Morning Pages

I'm writing about one of my favorite tools for writers and anyone else who wants to plug into their creative side today at The Unpredictible Muse.

Please stop by and add your thoughts to the discussion.


It's all better with friends.

When Something Doesn't Feel Quite Right

Well, I finished my first draft of the new manuscript on Thursday. I posted a little about the emotional aspects on Crime Fiction Collective today. I'd love for you to pop in and comment.

But here, at Suspense Novelist, I'd like to focus a little bit on how I got there. How I was able to finish it in the first place. What my process was.

Writing the last few scenes sat in front of me for days. I didn't exactly ignore them, but I wasn't completely on board with a couple of the aspects I'd carried over from the original manuscript to try and use again with the new one. I didn't really know I felt this way until I realized there was something making me reticent to keep writing. Something felt off.

As writers, we need to pay attention to our instincts. To our own bodies. When we feel uncomfortable, we're probably on to something important. Rather than muddle through and end up with something I hated (and readers would hate at least as much), I took a little time and tried to figure out what felt "icky."

Most of my ending felt great. It hummed. It connected. But one little element felt contrived and totally amateur. Something my husband would hate. With the help of my morning pages brainstorming session, I came up with an alternative. Not nearly as melodramatic, but equally absorbing. At least I hope so.

The take-away here is to have a plan, but be willing to veer from that plan when necessary. Pay attention to whatever reluctance you might have about a part of your plot, or a character, or a setting. Examine it. Decide whether it even merits a place in your story. When you are fighting something, there's probably a very good reason.


CR: California Fire and Life by Don Winslow.

It's all better with friends.

No Gorillas in the Mist

So far, the manuscript I'm working on is what I'd always dreamed writing would be like. Knock wood.

Yes, it's work, but it's incredibly gratifying. The story is there, I don't need to go hunting (much) for it. It's all in a wonderful refreshing mist hanging right in front of me. All I need to do is pull the molecules together and get the words down. This is the first time I've ever experienced an almost living organism with my writing, and hope this is the way things roll for me from now on.

What's the difference between this one and the others I've worked on?

1. The entire story began with a mystery. A tiny news story caught my eye, and my Intrigued Button was pushed. Pay attention to those little headlines that make you look twice.

2. I've worked hard at learning the craft of writing. The critiques and edits and courses I've taken are giving me confidence. Finally.

3. I began with some solid research into the story concept before I ever wrote a word. Research has a way of redirecting your story. It adds both credibility and depth because, with good research, you don't have to gloss over a story concept in hopes no one will look too close.

4. I found some amazing characters. Strong, flawed, passionate and unafraid. These characters came to me fully formed, even those who withheld their secrets. They've brought in sub-plots and issues I hadn't originally considered.

5. Brainstorming. Friends who are also writers are the greatest gifts I could have (aside from a puppy). From fleshing out plot ideas, to seeing the best motivation, to knowing what the first scene absolutely had to be.

6. A road map. Brainstorming early (alone and with another writer) led to notes and a rough synopsis. Not everything is spelled out (I'd be so bored) but the major plot points are there for me to know in which direction to aim.

7. The Story. And I'm back to the beginning. The initial concept had to be intriguing enough to mushroom into more. Without depth and color and mist-ery, a writer can only go so far. I just hope I can meet the challenge of the story.


Right now I'm in Writer Nirvana. Hoping that if there are any gorillas in the mist, they're there to bring tension to my characters, not to me.

Have you found an evolution with your writing?




CR: Rain Gods by James Lee Burke.

It's all better with friends.

Brainstorming Theft

My dad, Bud Ham, talks about how important it is for everyone to know one or two things at which they excel.

When he was a kid, my dad could shoot marbles better than anyone else in Florence, Colorado. It gave him a place to camp when the world did a number on him.

Know what he's talking about?

With writing, it seems I'm naturally a little bit good with dialogue (thank goodness), titles (they're fun) and . . . brainstorming.

Brainstorming for others. Not for myself. For myself, I pretty much suck.

A gazillion years ago, when I wore a corporate hat, I learned how to brainstorm through some management classes. That's not to say there haven't been improvements—did I say "years ago?"—but the general let-loose mentality still applies.

The difference is that brainstorming in a group is way different than brainstorming as a solo exercise. With a group, you feed off each other. Every new idea or word or even hiccup, can create the brilliant leap everyone is looking for.

Solo? Think Stuck. Or Suck. Take your pick.

I love brainstorming. It feeds my energy. I rarely remember one thing I've come up with one second later. That's the beauty of it. When I'm helping someone else, they're the focus. Their need. Not necessarily my idea.

So. If you're afraid someone might steal your idea, think again. Not only will it probably be out of their minds in a nano-second, it's probably already been thought of.

Any idea, put into the hands of an individual, is going to take on that individual's nuance. Their history. Their perspective.

Two questions for you to think about. What is your Shooting Marbles place to excel?

And, are you holding your ideas so close to the vest you might be missing something fabulous by becoming vulnerable and brainstorming?

CR: Anne Lamott and I are spending a few brief minutes together every night. If she walked into my house right now, she'd be welcomed as a friend. I'd even change the sheets in the guest room on the spur of the moment, just in case.

It's all better with friends.