A friend recently asked me for some tips to share with his writing group. I was happy to do so, but with the following caution: There are myriad so-called experts out there who have all kinds of advice about how to write a novel. What I've learned over the years is that you have to find out what works best for you and ignore everything else.  For example, I used to follow a blog about writing from a guy who had the same agent as I did. He had a very precise formula for structuring a novel that I tried to follow. But it didn't work for me. I don't like to outline or plan too much of what I'm going to write in advance. Some call that "seat of the pants" writing and it often requires a lot of rewrites but I find it much better for ME and my enjoyment of the process. This is all by way of saying, I can offer a few tips, but in the end you have to discover for yourself what works best for YOU.

I've written several blogs on this website about the writing process. I recommend that anyone interested should specifically read these these titles: "What If?, Achievement, Introverts, Plot & Theme, and Writing From the Heart."

Some additional thoughts that might be helpful:
1. Choose an author you particularly like and study the way he or she structures the story, how transitioons between scenes are handled, and of course, how characters and the arc of the story are developed.

2. We are conditioned to like stories that have three acts; make sure your story includes the basics: Set-UP (Act I), Ratchet it Up (Act II), and the Pay-Off (Act III).

3. Write your passion--in other words, don['t fret about what's "hot" because it won't be when your novel is finally published. The number one person you should be writing for is YOU.

4. When writing a mystery, all suspects must have means, motive, and opportunity.

5. Your hero or heroine (and your villain) must have goals or needs and obstacles to overcome.

6. Read, read, read.

7. Write, write, write.

8. If you have trouble writing dialogue, try imagining specific movie actors speaking the lines.

9. If writing a novel is truly your passion, you will never give up. Yes, you may get discouraged and think you have no talent or understanding of storytelling, but just keep learning and improving, no matter how long it takes. I started "Celilo's Shadow" years and years ago and quickly discovered that I didn't have the skill necessary to tell the story the way I envisioned it. So, I set about learning everything I could about the writing process. I took classes, attended workshops, and read a ton of "how to" books. Then I wrote what I thought I could handle; in my case, a mystery. And I did--four mysteries were published before I felt comfortable writing the story I really wanted to write.

10. Finally, have FUN. Although difficult at times, writing shouldn't be a chore or drudgery. Passion-driven writers get up each day eager to see "what happens next" in their story.

This month's blog is an essay written by Amy Vaughn, a distant cousin of mine. She asks what all of us would-be writers have asked ourselves at one time or another. 

​It has been quite a while since I last posted a blog as I have been busy putting the final touches on my new novel, Celilo's Shadow.  The mystery will be available for purchase on June 1, 2017.  You can read more about it by clicking on Celilo's Shadow on the above menu bar.
 
Thank you for your interest in my writing and blog posts. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.

When I tell people that Dave and I live next door to a cemetery the reaction is mixed. Some are amused and joke, "at least your neighbors are quiet" while others cringe and mutter words like "creepy, spooky, or weird." Rare is the peprson who equates living next door to a cemetery as a serene, tranquil, or peaceful experience. But that's exactly how I feel whenever I look out my kitchen window. I am calmed by the quiet beauty of the carefully tended, park-like grounds. Green grass, colorful flowering plants, and the variety of leafy shade trees provide a pleasant resting place for the departed souls. The setting encourages visitors to linger a while to mourn and remember their loved ones.

A confession here: I'm fond of visiting cemeteries, whether right next door or wherever I happen to spot one that looks interesting. I like to read the inscriptions on the markers and wonder about the story of the people's lives--their families, their voices, their laughter, their sorrows, their joys, and their hopes and dreams. Sometimes there are clues about their lives written on the headstones--a Christian cross or Jewish star or symbols noting their membership in the Eagles, Elks, or Masons. Nowadays, it is common to see a photo or etching of the deceased, including an activity they enjoyed such as sky diving or fishing. Most often, though, the markers indicate how the person died--a mother and newborn with matching death dates tell the story of a tragic childbirth; several family members who all died in 1918 suggest they might have succumbed to the world-wide flu epidemic of that year; veterans whose deaths correspond to dates when our country was at war remind us of the ultimate sacrifice they made for our freedom.

