On Decisions

What do you do when faced with a life-changing decision? Do you jump off the cliff and go for it, heedless of the consequence? Do you agonize, write lists of pros and cons, worry yourself into sleepless nights until the decision is made? Or do you use entropy, edging toward the decision through the path of least resistance, not deciding, but not walking away, either?

I’ve always been a bit of a cliff jumper myself. I make up my mind on things quickly, and move forward decisively.  Sometimes too decisively.

So when my main character, Dr. Samantha Owens, was faced with a life-changing decision at the beginning of WHEN SHADOWS FALL, I thought she’d be like me – make the decision and move on. But she didn’t. She fought against what she knew would be best for her, and it took her a whole novel to decide.

It’s a tricky thing, changing a character’s world. Whether they get married, have a child, get divorced, meet a lover, start a new job, deal with a loved one’s death – these catalysts drive our narratives, giving our character’s depth, and making them relatable.

I’ve been throwing changes at Dr. Samantha Owens for several books now. She’s had to face the death of her husband and children in the Nashville floods, the death of her ex-lover, the surprising love of a new man, a move from Nashville to Washington D.C. and a new job running the brand-new forensic pathology program at Georgetown University. And in WHEN SHADOWS FALL, she’s faced with even more decisions – whether to accept a consulting position with the FBI, whether to accept a ring from her lover, whether to investigate the murder of a man who clearly committed suicide.

What is it the French say? Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Stasis is the death of novels. Change, not for the sake of change, but for the sake of challenge, is the only way to keep a series alive, to keep the characters interesting, to keep their story moving forward. It’s a careful balance, and it’s where the novel’s conflict comes from. Too much change, and you lose the things that make readers love the character. Too little change, and things get boring.

Sam’s facing the biggest decision of her life in WHEN SHADOWS FALL. The question is posed in the first chapter, and she doesn’t decide fully until the last. Her decision changes the course of the series, sending it in a new direction. It gives the series real legs, sustainability, reason and meaning. Sam can move forward now, unfettered by her past.

At least, we hope she can.

So what about you? How do you make decisions? Leap and bounds, or slow and steady?

This blog first appeared on Murder She Writes February 24, 2014

On A Book’s Path…

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but Feb­ru­ary 25, my eleventh novel will be born into the world. WHEN SHADOWS FALL is the third Saman­tha Owens novel, a sem­i­nal book in the series, as it decides the course of action for the next several books.

Every series has a path, planned or unplanned. When I started writ­ing my Tay­lor Jack­son series, I had no idea it was going to be a series. I hadn’t thought about extended story, struc­ture, char­ac­ter devel­op­ment. I cre­ated a finite char­ac­ter in a finite world, and it was dif­fi­cult to see where to take the books.

With Sam, it was the oppo­site. I knew I wanted a char­ac­ter who could grow and change remark­ably. I knew I wanted to allow her the free­dom to move around the coun­try, the world, with rel­a­tive ease. As my then edi­tor and I were plan­ning the first book in the series, I men­tioned I wanted Sam to be the Indi­ana Jones of foren­sic pathol­ogy. The idea stuck.

What hap­pens in this book wasn’t sup­posed to hap­pen until book 4 in the series. It’s funny, the same thing hap­pened to me in the Tay­lor series. The third book, JUDAS KISS, was sup­posed to be the fourth. I made men­tion of my idea for it, hop­ing to entice my edi­tor to buy the book when I was fin­ished with the third I had planned. Instead, she jumped on the idea and told me in no uncer­tain terms this was the ONE.

So when I found myself in the same posi­tion this time, I knew what I needed to do. Aban­don the story and move the next book into its place. I couldn’t let Sam lan­guish in her sor­row any longer. It was time for her to move on. To start anew. Insert res­ur­rec­tion clauses here.

Of course, Sam wasn’t aware of the change her life was about to take. She wasn’t par­tic­u­larly ready to move on, not really. And I had to tell her, Too bad, sis­ter. I’ll let you have some onscreen sex to make up for it.

