Learning New Skills
In my yet-to-be-published mystery, I drew a great deal o n my own experience. The setting is a supper club. I worked in one as my first job. Now, my protagonist is working in one.
It’s been a bit of a challenge. It wasn’t just about learning the restaurant business. I had to go through the process as a new owner, having to buy bar stools and tables as well as kitchen equipment. To do so, I relied on my woman’s instincts.
As a woman, I have my own idea of what would be best whether it be swivel stools or not. I had my own idea of what the place should look like and how it would be decorated. My book is set in the recent past and in a rural area, so there isn’t the convenience of the local Sam’s Club. My protagonist was on his own.
Of course, I wanted to do my own research. I wanted to understand what my protagonist might think while learning how to equip his kitchen and kitchen stools. That’s an important aspect of writing–experiencing. That way, you can bring real experience to your work. That is key to making your work memorable–tell if from the perspective of one who knows.
Planning Our Next Camping Trip
As a diversion from the writing, I started planning our next camping trip. The trip has special significance since I’m using our destination as a setting for my next mystery. The tax write off is nice, but it’s also a place of which I’m well-acquainted. I’m going to enjoy trying to view the destination from an insider’s point-of-view.
The primary reason I love Door County is its close proximity with the outdoors. It doesn’t matter if you never hike the trails or boat on Lake Michigan. When you’re camping, the weather dictates everything. It decides if you’re going to have a campfire or go to a restaurant. You may end up hiking on a trail or shopping to avoid the rain. I enjoy being so close to Nature.
The weather then, becomes the main topic of conversation. Each year, we place friendly bets about whether it’ll be too cold, too warm, or just right. My mom typically won the bets, saying it’d be too cold. No matter. A cold, rainy day in Door County is better than a day at work anytime.
My challenge next year will be not to look like a tourist. No Door County t-shirts. No maps. No camera. A camera phone, fortunately, is easily concealed. What a treat–to try and absorb a place I truly love and enter its soul.
Writing Tip–How to Maximize Your Article-Writing Potential
Today’s writing tip is about increasing your pay. Writing can be a lonely pursuit, filled with rejection notices, unpublished works, and lost ideas. We all have 24 hours in a day. How we use it can spell the difference between success and just getting along.
Take article writing, for example. A check of the freelance job boards will tell you there are lots of opportunities. Pay, unfortunately, varies widely from the insulting to the mediocre to the livable wage. A swift in your approach to article writing can help you maximize your income potential.
Even sites offering lower prices per article or share revenue pricing structures have potential for serious income. The key is output. Let me be very clear up front–I am not encouraging anyone to accept writing gigs for less than desirable wages. What I am suggesting is that your increase your productivity. Here’s how.
With many of the big article sites like Ezine Articles and Article Marketers, you choose your topics. Undoubtedly, you’re choosing topics of which you are well acquainted. To get the most out of your writing, you must be efficient. Efficient means having references and resources ready at hand to cut down on research time. Of course, statistics are one area for which you will always do research to keep up to date.
This is how I maximize my writing. First, I keep a folder with sub-folders of often-used references. Having them categorized makes them easy to locate. The same goes for my articles. I’ve set up a directory system to keep my articles in order, making sure and not references and resources. In this way, I can easily copy and paste citations, cutting down on keystrokes.
Making the most out of your article writing means maximizing your efficiency. By keeping reference files and citations handy, you can cut back on research time and spend your valuable time on writing.
Writing Tip–Research Your Time
Today’s writing tip is about time. As a writer, you’re probably well aware of the importance of being accurate with your facts. Start talking about a magazine for your revolver, and you’ve lost them. Research is also important in terms of time, especially when referring to the Internet.
Today, the Internet is everywhere we want it to be in our lives from tweets to movies and music. Of course, it wasn’t always that way. If you’re going to date your work, it behooves you then to study the time period and know what was and wasn’t available. Study the fashions. Check out the slang for an era, a profession. In this sense, the Internet is your friend, but be aware that just because you found it online doesn’t guarantee its truth. Follow up.
Fact checking is an important part of the writing process. Immerse yourself in your time period, and you’re likely to find more inspiration.