The inscriptions that intrigue me the most are poetic remembrances. When I was a volunteer at the Clark County Historical Society, my job was to record the names, dates, and other writings on the tombstones in Vancouver's oldest pioneer cemetery. Here are several inscriptions that spoke to me:

"Precious one from us has gone, a voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our home which never can be filled."

"Sleep on sweet darling and take thy rest, God called thee home. He thought it best."

"Here is one who is sleeping in faith and love. With hope that is treasured in Heaven above."

"Shed not for them the bitter tear
Nor give your hearts to vain regret
Tis but the caskets that lie here,
The gems that filled them sparkle yet."

When Dave and I were first married we took a road trip to California. Whenever I spotted an old cemetery I'd beg him to stop so that I could go exploring. Being the good guy that Dave is, he would pull over to the side of the road and follow me as I traipsed through what most often was a run-down, neglected graveyard. He didn't question my odd obsession but I could tell he wondered who this woman was that he'd just married. I suppose some may find my attraction to cemeteries as more than merely odd.

If I had to explain my strange fascination, I'd say it probably has to do with my love of history, genealogy, and most of all, story. I believe our lives are stories and cemeteries are the physical record of the men, women, and children who've gone before--some far too early and others whose stories were long and hopefully, happy and satisfying. As a writer, I cherish story wherever I find it. If that's in a cemetery, then so be it.

Storytelling is in my genes. My father was a great storyteller and I like to think I got some of my talent from him. Although he never put any of his stories down on paper, he spun the most fascinating tales that I still remember to this day. Unlike Dad, my own stories have been published in print and digitally over the last several years. In the beginning, I wrote for my own amusement and to entertain my children. When I began to get serious about the writing craft, I realized that I had a lot to learn if I were to ever become a published author.

I set a goal to learn as much as I could by attending writing classes, workshops and conferences. I've always been an avid reader, but I started reading novels to understand how the author wrote his or her story structurally. I read a lot of "how to write" books to understand plot, theme, characterization, setting, etc. I quickly discovered that there is a ton of advice out there and it's up to the would-be author to determine what works best for him or her. The quest for knowledge about how to write a damn good story is a never-ending process. And sometimes, the knowledge comes from the most unexpected sources.

The best advice I ever got wasn't technically advice at all. It was just what I overheard a five-year-old boy say to his mother. I'd taken my granddaughter to her ice skating lesson and sat in the observaction area next to a mother and her little boy. He had no interest in watching his older brother skate so his mother entertained him by telling a story. It was quite an adventurous tale that lasted the entire thirty minute ice skating lesson. The mother had made her son the pilot of a rocket ship to Mars and he was riveted to every word she spoke. I even found myself interested in the story. After each exciting episode in which her boy had heroically saved the day, his mother would pause for dramatic effect. Her son would then eagerly ask, "And then what happened?"

As I thought about this experience later, I realized that the five-year-old had captured the essence of storytelling: Something must happen. Then something else must happen. And then something else. On and on it must go until you reach the end of the story (or the end of the ice skating lesson). A character sitting around thinking about how miserable his life is, won't make the cut. But a character finding himself caught up in a miserable situation in which he must do something about it, will have the reader quickly turning the page to find out what happened next. I believe my father and the mother of the little boy knew this truth intuitively. It's a truth worth striving for.

Communication experts say that 78% of first impressions is attributed to body language (including clothes, handshake, eye contact, etc.) and only 8% due to what you actually say.  No wonder then that most interviewers make up their mind within 10 seconds of meeting a candidate. 

In the first mystery in my concierge mystery series, the main character, Kate Ryan, goes on a job interview after losing her engineering job to outsourcing.  Although she was the project engineer at the condo where she's applying to work as concierge, she feels too old and without the proper experience for the job.  On top of that, the interviewer is the former high school boyfriend of her now adult daughter.  When he makes the connection, she believes the job is toast.  He even knows she's been an engineer and is worried she will bail at the first sign of an economic recovery and the promise of a higher paying job.  Fortunately for Kate, she is able to convince him otherwise and ends up with the job. 