I think its one of the most part of the fun being a writer, this game you play with your char­ac­ters. I once asked a very famous writer about how char­ac­ters some­times do their own thing, and he looked at me like I was a recent escapee from an insane asy­lum and declared his char­ac­ters would never do such a thing because they only did what he told them to do.

I find that so sad. I like that my char­ac­ters and I have this sort of push and pull rela­tion­ship. They give me some of what I want, I give them some of what they want. In the end, we’re all happy and mov­ing on to the next adven­ture. At least, that’s the plan. After wrestling alli­ga­tors with them for 500 pages, they damn well bet­ter be ready to move on. Cause if they’re not, they often end up dead. Or maimed. Or mar­ried off, or on the run.

Poor char­ac­ters. Poor, poor char­ac­ters. Bet­ter behave, or I’ll make your life hell.

But Sam behaved, and she was rewarded with many excit­ing things, all of which set up the rest of the series. I’m not one-hundred per­cent sure where we go from here, but I love that book three has become this sem­i­nal turn­ing point for the Sam. And as such, for Xan­der and Fletcher too. The whole cast is being thrust into a new world because I got impa­tient. I hope they con­tinue to behave!

On Keeping a Book Journal, and the Nascent Beginnings of Books

WHEN SHADOWS FALL releases next week, and I wanted to show a bit of the process I went through writing the book. Every book has a different genesis, and I've been trying to keep better track of how the stories come alive for me.

I am not a natural journaler. I had the requisite locked diary as a girl (Dear Diary, why doesn’t so and so like me?) and when I found it a couple of years ago, I saw a familiar pattern: daily January entries faded into a sporadic February into one or two lonely March entries, then nothing at all until July, when I wrecked a friend’s moped and finally – finally! – had something to talk about.

It is the mundane that I’d always found of such little interest. And yet, how I wish I’d stuck to the discipline, that I’d at least put down a few words here and there for all those childhood years. Dinners, friends, sleepovers, heartbreaks. So many things lost, so many ideas gone.

I tried for years to journal properly – even took a class in college that called for a daily journal. What do you think happened? Yep, the night before it was due, there I was with my day runner, trying to recreate a semester’s worth of entries.

In 2003, blogging became a part of my life. It was a journal, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I can go back through the entries on my blog and on Murderati and watch my journey – my highs and lows, my successes and failures. When I stopped blogging weekly, I realized how much I missed it, and it hit me – you’ve been journaling. And you like it.

But I was still horridly inconsistent. I’m like many writers, I think, I have multiple notebooks and snippets of ideas and open file folders and cocktail napkins and half-finished blog entries scattered about my office. I need a method, a practice. And I found it again through two things – daily pages and a book journal.

Again, my fear of the mundane kept me from combining the two. What if, years from now, someone actually wanted to know my unpublicly chronicled thought process on a book? And what if they found my notebooks, and saw some of the ridiculously boring things that happen in my life?

So I kept them separate.

In each folder, for each book, I have a small journal file. I try to document the moment the idea for the book came to me, how I approached it, the emails I sent, anything that will help explain the genesis. And as I write, I keep score – word counts, what’s working, what’s not.

Which brings me to WHEN SHADOWS FALL, which comes out next week. You’d think, after all this time, I’d know what sparks a book idea for me. But for the life of me, I can’t remember. So I’m writing this blog, and now, I will go open the magic box that is the Book Journal and see. Be right back…

Here’s what I found – it’s a copy of the transcript of the email I sent my agent on 5.15.12

So the story idea for Sam #3 pranced into my head two nights ago, and I wrote it down. It's a fun idea, I think, and based in part of a real case in Mississippi, where a man moved from California running from the "Masons" then committed suicide. Don't worry, not a DaVinci Code-esque storyline. I have something much more fun in mind, as you'll see when you read the synopsis.

