating information; 2) transmissions that are disseminated widely to the public; 3) someone who serves as an intermediary between the living and the dead; 4) (bacteriology) a nutrient substance used to cultivate micro-organisms; 5) (biology) a substance in which specimens are preserved or displayed; 6) (art) a liquid with which pigment is mixed by a painter.

Any sub-genre will be considered, including amateur sleuth, cozy, hard-boiled, police procedural, suspense, romantic intrigue, and psychological thriller.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 31, 2007.

Please submit complete manuscript with cover letter including the definition of "medium" used, a brief bio and publishing credits. Standard manuscript formatting required (double-spaced, 12-point font, header with last name/title, pages numbered consecutively.)

Send by mail to Red Coyote Press, submissions @ redcoyotepress.com, P.O. Box 60582, Phoenix, AZ 85082. Include contact information (phone number, snail mail and email address) and SASE. Payment consists of a flat fee, one free book and scaled discounts on additional books. For further information, call 602-454-7815 or email submissions @ redcoyotepress.com

Thank you.

Suzanne Flaig
Red Coyote Press

We’re a foster family

The kids have been hounding us with their wish for a puppy or a kitten. I tried talking them into a bunny or a guinea pig or a rat, to no avail. So we’ve signed up to become a foster family for cats and kitten that aren’t quite ready to be adopted out and/or need socialization.

This weekend we’ve received our first charges: a sibling pair of kittens, a white and orange boy and a grey and brown girl. They are very cute, very skittish, and very energetic (unless you ask our cat who thinks they are imposters and interlopers).

Their names vary. First it was Sam and Sammy, then Sally and Melvin, then Star, Magic, Spot and Angel. I’ve since given up on keeping them straight. I just call them “the white one” and “the girl.”

They are great.

The kids, rather than having this fuzzy, cuddly, uber-cute picture of a kitten or puppy in their minds, have realized that these little creatures have their own minds, don’t want to be toted around all day, and that they come with itty-bitty sharp claws (and know how to use them). They require care and patience. They are not toys.

Unfortunately, they are also not ours, and we’ll have to give them back soon (probably in about two weeks), but I think the (learning) experience will be worth the sadness when we have to let them go.

I’m in court today

HPD officers arrested someone in possession of my cancelled driver’s license. Unfortunately, none of my other stolen belongings were among the things the police recovered (I had to go to HPD headquarters to look through the stuff they found). Bummer.

Then yesterday, I received my subpoena, and today I’m going to testify at a preliminary hearing.

In a way, this is very exciting. Just a few weeks ago, at the SinC HI meeting, I met Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Johnson. He was a great guest speaker (very approachable and very informative). At the time I thought I might go to a court hearing one day just to see how it’s done.

Well, today, I’m going to court. Not only do I get to see how it’s done, but I am part of it (a very small part, I assure you).

Army Wives

You might have heard of this new show on Lifetime called “Army Wives.” It premiered last weekend. I haven’t seen it. I was mildly tempted to have the DVR record it, but in the end decided against it.

If I’ve read the commentaries correctly, the TV show opened with the teary good-bye of an officer’s wife whose husband left on a three-month tour of duty. Oh, please. Here’s the thing: by the time you are a high-ranking officer’s wife a three-month absence from your husband is like an extended weekend alone.

I have friends whose husbands are on their second deployment to the Middle East. They were gone for 12 months the first time around, and they are gone for 15 months this time around. Many of these men will come back home for less than a year before deploying again. And during that time they will be gone for weeks on end to train.

It is quite possible that your husband returns from Iraq in April. You all move to your new duty station in June (because you’ve just finished three years at your most recent post), and he’s in Afghanistan by July. You guys won’t have a year between deployments, because everything starts from scratch at the new assignment.

Many of us cannot rely on our husbands. This isn’t a criticism, but a fact of life. It’s not that my husband doesn’t want to be there for me or his children, it’s just that the Army and the mission come first [it’s the same for firefighters, police officers or E.R. doctors]. He works nights, and he works weekends. He works on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. His schedule changes from week to week. Making plans is difficult, because I have no clue what’s going on two weeks from now.

I don’t mind. It’s a royal pain sometimes, but I enjoy my life. I like moving. I like making new friends. I don’t particularly care about loosing those newly made friends again months down the road, but hey, more friends are arriving at the airport as we speak.

