KN Magazine: Articles
How the Killer Nashville Conference Changed My Life as an Author by Saralyn Richard
The benefits of professional conferences are unquestionable. I attended dozens as an educator, and I even participated in hosting some when I was a school improvement consultant. I know what goes into planning them, and I consider myself an authority when evaluating them.
That said, I had high expectations when I attended my first-ever writing conference, Killer Nashville, in 2019. I had heard good things about Killer Nashville. I was expecting to learn a lot from the assemblage of diverse and qualified speakers—authors, agents, and others in the publishing industry. I knew I would meet people and participate on panels and have a good time. My first mystery novel, Murder in the One Percent, was up for a Silver Falchion for police procedurals and in the Readers’ Choice Awards competition. So I packed my suitcase and hopped on an airplane, full of anticipation.
What I didn’t expect was that this conference would change my life as an author. I know that’s high praise, but it’s not hyperbole. What did Killer Nashville do to ignite my professional growth? I’m bursting with examples, and they all have to do with people.
In 2019, the guest authors were Joyce Carol Oates, David Morrell, and Alexandra Ivy. As a conference participant, I had the opportunity to observe and interact with each of these authors numerous times. The quality of content in their interviews and workshops was high, and the environment was cozy enough to allow for meaningful dialogue. I had admired Joyce Carol Oates’s writing for many years. I’d even taught many of her short stories. It was a special thrill to learn that so many big ideas had emanated from such a petite person, a writer focused not on her past works, but on her future ones. “Write about what matters,” she expounded. Her utter lack of timidity was inspirational. David Morrell continued to inspire. He pointed out that “reading is the only way to develop empathy,” and it is the writer’s obligation to evoke the best human emotions from readers. Alexandra Ivy spoke about the fear many authors struggle with, but she said, “Writing from your heart is the only way to find your voice.”
Here I am, two years later, still quoting these acclaimed authors, but, more importantly, I’ve taken to heart their advice. My subsequent mystery novels march boldly into areas and topics that have relevance to society—PTSD, LGBT, me too, race relations—to name a few. The guest authors’ remarks showed me how important it is to write from the soul.
The guest authors weren’t the only people who had a positive effect on my writing. Also on board were five friendly and helpful literary agents. I chatted informally with several of them at the Friday night “’Shine ‘n’ Wine” event, and I attended a session in which they explained how they work and what they look for in submissions. I also attended a pitch session where I received a personalized critique from two agents. Although these sessions didn’t result in my snagging an agent, they provided me with something more important—a critical view of the process of moving a story to publication in a highly competitive market. Now I’m much more conscious of voice and deep point of view than I was before, and I have a broader view of my audience.
Next, I participated in scores of special sessions and panel discussions. Most of these were in small group settings, so I was able to get to know the presenters and ask questions. I presented at several sessions, as well, and was the group leader for one. Through these sessions I met a lot of fellow authors. We exchanged cards and contact information, shared common experiences, and formed networks. My social media platform exploded, and when the time came to seek authors to read my next books with an eye toward writing review blurbs, these were my go-to people. I have done a lot of cross-promoting with authors I met at Killer Nashville, and we have continued to encourage each other and celebrate victories together.
Speaking of victories, the awards ceremony at Killer Nashville was thrilling. So many contending books were represented as finalists in various categories, and so many authors received warm attention for their writing. That moment when my name and my book title were called out in two categories—it felt like the culmination of a lifelong dream. That Murder in the One Percent won the Readers’ Choice Silver Falchion for 2019 was the ultimate acknowledgment that I’d achieved something meaningful as an author. The honors went a long way toward motivating me to work harder to improve my craft, to connect with readers again and again.
One special feature of Killer Nashville was the mock crime scene set up by Dan Royce, formerly of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. Throughout the conference, participants were invited to examine clues laid out in a hotel suite. The murder scene represented a real case, and it was my job to identify which items were pertinent to solving the case, decide which tests needed to be performed on these items, and form a conclusion as to who killed the victim, how the killing occurred, and what the motive was. It was a real-live game of Clue. It was fun to compete with other mystery authors to solve the murder correctly, but I also learned a lot about forensics, the precision required during investigations, and the costs of the crime-solving methodology. I was able to transfer this knowledge to my writing, as well.
All these experiences combined to make my time at Killer Nashville one of the most worthwhile weekends of my writing career. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the glue that held all of the components of the conference together, the Killer Nashville staff. Each staff member was friendly and helpful, throughout the conference, but Liz Gatterer did so many things to make my experience go smoothly from start to finish. Her organizational skills and people skills really shone. Finally, huge accolades went to Clay Stafford. His vision and commitment to Killer Nashville have made everything else work together like a perfectly performed play. Clay’s energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and he made every one of us feel like family.
What was the secret recipe for a life-changing writers’ conference? Equal parts of class, spirit, inspiration, support, and Southern hospitality. Stirred until smooth. Gently baked with caring hands. Rendered super cool, and served repeatedly over time. I can’t wait to go back!
Award-winning mystery and children’s book author, Saralyn Richard was born with a pen in her hand and ink in her veins. A former urban high school educator, she’s living the dream, connecting with readers through her books: A Murder of Principal, Naughty Nana, Murder in the One Percent, and A Palette for Love and Murder. Saralyn participates in International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, and she teaches creative writing. Website: http://saralynrichard.com.
On Bringing Back A Long-Dormant Series by Steven Womack
In 1990, after almost two decades collecting rejection slips, I finally published a novel, Murphy’s Fault. The book had been turned down by over twenty publishers before legendary mystery editor Ruth Cavin picked it up for St. Martin’s Press.
After such an inauspicious, tortured beginning, imagine my surprise when the book was named to the 1990 New York Times Notable Book List, the only first mystery on the list that year. This got me a second contract and a little bit of local notoriety.
A short time after the book was published, Tennessee writer Deborah Adams asked me to blurb her debut novel, All The Great Pretenders. As I’d never been asked to provide a blurb before, I was flattered. I loved the book, wrote a nice little slug for it, and sent it off to the editor at Ballantine Books, Joe Blades.
The next thing I know, Joe called and thanked me for the recommendation. He also mentioned that Deb had sent him a copy of Murphy’s Fault and that he really liked it. The next words out of his mouth made my jaw drop:
If you ever want to work together, give me a call…
Now you have to understand, I was 37 years old and had been collecting rejection slips since I was 18. For an editor at a major New York house to make that offer staggered the imagination.
“I’ll have you something in 30 days,” I promised.
Joe laughed. “Well, give yourself a little time.”
After we hung up a few moments later, it hit me: What the hell do I do now?
I went back through my files and found a project I’d worked on years earlier, a story featuring Harry James Denton, an investigative reporter in Nashville who gets fired and decides to become a private investigator because he thinks it might be fun. His first case comes when an old girlfriend hires him to investigate her husband, a prominent doctor who compulsively cheats on her.
Originally a 75-page novella, I offered Murder at Vanderbilt to Nashville Magazine for free. They turned it down. Wrap your head around that: I literally couldn’t give the damn thing away.
Now, though, I had an editor at a major mystery house who wanted something from me and I had promised it to him in 30 days. I went to work and rewrote the first few chapters, then expanded the plot into a full-length genre mystery and sent it off to Joe Blades.
He bought it.
It wasn’t a great deal and the advance was, well, modest. We also wrangled over titles. My original working title for the book was Death on a Soda Cracker. Thank God, I lost that battle. We finally settled on Dead Folks’ Blues, a riff on Music City.
Dead Folks’ Blues launched in early 1993. I did a few local signings. Ballantine put a little bit of marketing into the book, but not much.
Then lightning struck. Dead Folks’ Blues was nominated for an Edgar. I’d heard of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, but had no idea what it meant. My friend and mentor Sharyn McCrumb explained that the Edgar Award was often called the Pulitzer Prize of genre fiction.
What I did know was that suddenly Ballantine Books was treating me a lot better. They flew me and my then-wife to New York City for the 1994 Edgar Awards banquet and put us up in a swank hotel. Sue Grafton was President of the Mystery Writers of America that year and I remember being almost in shock when she ripped open the envelope and called my name.
In a daze, I walked through the applauding crowd up to the dais. Sue leaned in as she handed me the statue. “This is so cool!” she whispered into my ear.
And it was. To this day, it’s the biggest professional thrill I’ve ever experienced. I woke up the next morning to see all the Edgar winners, including mine, on the CBS Morning News. My agent, Nancy Yost, sent me a bottle of Aberlour Single Malt Scotch whiskey. That long-empty bottle still occupies a place of honor on a bookshelf in my office.
Perhaps more importantly, it cracked a door to persevere. Ultimately, Joe bought five more books in the Harry James Denton series. In what has to be some minor footnote in the history of series mysteries, every installment either won or was nominated for a major mystery award. Torch Town Boogie was nominated for the Shamus Award, as was Way Past Dead. The fourth installment, Chain of Fools, was nominated for both the Shamus and Anthony Awards.
Murder Manual hit the trifecta of mystery awards when it was nominated for a second Edgar, another Anthony Award nomination, and won the Shamus Award. The last Harry James Denton novel, Dirty Money, was nominated again for the Shamus.
As well as the books did critically and awards-wise, sales were lackluster. The advances were still tiny and the books were consigned to the mass-market paperback ghetto. I voiced my frustration, so Ballantine made a verbal promise to move the last two books into hardcover.
Unfortunately, as Sam Goldwyn observed, a verbal promise ain’t worth the paper it’s written on. When the last two books were published, they came out as paperbacks and I walked.
Worse, I walked right into 1999-2000, when the publishing industry had hit the skids. As hard as she tried, Nancy Yost couldn’t get another house to pick up the series.
Meanwhile, life got in the way. Divorce, remarriage, becoming a father for the first time in my late 40s, rinse and repeat in my early 50s. My writing career was in the dumper and I had a family now. When the film school at the Watkins College of Art in Nashville—where I’d been teaching adjunct for a few years—offered me a full-time job, I jumped on it.
For the next twenty years, that was my life. I didn’t quit writing altogether, but in those two decades I only published two standalones. I always meant to get back to Harry, but there never seemed to be enough time or energy.
He never left me, though.
Fast forward to 2020, when the Watkins College of Art closed its doors permanently. The Covid-19 pandemic hit, so I was stuck at home with a lot of time on my hands. I decided to bring back Harry. To make this happen, I had to revisit those first six books.
What I realized was that without really meaning to, I’d sculpted a series of story arcs. Each book had a story that would stand on its own, from start to finish. But overarching the whole series was a larger story, the story of a guy who loses everything and has to rebuild his life from scratch, who sets forth on an odyssey to find himself.
It’s also a grand, doomed love story between Harry and the great love of his life, Dr. Marsha Helms, who’s a forensic pathologist. They meet in Dead Folks’ Blues. Their relationship rises and falls over the middle four books, then they have a daughter and break up in the last book, Dirty Money.
That’s where we left Harry, in Reno, Nevada after becoming a father and having to return to Nashville without his daughter and her mother.
So how do you bring that character back?
The first challenge was to answer the big question: Was I going to pick up the series as if Harry had just left Reno? That wasn’t workable; too much has changed in the world since then. The alternative was to drop back into Harry’s life almost two decades later, when he’s pushing 60 and his daughter, Alexis, is a teenager.
I had to create a backstory to fill in the years since we last saw Harry. Then I had to figure out how to weave all that exposition into a new book without it grinding the narrative to a halt.
I also had to come up with an idea for the novel, so in the finest sense of writing what you know, I decided to get Harry involved in a murder mystery set in a film school.
The result, almost a year later, was Fade Up From Black: The Return of Harry James Denton.
Reviving a dormant series can be tricky. I thought at first I’d have to self-publish the book. Years ago, I got the rights back to the first six books and successfully republished them under my Spearhead Press imprint, so it seemed a solid plan.
But after receiving some really incredible feedback from other mystery writers as well as a few select readers, I decided to take a shot at a traditional publishing deal. To that end, I’m on the hunt for the right agent and a great book deal.
More than anything, it’s good to be back in the game. Wish me luck.
