Writers in the Storm

by Angela Ackerman

Summer can be a tough time for writers. Sunshine lures us away from our computers, meaning we’re spending family time at the park, enjoying drinks on the patio, dashing off on camping trips or vacations…you know, instead of adding to our wordcount.

And guess what? That’s okay! We should do these things. Life is short, and we work hard. We deserve to have fun and make memories.

Unfortunately, though, many of us feel guilt when we aren’t writing, especially if we’ve set big goals to achieve by year’s end. As days pass, our internal critic grows loader, grousing about how our lapse in discipline is going to mess up the BIG PLAN. Suddenly we feel bad for diverting time to summer activities and that steals our joy, undoing all the good that comes from making room for fun in the first place.

So how can writers enjoy summer without guilt?

A great strategy is to stay productive by using smaller, irregular gaps of time to tackle other writerly tasks. We all have a ton of little projects we never get to, so right now is an ideal time to knock a few off our to-do list. Doing something that help us prep for the next book, improve our skills, or understand the business of writing better will make us feel accomplished, making it easier to enjoy summer, guilt free.

To get the ball rolling, here are a few areas you could focus on if you wanted to. Feel free to steal these ideas!

Angela’s favorite: Make a list.

Full disclosure, I love lists. They help me stay organized, break down complex projects, and group tasks I want to complete. Often lists are made in a rush to capture ideas so they aren’t forgotten, but you can take your time and really think things through so your list becomes a roadmap on what to do next.

For example, take some time to list out your writing strengths and weaknesses. This will help you become aware of where you are now and choose an area to focus on for improvement. Or make a list of marketing ideas, publishers, or author services you want to investigate. Lists are great when it comes to our WIP, too. If a character or plot is giving you trouble, list out the questions you need to answer to set things right in your story.

Get organized.

Does your home office look like it belongs on an episode of Hoarders? Does your desktop filing system need an overhaul? Let’s face it, cleaning is always something we put off, but we always feel better when it’s done. Use a pocket of time this summer to sort your space so you’ll feel more creative when it’s time to write.

Expand your knowledge.

Is there an aspect of writing you want to learn more about so you can grow your skills? Or maybe you want to know more about book marketing, ads, formatting a book, or the different publishing paths. Pick a topic and use time here and there to learn more about it. There are many great books, blog posts, tools, and resources out there to help make your job easier. If you need a place to start, try this ‘Writer’s Secret Weapon” page. You can dive into many different topics writers need to know about.

Become a spy.

There’s a lot more to being an author than writing a book - we need a website, a way to connect with readers, tools to help us market and manage our business, and more. The problem? We don’t always know how to do all these things. So, do some sleuthing by seeing what successful authors in your genre are doing on their websites, in their newsletters, and online. Pay attention to what they post, how they promote, interact with readers, and the apps or plugins they use on their sites. Figure out if some of these things can work for you, too.

Get to know your characters.

Whether it’s for a story you’re planning or your current WIP, spending a bit of time thinking about your character can be a very good thing. Do you know what they want, need, worry about, and fear? Understanding these can help you better nail down their motivation, backstory, and behavior so it’s easier for you to plot challenges and plan their character arc. So, ask questions about who your character is. Get under their skin to discover their secrets. If you need help, the Character Builder is a great tool for figuring out what makes your character tick.

Master your TBR pile.

Admit it, you have a more than a few unread books waiting for their turn in the spotlight. Well, summer is here, so get reading and feel like a champ for whittling down that TBR pile. (Once you do, reward yourself with a few new ones to take their place!)

Indulge.

We’re all human and need down time. We shouldn’t feel guilty or apologize for it. So do what you need to relax, feel balanced, and refill your creative well. Happy summer!

About Angela

Angela Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in ten languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, recommended by agents and editors, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, and psychologists around the world.

Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers, as well as One Stop for Writers, a portal to game-changing tools and resources that enable writers to craft powerful fiction. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Top Image by นิธิ วีระสันติ from Pixabay.

by Jenny Hansen

My husband and I had an interesting discussion about the nature vs nurture theory of writing. Our question: were accomplished writers born intact like Beethoven, with words rather than music, or were writers nurtured along by adversity and pain?

Nurture won by a mile.

We came to the conclusion that the majority of writers are made, rather than born. And that even though there are a few perfectly happy souls (with perfectly happy childhoods) who just love to write and somehow have the perfect words, that isn't how most of us came to the page.

How did we get there?

Writers are Booklovers

Most of us read extensively from a young age and fell in love with words.

As young readers, we came to treasure the power and magic of story. Stories took us out of our own world and dropped us into other worlds that held characters we wanted to know. Maybe it was a fairy, a wizard, or a talking lion. More often it was a boy or girl our age, who lived in a world that had rules that made more sense to us.