So when I read about teary wives at send-off ceremonies [a major unwritten no-no, btw] or wives who know more about weapons than their Special Forces husbands … I shake my head and program the DVR to record something else, something I know little about so I can’t tell how unrealistic it is (CSI anyone?!)

week in review

I haven’t done a thing this week and I feel so guilty I don’t even want to set foot in my office. I even mopped my floors this week to avoid writing.

I am convinced life would be easier if I had a laptop.

I am totally convinced life would be easier if I didn’t have insomnia and thus had some energy during the day.

BUT in the back of my head I know that laptop and insomnia have nothing to do with me showing up for work (after all, I show up for regular employment).

I think I need to get back on a regular every day/every night schedule (rather than only writing on my days off from sub teaching). That seemed to work for me and book 1. So my goal for this coming week:

1. to be in the office and in front of my (husband’s) computer between 7 and 10 p.m.
2. to not read e-mail or blogs or websites or do any research during this time
3. to work on book 2, the new chapter 1

Just in case you are wondering why I am still on chapter 1 … I figured out what gave me such a big problem with book 2. I started too late. I had a good beginning, solid stuff, but I spent too much time setting up and explaining. It was a lot of telling rather than showing. A major no-no.

In hindsight, starting earlier should have been obvious … but I really liked what I had done and was looking for the problem in the wrong place. I should have remembered the quote on top of this page:

To be a writer is to throw away a great deal, not to be satisfied, to type again, and then again and once more, and over and over... John Hersey

It’s official

It’s official. We’ve been extended an additional year in Hawaii. Aloha!

Before you rejoice on our behalf, let me tell you that the promotion lists come out in September. If Patrick is selected to become a Sergeant Major, he will have to attend the Sergeant Majors Academy in Texas. Since this course/class takes about 9 to 10 months (not sure exactly, sorry), the Army considers it necessary to move the entire family. So we’d all be moving to the Lone Star state (and then a few months later to our new permanent duty station).

In other words: despite our extension until August 2008, we could be out of here much earlier than that.

Things I want to do before we leave:

1. buy kayak and/or surfboard and learn how to properly use it
2. take diving classes with the husband (there’s nothing like the fear of drowning to bond over)
3. see Manoa Falls and swim under it
4. visit Maui (for only $9!; I love this airline price war)
5. visit Kaui again
6. go horseback riding on the beach
7. finish book 2
8. make new friends, since all of the old ones moved on this week (the downside of being an Army-family with Army-family friends)
9. take chance of the beautiful weather and join an al fresco yoga class or a swim club
10. save money to buy an original, made-in Hawaii Hawaiian quilt

Bonus: celebrate 14 years of marriage with a date at Sam Choy's restaurant

$9 !

In early 2006 we flew to the Big Island (a.k.a. Hawaii) and paid nearly $140 a person for our tickets. That's quite a chunk of change for a family of four.

Then the price war started. Go!airline underbid everyone else, and we flew to Kauai for only $39 a person. Recently, we flew to the Big Island again for even less, $29 a ticket. (These are one way tickets, btw. And it doesn't matter what island you fly to, the price is the same.)

Just now I heard on the radio that our price war has reached a new low: Go!, Aloha and Hawaiian now offer tickets for a measly $9. That's awesome. $9 means we could fly to Maui just to hang out on a beach for a weekend afternoon. We could fly in early in the morning, do some swimming and snorkeling, and fly back in the early evening. Heck, $9 means we could afford a (pricey, this is Maui after all) hotelroom and stay the entire weekend.

Sweet.

Oh, I also found a few more things I'd miss if we moved:

1. plumeria, tuberose, hibiscus and all the other flowering trees and shrubs
2. malasadas (yummy!)
3. Pizza Bob's
4. geckos

(It's semi-official, btw, that we are staying for now. Yay.)

Ouch

This from iTunes:

“After researching your request, I found that on April 2nd, 2006 you were allowed to redownload the purchases you had made with the account "[ ]." This was an exception to the iTunes Store Terms of Sale. I'm sorry, but the iTunes Store can't make another exception for you.”

Well, that sucks.

I’m bummed.

@$% !!

My computer died two nights ago. I was in the middle of something and got up to get a glass of water and when I came back the computer was dead. Some fatal error or another.