Steven Womack began his first novel when he was eighteen-years-old. A short eighteen years later, he finally sold one. His first published novel, Murphy’s Fault, was the only debut mystery on the 1990 New York Times Notable Book List. Since then, he has published eleven more novels, winning an Edgar Award for Dead Folks’ Blues and a Shamus Award for Murder Manual.
A scriptwriter as well, Womack also co-wrote the screenplays for Proudheart, which was nominated for the CableAce Award, and Volcano: Fire On the Mountain, an ABC television movie that was one of the most-watched television movies of the year.
Womack was also a founding faculty member of the Watkins Film School in Nashville, where he anchored the screenwriting program for 25 years until the college closed in 2020. Now retired from teaching, he has returned to full-time writing.
Visit his website at www.stevenwomack.com.
The Power of No by J.A. Jance
When I was in second grade, I read the Oz books written by Frank Baum—not just the one with Dorothy and the ruby slippers, but all those other Oz books as well. Encountering those stories didn’t make me want to be either Dorothy or a wizard. No, reading them made me want to be Frank Baum, putting words on pages, and from that moment on, that’s what I wanted to be in life—a writer.
It wasn’t easy. I wasn’t allowed in a university-level Creative Writing class in 1964 because, as the professor pointed out, I was a girl. “Girls,” he told me, “become teachers or nurses. Boys become writers.” As a consequence, I ended up with a teaching degree and later a masters degree in Library Science. As icing on the cake, I married a man, a guy who was allowed in the Creative Writing class that had been closed to me. He told me in 1968 there was only going to be one writer in our family, and he was it. (For the record, he never published anything!) But because I wanted my marriage to work, I put my fiction writing ambitions aside and left them alone for the next fourteen years.
After spending two years as a high school English teacher and five as a school librarian, I then did another ten-year sting of selling life insurance. In actuality, selling life insurance was a wonderful preparation for becoming a writer because I learned the important skill of ignoring the word NO. Life Underwriting Training Council classes suggest that sales people should expect to be given ten NOs before getting appointments and another ten NOs during appointments before walking away with an application and a check. That’s exactly what I did exactly that for the next ten years. A side benefit to all that was meeting and talking to countless people. I heard all those folks’ stories, and squirreled many of them away for future reference.
By the early eighties, I was a divorced, single mom in my late thirties, living in Seattle and still selling life insurance. I decided to enroll in the Dale Carnegie course in order to improve my sales skills. Participants were required to give a series of talks, one of them focused on an experience along the way that changed the course of their lives. Mine was about how in 1970 my former husband and I had crossed paths with a serial killer. When the talk was over one of my classmates turned to me and said, “Someone should write a book about that!” And the thought that passed through my mind in that moment? I’m divorced. What have I got to lose?
That was on a Thursday night. In preparing for the presentation, I had realized that living through the sixty days between when we first came to grips with the idea that there had been a killer in our midst and the time he was taken into custody had changed me into someone I hadn’t been before. We lived in a solitary house on a small volcanic knoll at the time, seven miles from the nearest neighbor or telephone. For forty of those sixty days, I was on the hill by myself, carrying a loaded weapon and fully prepared to defend myself. Once those forty days were over, I was a different person from the one I had been before. I had gained a measure of independence no amount of bra burning can ever duplicate.
After that talk, I spent the next three days wondering if anyone would want to read a book about someone who has a life changing experience and finally gets a divorce ten years later? That just didn’t work. Finally in the wee hours of Sunday morning I figured it out—why not write a novel rather than telling the real story? Sunday after church, I took pen to paper and began writing my first novel which turned into a 1400 page opus, one that was never published even after an agent advised me to cut it in half. (By the way, the agent who didn’t sell my first book is still my agent fifty books later.)
Painful as the agent’s initial rejection seemed at the time, I did what she said and trimmed out literally half the book. By the way, writing that first unsold manuscript and reducing it by half was an invaluable process. It gave me on-the-job training in plotting, pacing, dialogue creation, and scene setting. By cutting it in half, I learned the value of accepting editorial advice. Believe me all of those skills are necessary ingredients for becoming a “real” writer.
For the two years following that Dale Carnegie event, I stood with a foot in both worlds, writing from 4 AM to 7 AM before getting my kids up for school and me ready to go sell life insurance. In 1984 when I finally had to make a choice between the two—selling insurance or writing—I chose writing. People thought I was nuts, and from a financial standpoint at the time, they weren’t wrong. When my first two Beaumont books sold in a two-book contract for $4000 total, that income came to only a fraction of what I’d been earning before. I kept on writing after exiting the insurance job, but I had to scramble to support my family. I did one stint of handling auditions for Family Feud and worked with a team selling season tickets for the Seattle Repertory Theater.
In 1985 I had the good fortune of meeting the wonderful man who became my second husband. For the first several years of our marriage, he supported all of us—him, me, his kids, and mine. Then, in 1994, he was able to retire, and I began supporting him. I still do, by the way.
I began my publishing career in the low-brow world of original paperbacks. Naysayers around me told me that original paperback mysteries had a ninety-day shelf life. My first Beaumont book, Until Proven Guilty, was published in 1985. It is still in print today. That’s a whole lot of ninety days later and proof positive that the NO people aren’t always right! For book after book I chose to remain with the same publishing house rather than being lured away by the promise of higher up front advances, and that’s the primary reason my backlist catalog continues to grow.
My latest Ali Reynolds book, Unfinished Business, hit bookstores on June 1stof this year. That’s book number 64. I’m working on the Beaumont #25, Nothing to Lose, due out next year. That will make 65 published books. Not bad for a girl. If you add in novellas, the number is closer to seventy, but who’s counting?
The point is, those books exist because I refused to take NO for an answer—not from the Creative Writing professor, not from my first husband, and not from the countless people who told me it was dumb to leave a sure thing of selling insurance in favor of the risky idea of becoming a writer. (By the way, it’s best to not make mystery writers mad. They have their ways of getting even. In my first hardback, Hour of the Hunter, the crazed killer turns out to be a former professor of Creative Writing from my alma mater, the University of Arizona. Too bad the professor was dead by then and never saw it.)
I recently received an email from one of my early naysayers, someone who knew me back in my life insurance days. She said, “When you said you were quitting insurance to become a writer, I never believed it would happen, but it did. I have now read every one of your books.” That one really made me smile.
For people launching off on the path of becoming writers, there will be all kinds of folks holding up STOP signs along the way and telling you it’ll never work. If you happen to be someone who’s easily discouraged, maybe you should avoid them as much as possible. But for me, the exact opposite was true. The more people told me no, it would never happen, the more I wanted to prove them wrong, and I believe I have.
And if you really want to have fun, one of these days write one of those doomsday don’t-go-there folks into one of your stories. Whether or not that work gets published, writing a little revenge fiction will make you feel better.
As for me, at this point I’m grateful for all the naysayers in my life, the ones who told me my idea of becoming a writer would never work. I’m a whole lot like that Little Engine That Could. The more people told me it couldn’t be done, the more determined I was to make it happen.
Yes, there’s power in the word NO, but there’s even more power in ignoring it.
The most important bit of writing advice I ever received came when I bought my first computer in 1983. The guy who sold it to me fixed it so that, when I logged in at four AM each day, these are the words that flashed across the screen: A writer is someone who has written TODAY!
Having written this little essay, I qualify as a writer for today, but now I need to get back to work on that next book. I have a deadline that’s actively ticking, and all those people out there who told me I was crazy are still shaking their heads in astonishment.
Thank you, Frank Baum. You helped make it happen.
J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, and the Joanna Brady series, as well as five interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. Visit her online at JAJance.com and listen to a recent interview with her at https://poisonedpen.podbean.com/e/j-a-jance/
The Changed World of Publishing by Dale T. Phillips
“In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that longer exists.” — Eric Hoffer
In the past, most professional novels on the market went through publishers, who set all the terms. Because the costs of printing, distributing, and advertising books were expensive (and difficult for the author to do on their own), it was considered mutually beneficial—the publisher took the financial risks of printing mass “runs” of books and distributing them. They had to guess about the possibility of profit in each instance. It was expensive, and they were taking a chance every time. While few authors lost money if a particular book didn’t sell, they were bound by what was considered sellable by others. So many books remained unpublished.
One statistic said that out of every five books on average, one would turn a profit, two would break even, and two would lose money. So, publishers bet on what they considered would sell. But even when they still had people who knew books (less the case these days), they were wrong so much of the time—and yet still made money. When you’ve got a monopoly on production, you can profit, as there are few challenges.
Everything that didn’t sell more expensive hardback copies was a heresy that traditional publishing fought. Cheaper paperback books were considered an abomination, yet readers loved them and bought even more books of all types, increasing readerships. Ebooks came along, and it was said they’d never be a significant part of the market (it’s rather significant now). The concept of audiobooks was thought marginal, and now they’re getting a bigger share of the market. At every turn, people found other ways of accessing stories without paying a lot for each one, yet with more profit to the creators—the authors. With each new method, smart authors could profit from adopting the path.
Still, printing books remained pricey until the advent of Print on Demand (POD) technology, where printing books became lower-priced, and one only needed to order as small a print run as they wanted—no more hundreds of unsold books in boxes in the garage for the self-published! Ebooks were even cheaper, and they started getting a higher profile. “Self-published” for so long was synonymous with “trash,” because anyone could do it, and it had not been blessed by the gatekeepers of publishing. Self-published authors were dismissed as hobbyists, not professionals. Yet some began creating works as good as the professionals, with astonishing results. Some sold primarily ebooks, and the early days of Kindle became a gold rush for a select few. Having quality items in a limited field can certainly be profitable, and many blasted out their results to upend the publishing world.
Now the publishing world no longer belongs solely to the gatekeepers. It is possible to publish and sell without an agent or a publisher (middlemen between the author and reader), and to keep control of one’s own work. It does mean that anyone wishing to be successful in this path learn a great deal about the ways and means of selling online, in essence becoming a small business. But a true business it can be.
That’s where we are today— any writer has multiple means of getting their stories out to the world without waiting years for a blessing or “go-ahead” from strangers. One can even make money at it, and some can even be very successful by adopting techniques used by successful authors before them. The information is widely available because the independent (indie) community is very open and helpful, and willing to share what works.
The writers to be pitied are the traditional writers, who came of age in a system that may have worked for them in the past, but no longer works for most. While writing stays the same, many writers have quit, unable to deal with the changes to everything they knew about publishing and unable or unwilling to learn. The sad part is, even with traditional publishers, writers are now expected to do much of their own marketing and selling anyway, but they have many more restrictions, and must do it without many of the benefits that indies enjoy. With the publishing world turned upside down, the indies are now the ones with the best chances of success going forward.
Though I began in the traditional path, getting an agent and trying to get a larger publisher interested, many months would go by with no word and no progress. By attending conferences, learning from blogs, articles, and talking to many writers, I saw that a new path was becoming viable. While I was learning more, I published my first few novels with small presses, who would let me set all the terms: content, covers, pricing, and distribution. After two years and three books, I had learned enough to strike out on my own. Now with 24 books out, I am my own publishing company, and quite happy to produce all my work on my schedule, just the way I like it.
Many traditional authors bewail people finding mistakes in their books, because it is expensive to change the galley proofs, so oftentimes errors remain unfixed. Indie writers can correct any published error and have an updated version in minutes, for ebooks, and days for print.
Due to the changes in publishing, it is now the best time in history to be a writer. One can create stories and get them to a worldwide market, in multiple formats. Anything a writer wishes to create can be up for sale, with no one blocking publication, because they feel it will not sell enough. We have ultimate freedom for our craft.
Dale T. Phillips has published novels, story collections, non-fiction, and over 70 short stories. Stephen King was Dale’s college writing teacher, and since then, Dale has found time to appear on stage, television, radio, in an independent feature film, and compete on Jeopardy. He’s a member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Visit Dale at www.daletphillips.com.
There Is Someone Among You by Chad Campese
There is Someone Among You Who…
There is someone among you who’s done terrible things. Held dark thoughts, treated people poorly, said and done things they’ll forever regret. The bodies buried in their basement are many. But maybe it’s best for everyone if we don’t start there.