The title - obviously a working title, but I wanted to go with three words, and have a play on the darken and black from the first two. I like this. Second place is BREATH AND SHADOW - from Sophocles. (A human being is but breath and shadow.)

Ah – I remember now. I was in the shower, and the idea for the book hit me out of the blue. I messed around with the story, wrote up a synopsis, found a title – I can’t work without a title – and sent the email to my agent.

The title, by the way, was WHEN SHADOWS FALL – everyone loved it off the bat, and my agent loved the proposal, and the editor loved it, and suddenly, I was in business.

Except – I had a few other things on my plate, and I couldn’t come back to the story for a year.

A year is a very long time between concept and writing for me. Normally I dive right in, but I had to write my first book with Catherine Coulter, and I can’t write two books at once. So SHADOWS went on the back burner for a year. 

Not surprisingly, the book journal shows a rough start when I got back to it. I just read through the diary, and realized – I am rather hard on myself.

But, all that said – the journaling is now a Godsend. It was with this book that I really got into sharing my thoughts at the end of each day, which has morphed, these many years later, into an actual daily journaling habit!

I was using my blog, but there’s a strange, uncomfortable level of intimacy to sharing a book’s life while it’s under construction, so I’ve switched to a great app called Day One. I record the mundane and the important, the books stuff and the life stuff, all in one place, and I find I can’t move on with my evening if I don’t write my little bit at the end of the day.

Apparently, I’m a journaler after all.

A little added bonus, here's an excerpt from WHEN SHADOWS FALL 

1.15.14 - On Patience

I read an interesting piece today by author Jill Jepson on the importance of cultivating patience in your writing life. Patience isn't something we discuss very often when we talk about writing, because it so often seems frenetic, and deadline driven. I know I'm one of the worst at this, too, I feel like I'm almost always writing with my back against the proverbial wall, careening headlong into deadlines. It's one of the reasons I post my daily word counts, to help keep my pedal to the metal.

But I do approach my work with a great deal of patience. As Jill discusses, there are many uncontrollable aspects to your writing life: the editors who don't get back to agents, the agents who don't get back to queries, the reviewers and magazines who don't respond to publicist. One must learn great patience, and strength, to deal with these issues.

There is also the traditional publishing phenomenon of completing a book, then having to wait three to six months to a year for it to arrive on bookshelves, which trust me, takes a LOT of patience, and has helped turn indie publishing into very viable alternative, especially for those writers who write fast and don't want to move at the traditional world steamship pace.

But there is also the space you must create for your brain when you are in creation mode. When you are pushing hard, writing daily, pouring words like honey all over the page, you must allow it time to recover, time to power up again after you deplete its stores. This is cultivating patience.

The creative's brain is very much like a battery, one that will run for a very long time, but also needs breaks to recharge. It's hard to be patient in those times, when you're rushing toward a goal, and all you want is to finish, but the words won't come properly. Your brain needs to be shut down and plugged in to build up the power stores again.

But on deadline, patience is the last thing on your mind. And yet, by taking a breath, giving yourself some space, some time away -- even if it's only a day, or a few hours -- you help the creative process tremendously. So don't be so hard on yourself, fellow writer. Cultivate patience with yourself. 

2100 today, and now I'll shut down for a bit to give my own brain some time to recharge. But not for long -- I have a chat tonight at Writerspace.com to talk about the new Sam book, WHEN SHADOWS FALL. So much for cultivating my own patience, right? I hope I'll see you there. 

Sweet dreams.

