When You Start Writing too Soon

 By Elaine L. Orr

When an idea comes to me it's exciting and also tempting to put words on paper. I may start with a few sentences but then graduate to a few pages of notes. If I'm in the middle of another project, I can stow those pages in a computer file or paper folder and have enough information to continue when I go back to it.

It's not necessarily a good thing when I have time on my hands. I may start a book immediately. After a few chapters I realize I don't know the characters, setting, or or perhaps plot well enough to continue. What I have may be good but the phrase "now what?" enters my mind too often. That's OK if you're writing an outline but troublesome if you're in the middle of a chapter.

I have finally learned that what I omit if I make an early start is showing the normal world. In most mysteries, an event propels a sleuth (professional or amateur) into action. They may get involved reluctantly but eventually there is enough at stake to push to find a killer, kidnapper or embezzler. Take your pick.

Having a period of time before the inciting event lets the reader know something about the sleuth as well as their town and some of the other people in it. Without that first chapter, or however long it takes, every time the author introduces a character or they visit a place, the reader will want an explanation.

I started a new book before Thanksgiving, The Handyman's Last Bite, and I was considering introducing a couple more characters so the pool of red herrings could be larger. (How's that for a pun?) Then I did a forehead slap and realized I should have mentioned those people in an earlier chapter. They need to be part of the Ordinary World before it turns upside down.

Cozy mystery authors are familiar with the four-part structure discussed for that genre (and others). 1) The Ordinary World, 2) Reactive Phase, 3) Proactive Phase, and 4) Confrontation. If you search for "four-act structure for mystery novels" you'll fund a number of very good articles. If you want more, you can go to The Creative Penn, a multifaceted site that deal with writing, publishing, marketing and more.

I don't want to "have" to use a certain structure, but the concepts are helpful. Plus, the new Ordinary World chapter in The Handyman's Last Bite provided some good ideas for other parts of the book.

If you want to become familiar with the thought process of a writer who is a meticulous outliner, get to know William Kent Krueger. I've read many of his books -- intricate and firmly ensconced in their environment.

Back to my handyman to be sure he doesn't mess up the project.

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To learn more about Elaine's writing, visit her website or sign up for her newsletter.

Ye Gads, Another Year

By Elaine L. Orr

I stopped making lists of New Year's resolutions a few years ago and substituted telling myself one or two things I needed to do better. I stopped the lists because too many things appeared year after year. I'm not going to lose 25 pounds. I should. Maybe if I aim for five and a commitment to keep it off..

I do want to keep writing, though it gets harder to focus and all of my fingers hurt. So, I have started dictating more. When I do a Facebook post I don't pay attention to capital letters, which is why they appear throughout the post in odd places. I do pay attention for the blog and my books. As helpful as dictating is in preserving my joints, you have to edit a lot. 

I'm also trying to learn to use AI in ways that benefit my publishing work. Note I don't say my writing, though I have asked ChatGPT a number of questions about research and plotting. If I didn't work by myself I'd have someone to talk to about those topics, and I enjoy occasionally asking questions.

What is on my mind fifteen times a day is what is happening in our country right now. It might not be so prominent if there weren't constant news stories about using the federal budget process and other policy options to decrease access to food, medical care, and now clean water. And to silence disagreement, of course. (Look at the recent vetoes of Colorado water conservation or water quality legislation. Bipartisan bills, I might add.)

I think the thing that bothers me the most is the belief that retribution and vindication are policy options. No, it's not that. It's that so few people speak up about it. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert stated, correctly I think, that Trump vetoed the bills because she (who represents Colorado) wanted the Epstein files released.

We've gotten through other difficult times before. When I say the Pledge of Allegiance in classrooms in which I sub, I don't say the line, "under God." It has nothing to do with my religious beliefs. In the McCarthy era of the 1950s, that line was inserted into the pledge as a test of loyalty to the US. I'm a big fan of separation of church and state.  

The students never ask about it. I was secretary of a Lion's Club in Iowa and sat in the front of the room. We also said the pledge. Someone asked me about it. They didn't do it to imply that my choice was wrong, they were simply curious.

The other thing about dictation is when your mind wanders you talk about something and it appears in the text. I should probably make a resolution to stay on point.

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To learn more about Elaine's writing, visit her website or sign up for her newsletter.