An exquisite mystery. The epic thriller. We cherish stories able to transport us from the familiar, the mundane, and into worlds like no other. Worlds that hold us at the edge of our seat, grip our attention, force our eyes to flow through the pages at a furious pace. We identify with the protagonist. They need to be victorious, or at least die trying. Then, in an instant, the secret comes to light. Our questions are answered. The story always ends.
But what if it didn’t? What if the greatest prose holding our attention, the thriller that gripped our mind wasn’t in book form at all? What if the excitement could always lie in the very depths of our souls, in our own lives, far beyond where people normally look or are comfortable exploring? What if that next great thriller was really just life itself. Authentic life. Maybe it isn’t boring, or mundane at all. Your life. Where’s it going? Where’ve you been? How does it end? Why are you here at all? Can you be our protagonist?
Your highest highs. The lowest lows. There are things no one knows about you. What you think, what you believe, the secrets that drive you. They sit in a box in the corner of the attic, back behind the Christmas decorations and under the home movies layered with cobwebs.
In public, we’re just faces, faces sitting on headshots next to a glowing bio. Happy family photos are draped across social media. Faces of good times, vacations, parties with no end. They litter the landscape everywhere as we fall farther into the trap of living life in shallow ways, never really being known, and dying eventually forgotten.
Writing, and the industry that surrounds it, can be a lonely endeavor. Difficult to break into, even more difficult to see it for what it really is. We can be an unknown people hidden behind a computer screen, the next great novel, pages filled with red pen. The words that surround us are our only friends. The mask, the shell that covers you at work, around acquaintances, even with family, it puts forward your best self, hopes and dreams riding on fake assumptions of what people want you to be. What we think the world wants us to be. We sit, at times alone, unconnected, unknown, lonely. Or maybe it’s just me.
Who are you? What’s your story? Can you thrill us by simply being authentic? By simply being honest with people about your failures, your struggles, your fears and thoughts. Underneath, inside, after the public persona gets stripped away, the greatest mystery, the most gripping thriller, sits in the person beside you at a meeting, it serves your dinner as the waitress gets a bit too close while placing your plate, the energy shocks you as your eyes meet for the briefest second. So much more to who they are, to who you are. What’s your confession? What’s the one thing that’s never let you go all these years? The one experience, addiction, action, or regret that’s created who you truly have become?
Yes, I am someone among you, someone who’s done terrible things to, with, and for people. They haunt my mind. Whiskey used to be a friend that helped drown out their voices. Their words drove reactions and interpretations of life in ways I wish I could change. But I can’t. I’m a cop, doing and seeing and living things that people write books about. I’ve written my own. It was both the loneliest and most freeing experience of my life.
We all eventually just become a collage of all life has offered. For me, it’s created a man, a fraud, a shell of himself, but only if you knew the truth. Smiles, laughter, lighthearted banter in public, yes. But if you shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and held my gaze, you’d see more. There’s always more.
Peace. Calm. Freedom. They come with confession. They come as the mystery ends and the thriller is solved and all the questions are answered. They come when a person takes the deepest breath, finally steps out onto the ledge they thought was much too small. But then, suddenly, they find their footing and realize the ledge is really a porch, filled with flowers and warmth, and a chair that beckons relaxation. The confession brings a closure to the space haunted by everyday as we sit, our favorite drink in hand, toasting whatever lies beyond the cotton whisps above. Listening, breathing, and becoming honest about who we are. Becoming truly known. Connected with an authentic community.
This blog aims to be that porch, filled with whatever relaxation looks like through your eyes. We are many things. Writers, new and experienced, publishers, editors, lovers of books, and so much more. Let’s connect the community of Killer Nashville, authentically. There’s no time or tolerance for surface conversations here. It is reserved for people who know that honesty, emotion, and feeling are the fuel of life. True life. And while this idea may fail, as people question whether the promises of freedom are worth the sacrifice of exposure, I think it has a potential that outweighs the risk.
Allow me to start. I’m a police officer of eighteen years. Recently, confession has been the only thing that saved my family, myself, and the things I now hold so dear. Freedom has found its way to my home as my thriller moves past its climax and my family and I get to move forward into whatever’s next. I look forward to being the first to share details, kick off the confession, conversation, and remove my mask in my next post.
What’s your mystery? What thriller is locked away in the depths of the person no one knows beyond your mask? Who are you when the night sets in and the quiet engulfs? I’d love to hear it, to experience it, to meet you and connect with the authentic, and then to share it here, for the benefit of both you, and others, with your permission. Being known, being able to admit who you are while knowing you have worth and value and purpose, and seeing that no matter what it costs, the thrill of authentic community connects all in ways you’ve never imagined is freedom. And it bonds us in instances both mysterious and thrilling.
There is someone among you…and indeed you are not alone.
Chad Campese is a father, a husband, a police officer for far too long, and a man being led down a path he’s not entirely sure of. He might be a freelance writer, but hasn’t yet tried to get a gig. But he’s never been rejected! His first book currently sits with a few contests, so maybe one day he’ll have an award to speak of, or even perhaps have been published. He enjoys hanging with his kids, his wife, and his friends, as he comes to terms with who he really is while enjoying a drink by the fire and staring off through the evening sky. He invites others to open up about their honest selves in ways that bond us all as we blindly feel our way together through this thing we call life.
Truth Meter for Murder: The Interview by Stephanie Dickinson
“In real-world situations, it’s very difficult to know what the truth is.” – Israeli psychologist Gershon Ben-Shahar
At the heart of Razor Wire Wilderness, my recently launched true crime memoir, stands Krystal Riordan, then a 20-year-old prostitute who witnessed a horrific murder, and now a 35-year-old inmate. In July 2006, at the end of a hot, steamy night, her 36-year-old pimp/boyfriend Draymond Coleman brought Jennifer Moore, a teenage girl stranded after a night of underage drinking, to the seedy Weehawken, New Jersey hotel room that the two shared. Krystal saw her boyfriend punch Jennifer when she refused his sexual advances and then continued to watch the escalating violence, the beating, the strangling, and the rape. Was she a willing accomplice, or was she too a victim? Draymond Coleman pled guilty to first-degree murder and received a 50-year sentence. His release date: January 23, 2049. Krystal pled guilty to kidnapping and hindering apprehension and received a 30-year sentence. Her release date: October 25, 2027.
Now, almost 15 years later, the question remains unanswered. Perpetrator or victim? Was she a willing accomplice, or was she too a victim? Or was she both accomplice and victim? Perhaps it’s not the right question or series of questions. Draymond Coleman refuses to be interviewed, although he occasionally writes Krystal: You never turned your back on me. You’re where you are because of my stupidity. And then most disconcerting: Even after our arrest your letters were always –I love you, I love you, I love you… What truth lies behind those words? Or the following from Krystal: I froze. I thought I would be next. Does truth smell like sweat and Clorox? He snapped, and then he snapped back. The sweat of the murderer and the Clorox used to wipe DNA from the body. I froze.
Finding the truth for the writer is ultimately not the same as the truth-seeking done by the police or by a prosecuting attorney; the writer is looking for a more nuanced truth, something that works toward explaining the inexplicable. Often those who know the perpetrator, the character witnesses, are interviewed not to corroborate evidence but to shift the focus, to introduce us to the variegated person they know, to render a fuller, more intimate picture. Draymond babysat for my daughter. He was a big teddy bear. For more substantiation, the police reports are scrutinized. Police look for certainty in either the circumstantial evidence or a confession that will lead to a conviction. Writers want to know what lies behind the corroborated, adjudicated truth. The interior, the unadorned, the bone truth.
How are we to interview an inmate about the crime they were sentenced for? Must they exonerate themselves to themselves? Are they running through a mental checklist of what and who they have revealed the truth to? It matters less how we interview the subject, whether in person or via video/audio or email, than providing a safe emotional space that puts our subject at ease. Krystal, my subject, is an eyewitness as well as a perpetrator. She underwent 14 hours of initial interrogation. Eye-witness testimony often leads not to truth but to misidentification and falsehood. The Innocence Project points out that inaccurate eye-witness testimony is the leading cause of false convictions. We are running up against the notorious tricks of memory. Perhaps the telling and re-telling opens the door to creating false memories.
Can we believe that she was remorseful? Not after viewing the video. She left the room at will numerous times. –Candida Moore, Victim Impact Statement
The grainy hotel video captures Krystal leaving the murder room on numerous occasions. I always did what he told me to do. I was weak-minded. No one who witnessed the crime is independent. The video camera turns out to be the most credible witness, free of bias and emotion. The truth meter grapples with I saw it with own eyes. Human memory is porous, the holes plugged with filler. Experts tell us we can’t possibly take in all the minutia around us, so the brain fills in the details.
Trauma degrades the clarity of memory. I was mugged inside my building and afterward I rode with the police through the neighborhood looking for the perpetrators. I had described two men, the taller one wearing a red sweatshirt. On the police radio we learned that two men had been apprehended after another mugging, minutes after mine had occurred, and were being held on Greenwich Avenue by the arresting officers. The taller man stood under the streetlights, and I saw he wore a brown jacket not a red sweatshirt. Instead, he had on red sweatpants. The chrome handgun tossed into the bushes linked the men to a series of muggings, including mine. Why had I been so sure of the red sweatshirt? The men had pushed me down in the stairwell and I was at eye level with the red sweatpants. I saw red. But what if someone’s future depended wholly on the accuracy of that red sweatshirt?
The interview, including the self-interview has always fascinated me, in its many hybrid forms. I conducted a fictional interview with a noir actress from the 1960s in my book Heat: An Interview with Jean Seberg. (New Michigan Press). Seemingly chronological, the questions evolved into something more circular, i.e., the actress interrogating herself and colliding with the existential question of whether or not you can even know your own truth. My friend Andrew Kaufman’s poetry collection The Rwanda Poems will soon appear and since he had conducted extensive face-to-face interviews in Rwanda with a number of genocide survivors, rape victims, perpetrators falsely accused, and perpetrators convicted of horrifically murderous acts, I asked him about his technique. Considering he spoke to both victims and perpetrators, was the testimony itself the sought-after truth? The speech? Did his approach differ when it came to perpetrators? He approached both initially the same in a kind of getting-acquainted approach, asking about the subject’s childhood, family, life experiences, school, work, and favorite activities. Then, in the case of perpetrators, the questions would narrow, becoming more pointed and specific.
Perhaps we should all try interviewing exercises, a self-interview, we become our own mock lie detectors. We can look at memory not as something fixed, but a fluidity, often a matter of perception.
In reviewing my first letters to Krystal I discovered that my technique and Andrew’s initially followed a similar path. Tell me about yourself: What is your favorite color? Do you like animals? What kind of music do you listen to? What are your favorite foods? I, then, told her all my favorites.
Later, I could ask
Q: I know you and Draymond have a child together. Do you have any contact with the child?
Q: Did having a child with him, make it difficult for you to testify against him?
Much later—
Q: Could Jennifer have left the room alive if she had stopped resisting Draymond?
A: Jennifer was no match for Draymond.
Q: Did Jennifer walk into the room willingly or did Draymond carry her in?
A: Jennifer was doing cocaine.
I questioned the validity of both answers. In Jennifer’s last cell phone call to her boyfriend, she states: “A man keeps following me, and he’s offering me drugs.” What I don’t question in Krystal’s answers are the deeper truths about her inner world that her few words reveal. In the beginning, I could not fathom how a young woman who had the ability to leave the murder room would not run for help. Now I understand, I do not condone or excuse, and it is not my place to forgive. Through interviews, I know Krystal both as perpetrator and victim. Never did she consider testifying against her ex-boyfriend, the now-convicted murderer. Although Draymond Coleman has promised on numerous occasions to give his statement to exonerate Krystal, he never has.