2013 Annual Review

For the past several years, I’ve been doing annual reviews of my life and work, based on the format from Chris Guillebeau’s wonderful Annual Review on his blog, The Art of Non-Conformity. Chris’s system is exceptionally detailed, more so than I really need, but the gist is there. It’s a great system for those of us who are self-employed and want to do an assessment of our work for the year. I don’t know about you, but I like accountability. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I look back over the past year’s worth of work and see what worked, and what didn’t. Here’s the link to the actual post. Go on over there and take a read. I’ll wait. And if you're interested, here are the links to my previous annual reviews for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The Year in Review - 2013: The Year of the Pencil

I had a lot of goals for 2013 - though on the surface, the whole concept of the Pencil meant drawing into myself, finding ways to refocus my creative energies, and enjoy a simpler life, with simpler pleasures. To have those "perfect" days I dreamed of, the ones in which I rose, exercised, wrote, cooked a lovely meal, then cuddled by the fire in the evening, with a glass of wine and a book.

And I succeeded in this, in many ways. My goal was to be more creative, and I was: I wrote more fiction than last year, and less non-fiction. We implemented no TV nights, when we both read, allowing me to double my reading output - I'm at 70 books and counting for the year. I did track all my reading on Goodreads, which was a goal I set and stuck to. (Any discrepancies are due to contest reading, blurb books, and rereading.)

I did an excellent job of utilizing the programs and apps I already had to make my life go smoothly, namely: Scrivener, Wunderlist, Evernote, Gmail, Word and Excel. I use Svenja Liv's awesome word counters, and began using Feedly for my RSS feeds, which I love. I also added in an app called Buffer, which allowed me to step back from multiple daily visits to Facebook and Twitter whilst still participating.

Automation is my friend. Knowing I can share my blogs, articles I find interesting, and other tidbits without overwhelming my followers and myself is big. This was perhaps my greatest victory of the year, quality over quantity. I've overcome my feelings toward social media as a time consuming necessary evil, and instead, found the joy in utilizing Facebook and Twitter to communicate with friends and fans alike. 

In the last quarter of the year, I began journaling my writing day on the Tao of JT 5-6 days a week. I realized that the more I talk about writing, the better I write, the deeper I go creatively, and the happier I am. Instead of trying to be quippy and witty on Facebook and Twitter, I found that talking about writing, about my process, what works and what doesn't, plus any other observations I'm moved to make, is much more rewarding for me. These short blog entries have become like a ringing school bell to indicate the work day is over, and I don't feel settled until I jot down a few lines about my day, then set my laptop aside. Who knew? I'm not a natural journaler, so the sense of wellbeing I get from this is surprising. I'll continue this into the new year, see how it feels. 

I revamped my entire website, moving to a new platform, instituted a monthly contest, and monthly newsletters. I've seen the numbers to all three of these grow exponentially this year, thanks to the fine work of Writerspace.com, who've been managing the back end on all of this. Their work for me has grown this year, allowing me to focus on the creative, and letting them do the hard part. I am so grateful to have them on my team. 

And of course, 2013 was the year I hit one of my biggest professional goals - landing a book on the New York Times. THE FINAL CUT with Catherine Coulter far exceeded any expectations I had, making every bestseller list, and debuting at #3 on the NYT combined, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal lists. I received that precious call whilst sitting on a rooftop bar in New Orleans, honestly so sick to my stomach worrying about whether the phone would ring I thought I might just hurl over the railing. But the phone did ring, and that call changed everything for me. 

2013 will continue to be special for many years to come - we opened our heart and home to twin kittens, gorgeous silver tabbies named Jameson and Jordan. Rescuing these little bunnies has brought a level of contentment to our house that's been missing for too long. 

The Nitty Gritty  (AKA Nerdology)

I'd set a goal of 300,000 fiction words this year, and while I came close, I didn't make it. Still, I refuse to be upset with that - I wrote more creative words than last year, which is really all I can ask. I wrote on average 2137 words per day, 739 of which were fiction, for a total increase of 4865 fiction words this year, to 270,000. I'll take it.

 I wrote a large chunk of THE FINAL CUT, did a month of revisions, wrote WHEN SHADOWS FALL and another month of revisions, and completed more than half of THE LOST KEY. I wrote a proposal for Sam #4 - WHAT LIES BEHIND, plus a full proposal and outline of THE LOST KEY. I did a major revision on the secret project, but I wrote no short stories this year, more's the pity. I plan to rectify that in 2014.  

