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I Make Things Up and Write Them Down

October 18, 2012 in Family, I Am Therefore I Write

That line, “I make things up and write them down,” used to be my short bio somewhere–maybe it was Facebook, back before my Facebook page was a part of my ONLINE PRESENCE. But it’s true. That’s what I do. In a few minutes, October 18 will be here, and my debut novel, Lowcountry Boil, will be a month old. The last month has flown, and it’s been so incredibly wonderful I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. We’ve taken lots of photos, and the web gurus are making a special page for them. (This is my first post on the new website, and I’m trying not to blow it up.) My guess is that for most authors, the launch of a first novel is all cupcakes, champagne, friends, and fireworks. Okay, there were no fireworks, but my brother-in-law fired his cannon. I digress.

Because I have been blessed beyond the imagination of most normal folks in the colorful family department, my relatives simply do not believe they are not in the book. Some of my friends are convinced they must be in there, too. On several occasions over the last month, as we’ve celebrated this milestone various family members and friends have pulled me aside and asked, “Who am I in the book?” [Read more…]

And Then Things Started Happening

May 31, 2012 in I Am Therefore I Write

I came back from Sleuthfest in Orlando on Sunday, March 4. A lot of normal stuff happened during March, but the quantity was daunting–life, y’all know what I mean.

Then, late in March I got an offer from Henery Press to publish LOWCOUNTRY BOIL, the first in my mystery series about a private investigator named Liz Talbot. At the time I had an agent, who still had submissions outstanding. My instincts were screaming bloody murder to go with Henery Press. I have had so many conflicting feelings about which direction I should travel on the publishing road–there are many forks these days–but suddenly I was no longer conflicted. I knew what I wanted. [Read more…]

Some of the Nicest People are Planning a Murder

March 8, 2012 in Conferences, I Am Therefore I Write

Some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet are planning a murder–or three. Seriously, it’s a puzzlement, when you think about it. Mystery writers–folks who spend their days plotting inventive ways to kill people and hide the bodies–are, as a group, so pleasant.

I’m just back from Sleuthfest in Orlando. This annual event is a writers’ conference sponsored by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America. I saw old friends and met many online friends in person. Everyone I came in contact with was open, friendly, and helpful.

A few standouts (for me) among many workshops offered Thursday were Daniel Palmer’s “Coming up with Your ‘What If?'” Reed Farrel Coleman’s “Building 3-Dimensional Characters,” and Hank Phillippi Ryan’s “Get Your Motor Going.” In addition to presenting helpful content, these folks were all genuinely entertaining. I’m positive all the workshops were just as wonderful, but my efforts to clone myself have been largely unsuccessful, and thus I could only attend one in each time slot–I had to choose. I hate to choose. I’m horrible at making decisions. I digress.

One of the (many) highlights of the conference for me came Friday morning. I arrived early for the panel discussion, “The Traditional Mystery,” (one of my favorite panels) and chose a seat near the front center. I like to make sure I don’t miss anything. Anyway, I’d been there a few moments, flipping through my program, when I looked up to see Charlaine Harris walking towards me with a friend. For the record, Charlaine Harris is one of my very favorite authors–I know, me and millions of other folks, right?

I’d set my purse on the seat to my left. Charlaine sat in the next seat over. We smiled and said, “Good morning.” I tried so hard to act normal and not at all like a lunatic fan. I was mostly succeeding and was so proud of myself that I felt the need to share this information. I turned to her and said, “I’m trying really hard not to act like a total fangirl.”

She smiled real sweet and said, “I was just admiring your sweater.”

“Coldwater Creek,” I said.

And then we had a lovely conversation about how we both loved shopping online in general, and Coldwater Creek in particular, and how if she’d seen that sweater she’d have bought it. Something about Charlaine put me instantly at ease. You know how some famous people travel with an entourage and give off this vibe that screams, “Back off, I’m far too important to be bothered by the little people?” These people are the polar opposites of Charlaine Harris. (None of those folks were at Sleuthfest, of course.) She introduced me to Paula, her friend and assistant, who was equally charming. Truly, I have never met more delightful people.

Charlaine’s keynote on Saturday was fabulous as well–humorous, and inspiring. My only disappointment was that I already own all of her books, and had forgotten to bring one to have it autographed.

But you see, she makes my point. This warm, friendly woman has come up with enough creative ways to kill people, not to mention vampires, shape shifters, fairies, and all manner of supernatural creatures, to fill a shelf in my bookcase.

I think maybe writing about murder must be therapeutic. Getting all of your frustrations out by killing off the people who get on your last nerve, even if it’s just on the page, must release a happy hormone or some such thing. That’s my theory, anyway.

Peace out,

Susan

The Striptease

February 7, 2012 in I Am Therefore I Write

A friend of mine and I were solving the problems of the world via protracted phone chat/bon bon eating marathon last week when the conversation turned to her work in progress. Her local critique group felt that she needed to front load more backstory. I cringed.