Stephanie Dickinson, raised on an Iowa farm, now lives in New York City with the poet Rob Cook and their senior citizen feline, Vallejo. Her novels “Half Girl” and “Lust Series” are published by Spuyten Duyvil, as is her feminist noir “Love Highway.” Other books include “Heat: An Interview with Jean Seberg” (New Michigan Press); “Flashlight Girls Run” (New Meridian Arts Press); “The Emily Fables” (ELJ Press); and “Big-Headed Anna Imagines Herself” (Alien Buddha). She has published poetry and prose in literary journals including Cherry Tree, The Bitter Oleander, Mudfish, Another Chicago Magazine, Lit, The Chattahoochee Review, The Columbia Review, Orca and Gargoyle, among others. Her stories have been reprinted in New Stories from the South, New Stories from the Midwest, and Best American Nonrequired Reading. She received distinguished story citations in Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays and numerous Pushcart anthology citations. In 2020, she won the Bitter Oleander Poetry Book Prize with her “Blue Swan/Black Swan: The Trakl Diaries.” To support the holy flow, she has long labored as a word processor for a Fifth Avenue accounting firm.
Is Your Marketing as Good as Your Art by D. Eric Maikranz
How a single comment from “Rich Dad” Robert Kiyosaki changed my approach to my writing
I decided to self-publish my novel The Reincarnationist Papers in 2009, but a chance reading of motivational and self-help giant, Robert Kiyosaki, (author of Rich Dad Poor Dad), sparked an idea that changed everything. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki relayed a conversation he had with an author who was struggling to break in and get published. The author lamented that she felt her writing was good enough and her novel and characters were interesting and compelling enough, but she kept getting rejected. Kiyosaki told her that what she needed to focus on wasn’t her art, but her marketing.
At first, Kiyosaki’s statement that marketing was equal to or potentially more important than the art itself infuriated me. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. At the time, my job involved designing software by collaborating with end users; I decided to collaborate with my readers in the same way. I eventually came up with the idea to let my readers help me market the book by offering them the agent’s commission. On the first page of my novel, I included a reward notice:
REWARD
As the author of this work, I offer you, the reader, the opportunity to redeem a cash award for introducing this work to any literary agent, publisher or producer that offers an acceptable contract [to the author] for this work. The reward offered is 10% of any initial book advance or option contract for film up to a maximum of $10,000.00…
I wanted to empower and incentivize my readers into helping me introduce The Reincarnationist Papers to a Hollywood producer who would adapt the book into a movie. The unorthodox marketing idea of putting a cash reward to readers on the first page of the book seemed like a crazy marketing plan—right up until it worked.
It didn’t take long for the first queries from readers to trickle in, but the breakthrough happened on Thanksgiving Day, 2010, when, Rafi Crohn, an assistant to a Hollywood director found The Reincarnationist Papers in a hostel in Katmandu Nepal while traveling.
The assistant rang me and, via a scratchy call from Katmandu, he told me that he loved the book, the idea of the reward, and that wanted to see the book made into a movie. I was ecstatic when I received his call. I felt validated that my idea had worked.
When he returned to Los Angeles, he set about getting The Reincarnationist Papers adapted into a motion picture, and true to his word, he brokered an option to Bellevue Productions who contracted a screenwriter to adapt a screenplay. It took Rafi a few years and there were times when the project looked dead, but in 2017, Bellevue sold the adapted screenplay, INFINITE, to Paramount Pictures. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Dylan O’Brien, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and is scheduled to premiere on September 24, 2021.
I often think back to that reading of Rich Dad Poor Dad and Kiyosaki’s advice on marketing. His simple message of focusing on the marketing as much as the art has made all the difference for me.
Are you focusing as much on your marketing as you are on your art? What is your plan for getting your art to a wider audience?
Author D. Eric Maikranz has led a multitude of lives. As a world traveler, he was a foreign correspondent while living in Rome, translated for relief doctors during a cholera epidemic in Nicaragua, and was once forcibly expelled from the nation of Laos. He has worked as a tour guide, a radio host, a bouncer, and as a Silicon Valley software executive. “The Reincarnationist Papers” is his first novel and has been adapted into the Paramount Pictures film, “Infinite,” starring Mark Wahlberg. He is also the author of two travel books, “Insider’s Rome,” and “Insider’s Venice.” Learn more at https://ericmaikranz.com.
It’s Your Book, but Don’t Leave the Reader in the Dust by Katherine Dean Mazerov
One of the biggest mistakes writers make is forgetting about the reader. While our lives and interests can certainly provide inspiration for a book or short story, we as writers often become too immersed in our own narratives or research, going down deep rabbit holes or diverging into the weeds of technical, overly academic subject matter that leaves the reader struggling to “get into” the story. What you, the author, finds interesting and compelling may not be to the people you are trying to reach.
Whatever you’re writing – a book, a short story, article, blog post—it needs to do at least one of three things:
Entertain: Aim to evoke emotion in your readers. Make them laugh or cry. Send chills up their spines. Help them escape from the stress and problems of the real world;
Resonate: Present a story where your readers can relate to or recognize the characters or plot in a meaningful way;
Enlighten: Educate your audience about an important issue, societal trend, or period of history.
As a career journalist, I have spent most of my life writing and editing newspaper and magazine articles, always with the underlying objective of giving people something they want or need to read. When I expanded my horizons into fiction, with a suspense novel partly inspired by events in my own life, I felt liberated by the opportunity to use my imagination to create my own colorful characters, comfortable, realistic dialog, and vivid scenes. I had fun with it. But in the back of my mind, I pondered the same “so what” question I’d asked as a reporter and editor: why would anyone want to read my book, and what will keep them engrossed in it?
For me, writing is equal parts art form and craft, a construction project that starts with that basic idea or vision—a strong foundation or premise that will provide the basis for a good page-turner. I love this process. Outlines, storyboards, even diagrams provide a roadmap for charting the story. I devote a lot of time thinking through an idea, then sharpen it with a basic outline that guides the storyline with a clear beginning, middle and end. There is no hard and fast rule on how to embark on a writing journey. Do what feels comfortable and enables you to write and tell the story. But know where you are going.
Then, hit the ground running with a first sentence or paragraph that immediately piques the reader’s interest, makes him or her hunger for more. In the world of journalism, that’s known as the lead; In fiction, it’s the grabber. This is no small feat. Whether you’re a seasoned, award-winning author or an aspiring writer, staring at that blank page can be daunting.
Start with a gripping scene, event, or key character using descriptive words that will capture and transport the reader into the story. Verbosity is not your friend here. Keep it simple but powerful. Use rich and scintillating words that will create a mood, conjuring up vibrant emotions and bold visuals that tell people your book is going to be a good read.
As your story unfolds, go back and review what you’ve written. Multiple times. Refine it. Perfect it. Writing is a fluid process. Look to your favorite authors or successful books to inspire empathetic characters, ambitious prose, and authentic dialog readers can identify with. And it doesn’t have to be fiction. In the 1960s and ‘70s, a literary movement known as “The New Journalism” emerged that combined research and investigative journalism with the techniques of fiction-writing to create powerful, descriptive prose, with detailed and riveting scenes and strong character development to tell stories about real-life events. The non-fiction novel.
One of the most iconic examples of this style of writing is Truman Capote’s 1966 book In Cold Blood, the true story of the horrific, senseless slaughter of a Kansas family by two ex-cons. Capote, of course, did not witness the crime, know why the killers did it, or what they did afterward. But his detailed reconstruction of the events and dialog from countless hours he spent with the killers in prison, exhaustive research of the crime scene, and retracing of the trail the killers left behind resulted in one of the most memorable crime books ever written. Here is his description of the hotel where the two killers ended up after traveling across the country following the slaughter:
In Miami Beach, 355 Ocean Drive is the address of the Somerset Hotel, a small, square building painted more or less white with many lavender touches…It is one of a row of little stucco-and-cement hotels lining a white melancholy street.
Instead of simply dismissing this destination as a seedy hotel in Miami, Capote took the time to flesh out the scene and describe the place in vivid, intricate detail, allowing the reader to really visualize and experience that setting and step into the story.
Good writing requires good organization—presenting the story in a coherent way that is easy for people to follow and understand. Which does not mean the narrative must be linear or chronological. That’s where transitions are so important. Authors need to employ problem-solving skills that enable them to figure out those all-important transitions that seamlessly take their readers from one scene to the next, present-day to flashback, character to character.
If you’re writing a crime, mystery, or suspense novel, it’s imperative to incorporate the right amount of foreshadowing, clues, and red herrings into the narrative that keep people engaged, allowing them to use their own imaginations and critical thinking skills to try and figure out the whodunit aspect of the tale.
And finally, combining all those elements to fit the story together so that it flows at a pace that keeps readers intrigued.
Ultimately, it’s your story. Your book. But keeping your readers top of mind throughout the process helps you move forward and stay focused on what’s important, creating not just a book, but an unforgettable literary experience.
KATHERINE DEAN MAZEROV is an award-winning journalist and the author of Summer Club, a suspense novel with a comedic twist where poop in the pool meets a body in the river. The former newspaper reporter and editor has been a magazine writer, worked in corporate communications for a Fortune 500 company and has written extensively on trends, market outlook, and emerging technologies for the global energy industry. She is passionate about writing, expanding her horizons along the way as a wife, mom, tennis player, skier, cyclist, and world traveler. She can’t imagine a world without dogs.
Writing Romantic Interests with Borderline Personality Disorder Fairly by R.J. Jacobs
Adam met Liz by chance in the aisle of a department store, and the two began a playful banter right away. Her laugh was airy and carefree, and she touched his arm while they talked. Before they parted ways, she said to him, “I know you want to text me, so why don’t you give me your phone and I’ll put my number in.” He placed his phone in her hand. Her candor was thrilling. Liz seemed so open and familiar.
They arranged to meet for a drink the following day. When Adam arrived at the bar, he spotted Liz easily despite the crowd; she was wearing a short, tight dress. She stirred her drink and kissed his cheek as he sat beside her. Her touch felt electric. Her eyes never seemed to leave him. Hardly an hour passed before they were at his apartment, turning off the lights.
The first three weeks of the relationship were invigorating; Adam felt energized and constantly turned on. He’d never had such great sex. Work seemed unimportant, and he often left early to spend time with Liz. He felt unusually protective when she mentioned her ex-boyfriend; thinking the guy sounded vain, even abusive. Fleetingly, Adam marveled at how quickly he and Liz had connected—in moments. The pace was dizzying. She texted a lot, and he noticed that when he didn’t respond immediately, she often asked if everything was okay. Or if he was mad at her. He found himself having to reassure her that he felt fine, and that the relationship was “great.”
“How great?” She would ask flirtatiously.
Something inside Adam began to tighten.
The next time he picked Liz up for a date, she seemed irritated at his being s a few minutes late. Adam noticed several magazines related to his hobbies on the coffee table in her living room, and that she’d stocked the refrigerator with his favorite type of beer. Over dinner, Liz wanted to decide on a vacation destination for the following summer, and had several ideas. When he told her he would need to check his work calendar, and that it was too early to decide, she bristled.
The following week, Adam realized he was woefully behind at work and needed to catch up. When he called Liz to suggest they postpone their date, she screamed and hung up. Startled, he immediately called back and when Liz answered, her voice sounded completely different. Sobbing, she explained that her doctor had phoned earlier to tell her that she had a rare form of cancer. “I’m sorry,” Adam offered. “What can I do?”
“Can you just come over so we can talk? I don’t want to be alone.”
An hour later, Adam arrived, and found Liz to be in a mysteriously positive mood. In fact, she didn’t seem to want to talk about her health at all. She wanted to have sex. The change seemed odd, and when Adam pressed for details, Liz was vague and annoyed. The tightening inside Adam continued. Her cancer diagnosis was never mentioned again.
A week later, Adam decided he decided he needed some space from the relationship, and explained to Liz, in the kindest way he knew, that he wanted to slow their pace and take time for himself. Liz turned over her chair as she stormed away. Five minutes later, Adam’s phone lit up with a text message from her. “I have something I need to talk about, too,” it said. Below was a picture of a positive pregnancy test.
Human behavior is inherently fascinating. Most of us have puzzled over the motivations of our friends and loved-ones, and, at times, been curious about the intent of our own actions. We want to be more effective participants in our relationships, but at times we’re at a loss for how they work. We ask questions like, “Why would (s)he do that?” and often in hindsight wonder, “What was I thinking?”
