CareerAuthors.com ... Writer's Block

Hi, all.

The wonderful Hank Phillipi Ryan composed a great essay on the Career Authors site that leads you through the shoals of the dreaded Writer's Block. It's well worth a read. There are probably days, I know I have a lot of them, when you don't feel like writing. It's understandable, particularly if you're dealing with a full-time job, studies, housework, or a million other distractions that sap your desire to write. But that's not Writer's block. Procrastination and exhaustion, but not a creative doldrums.

If you need help with fending off the psychological impediment of not knowing where your story is going, or characters who have suddenly fallen silent, here's a few ideas to get your Muse out of solitary confinement and back to the story you really want to tell.

 https://careerauthors.com/writers-block-not-a-chance/

I can't recommend this site enough. It's well worth joining if you are writing and hoping to be published at some point. Invaluable advice from great authors who have been through the process and who have succeeded.

From Pantser to Plotter: An incomplete road map

I’m in the process of trying to organize the final third (maybe) of my story into a coherent and cohesive narrative. I’m usually a “pantser,” but I’ve reached the point where I need to become a “plotter,” and make an outline of what has to happen to wrap the story up. I’ve still got a long way to go to make this rough draft a complete story with all the characters I’ve developed. I’ve come up with a list of things I need to do in order to make it happen. Will it be helpful to me or to anybody in the process of writing a mystery? I don’t know, but I’ll keep you updated!

1.       Will the idea hold up?

2.       Review the pertinent chapters

3.       Go over the clues

4.       Follow the trail

5.       Discovery – who knows what, and who needs to know everything.

6.       Confrontation

7.       Resolution

8.       Conclusion of the story

On Vacation

I'll be on vacation for a few days, so check out my recent book reviews and musings about writing. Back in a week!

Review: Lost Creed by Alex Kava

Lost Creed by Alex Kava

My Rating 4 of 5 stars


I always look forward to a Alex Kava's next Ryder Creed novel. Lost Creed does not refer to Ryder, but to his sister, missing for 14 years. Haunted by her loss, Ryder has made search and rescue his mission. He has built a business around his dogs, providing services to law enforcement and working with tough FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell on missing persons cases. None are more personal than his most recent case involving murder and human trafficking. This time, there is evidence that his sister may be one of the victims. Driven by his hopes and his fears, and accompanied by Maggie and her team, Ryder and his best dog Gracie begin a desperate search for the murderer, the victims, and the survivors of the trafficking ring. A sub plot involving Ryder's apprentice handler, Jason, a rookie dog, and a missing child provides a look into the training of both dog and handler in this trying profession.

I'm not giving away spoilers, but the book seemed to end abruptly, signalling what challenges await Ryder, Maggie and Jason in the next book titled, Desperate Creed due out later in the year.



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Location, location, location.

I stopped at a park at the beach today. I had never been to this one, and there was this pier jutting out into the lake. It was closed and structurally unsound. The weather was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky, but the pier looked sad and abandoned. I thought, "Hmm... this would be a great location in my story. The next was, if I use this, what could happen here? What would enhance the atmosphere to fit my story. A body. Not sure whose, yet, but I have some ideas.

Review: Murder to the Metal

Murder to the Metal by Annie Hogsett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How often have you wished for a big lottery win? When Allie Harper saved Thomas Bennington III from death in the path of a Hummer, she also falls in love, gets involved in a murder, and discovers that all the money in the world can't guarantee security.

In Murder to the Metal Tom and Allie have entered a relationship and a business venture as private investigators, only to find that their lives, and the lives of everybody close to them, are in extreme danger, and what starts out as a missing person case, escalates to murder.

With breathless pacing, humor, and a truly scary security software game of cat and mouse, Annie Hogsett brings home all the thrills and chills, along with a touching romance in this excellent mystery.

I also, highly recommend reading Too Lucky to Live , the first in this series, for a great introduction to Tom and Allie.



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Fourth of July

I'm celebrating the 4th by taking two days off work hoping to get plenty of reading and writing done. I've finally crossed the 80K word threshold, which was like climbing Mount Everest on ice skates.

So, wishing you a holiday of good books, cold drinks, and fireworks!