I hadn’t read her current project, but I’m not a fan of this strategy. When I’m reading a mystery or romantic suspense novel–and that’s the genre pool she and I read and write in–I want to experience the story through the close point of view of the main character. And I want the protagonist to reveal the story bit by bit, as she lives it–dances it–like a striptease.

If a striptease artist walked on stage fully naked, (or nekkid, as we say in the South, when one is unclothed and up to something) it would be something other than a striptease. Some may get their jollies this way–in states where this is legal–but not me.

I love the mystery, the suspense–the tease. I want to see the dancer all dolled-up in layers of clothes and accessories–fur, jewelry, hat, scarves, belt, gloves, high heels, skirt, jacket, blouse–you get the idea. Then, piece by piece, each article–each clue–is peeled away, revealing the next. The striptease is a long, sensual dance, an art form unto itself. Reveal too much too soon, and you ruin the dance for me. I don’t want to see the garter belt until the very end.

Y’all know we’re talking books here, right?

Peace out,

Susan

P.S. Mamma, I swear I’ve never seen a strip tease dance in my life. You well know I was raised better than that.

Okay, Let’s Try This Again…

January 2, 2012 in Blather and Profound Notions, Diets and Other Torture, I Am Therefore I Write

Well, well, January, here you are back already. I know what you’re thinking–that I haven’t kept a single one of last year’s resolutions, and you’re right. But I think I’ve just been going about this resolution thing all wrong.

This year, I’m going to stick to resolutions I can, well, stick to. For example, instead of declaring my intention to exercise every day–which even I know is a joke–I’m resolving to exercise more than I did last year. (Trust me, this is an easy one. Even I can do this.)

Also, instead of adopting some exotic new diet from another region where people eat all they want of certain foods and stay thin, or one based on counting or measuring ANYTHING, I’m simply going to vow to eat healthier than I did in 2011–again, easy.

And I’m going to put first things first. Every day, before I check email, sign on to Facebook, tweet, blog, or any engage in any other form of electronic interaction, I will write. This is easy, because it’s what I really want to do.

For some reason, I’ve gotten into the habit of checking in with all things Internet before my day begins. This is a huge mistake, because once I’m online, it’s almost impossible to get off. I click a link on a Tweet to check out a blog, which leads to reading a few other blog entries on the same site, then clicking a link to something else that looks interesting…and four hours later it’s lunchtime and I haven’t written anything except a status update and a tweet or two. The only thing that comes before words on the page is family.

That’s it, January. That’s all I’ve got. So next year, you can forget all about being smug. I can do this.

Peace, out…

Susan

And Then One Happy Day I Signed With a Literary Agent

November 30, 2010 in I Am Therefore I Write

So, I’ve been sitting on this news for a while, just to make sure I didn’t dream it. Since I’ve pinched myself black and blue, and Sugar has read the copy of the executed contract and assures me it’s real, and I’ve waited a month to make sure she didn’t change her mind, I feel safe in sharing the happy news that I’ve signed with Denise Little, an agent with The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

I have an agent.

I say those words aloud to myself about fifty time a day. Sometimes I tell random strangers. People look at me oddly, but I’m accustomed to that, really. I mean, when you do things like run off with a man’s vodka in the grocery store, you grow immune to the look that says, “Poor thing, she’s Not Quite Right.” Full sanity is highly overrated and, I suspect, boring.

Anyway, this year I have one more thing to be thankful for. (The list is long–I am ridiculously blessed.) Denise is enthusiastic, has been in publishing long enough to know the industry well, and is possibly the hardest working person I’ve ever come across. I count myself exceedingly fortunate to be her client.

Peace, out…

Susan

Why Excel is Like Duct Tape

October 19, 2010 in I Am Therefore I Write

Sugar, like many men, can fix almost anything that breaks with a roll of duct tape. It has uses far beyond those originally envisioned by its designer–as does MS Excel.

Not so long ago, in another life, I was a project manager. This is one of those job descriptions like “consultant,” that can mean many things depending on the context, and while I once toured the Adam & Eve warehouse in North Carolina (purely professional–they had distribution needs, I had distribution software–though they did offer me a free sample of my choice) most of my days were spent staring at Excel spreadsheets.

So, when Sugar gave me the green light to make things up and write them down full time, (thus securing his position as a patron of the, ahem…arts) at first I was adrift without my lines and columns. I tried story boards, which in my case were foam boards with elaborate charts and pictures of my characters cut out of catalogs and magazines. But large foam boards were difficult to transport, which was a problem since my life most resembles that of a gypsy. I tried making notes about each chapter on index cards, but since I can’t read my own handwriting, this didn’t work out either.