Certain diagnoses in particular are especially intriguing. Any time the subject of Borderline Personality Disorder comes up, curiosity and questions follow, and it’s easy to understand why. People with this diagnosis have an easy time capturing the attention and igniting the frustrations of people around them; they engage others and act out in ways that are intense and often destructive. They show a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, affective states, and marked impulsivity. The pattern typically begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts (DSM-V, 2015). They are frequent characters in fiction. About seventy-five percent of those diagnosed are female, though research on males with Borderline Personality Disorder continues to come forth.
Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD, lack emotional regulation and exhibit strong, sometimes wild, behavioral extremes in their relationships. Many times the goal of this behavior is to elicit the concern of a caretaker, but nowhere is the pattern more acutely observed than in their romantic connections.
In therapy, when patients characterize their exes as “crazy,” what do they mean? What is a romantic relationship like with someone who has BPD? Many people describe them as childlike and manipulative, constantly testing a relationship, often showing wild emotional swings when they sense real or perceived abandonment. Having little emotional regulation, they’re prone to tantrums. It can feel to people around them that “something” is missing, or didn’t develop; a critical sense of stability, of being fundamentally okay despite normal relational fluctuations, is distinctly absent. Their impulsive, acting-out behaviors are even more notorious for being self-damaging: recurrent suicidal behavior, self-mutilation, substance abuse, reckless driving, overspending, promiscuity, and intense and inappropriate anger are common.
What Borderline patients excel at is eliciting an emotional response. The clinical folklore among some therapists is, that if in the first session the therapist wants a romantic, inappropriate connection with the patient, he or she is probably Borderline. If that sounds circular and patronizing, it’s because it probably is. Even if the idea offends some, (I do think that a therapist’s awareness of his or her emotional response to a patient can help diagnosis and guide treatment. For example, our own reactions likely resemble the reactions of others around them, as well.) it does raise an important truth: Borderline patients are skillful at provoking.
Borderline Personality Disorder is fueled by emptiness and insecurity, and the misguided goal of all of this self-destructive and manipulative behavior, after all, is to gain stability and feeling cared for. One cruel paradox of Borderline behavior is that the backing-away response elicited from relationship partners is precisely the reverse of what the person desires: more love, assurance, and intimacy. The conventional thinking among many psychologists is, that when it comes to having a relationship with someone suffering from BPD, the best strategy is avoidance altogether. Or, as one friend suggested, “Run, don’t walk.” And most of the time, this self-protective drive comes from a very understandable source: frustration and fear. We sense right away that we want no part of the toxic behavior at hand, or worse, worry that we’ll reinforce it, making it more likely to recur.
Theatricality may distract us in other ways as well. It’s tempting to marvel at the foreignness of Borderline behavior, and in doing so, we may be miss the universality of the particular feelings themselves. The strength of the particular emotions at play—abandonment, sadness, emptiness—may be alien, but the feelings themselves are likely quite familiar. Truth be told, people with a Borderline Personality Disorder may fascinate us because we see ourselves in them. Fundamentally, all personality disorder diagnoses describe characteristics and ways of being that are simply extreme versions of common traits and urges. I’ve never heard someone say, for example, “I just love feeling abandoned,” or “I never wonder where I stand with people I care about. I never need assurance.” Tragically, the disproportionate reactivity of the Borderline patient obscures the underlying ubiquity of their emotional experience.
Given all the difficulties that exist in these types of relationships, why would anyone start a relationship with someone with a Borderline diagnosis? Contrary to my friend’s advice, not everyone runs, or even walks away. It’s important to note that while there may be intense and disruptive behavior, Borderline patients often have qualities that produce a rewarding romantic partnership much of the time.
Often warm and kind, they may also be described as fun, exciting, and passionate. Here, people often speak of the disorder in terms of its deficit, like any other organic or medical concern. Even in troubled moments, they will report seeing a flicker of deep recognition and awareness in their partner’s eyes, enough to know that the person they know and love is still there covered beneath their insecurities. I understand the notion of duality. I too have been taken aback and puzzled over the recklessness and irrationality (and astonishing immaturity) I’ve seen among otherwise very high-functioning people. Borderline patients don’t seem to have figured out how to keep their feelings, particularly their anger, in check. This juxtaposition between high and low-functioning can be shocking at times. We may ask ourselves how it’s possible that this composed, professional person, mother, from whom I received a Rockwellian Christmas card the year before, is acting the way she is.
Some are drawn to these patients because they have intense emotions and strong desires for intimacy—and because they themselves have precisely the same emotions and desires. This is often more challenging to recognize and contend with, because, again, the behavior of the Borderline patient positions them in such an obvious position of scrutiny and vulnerability. As it plays out, Borderline patients aren’t often offered much empathy. Many times, they describe feelings of being used, and often do allow themselves to be used by their partners, because of their neediness. Many times, their friends and family admit that if the patient’s acutely descriptive behavior stopped long enough that they could feel safe, they would run for the hills. Not much of an incentive to stop, even as BPD patients recognize they have worn out their supports.
In writing characters with similar diagnoses, it is often too easy to dehumanize the subject and make him or her out to be villainous and completely alien from the rest of us. But in order to craft authentic, believable characters—regardless of his or her psychological well-being— it’s important to understand that character’s psychology, and that it isn’t much different from our own.
In navigating relationships (and, perhaps, storylines) with Borderline patients, acceptance may be our best course. Learning emotional regulation as a couple may be helpful, as may be developing an understanding of common triggers and de-personalizing reactivity. Context helps understanding, and it’s important to bear in mind their (and our) story leading up to the beginning of the relationship. For the relationship to be successful, we have to accept that our partner really does need more emotional reassurance than most. And we have to look in the mirror to examine our own attraction to that particular person, at that particular moment in our lives.
It’s comfortable to believe we are in control of ourselves. We all maintain a self-concept and we tell ourselves that while we might be capable of some things, some behavior is beyond us. Writers develop our characters in the same way: by focusing on their traits. Then, we develop histories to explain them. We ask ourselves: Given who this person is, what would they do in this situation? But the opposite question may be more correct: Given the dynamics of this situation, what would anyone do? Would a “good” person be capable of aggression? Violence? An atrocity? As writers, we have a chance to create resonant plots when we can hold character constant for a moment and consider how an accumulation of circumstances bears upon a particular opportunity to act.
R.J. Jacobs has practiced as a psychologist since 2003. He maintains a private practice in Nashville, focusing on a wide variety of clinical concerns. After completing a post-doctoral residency at Vanderbilt, he has taught Abnormal Psychology, presented at numerous conferences, and routinely performs PTSD evaluations for veterans.
His novel, tentatively titled: Broken Surface, is scheduled to be published by Crooked Lane in 2019.
He lives with his wife Rebecca and their two children.
(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Column, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)
Thanks to Joseph Borden and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s editorial.
Writing Authentic Characters of the Opposite Sex by Edwin Hill
I write a mystery series about a Harvard research librarian named Hester Thursby who also finds missing people. I’m three books in and so far, she’s found ax-wielding serial killers, a child abductor, and a missing student who has no desire to be found. Sometime in the near future, she’ll be seeking out her own missing mother who she hasn’t talked to in twenty years.
When you write a series, you make decisions early on that stick. Some of them you like, and some of them you learn to live with. For example, in my first book, I decided to be coy and name a secondary character Cary so that readers wouldn’t know whether Cary was a man or a woman. Now, three books in, it kind of annoys me anytime Cary comes on the page that I didn’t simply name her Carrie.
Another early decision was to make my protagonist a woman. I’m often asked why, and if I find it difficult to write from Hester’s point of view.
I’ll tackle the why first.
When I started my first book, Little Comfort, I began with the antagonists, two childhood friends named Sam Blaine and Gabe DiPursio who also happened to be serial killers. Like many first-time novelists, I took my time with the book as it pinged from one iteration to the next. God knows I didn’t have an agent or a publisher waiting for the manuscript. When I hit a roadblock focusing on the two antiheros, like any fiction writer worth their salt, I backed up and tried to find a new path into that story, and decided I needed shift the focus to a protagonist. I didn’t want to write a book about three men, so I decided to make the protagonist a woman. That was my whole decision-making process! And that first book saw some success and turned into a series, so here we are.
The second question is harder (and easier) to answer. Is it difficult to write from a woman’s perspective? The short answer is yes. But then, I find writing from anyone’s perspective to be a challenge, especially if the character doesn’t share my background or sensibilities, and fiction writing is all about making up characters that feel authentic. I’ve written from the point of view of women, straight men, young people, veterinarians, police officers, serial killers, child abductors and transgender men, all experiences I’ve had to imagine for the characters. (For the record, a novel with me at as the central character would go nowhere except the sleep aids aisle of the pharmacy. I’m far too boring!)
Fiction is about inhabiting the lives of others. As writers, if we do our job well, those lives feel authentic for our readers, and if we don’t, they feel forced or, even worse, offensive. So when I write Hester’s scenes, I start with finding the things about her character that connect us — we both love movies, we’re both reluctant misanthropes, we both care about the people who touch our lives —and I exploit those similarities as much as I can.
Still, we have differences I’ll never fully understand. Yes, Hester Thursby is a woman, but she’s also a librarian, she’s 12 years younger than I am, has a child, is estranged from her mother, is very short, and the list goes on. With each novel, I need to decide which of those parts of Hester’s life I want to bring to the forefront. In Little Comfort, it was motherhood. In my latest novel, Watch Her, it’s Hester’s work life as a librarian. I treat learning about those experiences as I would any piece of research that goes into creating the novel. As I write, I talk with as many people as I can. For Watch Her, I spent a terrific afternoon touring Harvard’s Widener Library and then learning about the day-to-day life of a research librarian. Those few hours wound up infusing the entire novel.
Finally, when I’m done, I have a team of beta readers who tell me what I got wrong. And while Hester is the central character, all my novels are told from multiple points of view, so getting Hester right is only the first step. Once I finish with her, I move on to the others. It’s all in a day’s work!
Edwin Hill is the author of the critically acclaimed Hester Thursby mystery series, the first of which, Little Comfort, was an Agatha Award finalist, a selection of the Mysterious Press First Mystery Club, and a Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books selection. The second installment, The Missing Ones, was also an Agatha Award finalist and a Sue Grafton Memorial Award nominee. Formerly the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin's (Macmillan), he now teaches at Emerson College and has written for the L.A. Review of Books, The Life Sentence, Publishers Weekly, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and their Labrador, Edith Ann. Visit Edwin online at www.Edwin-Hill.com.
The Difference Between Terrorism and Organized Crime by Frank Hamilton
Terrorism and organized crime have both been important in the real world which has made them a common feature of various literary genres, especially thriller and mystery novels. But the two are not the same and knowing the difference between terrorism and organized crime is crucial to use the two effectively in your work.
What Is Terrorism?
To put it simply, terrorism is the intentional use of violence for pursuing political and/or religious goals. Most of the time, the word is used to refer to the violent acts committed during peacetime or aimed at civilians. The word itself dates back to the French Revolution of the late 18th – early 19th century when the “Reign of Terror” began under the Jacobin regime of Maximilien Robespierre.
But when terrorism really gained prominence was the 1970s. At the time, the conflicts in Palestine, the Basque Country, and Northern Ireland got a lot of attention. In the 1980s, suicide attacks became more widespread, and in 2001, the September 11 attacks in the United States solidified the use of the term and resulted in the Global War on Terrorism. Yet, there is still no universally agreed-upon definition of terrorism.
As Victor Young from the custom writing reviews site Online Writers Rating notes, “Terrorism is an emotionally charged term which means using it will already imply that some kind of moral wrong has been done. Those using the word usually mean to denounce or condemn the actions of the terrorists. In most countries, terrorism is illegal, but there is still no consensus about whether or not it should be considered a war crime.”
What Is Organized Crime?
The term organized crime is a broad one and is usually used to refer to international, national, and local groups run by criminals that engage in various illegal activities for profit. Members of organized crime groups can also force people to do business with them (e.g. take money from small business owners in return for “protection”) but these people may still be considered victims rather than partners in crime depending on the situation.