Perhaps your favorite story contained a character who became your friend. Perhaps that friend was someone who gave you enough courage to keep living in your everyday life with just a little more hope or happiness than you had before you met them.

A story from Dean Koontz

Many years ago, I was lucky enough to hear Dean Koontz speak for almost three hours. The first part of his talk was about his own writing journey but then he answered questions. One of them was what made him want to write, another was why he always gives his books a happily ever after.

He explained that he lived in a home with a volatile father who sometimes made life scary and nearly unlivable. When things got very bad, his mother would farm all the children out to safe spaces somewhere else.

She'd often send Dean to an elderly neighbor, a grandmotherly type whose kids had all grown. She lived alone and had a big quiet library where she would make up a cot for her traumatized little neighborhood boy. He would lay in that cot, surrounded by books, and read in the soft glow of a lamp. The house was quiet and safe. There was no yelling, no abuse, and no fear. And the young Dean could breathe and relax and fall into a story.

That neighbor changed his life. She gave him safety and she gave him books. And he forever associated the two. He loves to know that however tortured his characters are, they will walk away from his pages only after they've found their way toward happiness.

What I Believe

I firmly believe that writers are made.

They are made from shyness and bullying and a million awkward moments. They're made from abuse and codependence and loneliness, and from thousands of sharp words that bruised their tender souls.

I believe the majority of writers are forged from fear or pain or loss.

I believe many writers began writing to create worlds that were better than the one they lived in. They filled those worlds with the people they wished they knew and the relationships they wished they had. Sometimes they used the page to look for solutions to problems they didn't fully understand.

I believe there are people who began writing because they felt compelled to make sense of things that made no sense, to speak the unspeakable, and to create hope and a way forward when there was no clear path in their everyday lives.

I believe that most writers are compelled to try to make the world better for others.

Strong Motivation

It takes some strong motivation to do what we do.

Let's face it, being a writer is rarely the easiest career choice. The pay is crappy and the hours are weird. Sometimes we have to repeat a task over and over again, until it is "just right." (Even though "just right" is kind of a unicorn.)

Most of us never truly know when our work is done. We write and write until "we just feel it," or until someone more experienced tells us we are done.

There are a hundred professions that are easier, but very few that we'd find more satisfying. We like seeking out those unicorns. We like finding just the perfect word. And we love to create.

Learning All The Things

That last statement wasn't meant to imply that creating comes easy. Creating is hard, and so so worth it.

We go to writing classes, write endless drafts of our stories, and read blogs like this one. We learn all the things so that we can get to those "perfect words" more quickly. We keep putting our fingers to the keyboard because of all the reasons I mentioned above.

Sometimes "overnight success" happens...or does it?

Here are six first novels that became bestsellers. But...just because these were first novels doesn't mean these were new writers. They weren't. Like every "overnight success" I've ever spoken to, their success was years -- and probably decades -- in the making.

Final Thoughts

No matter what brought you to the page and to this crazy writing life, I hope you stay for the challenge and gain access to the joy. I hope you stay for the difference you make in others' lives with your words. I hope you keep on writing because your stories matter, and the act of writing them down is a very brave and inspiring thing.

Do you believe writers spring up fully formed (nature), or that they are forged from the fire of adversity (made)? I'll be interested to hear what you think down in the comments!

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About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides LinkedIn coaching and copywriting for professional services firms. By night she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 20 years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

Top photo purchased from Depositphotos.

by Eldred Bird

I love a good mystery. I think I was the only kid in my school that had a subscription to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine—in fact, I’m pretty sure about that. Raymond Chandler, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie were my role models. They’re one of the major reasons I started writing, and why most of my stories lean that way no matter what genre I aim for.

I also like to share my love of the genre with others. On more than one occasion, I’ve teased Jenny Hansen, our fearless leader here at WITS, that I’m going to make a mystery writer out of her yet. This post is one more step toward that goal. Fasten your seatbelt and pay attention, Jenny, this one’s for you!

What is a Mystery?

Many times, people lump mystery and thriller together. While there may be some occasional overlap, they are two distinct genres. Thrillers are generally fast paced, action focused tales where the villain or an impending disaster is exposed near the beginning of the story. The hero works against the clock to overcome obstacles and avert catastrophe by thwarting the villain’s plan or saving the world from certain destruction.

We might consider mystery to be thriller’s more intellectual brother. It generally starts with a crime (usually a murder), but the perpetrator isn’t revealed until near the end. The pacing is slower, allowing for deeper character development and descriptions, and picks up steam as the plot moves forward, but mystery is all about the details. It’s about following each clue and chaining them together to expose and defeat the true villain.

If there’s a golden rule of mystery writing, it’s no spoilers. Don’t giveaway the true perpetrator in the beginning. Let the reader discover the clues and come to their own conclusions.