At this, my larval stage as a writer, I had not yet considered the profound question of whether I was a plotter or a pantser. I had no clue that I needed to be one or the other, as I had not yet read the hundred books on writing that now have their own shelf in my bookcase, nor had I attended the slew of conferences and workshops that would come over the next few years. I was winging it. Hey, I’d READ a lot of books. Surely I could write one… Yes, in fact, I was that ignorant.

After a few months of experimenting and suffering from depression as a result of spreadsheet withdrawal, I figured out that Excel worked great as a writing tool. I’ve learned so much in the last few years, and as with any craft, I know I need to continue learning. But the one thing I’ve hung onto from those early days is the use of spreadsheets for plotting. (I now know that–big surprise here–I’m schizophrenic. I’m a plotter who turns into a pantser at the drop of a hat. (Okay, if you’re not a writer, and you’ve read this far, a pantser is one who writes by the seat of his/her pants–organically. Her characters tell her what happened and she transcribes their story.)

I have one Excel workbook per project. Within that workbook, I have one tab with a spreadsheet for characters. This tab typically has columns for not only biographical info and physical description, but quirks that define the character. Another spreadsheet has a plot outline. This starts simple, with a beginning, middle, and end, and expands as I add lines for each chapter as the story comes together. When my characters take over and tear off on a tangent–and I love those days; those days are magic–I simply open the spreadsheet and document where they’ve taken me when we get back.

There is one danger in using Excel as a plotting tool for a novel: a reader cannot keep in his/her head everything that you can keep track of in a spreadsheet. I learned this the hard way, and had to rip out my first novel at the seams and remove an entire subplot and several characters.

On the plus side, Excel is highly portable, and I can read what I type into my lines and columns. Excel helps me maintain order in my virtual universe. If only reality were so easily organized…

Many plotters and half-breeds like me struggle with how best to organize their work. Check out Julie Weathers’ blog post from yesterday. She has a copy of J. K. Rowling’s solution posted.

Peace, out…

Susan

What About Bob?

September 29, 2010 in I Am Therefore I Write, Thoughts on Books Read

A few years ago, when the company I’d worked with for 11 years went out of business, Sugar and I decided it was time for me to give the writing thing a spin. I’d dreamed of writing and sporadically tried to fit writing into our lives for years without much success. Now it was my turn.

I’ve been a voracious reader practically from the cradle. I’d write what I loved to read, I thought. What I didn’t realize was that my eclectic reading habits were producing a schizophrenic manuscript. It wasn’t sure whether it was romantic suspense, a mystery, or women’s fiction. I needed a critique group.

My first critique group–and one I still attend when I can–was the Greenville chapter of South Carolina Writers’ Workshop. This is a great group–tons of fun–and for the first time I had the chance to talk to other writers about writing. One of the first friends I made was Bob Strother.

Bob is very low key. In fact, he speaks so softly that you’ll miss what he says if others are talking in the room. And you want to hear what Bob says, because he’s a smart guy and a talented writer. What I didn’t know until much later is that Bob is also an ex-Marine (yeah, I know, Marines are Marines for life and all) and he may be soft spoken, but he could kill any of us eight different ways if he took a notion. Bob’s a master of critique in that he can tell you what you need to fix without burdening you with how he would write it if it were him.

I’ve lost track of how many short stories Bob has published, but I’ve read many of them in our group. Each is well-crafted, and it’s fascinating to me how different they all are. Some make me laugh out loud. Others are so creepy they have prompted me to ask his wife, Vicki, how she sleeps next to him at night knowing what goes on in his head. One was nominated for the Small Press Pushcart Prize.

Main Street Rag is publishing a collection of Bob’s stories, Scattered, Smothered, and Covered, which comes out in February. It’s available for pre-order right now, and I’ve ordered my copy. You’ll want one, too. Just click the title link and it can be yours.

Peace, out…

Susan

My Muse Loves Chocolate

November 11, 2009 in I Am Therefore I Write

Whenever I get stuck, I reach for one of the Big Three: Dove, Lindt, or, in a real crisis, Godiva chocolate. Before long, words are spilling out of my head onto the page. My muse loves chocolate. Pasta is good, too. And wine. My muse may be a lush, actually.

Today I’m polishing off the leftover Halloween candy because it’s Wednesday. I’m not blocked at all, but this is a preventative measure. Typically, my work week starts on Monday morning. I’m SO a creature of habit, and sometimes if I have an appointment or whatever on Monday, my week gets off track.

Both Monday and Tuesday this week were filled with necessary chores and errands. Well, okay, and brunch with friends. Anyway, to make sure my muse didn’t balk today, I started eating chocolate right after breakfast. Just to be safe I had pasta for lunch, and I’m thinking a glass of wine might not be a bad idea.

Of course, if I do that, I may not make it to 5:40 Jazzercise…

I have to keep my priorities straight. The Muse comes first.

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