Crime has existed for as long as humans have, but the degrees to which it has been organized have varied significantly. Gangs can sometimes be considered a part of organized crime, while most criminal organizations are referred to as mobs, mafia, syndicates, etc. Some notable examples of organized crime include the Sicilian mafia, the Russian mafia, the Japanese yakuza, the Chinese triads, and the Hong Kong mafia.
How Do Terrorism and Organized Crime Interact?
In some instances, terrorist groups can be considered a form of organized crime. This happens when criminal organizations become politically or religiously motivated in their actions. Organized criminal groups and terrorists can establish partnerships and alliances and work together to pursue their own goals. But there are more similarities between terrorism and organized crime than one might expect initially:
Structure and Organization: The “cell structure” has been adopted both by organized criminal groups and by terrorist groups. This structure allows the cells to have relative autonomy and continue working even when one or more of the cells have been exposed.
Tactics and Strategies: Because of the kinds of operations criminal groups and terrorists are involved in, both usually need to get fake or illegally obtained documentation. At the same time, both prefer establishing connections with corrupt officials for profit.
IT and Communication: The Dark Web is often used by criminal organizations and terrorists alike to avoid leaving an electronic footprint. However, both usually require the help of experts to perform complicated tasks of such kind.
Territorial Ambitions: Organized crime and terrorism depend on the control of certain territories which is why conflicts and/or alliances can result from the struggle between the two.
Financial Resources: One particular area where organized crime and terrorism converge is narcoterrorism. It is still very widespread in certain countries and has remained a major issue for decades.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, terrorism and organized crime have definitely been very separate from each other but have been converging to an extent in recent years. Using either of the two in your work will help you tell a more compelling story and build your fictional world authentically, but only if you understand the differences between terrorism and organized crime.
Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester, England. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.
Organized Crime in the Time of Corona by Michael Gorman
Many areas of organized crime have taken a serious beating since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. With the sealed borders that prevent the smuggling of contrabands and the closed streets where drug dealers used to sell their products, many of the criminals’ activities have been brought to an indefinite halt.
However, it would be rushed to think that the earth’s mobsters failed to find their ways to criminal activities. In fact, it seems like they’ve truly outdone themselves during this global crisis. From the criminal underbelly of the Internet that yielded more frequent cyber-attacks than ever, to innovative and unexpected ways to infiltrate the health systems, criminals seem to adjust to the change rather fast and effectively.
Sergio Nazzaro, a spokesperson for the anti-mafia parliamentary commission’s president of Italy, has stated the following: ‘’The mafia is like the coronavirus – it will get you wherever you are.’’
How Has the Pandemic Affected the World of Crime?
In China, the place that’s known as the world’s capital of counterfeiting, criminal enterprises are left without their main sources of supply due to the lockdown of Chinese factories. In Bosnia, thieves find it harder than ever to steal vehicles, and we all know how big of a problem this country had with such crime. It seems to be harder to steal cars when the streets are devoid of people and quieter than ever, says the GI-TOC.
One of the areas where organized crime is hurt most badly is the area of sports. The cessation of collegiate and professional sports such as the NCAA has impacted the regular money supply for criminal organizations such as La Casa Nostra and their gambling operations.
It’s not news that the criminal world has also suffered great losses, but they seem to be coping and dealing better than everyone else. Frederick Yang, a former professor of criminology and current writer at academized believes that ‘the criminals are as strong as ever, and their strength only grows while we focus hard on beating the pandemics. Most of the time, their big actions even go unnoticed, and we’ll realize it too late.’’
Organized Crime across the Globe during the Coronavirus Pandemic
The strength of the mafia is highly evident in places like Rio de Janeiro where criminals are strengthening their relationship with the state by helping them enforce the lockdown at night. Several painted notices have been found across this location, telling people that if they leave their homes, organized crime will do the right thing and punish them. There even was a video where the loudspeaker shared a terrifying message: ‘Anyone found messing or walking around outside will be punished.’’
It seems that, thanks to this pandemic, mobsters have found new opportunities for crime, some of which could be long-term. The increased partnership with the state is certainly one such perk. Bethany Terrence, a remote criminology writer who performs dissertations services at a content writing company stated that: ‘’the criminal world has made such strong progress, it will last for decades to come.’’
In Switzerland, one of the safest places in the world, there has been an increase of criminals who loot properties. They present themselves as representatives from official state agencies, requesting access to different establishments and properties in order to ‘disinfect them of coronavirus’. To be more, Europol has issued a report that vacated establishments are at high risk of criminal activities, especially since people choose to depart to their secondary residences and leave their city residences empty.
To make matters worse, there have been many reports around the world regarding frauds called the ‘grandma trick’. Criminals seem to present themselves as doctors, asking to be introduced into a person’s home to test the people for the coronavirus. Once they’re granted access, they burglarize the place.
The areas that are most affected by crime at this point are the healthcare and the Internet. In the countries where organized crime has already infiltrated the health systems, the value of stolen healthcare spending has increased significantly in the past month. The United States has issued a report in 2012 estimating that around 10% of the healthcare spent value is being stolen on a yearly basis. With the pandemic and the increase in spending, these numbers are becoming significantly higher.
Six in every 10 products used in the healthcare industry are expired, falsified, or stolen in Mexico. According to GI-TOC, the Jalisco New Generation cartel promotes pirated drugs’ production and demands that pharmacies sell them to people.
The strength with which the criminals work is evident by the number of raids that Interpol coordinated in a single month. They’ve made 121 arrests of a worldwide level and dismantled 37 organized crime groups. In the process, Interpol seized items like hand sanitizers, counterfeit masks, coronavirus packages and sprays, as well as numerous antiviral medications that are unauthorized.
In Italy, the police is frequently seizing counterfeit masks while in Ukraine, there have been attempt to smuggle the most essential stocks of hand sanitizers and medical face masks.
The Mafia is sure gaining a lot of local support in the Italian territory by distributing food to the poor families put in quarantine. Apparently, the criminal organizations have found their ways to connect with the people and make them join their circles. Nicola Gratteri, the head of the prosecutor’s office of Catanzaro and an antimafia investigator told the Guardian the following:
‘’Millions of people work in the grey economy, which means that they haven’t received any income in more than a month and have no idea when they might return to work. [...]If the state doesn’t step in soon to help these families, the mafia will provide its services, imposing their control over people’s lives.”
As we mentioned, cyber crime is one of the most frequent occurrences these days, especially now when people use technology more than ever. More and more people decide or are asked to work from home, leaving criminals with endless opportunities to perform cyber crime.
As a result of the increased use of technology, there have been a series of new phishing scams that emerged since the coronavirus outbreak. Cybercriminals seem to be impersonating the WHO to steal personal information and spread malware.
Some of the cyber attacks go beyond just scamming individuals. They are more coordinated and aimed toward infrastructures like the hospital in Brno. After the attack, the Czech hospital had to completely shut down its system and reroute all patients to the facilities nearby.
Rich Jacobs, the ASAC of the cybercrime branch at the FBI New York office, believes that there are two categories of scams in the criminal world related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is more generic and includes the investment in companies that produce medical equipment and the solicitation of funds for cures, vaccines, and test kits. The latter is cyber attacks in the form of fake websites and phishing emails designed to get people’s personal information and IDs.
The bottom line
The criminal world has also suffered some losses, but they’ve definitely risen to the occasion. Since most law enforcement agencies across the world are understaffed and cannot focus on criminal activities in the midst of the quarantine and the crisis, the criminals have found their haven during this epidemic.
Sources:
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/0OZNwjRO/organized-crime-in-the-time-of-corona
https://globalinitiative.net/crime-contagion-impact-covid-crime/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/brazil-rio-gangs-coronavirus
Matthew Farrell is the internationally-bestselling author of WHAT HAVE YOU DONE and I KNOW EVERYTHING. His books have been sold in 16 countries and have been #1 bestsellers in the US and UK, having landed on the Washington Post and Amazon Charts best sellers lists. He currently resides in Northern Westchester County with his wife and two daughters. Get caught up on the progress of his next thriller along with his general musings by following him on Twitter @mfarrellwriter or liking his page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mfarrellwriter2 or Instagram @mfarrellwriterbooks.
Researching International Thrillers by Michael Niemann
For the past thirty-odd years, I’ve had the following conversation innumerable times.
Person at a party: "What do you do?"
Me: "I teach."
"What do you teach?"
"World Politics."
"Oh, that must be really interesting right now."
I have always puzzled over this response because I knew there hadn’t been any increase or decline of the level of interestingness of world politics for as long as I’ve been teaching it.
It seemed to me a uniquely US-American response. The sheer size of this country makes it possible for many folks to live a rich, productive, and creative life without paying much attention to what happens elsewhere in the world. Those other countries are far away. Sure, those with the means go on holidays there and learn a little bit, but that’s the extend of it. It’s therefore not surprising that there’s also a lack of understanding how deeply US policies impact other countries.
Many international thrillers reflect this US-centric view of the world. But it doesn’t have to be that way. How does one write more nuanced international thrillers?
The short answer is research. I’ll focus here on two aspects.
Location
If at all possible, visit the place you’re writing about. But don’t visit as a tourist; visit as a researcher. That means establishing contacts beforehand.
How do you find contacts? Check local news sources. Papers and TV stations often have an English version of their website. If you see an article that pertains to your topic, contact the writer or journalist. Check out local crime writers and see if you can contact them. Universities also are great places to find knowledgeable folks. For my latest thriller Percentages of Guilt I needed to learn more about the Belgian legal system, which differs from the common law tradition of the US. I emailed the dean of the law school of the University of Antwerp, stated my desire, and she put me in contact with a professor of criminal law who explained to me that my initial idea for a plot didn’t work in Belgium.
If you can’t visit, learn as much as you can through satellite view or street view available in various map apps. It’s not the same as being there, but it gives you a sense of what street life looks like. For my thriller No Right Way, I did that with the town of Kilis in southern Turkey. The imagery showed me how new and old buildings stood side by side. A tiny old grocery store next to a shiny new bank. The grocery store had a hand-written sign in the window, offering bulgur on sale. That made it straight into the novel.
Wikipedia is also an invaluable resource. Need climate information for a city somewhere? Wikipedia covers most large and medium-sized cities in the world and gives you the temperature averages and extremes as well as rainfall for every month of the year.
Issues
What’s happening in the politics of the country where your thriller takes place? What are the social issues that have people talking?
Again, news sources are helpful here, but don’t forget an often-overlooked resource: global, regional, and local NGOs. Nongovernmental organizations span the gamut from wildlife preservation to social justice to human rights. Those NGOs publish regular reports. Often those reports are issued in multiple languages or have at least an English summary. An Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch report about a specific country provides an in-depth view of what’s currently going on there.
If you need to know the current conflicts in a particular country, consult those types of reports. They may offer hints of how to enrich the conflicts in your novel, but at a minimum such information will make your novel richer and more realistic for the reader.
For my thriller Illegal Holdings (which won the Silver Falchion Award at Killer Nashville 2019), I drew on the reports of the Oakland Institute on foreign land acquisitions on the African continent. Those reports gave me insights on how foreign corporations and countries bought large acreages of land in several African countries. Those insights expanded my personal knowledge of Mozambique and helped sharpen the basic conflict in the novel.
A final treasure trove of information are international organizations. From the United Nations down to various regional organizations, the amount of information and report available for free is astounding. When I was writing Percentages of Guilt, I needed information on money laundering. The Financial Action Task Force offered a host of information including examples of schemes used by criminals to launder money.
Proper research will make your novel more plausible, help you avoid stereotypes and maybe even educate your reader. That’s something all writers aspire to.
Award-winning author Michael Niemann has long been interested in the sites where ordinary people’s lives and global processes intersect. His thrillers featuring UN investigator Valentin Vermeulen are published by Coffeetown Press. Legitimate Business and Illicit Trade were published in March 2017. Illegal Holdings came out in March 2018, and No Right Way followed in June 2019. Illegal Holdings won the 2019 Silver Falchion Award for Best Thriller at Killer Nashville. The fifth Vermeulen thriller, Percentages of Guilt has just been released.