Researching and Staying Informed About Health Issues
Health issues are a common theme on news website these days. Everyone wants to know how to live longer, live better, live healthier. Recognizing the growing interest in all things health, the media has provided readers with the stories they’re looking for. Unfortunately, many of these stories are taken out of context. For a writer striving to research write believable content, this can be a recipe for disaster.
The foundation of science is to experiment and test hypotheses. In order for a hypothesis to go from being just an idea to a theory, the experiment must be able to be replicated and results, observed. Take for instance some stories that have recently made the headlines. Overweight mothers are more likely to have asthmatic children. Diabetes often has an impact on women’s sex life. Of course, no one could have escaped the stories about swine flu.
Media has taken a disturbing liberty with reporting health issues. A report of one study is being touted as fact. This flies in the face of what science teaches us. One experiment does not a theory make. That is why it is imperative to stay informed. If you truly want to understand the impact of stresses on the human body, a good place to start is with an authority such as the A&P Professor. Here you can understand the why behind the what.
The human body is fascinating. Its physiology is both complex and logical, if you consider its purpose. Different aspects of human development and physiology came about as a result of stimuli from the environment. The body developed ways to better succeed in life. Even seemingly minuscule things like fingerprint ridges serve a purpose. Learning and understanding how the human body has reacted to its environment is an interesting story.
It is important to understand human physiology. Understanding your body can help you take information you read online or on the news and make better decisions about your health and help you create more realistic scenes in your writing. Besides, isn’t it time you read the owner’s manual?
Research While You Surf
The Internet is a marvelous thing. You can build community, share your thoughts, travel anyplace, and you can research your novel.
As a mystery writer, I wade into areas that frankly, I have n which I have no experience. I don’t know any criminals or murderers, at least I hope I don’t. I’ve never been in a jail cell or have been handcuffed. I held a gun once, but I know nothing about carrying a weapon. To balance my writing, I research. The Internet has been key to my endeavors.
When it comes time to write for this Midwest girl who doesn’t know the difference between Tactical Tailor and Smith and Wesson, the Internet gives me a starting point in my research. Now, of course, I’m not implying that everything you read on the Internet is true. However, at least you can learn the questions to ask.
Manufacturer sites are a good place to look if just so that you can view large images of items that may figure in your work. The specs will often give weight and size. You can approximate the feel of a gun in your hand. They’re heavier than I thought. All of this helps you build credibility in your work. You have some solid base to build the foundation of your writing.
So, next time you get caught surfing, just say you’re researching your next mystery novel.
Writing Authentically
As a writer, one hurdle you must cross is writing accurately. Your plot must ring true. Your characters must be believable. It’s all a part of writing authentically.
Errors in plot line, grammar, and spelling are distracting. Your goal as a writer is to transport your reader to your place and time. Your world becomes their world for the time they’ve allowed you to lead them there. I think of it as finding the penny. If you’ve seen “Somewhere In Time”, you’ll know what I mean. The main character is transported back in time. He’s happy to be there. When he discovers the modern day penny in his pocket, he is pulled violently from this world he enjoyed. The checks don’t stop there.
As a mystery writer, chances are you’re dealing with things you don’t normally have contact with–murders, coroners, or the police. Most likely in real life you strive to avoid such encounters. Once you choose the path as a writer, however, you are entering into a sacred bond with your readers to present it correctly. The Internet is your ally.
Unless your brother-in-law works for the county sheriff’s office you might not know the difference between a taser and a Galco Holster. This is where your research pays off.
Visit police websites. Peruse the items available. Such research paid off for me during the writing of my book. My hero, a former cop, was taking about a gun he found. As a cop, he’d have first hand knowledge, of course, of weapons. He certainly would be able to identify a firearm correctly.
A perusal of the Smith and Wesson site and I was able to identify a probable firearm that he was talking about. More importantly, I was able to select the correct gun based on when it would have been produced. My mystery is set in the past, so I’d need to make sure that the gun existed during that time.
While this part of writing may seem tedious, it doesn’t have to be. Your research can spark new ideas, perhaps new stories. Welcome the opportunity. Remember, you have a responsibility as a writer. Take the time to write authentically.
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