This is the second time now that darn thing died on me. The first time was messy, because it took all my files with it. This time I was prepared. I had back-ups. The truth is, I spotted erratic behavior last week and immediately backed everything up. Or so I thought. It turns out I forgot about iTunes.

Then the battery on my iPod needed recharging today. Of course, I didn’t think much of it and plugged the shuffle into my husband’s computer. As soon as I connected the two, iTunes popped up and “updated” my shuffle. UGH. It erased everything I had on it and replaced it with songs from early 2006 (the last time I was forced to use the husband’s computer). I am so mad right now. It didn’t help that I couldn’t figure out how to contact iTunes support. After a bunch of self-help dead-ends and reading my way through various FAQ, I finally found the contact-us form. Yay. Now I hope they come through and restore what I lost.

Hawaii: what I will and will not miss

What I will miss:

• the beach and
• being able to go snorkeling or swimming at the drop of a dime
• not having to worry about what the weather will be like; it’s the same every day (more or less) or
• the warm weather, period
• being able to send the kids outside to play any time of the year; it’s never too cold, but occasionally it’s too wet
• not having to wear shoes or socks or, god forbid, pantyhose
• watching the sun set over the ocean right from our back porch
  open-air movies
• waking up to the sound of birds in the tree outside our bedroom and
• going to sleep to the scent of plumeria from the tree outside our bedroom

What I will not miss:

• beach sand in the bed or anywhere else in the house
• no one being on time and everything starting late
• ants, centipedes and cockroaches the size of minivans
• sunburn
• traffic and Hawaiian drivers; I had to take the HI road test to get my driver’s license (don’t ask! long story) and I’m not surprised the people here don’t know how to drive
• kids and adults riding in truck beds, sometimes sitting in lawn furniture while doing so, barreling down the highway at 65 mph!
• Hawaiian pidgin English; Fo real you know. I no keed you.
• having to pay extra shipping on anything coming from the mainland
• no Target, no Applebee’s, no Olive Garden, no good Chinese or Italian restaurants, period
• having to fly an airplane to leave O’ahu county

Religion in school

I’m a proponent of religion as a class subject in school. I think in a day and age when we fight and die for religion (and freedom), we cannot afford to be ignorant.

I have no idea how many people are religion/church-affiliated in this country. I wouldn’t even want to hazard a guess. I’m not Christian myself. I am, in fact, very uncomfortable when it comes to church-run educational institutions, but that doesn’t mean we can’t teach our kids.

I grew up in a country that separates church and state, but I still had to go to religion class. In middle-school, it was a subject much like geography or biology. We learned about the five major religions and a few lesser known ones. We had guest speakers from whatever religion we discussed at the time, and at the end of the year, we knew what made each religion tick. No one was converted. No one was brainwashed. No religion was badmouthed. No religion was hailed above all others.

I honestly think we’re doing our kids a disservice by not teaching them what the rest of the world believes in and fights for. Or in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

Life after ...

It’s been two weeks since my purse was stolen out of my brother’s rental car. What a pain. I still haven’t replaced everything that was stolen. My glasses, my car and house keys, my phone, my wallet with all the stuff that’s unusually in a wallet (i.e. driver’s license, credit cards, annual passes to the water park, zoo, Polynesian Cultural Center etc.), my military I.D. (yes, complete with birth date and social security number), my writer’s notebock with all my notes and a spa gift certificate I won at Christmas.

Most of these things are/were fairly easy to replace. I had to argue with the management at the Polynesian Cultural Center, because they refused to give me new annual passes (and we’re talking passes for the entire family here!), but they eventually came around and caved in.

I just had my replacement phone activated today. I wasn’t eligible for any upgrades, of course, so I’m stuck using my old, old phone for the time being. Truth be told, I like/liked the old one better anyway.

I just found a new messenger bag I liked yesterday, but I still don’t have a wallet (not that I have any money to put in to it anyway).

Unfortunately, I also lost my new glasses. Not only were they expensive, but they were bought with my PROTECTOR advance. I loved those glasses. Luckily, I hadn’t donated my old pair. I argued with the insurance about them, too. I don’t see why I cannot claim them (pun not intended). They were not a frivolous item left in the car (like the snorkel gear that’s gone); I am legally required to wear them to drive the car, so they should be insured.

Oh, well.

Did I mention my brother and his girlfriend lost everything? Cash, passports, state I.D.s, driver’s licenses, credit cards and the engagement ring my brother had hidden away in his backpack. Carmen, his girlfriend, had had no idea!