I attended two conferences - Thrillerfest and Left Coast Crime, plus the Southern Kentucky Bookfest, and I gave my first keynote address to the Heart of Dixie chapter of RWA in Huntsville, a truly gratifying experience. I spoke to a couple of book clubs, including East Side Story here in Nashville. My goal was to cut back on my professional obligations in 2013, something I'd like to continue into 2014. As much as I love meeting people, the more I travel, the more the work suffers. And my creative output is my priority, not matter how alluring the con. So far, I have a teaching engagement, two signings and a keynote for the Alabama Library Association in April. I'm trying not to schedule anything else, keeping all travel personal, instead of professional. She says, hopeful.

My non-fiction total went up this year, but that was all in email - the actual non-fiction work decreased overall, even though I added in the daily journal. For the 167,750 of nonfiction: 10K was from essays and speeches, I did 9 interviews, 13 newsletters, and 100 blogs, plus Facebook and Twitter. 

2013 Word Total: 780,115
Fiction Total: 270,000
Non-Fiction Total: 167,750
Email: 342,500
Fiction Percentage: 35% 

2012 Fiction Total: 265,000
2011 Fiction Total: 252,300
2010 Fiction Total: 198,383
2009 Fiction Total: 135,738

The Year Ahead - 2014: The Year of Making Do

Recognizing how much we have and how little we actually need, 2014 is the year of making do with what's on hand. Not buying new books, but reading the ones I already have. Not buying new clothes and shoes; I already have a closet full. Use the food in the pantry instead of buying more and throwing so much away. Letting the work be focused on quality, instead of quantity. 

We waste so much. Time, food, resources. This year, I want to focus on a truly internal goal - utilizing what I already have instead of buying new. Yes, of course, there will be things to buy, there always are. But with a bit more mindfulness, I can easily cut out the extraneous and limit this to what I actually need. To whit: I have 315 books in my To Be Read pile. I must make a decision: stop buying new books and read what I have, or continue to overwhelm myself with this unique paradox of choice, which ultimately leads to less pleasure from my most pleasurable activity. A challenge, yes, but it will impact my self-education goals for the year, too.

I'm releasing 4 books this year - WHEN SHADOWS FALL in hardcover and later in paperback, THE FINAL CUT in paperback, and THE LOST KEY in hardcover. That's a lot of promotion and PR work, especially since I need to write two more books.

I've decided that writing two full novels and one big short story/novella this year would be a more realistic goal. Too many times this year, I was on deadline, pushing hard toward the finish line, and there were so many things I let slide - my relationships, my family, truly, my life. This year, I want to hold back a bit. Being more creative is always the goal, and I don't see why that shouldn't continue. But I need to add in time for yoga, and writers lunches, and golf, and a vacation or two, without feeling the pervasive, soul sucking guilt of I shouldn't be doing this, I should be working. 

Maybe it's the fact that I'm suddenly middle-aged, but I want to budget the work time and the life time a little more carefully. I have so much; I am so blessed. I have an amazing husband, wonderful friends, a loving family. I want to enjoy my life, eek every little bit of pleasure and happiness from it. So a better work life balance is needed. Working smarter, like I have been, more focused, on a better, more regular schedule, will allow me the joy I'm seeking.

I have a couple of projects I'm not ready to discuss in the hopper, and there are a lot of exciting things ahead creatively. I have a nonfiction book I want to work on, and I would really like to get a Taylor and Baldwin story together. I'm seeking to find a solid writing schedule, one that allows some breathing room in each day. I have a great example of that in Catherine, so I'll be mimicking her as much as possible. I want to do more yoga, more walking, more reading, more living. 

2014 is going to be a banner year, and I thank you for continuing to join me on this ride.  

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The Deets: 2013 Writing