The Case for Creating a Killer Marketing Plan by Ellie Alexander
I remember the day I received the call from my agent letting me know that we had an offer for a three-book contract. After dancing around the living room and toasting with a celebratory pint of hoppy Pacific Northwest ale, the next thing I did was get right to work on my marketing plan. It might seem strange that, instead of savoring the sweetness of landing my first book deal, my thoughts immediately turned to marketing. The reality of publishing in the 21st century is that, in addition to writing a page-turning mystery with plenty of twists and red herrings that lead readers down dead ends, we as authors are also tasked with publicizing and selling our books. The sooner we embrace that, the more creative energy we can pour into crafting a killer marketing plan.
Now, let me be clear about what I mean when I say that we are responsible for selling our books. I do not mean employing the strategy of screaming in ALL CAPS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tik Tok, “BUY MY BOOK! BUY MY BOOK!” I see so many examples of authors spinning their wheels and spamming their social media followers with constant, in-your-face messages about nothing other than buying their book. Imagine this in the real world. You walk into a bookstore, eager to sip a coffee while you peruse the shelves, but upon entering the store you’re greeted by an author waving their book in your face and demanding that you buy it. They then proceed to follow you around the store shouting that their book is the best you’ll ever read and you’ll regret it if you don’t buy it today. I’m going to guess that this might be a turn off. Am I right?
Book marketing, like marketing in any other profession, requires thoughtful planning designed to build a loyal and engaged audience of readers. How do we achieve this? By thinking inside the book. This is more important now than ever, given that traditional bookstore signings, library talks, and events are on hold due to the pandemic. Rather than trying to scream the loudest on social media amongst all of the noise, invite readers into your world. Offer them a taste of what they might find inside the pages of your book.
For example, my Sloan Krause Mystery series is set in the charming Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington and features a female brewer turned part-time sleuth. I’m fascinated by the craft brewing culture. It’s truly science meets creativity at it’s best. Brewers are like magicians. They take four simple ingredients hops, water, yeast, and grains and produce completely unique beers from there. I want to share that chemistry with readers, so when I was sketching out my marketing plan for the series, I reached out to a variety of professional brewers. I asked if they would be willing to do video interviews and live chats on social media to talk about their process and craft. It’s a symbiotic relationship. I get to offer readers insight into a new world and the brewers get to share their knowledge with a new audience.
Not once did I demand that readers buy my book in these interviews and live chats. The book is secondary. I’m providing highly specialized content to readers that ties back to the book. I might weave in comparisons on how Sloan prefers to add fresh hops to the mash tun or talk about the hours I spend “researching” (aka tasting) different beer styles to make sure that my descriptions of a dark chocolate coconut stout or honey Pilsner are correct. Readers chime in with their questions about brewing and books. They connect by sharing their favorite or least favorite beer experiences. (Insert beard beer here—yeah, that’s a real thing. Google it.) These are the building blocks of community, and ultimately the reason a reader will end up buying your book.
Creating an authentic marketing plan is one of the easiest ways to ensure long term success as an author. Use themes, settings, ideas, or people from your book as a launching point. Welcome readers into that space. Ask questions. Start conversations. Listen. Have fun! Marketing doesn’t have to be serious. It can be giving away beer-themed coasters and stickers to your readership in celebration of release day. Hosting an online pub crawl where readers stop by different breweries to pick up clues at each spot—both in real life and in digital space. Or, holding a photo contest for readers to share their funniest beer pics. Use the same creative energy you tapped into to write the book, to formulate a marketing plan.
In my Mystery Series Master Class, I teach new writers the tools of the trade and walk them through building a comprehensive marketing plan while they’re writing their first book. Setting the tone and the stage for inventive ways to reach and build lasting relationships with readers is perhaps the single most important thing you’ll do, aside from writing the actual book. Not only will your future readers thank you, but immersing yourself in the process of crafting a marketing plan will likely bring you unexpected insight into your writing.
Cheers to that!
Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses or pubs nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research. She is the author of the bestselling Bakeshop Mystery and Sloan Krause Mystery series. Sign up for her e-mail newsletter to stay up to date on new releases, appearances, and exclusive content & recipes.
Ellie also loves hearing from readers and interacting with them on social media, so be sure to follow her to learn about her mystery series master class, upcoming books, special events and giveaways, and more!
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Learning to Let Go When Editing by Matthew Farrell
When I was asked to write this article for Killer Nashville, I was in the middle of fourth round edits for my fourth book and second round edits for my fifth book, so I thought the subject of the editing process would be fitting. For those of you out there who are looking to enter into the world of publishing for the first time, allow me to take you behind the scenes of what the process of editing looks like from my standpoint from first draft to finished product.
I love the process of editing. I love taking a story you think you know and building on it or stripping it down or moving it in a different direction, only to watch it grow more compelling and polished with each pass. I never realized the magic that editing is until I experienced it on a professional level. Before I was published, I would typically write a first draft, go back and correct typos or misspellings, and call it finished. In my mind, I couldn’t wrap my head around changing elements of the story away from what I previously come up with. It wasn’t that I was being stubborn or standing my ground for the good of my art. I just didn’t know you could do that. I never contemplated moving a story around to make it more exciting or gripping or mysterious. I thought what went down initially were the pieces of the puzzle that fit a certain way. What I didn’t understand was that I could take that puzzle apart, change the pieces themselves, and create an entirely new puzzle. To me, that was fascinating and new. I was intrigued.
But this realization didn’t come to me until I had some interest from an agent who couldn’t take the manuscript on as it was and suggested I hire a freelance editor to help. I found Jennifer Sawyer Fisher, who had once been a senior editor at a top publisher on Manhattan. One of the first things Jennifer said to me was “This story takes place in Philadelphia, but you’re not using the city. Make the city a character. Take the reader through it and use the landmarks in your story to push the plot and the action.” I had literally never thought of that. Suddenly, I had places to play with and landmarks to chase my characters through, and the story began to morph from a Psychological Thriller to more of a Suspense Thriller. We talked more and went through another round of editing, tightening the story and cutting scenes that didn’t work or didn’t move the story along. Again, I never realized I could do that, and in hindsight it seems so logical, but when the story is yours, it’s sometimes hard to see what needs to be cut or tightened or rearranged. During this process, my eyes were opened to the endless possibilities proper editing can provide. It can take you down roads you never thought were there and it can shine a light on something that isn’t working and holding the story back from being as good as it could be. When we were done, I had a tighter, more fluid, story, and although that particular agent still passed, I learned the process of editing, had a story that was better than it had ever been before, and I eventually landed an agent who helped with even more rounds of edits until it was sold and became my internationally bestselling debut, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE.
I’ll say it again. I love editing. In fact, I like it more than writing the initial story. That may seem strange to some of you, but it’s the truth. The first draft is nothing more than a brain dump of words to get it down on the page. It’s a huge block of ice. It’s just there, untouched, waiting to be carved into a beautiful sculpture. And with each round of editing, I do just that. I begin to carve the story I want it to be and each round brings that new version of the story to life. Suddenly characters are doing new things. Motivations change. The plot can change. More often than not, the murderer will change. A twist I never saw before reveals itself. And in the end, I have something I hadn’t thought of during that first draft, but is something I know my readers will enjoy.
In the professional world of publishing, I typically go through five to seven rounds of editing from first draft to what the reader is reading on publication day. I write my draft and then edit once myself before sending to my agent. My agent and I go through another two rounds of editing, and this is usually where major changes are done to plot and character motive. After we’re done, I send to my editor at the publishing house and I go through another two or three rounds. These rounds start with big changes and then grow smaller with each pass. I write thrillers, so my editing at this level often involves tightening a story, developing a plot more, and getting that twist just right. After my editor is satisfied it goes through a final pass-through line edit for typos and punctuation, etc. My job is to keep that reader turning the pages and not give them a point where it’s okay to put the book down. It’s harder than you might think, and it really does take a team to pull it off. I’m so thankful I have the team I have.
In closing, I want to leave you with one piece of advice. In editing, everything’s on the table. You need to be prepared to cut or add whatever you need to in order to make the story stronger. The publishing phrase “kill your darlings” comes from the editing process. It’s inevitable that you will come across a scene or subplot or character that you absolutely love, but must cut for the good of the story. It happens to all of us. I just deleted 20,000 words from my fifth book because what I was trying to pull off wasn’t working and we decided to go in a different direction. It was painful to hit that delete button, but I’m excited to move in this new direction and I know the readers will love where we’re now going. I also had to kill a character (no spoilers) in WHAT HAVE YOU DONE that I really liked and was determined not to kill and hadn’t killed in all the previous versions of the story. In the end, I knew it had to be done in order to move the story to where it needed to go, and although some readers are blown away by the death and some are upset by it, everyone recognizes it as a turning point in the novel and always elicits a reaction from the fans. Killing a darling happens to us all. Embrace it when it happens to you and remember that everything’s on the table.
Happy writing (and editing) to all of you out there. I hope you enjoyed our peek into my professional editing process.
Matthew Farrell is the internationally-bestselling author of WHAT HAVE YOU DONE and I KNOW EVERYTHING. His books have been sold in 16 countries and have been #1 bestsellers in the US and UK, having landed on the Washington Post and Amazon Charts best sellers lists. He currently resides in Northern Westchester County with his wife and two daughters. Get caught up on the progress of his next thriller along with his general musings by following him on Twitter @mfarrellwriter or liking his page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mfarrellwriter2 or Instagram @mfarrellwriterbooks.
Taking On an Icon by Liese Sherwood-Fabre
In an article from The Guardian in 2012, Ewan Morrison noted that if fan fiction is defined as “reworking…another author’s characters,” the concept only developed after laws regarding copyright and intellectual property appeared—along with the printing press and mass production of fiction. Prior to the Statute of Anne, drafted in the 18th century, creators of original compositions had no protection from the publication of any derivative works. Even Miguel de Cervantes was unable to stop the publication of an unofficial sequel to the first volume of Don Quixote. He did, however, refer to it in the second volume—and mock it in the process.
The development of the Internet has provided a much larger platform for those interested in expanding story lines or involving fictional (and non-fictional) characters (from print or other media) in new situations, and perhaps one of the most popular and enduring of such efforts involves Sherlock Holmes. The fanfic site Archive of Our Own boasts more than 127,000 stories based on this character—second only to Harry Potter (at more than 253,000). Shortly after Arthur Conan Doyle penned his last tale in 1927, American teen August Derleth asked Conan Doyle if he could continue the series. While the author declined, Derleth did develop his own stories about a detective Solar Pons who seemed uncannily similar to Sherlock Holmes—down to having a brother named Bancroft.
A few years later (1934), the detective’s fans created formal societies in honor of their hero. The Baker Street Irregulars meets once a year in New York and oversees a network of societies, or scions, dedicated to Conan Doyle’s character. In addition to reading and discussing the original works, referred to as “the Canon,” fictional and non-fictional pieces are shared among members and published in local newsletters as well as national and international journals.
A recent survey in Britain found 20% of respondents identified Sherlock Holmes as an actual, historical figure. Pressed for details, most would likely describe him as wearing a deerstalker hat, smoking a pipe, and carrying a magnifying glass. My own research into the detective uncovered very little about Sherlock’s origins. Other than mentioning his ancestors were country squires and his brother was named Mycroft, Sherlockians have filled in some gaps (such as his birthdate), but how Sherlock Holmes became Sherlock Holmes was never fully explained. Conan Doyle mentions Sherlock developed his “methods” while at university and gained some notoriety among his fellow students there, but his motivation was never fully delineated. My curiosity piqued, I decided to provide just such an origin story for the world’s most famous consulting detective.
Given the popularity in addition to the well-organized Sherlock Holmes fan base, an author does not approach such a subject lightly. His personal knowledge and traits were supplied in the first work, A Study in Scarlet, (a whole list is provided in the second chapter) and other habits appear throughout the Canon. Moving forward with this project, then, meant keeping true to the spirit of the original Holmes, but with skills not as refined as he would have as an adult.
