Mysteries

When it comes to reading, I like a variety of genres.  I enjoy adolescent fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction about various topics, and murder mysteries.  I enjoy the can-I-figure-it-out-before-they-tell-me reaction to murder mysteries.  Over the years I have found several authors I like and stick with them, and the murder mystery genre lends itself to series writing, so there are usually seemingly endless numbers of their books on the shelves.

I have often thought about writing a mystery novel.  But I don't know how to go about it.  Is it best to start with an outline? List all of my suspects and evidence and work backwards? Start with a character and let that character take over, as so often happens with my writing?

I have an idea bubbling in my head.  The main character is a news reporter, and the mystery is the murder of her fiance.  She is not connected with the police department in any way, but she feels compelled to seek justice for her dead fiance.

I don't know...just one of many ideas floating around up in space.  I can't possibly get them all on paper!

Communication

Yesterday when I woke up, my cell phone, which had been charging all night, said, "Low Battery" and then shut off.  Dead.  Completely dead.  (Not just "mostly dead", as a famous movie that I don't particularly like but have still watched umpteen-million times says.)

Cell phone dead and no land line.  (Because who has a land line anymore?)

Cell phone dead and no land line and no internet access in my apartment.  (Borders is my favorite hot-spot.)

What does one do in our society when all of these pieces of technology are kaputz?  Well, obviously I immediately went to purchase a new phone.  But....the SIM card and the battery and all of that were not transferable, so....have to email friends to tell them to give me their phone numbers, because I don't know them by heart.  I mean, my sister is "down down down send".  Was.  Right now she is the top of the list! 

But....I don't have internet, remember?

So I find a friend who lets me use her computer to send such emails and fb messages.

All of that to say this:  In our society of high tech gadgets, we have made the world "smaller".  My pastor just this week mentioned that in his sermon.  Our world has gotten smaller because the other side of the world is not the dark side of the moon -- we can see images and read news and hear what is going on in far off places like Kenya and Bangladesh and Australia.

But which of my neighbors knew that I had no means of communication for a harrowing two hours?  Which of the eight apartment neighbors and the near-by home owners on my street came to my rescue?  Is it their fault? No -- they didn't know.

And that is my point. In our small world, we are able to facebook with friends in Cayman and Tennessee and Virginia, and we seek those relationships and we build those virtual relationships, and we neglect the flesh and blood relationships right next door.  I am as guilty as the next guy.  My neighbors had no idea of my anxiety yesterday because in the four years that I have lived in that apartment I have not once said more than, "Hi."  Literally.  Only one of these people knows my name, and he is a sweet old guy that would help me if I asked. 

A hundred years ago, people came to your rescue because it served them.  They might not have liked you all that much, but if your house was burning, they'd help fight it, if only to prevent their own house from going up in smoke.  But now we have our circles of friends, those people we turn to when we need prayer or support or just someone to hang out with.  Not the people next door usually; we block them out with privacy fences and ADT signs.  We sit in centrally air-conditioned houses at our computers to build relationships with people around the world.

But when I was without communication for two hours, and full of anxiety (OK, wrong and silly as that may be, you give up every gadget you own and tell me how you deal), how was I supposed to ask for a cup of sugar?

Welcome!

Some days writing is a passion for me.  The words are flowing, the idea is there, and I am pleased with what I put on the page.  Other days it is a grind, or it doesn't get done at all.  Perhaps because I am tired, or the idea isn't there, or I allow other things to get in the way.  A good book ususally fits that category!

But reading other people's writing is only part of what makes a good writer.  The other part is to WRITE.  When I was a teenager, my middle school was clearing out the periodicals room (remember actual magazines?) and I took a stack of "Writers".  I read through them, tore out what I wanted to keep, filed them away.  Over the years -- many long years, now -- those filed papers have gotten shuffled, lost, and tossed.  But I still remember one adage: "Writers write, that is all."

My "first" novel has been in the research/write/rewrite stage for nearly a decade now.  My wonderful friend and encourager, a true Barnabas, is going to get tired of encouraging me eventually.  I really have to get on the stick!

My second historical novel is in the research stage.  Perhaps over the summer I can do much of that, talking to the local historical society and whatnot.  The problem is, this story isn't alive for me yet.  The reason I have trouble with editing the first novel is because the characters are so real -- the story is so true -- how do I change it?  It is almost as if they have given me the story, their story, and who am I to say their word choice is confusing or dull? 

Of course, that's just an excuse! :)

I have one story flowing well right now, and I am writing it in long-hand.  I actually prefer that.  I can write, scribble, doodle when a word escapes me, cross out what I don't like, and still read what I crossed out if I decide I like that better.  I often do.  It is a period piece but not historical -- the history is there only as a backdrop, and I make no claims to authenticity.  But the characters are real, and that seems to be what drives me.

Please feel free to leave comments.  But don't be nasty or I will have to block you!