Like Kate, I've had my share of uncomfortable job interviews. The most memorable was when I applied for a position as management trainer at a large corporation.  There were six interviewers but that wasn't the worst part.  The other two candidates under consideration were also present.  Each of us had to give a 15-minute presentation in front of the decision makers as well as our competition.  Luckily, I got the job but it was a highly stressful 15 minutes.  Even with certain questions now off limits during interviews, I've endured inquiries into my day care arrangements, how my husband felt about my working outside the home,  whether I could work with an all-male office environment, and similar personal questions.

Kate Ryan is the interviewer in the second novel in the mystery series.  This time she poses the questions and the experience is just as uncomfortable.  From the candidate who stops to take a cell phone call to one bold individual who takes off his shoes and asks for a sip of her coffee.

What about you?  Have you had an embarrassing or uncomfortable moment in a job interview?  Or, have you been the interviewer with a candidate from hell?  Write your comment below.  The most unusual or embarrassing incident will win a free copy of my new novel, "Concierge Confessions."

Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.  Ask a native Portlander where they were born and chances are they will say "Emanuel."  That's because from the 1930s to the 1960s, one of every three babies born in the city wailed their way into the world at Emanuel Hospital.  I was one of those babies.  World War II was just coming to an end when I was born on August 10, 1945.  My mother called me her VJ baby and named me Verna Jean. 

​Although I have no recollection of my arrival at Emanuel, I vividly recall the day when I returned twenty-six years later.  I had no labor pains and walked into the hospital accompanied by my mother.  My husband was unable to get off work, but it seemed only fitting that my mother and I would make the return trip together.  We were greeted by a nurse who, after verifying our identities, led us to a small room to wait for the delivery.  A few minutes later, she returned with the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen.  Our daughter, Maryanne, had been born three days earlier on October 10, 1971 and officially became ours when her adoption was finalized.  On this Mother's Day and always, I will remember Emanuel as the hospital where two wonderful dreams were fulfilled. 

I don’t think there’s an author who hasn’t heard some variation of the “where do you get your ideas?” question.  When I give talks about the writing process I’m invariably asked about how I’m able to come up with characters and situations that make for a good story.  What they’re really asking is how do I hook or grab the reader’s interest.  My answer is always the same.  Something has to grab me first.  That might be a newspaper headline, a song, an overheard conversation, or any number of events that get me thinking “what if?” I keep asking “what if” until I have raised a series of questions that will eventually form the story’s plot.

In murder mysteries, the basic plot is fairly simple:  Someone is murdered and the hero or heroine (whether amateur or professional) must figure out who dunnit.  What makes a mystery unique are the characters and situations involved and how the plot relates to the theme. Although many people think plot and theme are one and the same, they are actually quite different. Plot is what the characters do, but the theme is the lesson or moral underlying the plot. The theme of a book is a message that describes an opinion about life, human nature or elements of society.

I never start out thinking about theme.  What I do think about are some questions that, when combined with the “what ifs” underlying the plot, lead naturally to theme.  So, before I ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard I ask myself three questions: (which are applicable to any type of writing):

1.       What do I care about?  Am I willing to spend a year or more thinking, researching, and writing about the subject?  I believe great writing comes from passion, a desire to get those words down on paper that is so strong that nothing, even your own fears, will stop you from doing it.

2.       What do I know or would like to know more about?  I used to think that I had to be an expert in a subject before I could write about it.  Not true.  You just have to be curious enough to spend some time learning about it. Most people are willing to share what they know with you if you politely ask.  Over the years I’ve consulted with a wide variety of experts on myriad subjects—from fingerprint analysis and gunshot residue to riding out a storm while sailing solo.  I draw upon my own experiences a lot in my writing, but since I’ve never really murdered anyone or known anyone who has (and hopefully never will!), I have to rely on law enforcement specialists for their technical advice and guidance. 

3.      What do I like to read?  When I first started writing, I attended a lot of creative writing classes. I’ll never forget the woman who raised her eyebrows when I told her I was writing a mystery.  I thought she was just one of those people who think genre writing is somehow inferior to “true literature.” But no, she couldn’t see the rationale behind writing what you like to read.  She huffily informed me that romance novels represented 48% of the market.  The implication was clear – I was missing out on a lucrative segment of the reading public.  I can’t write what I don’t like to read.  That leaves out romances, science fiction (except for time travel novels), urban fantasy, or anything advertised as chick lit.  But everything else is wide open for future writing endeavors.  Stay tuned.