Dealing with the German consulate in San Francisco was a pain. My brother and his now-fiancée must have been the first German tourists ever to lose their passports in a foreign country. Luckily, their replacement papers arrived just in time. And unlike predicted by the unfriendly clerk on the phone, they had no problem at the airport. Well, they did leave on the first leg of their journey back to Germany. I found out later that they got stranded in L.A. when their plane broke down and couldn’t be fixed. So with only $20 in cash and an emergency credit card that didn’t work (another long story), they spent an extra day in California. Some vacation!

And what have you been up to?

Finally ready

According to the MySpace horoscope for: Saturday, April 7, 2007, Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20)

"Although this may be a day off for you, you are likely thinking about your position at work or about long-term career goals. Be bold in your thinking now, for your current ideas will likely blend your desire for success with your willingness to work hard. If nothing else, map out a strategy for your days and weeks ahead."


That’s pretty much what my desk calendar said, too. I take this to mean that it’s a good time to begin work on that second novel, that the ideas I’ve been entertaining this week are the right ones, and that my time of putzing around has come to an end.

Now it’s not like I haven’t work on book 2. I have. I have a solid beginning to an aimless story that simply won’t come together in my head and some great scenes that don’t fit in anywhere. I have a title I don’t like (THE GHOST CRAB) and a vanilla villain who is no match for Mason.

Now here’s the thing you might or might not know about Pisces: we can be tenacious if we want to be. I should have shelved this book a long time ago (right after its conception in late 2005, to be exact). I should have stopped backing up THE GHOST CRAB file last year. But I didn’t, because I knew there was a good story in the jumbled mess of scenes somewhere. I kept coming back to it, again and again, taking notes, jotting down ideas, trying to figure out how to do in the villain.

I tried working on THE PROTECTOR revisions in the morning hours and writing on THE GHOST CRAB in the evenings, but that didn’t work. I had trouble keeping the guys apart. Mason and Soren in book 1 are different from Mason and Soren in book 2, but they’re still Mason and Soren ... confusing, ne?

So I didn’t work on it, and I didn’t think about it, and I began fearing I had only one book in me (ridiculous idea, trust me). I totally bought into the “sophomore curse.”

Then I took a long vacation and relaxed.

I didn’t start writing THE PROTECTOR with a finished plot. In fact, I didn’t start THE PROTECTOR with an entire book in mind. I had an idea and a premise. I sat down and started writing, and it grew from there. So that’s what I’ll do with THE GHOST CRAB.

I woke up one morning this week with an idea that pulled together the disconnected stuff I already wrote. I went over my notes and had that great “wow, this is a neat stuff, I can’t believe I forgot I came up with this” experience.

Now I have no idea if my tenacity is going to pay off. I could be making a huge mistake and THE GHOST CRAB is destined to suck, no matter how much work and effort I put into it. But I have a feeling book 2 will end up just fine :-) I’m a good writer, I have a solid idea/premise (oh, and a new villain who is fully capable of kicking Mason’s ass) and the sophomore curse isn’t deadly or there wouldn’t be any second books around. There are plenty and I fully intend to have one, too.

Moving on

In other news … I might be writing parts of THE PROTECTOR sequel in a bathroom again. It looks like we won't be staying in Hawaii past this summer. In fact, it looks like we could be making a trans-Pacific + trans-Atlantic move (that is, move to Europe).

As I always say, I'll know when and where we're going once I move into my new house. Nothing is guaranteed, nothing is certain. Well, change is certain in this case :-)

My parents, grandparents and the rest of my relatives would be ecstatic if we moved to Germany (where I was born and raised).

I wouldn't mind moving to Colorado.

My husband doesn't want to go to NC. Or NY or TX.

The kids don't care as long as they get a dog/cat/horse/bunny rabbit or guinea pig when they get there.

I wonder if the Army knows we're supposed to leave this summer …

Writing tip 2: Adverbs

Adverbs are not your friends. They water down your writing. When- or where-adverbs (e.g. “yesterday” or “here”) are okay. How-adverbs (e.g. “slowly” or “fast”) are the troublemakers. Do you really need them? Isn’t there a better verb you could use instead?