The Elements of Mystery

What goes into a mystery can vary greatly based on the sub-genre, but there are certain elements that mystery readers usually look for. Here are the most common elements:

The Crime

Most mysteries start with a crime (usually murder), but not all of them. Sometimes the first order of business is to determine if a crime has even been committed. There may be a missing person or object that needs to be tracked down. Bottom line is there needs to be a question that begs to be answered.

The Sleuth

Once you have something to solve you need someone to solve it. Your detective could be a professional, an amateur, or even a family member. Make it a zombie if you like!

The Villain

Every protagonist needs an antagonist. The closer they are to being equals, the better the story will be. A solid, relatable villain makes for a more interesting cat-and-mouse game with your MC.

The Setting

The setting often sets the mood for a good mystery. A well thought out setting will function like another character in the story. It can also be both a help and a hindrance to solving the crime.

The Clues

Every mystery needs a chain of clues for the hero (and the reader) to follow. Each one should build on the previous discoveries until it all adds up when the final piece falls into place. Make sure to include a few dead ends and a misdirection (like a red herring) or two. You don’t want to make it too easy!

The Complication

Not every mystery includes this element, but the best ones do. Setbacks and unforeseen complications bring the emotional level to new heights. It’s especially effective if the complication plays on one of the hero’s flaws.

The Solution

This is where all the pieces fall into place and the true villain is revealed, leading to their eventual capture. A word of caution here—the solution needs to make since. Don’t pull a rabbit out of the hat at the last second. Make sure the reader can trace your solution back to clues planted in the narrative. Good mysteries give the reader the same information as the detective, allowing them to experience the ah-ha moment with the hero.

The Wrap Up

We call this the denouement, from the French word for “untying.” Most mysteries will have this scene where the detective unravels the threads and explains how they arrived at their conclusions. I like to think of it as a nice way of filling in the readers who didn’t figure things out on their own.

Types of Mysteries

Like any other genre, there are countless sub-genres for mystery. Here are some of the most common ones, but don’t feel limited by this list.

Cozy Mystery

This is sometimes called the “bloodless crime.” The reader doesn’t witness the messy parts of the narrative. The best examples come from the “Queen of Cozy,” Agatha Christie. Sherlock Holmes also falls into this category.

Professional Detective

This is the territory of the paid private investigator and the police detective who follows his own path, rather than the rules, to get to the bottom of things. It can be anything from noir detectives like Sam Spade and Philip Marlow, to the more modern Adrain Monk and Kay Scarpetta.  

Amateur Sleuth

When the police fail to solve the crime or mislabel it as an accident, it’s time for the amateurs to step in and save the day. Often the hero is a family member or close friend with a personal need for answers. Sometimes it’s the nosy mystery writer looking to apply their book research to a real-world crime (Murder, She Wrote).

Suspense/Thriller

Okay, I know I said mysteries and thrillers are two different animals, but they do cross paths in this sub-genre. In a mystery/thriller, the protagonist isn’t just pursuing the villain, but is also being pursued themselves. It becomes a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse that comes to a head in the final conflict. The major difference here is that in a straight-up thriller, we know who the villain is. In a mystery/thriller the villain lurks in the shadows or hides in plain sight until the end.

Police Procedural

The police procedural is just what it sounds like. The reader is invited along to watch over the detective’s shoulder as they perform their investigation, question witnesses, and build their case. Law and Order is a perfect example of a by-the-book procedural.

Locked Room

In a locked room mystery the focus isn’t just on who committed a crime, but how it was committed. It’s up to the sleuth to figure out how an “impossible crime” was pulled off. For a perfect example you need look no further than what is considered to be the original, The Murders in the Rue Morgue by E.A. Poe.

Final Thoughts

Mysteries come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common. They invite the reader to not only come along on the ride but become an active participant in the solution. My best advice before you try to write mysteries is to read mysteries. A lot of mysteries! Get into the hero’s head, follow the clues, solve the crimes, then go forth and create your own.

What types of mysteries do you like? Do you have a favorite sleuth? Have you ever written a mystery? Let me know in the comments!

About Eldred

Eldred Bird writes contemporary fiction, short stories, and personal essays. He has spent a great deal of time exploring the deserts, forests, and deep canyons inside his home state of Arizona. His James McCarthy adventures, Killing Karma, Catching Karma, and Cold Karma, reflect this love of the Grand Canyon State even as his character solves mysteries amidst danger. Eldred explores the boundaries of short fiction in his stories, The Waking Room, Treble in Paradise: A Tale of Sax and Violins, and The Smell of Fear.

When he’s not writing, Eldred spends time cycling, hiking, and juggling (yes, juggling…bowling balls and 21-inch knives).

His passion for photography allows him to record his travels. Find him on Twitter or Facebook, or at his website.

Top Image by Andreas Gramer (geb. Linden) from Pixabay