Consider this:

… he mumbled hoarsely … try … he croaked …
… she drove slowly … try … she inched through traffic …
… he said aggressively … try … he ordered …

I used to like adverbs. They were everywhere. I put effort into finding the right ones. My first drafts were peppered with them. I can’t remember what made me suddenly see them or why I grew wise to their existence, but now I agonize over stronger verbs instead. Think of them as the fat or sugar in your writing diet; use them in moderation and you’ll be fine.

Bonus tip: If you have trouble paring down your writing, take a good look at your adverbs. Chances are, you can delete most of them.

Yay, I'm done!

It only took a few months, but I’m done with the rewrite of THE PROTECTOR. Whew. I started writing it way back when in late 2003/early 2004. I took me a little more than a year to finish the first draft. Parts of it were written on a toilet seat. I kid you not.

We had just returned from Okinawa, Japan, to the US. The four of us were crammed into two small adjoining Army lodging rooms (think motel), living out of our suitcases. I wrote at night. There wasn’t really a lot of room and I didn’t want to disturb anyone, so I would go into the bathroom, sit on the floor, put my pad on the toilet seat and write.

I didn’t do much with the story in 2005. After realizing it was too short (59,000 words) in early 2006, I went about adding to it. I ended up with 62,000 words and 52 chapters.

As of yesterday, THE PROTECTOR is down to 36 chapters and 55,000 words. I don’t like the low word count, but I do love how the story has changed and grown and worked itself out. I am very proud of it.

If you know how this writing business works, you know I might be done, but I’m not finished with it yet. There’s the line edit still, the checking for typos, grammar, syntax, punctuation, awkward phrasing, lazy writing and the such.

So I’m not finished, but I’m done :-) and it feels great.


PS. I think I have found a title for the sequel. I liked THE GHOST CRAB for its meaning, but it’s a horribly boring title, and how many people know what a ghost crab is? I might go with THE STALKER instead.

Tess's take on "write what you know"

I procrastinated. I had a few ideas for writing tip 2, but nothing concrete. So I decided to look around and see what others were posting. I checked out Tess Gerritsen’s blog.

You can find it here.

And what did I read? In her post titled “But I don’t know anything interesting” she touches on “write what you know” and had this to say:

“Are you … forced to write about what you know? Absolutely not …you should write about what you want to know.”

That’s why I love her blog. Head on over there and read the entire post. Heck, read the entire blog. She has some very interesting things to say.

Writing tip #1: Write what you know.

Sensible advice. Controversial advice. I’ve heard it pronounced worst writing advice ever, but I disagree. Notice it doesn’t say “write what you have first-hand experience with.”

I’m all for first-hand experience, which is why I am dying to take a gun safety glass and shoot a few rounds. Until I have the opportunity to do that, though, I’m just going to spend more time at the library, reading up on handguns, thumbing through magazines for police officers or other security personnel. I photocopy articles and ads. I jot down website addresses and read those “it happened to me last week” anecdotes (almost as good as interviewing someone).

“Write what you know” doesn’t mean I have to own an M9 and shoot it regularly; it means “do your research until you know the subject you are writing about.”

While some writers might think so, “write what you know” does not limit you to write about characters with professions you’ve worked in, living in cities you’ve seen, doing things you’ve done.

The truth is, I rarely write about stuff I “know.” But I make damn sure I know what I write about.

new this year: 50 writing tips and tidbits

2006 was a good year for the whole family: the husband won a Federal Supervisor/Manager of the Year Award in April; the daughter started first grade in July, I signed my first book deal in August, the little guy began preschool in September, and the cat has survived her 13th birthday. Even most of our fish are still with us. A good year all around.

Time to look ahead.

One of my resolutions: to post to this blog more regularly. To this end, I’ve decided to come up with 50 writing tips and tidbits.

I won’t pretend to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, no worries. I won’t tell you how to get published and/or noticed by an agent/publisher, because I’m not an agent, editor or publisher. I wouldn’t know what goes on in their heads, and I won’t presume to speak for them. I might mention how best to present yourself and your writing, but I think you know that doesn’t guarantee anything.

If you’d like to know what makes agents, editors and publishers tick, what they look for or don’t want to see cross their desks (very important piece of information!), check out their blogs. There are plenty of them. This is not one of them.

This is the blog of a writer knee-deep in revisions, on the verge of seeing her first book in print, struggling to meet the daily needs of her family, her burgeoning writing career, and her body for sleep and food (and exercise).

What are your writing resolutions for 2007?