The base and heart of Sherlock’s popularity was—and is—his ability to apply logic and science to solving mysteries. When originally written, many of his methods were just being applied to solving true crimes, and some even anticipated actual application. Both Sherlock and Mycroft had exceptional intellectual abilities, but someone had to nurture these traits. Following research into the Victorian period and my own imagination, I chose their mother to be both teacher and mentor in such areas. During the Victorian period, the mother was in charge of the household, including the children’s education. At the same time, they led very restricted lives. I developed a woman with a mind as keen as her sons’, but without the outlet the boys were offered. In addition, because country squires served as local magistrates, I included their father to serve as an inlet into the law and criminal activity. Given such an environment, the rest was—fictional—history.
I have penned the first three of “The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes,” to some very positive reviews. Bestselling author Gemma Halliday has called it “a classic in the making.” Kirkus Review describes the second (out at the end of August) as “a multifaceted and convincing addition to Sherlockian lore.”
This series developed because I wanted to answer a question about a fictional character, leading me into the realm of fan fiction. For others interested in doing something similar, here are some things I learned along the way (as well as advice drawn from other fan fiction writers)
Be true to the character. Read the original works and understand the characters’ personalities and traits.
Be true to the time and setting. Unless set in an alternate universe, be certain to keep to the original historical period.
Based on the above, have fun! Put the characters in new situations, or at a time and place before or after what is known.
Be aware of any copyright issues. Anne Rice does not allow fan fiction. J. K. Rowling does, if not for profit. Some sites allow posting of unauthorized stories/characters without the original author’s permission. Others do not. As I was writing the first book, a copyright case was brought against another author, and thanks to that case, all but the last ten Sherlock Holmes stories were considered in the public domain. As long as I did not reference items appearing only in the last ten stories, the Conan Doyle estate would not be interested in my origin tales.
Share your work (based on the caveat above). Some of the more popular sites include:
Archive of Our Own (most popular)
Commaful
net
Tumblr
Wattpad
Who knows? Your work may make you the next E.L. James!
Liese Sherwood-Fabre knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD from Indiana University, she joined the federal government and had the opportunity to work and live internationally for more than fifteen years. After returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career and has recently turned to a childhood passion in the tales of Sherlock Holmes. A recognized Sherlockian scholar, her essays on Sherlock and Victorian England are published across the globe and have appeared in the Baker Street Journal, the premiere publication of the Baker Street Irregulars.
The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife
After only a short time into his first year at Eton, Squire Holmes calls Sherlock and his brother back to Underbyrne because their mother has been accused of murdering the village midwife. The two women had, after all, been in a very public argument only days before, and it is Mrs. Holmes who finds the woman stabbed in the back with a pitchfork. From her gaol cell, Mrs. Holmes commissions her younger son to find the true killer before she hangs.
“[Dr.] Sherwood-Fabre makes her conceit of a teen sleuth work. Sherlockians open to plausible extrapolations from the canon will enjoy this.” – Publishers Weekly
The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy
What’s a holiday without surprises?
It’s Christmas 1867 at Underbyrne, the Holmes family estate. The house is filled with family, relatives, and three unexpected arrivals—all ready to celebrate the holidays. That is, until another uninvited guest appears: dead in the stables. The discovery marks the beginning of a series of bizarre occurrences: Sherlock’s young cousin reports hearing footsteps outside the nursery, Mycroft suddenly falls head-over-heels in love, and the family learns more than one person under their roof harbors secrets. Is someone in the household a murderer? Sherlock must discover the dead man’s identity before another unwelcomed body materializes.
Key Elements to Writing Thrillers by Lee Matthew Goldberg
When people ask what kind of books I write, I usually say that I write thrillers but the truth is that all great books have key thriller elements. The main thing that thrillers need are strong suspense and tension. Usually that involves life or death scenarios, but even non-thriller books would do well to incorporate some keys elements that thriller writers use. Here’s a few to keep in mind.
Moving Plot Forward
Thrillers are not inert and the characters are often propelled by the plot. That means the novel should always be accelerating. If you’re bored writing it, the reader will be bored too. And because a thriller is rarely just about ideas, you need a plot with a strong hook that can carry for three hundred or so pages. In coming up with an idea, I like to think of it in movie terms. This meets that. A successful thriller is also one that could be pitched succinctly. My second novel, The Mentor, was marketed as Cape Fear meets Wonder Boys. This also helps for any adaptation aspirations. A studio will be more interested if they can sum it up easily.
Highlighting Suspense
What keeps a reader turning the page? I read an interview with Stephen King which said that he likes to ramp up the suspense as you get to the bottom of the page so you want to turn to the next one. Having a strong plot helps, but you also need characters the reader will care about. They have to be living and breathing so that we want them to survive whatever peril they encounter. Twists and turns are also good to add. The worst thing in a thriller is when a reader can telegraph exactly what will happens. How can you as a writer keep them on their toes?
Adding Tension
Tension becomes a big part in ramping up the suspense. In my newest novel, The Ancestor, the main character wakes up in the Alaskan wilderness with amnesia. The tension becomes discovering more about him as the novel progresses, especially some terrible things that he did which he may not want to remember. But it’s not enough to just add tension, you want to make sure it’s believable. Too many thrillers are so far-fetched it becomes hard to get on board. You have to find a way to ground your tale in reality.
Drawing Inspiration
I like to make my writing as visual as possible so the reader has to do limited work. The words need to leap off of the page and become a film in their minds. I’m often most influenced by films as well as books. Depending on the project, I tend to read and watch similar things. For The Ancestor, I read a lot of books and films set in arctic conditions, and it was written during the winter so I could mimic the feel of my protagonist. If you find that you’re stuck, read a great author’s work and see how they handle plot and the moments they ratchet up the suspense.
Routine
For any type of novel, it helps to have a routine. I write most days in Central Park because I find nature to be the best inspiration. Discover a writing space that can work for you. I like to edit in the mornings, take a break, and then write in the afternoons. Some days the inspiration isn’t as strong, but if you have a routine set, it helps to keep you committed.
Encountering Rejection
Rejection is a big part of any writing career. You will always be rejected, even once you’ve “made it.” You have to learn to be like Teflon and not let it get to you. The thriller community has so many amazing writers that it can be tough to break out. Be active on social media. Write short fiction to get you in magazines. Go to conferences and network with other writers. Go to readings and be a part of the community. If you really believe in your work, don’t take no for an answer. You only need one yes to get your career moving forward.
Think of Your Book as More Than Just a Book
These days writers should be thinking bigger than just having a novel out there. Your book could be a film or a TV show, it could be adapted into a play, it could sell in multiple countries, it could be a podcast. Don’t limit yourself. Thrillers work because they are a great form of escapism. Try interacting with others in adjacent fields.
Lastly, Promote, Promote, Promote
Promotion is tough these days because there’s so many books out there and so many distractions. In COVID times, do as many virtual tours as you can, do podcasts, do readings and promote them on social media platforms. If you can pay for it, hire a publicist, even if your publisher already has one for you. You can never do too promotion. Likely you haven’t done enough.
Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE DESIRE CARD, THE MENTOR, and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the 2018 Prix du Polar. His Alaskan Gold Rush novel THE ANCESTOR is forthcoming in 2020. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in the anthology DIRTY BOULEVARD, The Millions, Cagibi, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press, Monologging and others. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City. Follow him at leematthewgoldberg.com
Killer Nashville 2020 and COVID-19 by Ray Peden
I first walked through the doors of the Hutton in 2012, introverted, intimidated, friendless, and unpublished. As an alumnus of 7 Killer Nashvilles, I’m still an introvert, but now I have two well-received suspense/thrillers published, made the short-list for a Claymore and Silver Falchion, been a contributor on numerous panels, gotten a powerful blurb from Clay and others, but most importantly, have slowly accumulated a growing stable of writer friends, all trying to tackle that daunting, elusive, hair-pulling, moving target we know as the @#$%^&* publishing business. My literary financial portfolio hasn’t changed much since I started, but the human experience has.
Armed with some strong anxiety meds (metaphorically speaking), I was looking forward to KN-2020, ready to multiply my friend count, but C-19 tells me otherwise. Bummer. But I’d much rather look forward to seeing comrades in 2021, healthy and brimming with enthusiasm, than chance it now. Not to mention I’m not particularly looking forward to saying goodbye to my family via Facetime with a tube down my throat.
Although it’s been batted around, the idea of a virtual conference doesn’t do KN justice. It’s been said by many that the informal gatherings in hallways, and more so at breakfasts and crowded after-hours round tables by the bar, anchored by tall tales, white lies, and alcohol, is where the real value of KN is spawned. After all—and this is not to diminish the deft organizing skills of KN staff—but these interpersonal exchanges are where the heart of Killer Nashville is most skillfully nurtured. I won’t say I have learned it all, nor that panels have no further value in developing my skills, but the luncheons, award banquets, and elsewhere is where the real value of a prestigious, successful, long-running writing conference shines. And so it is here.
So, to this end, I offer my sad regrets for this year and look forward to seeing everyone next year, God willing, and the creek don’t rise. My book 3, The Bourbon Conspiracy, needs my full attention. Cheers, Clay. You made a tough decision, but the right one. One that all of us, expressed or not, understand.
Ray Peden took a slight detour from the creative pleasures of his youth and molded a 43-year professional career, not as a writer, but as a Civil Engineer, General Contractor, Home Builder and Designer, Land Developer, and Public Relations Copywriter.
Along the way he found time for other pursuits: magazine editor, R&B guitarist, painter, cartoonist, drill sergeant, carpenter, stone mason. Throw in three ex-wives, three amazing daughters, four grandchildren and counting, and it was time to retire to a new career, the thrill-a-minute life as a novelist, counting bodies, conspiracies, and emotional conflicts while he sips bourbon and watches the Kentucky River roll by. Visit him at https://www.writerontheriver.com/.
10 Common Writing Challenges All Writers Face by Diana Adjadj
Writing is not easy for anyone. Even though you might believe some people just sit down, full of motivation, and churn out thousands of masterpiece-worthy words in under an hour, the reality is very much different. Every writer faces challenges and struggles. Even the most prolific authors who achieved international fame admit that writing gets incredibly hard at times.
Here, we will look at some of the most common writing challenges that writers face.
1. Fear and self-doubt
One of the most common obstacles for all writers is the fear that arises before they start writing. A large number of authors express the fear they feel before starting a project.
The solution, in this case, is not to wait for the fear to go away. The fear probably won’t go away as you make significant progress on your project. So, you can find the necessary team to support and encourage you to continue when you don’t feel like it.
2. Lack of time
Those who wish to become writers may require more time than they have. In turn, the world will not stop when a writer needs more time to write. However, there is an effective solution for this.
At this point, you should establish your writing as a priority over other activities you are doing. In fact, throughout the day, not all activities we do have the same importance. So, if you don’t have time, you will have to leave certain tasks aside.
3. Parkinson’s Law
Generally, when a writer wants to carry out an important project, he or she will have to meet certain deadlines. Even if you don’t have a set deadline, you should create one for yourself in order to avoid Parkinson’s law. This law claims that your work will take as much time as you are allowed to have. In other words, if you give yourself 3 years to finish a book, you’ll most likely be done in 3 years. If you give yourself 3 weeks, you can finish in 3 weeks.
A good solution to this is to set a date and time in the week to continue writing. In this case, you should make sure that no activity interferes with this task.
4. Perfectionism and too much self-criticism
A lot of people suffer from chronic perfectionism. This feeling makes the writer detect errors, even where there are none. In this way, writers never manage to finish a project as they are always correcting mistakes.
Estelle Liotard, a contributing writer from Top Essay Writing, says that “if you don’t want to suffer from chronic perfectionism, you should forgive yourself for some mistakes. The drafts you make are not supposed to be perfect.”
5. Using wrong or ineffective writing software
These days, pencil and paper are no longer used as they were decades ago. On the contrary, it is necessary to know how to use writing software. So, when you use the wrong software, then the writing process is greatly impaired.
You will need good writing software that meets your expectations. When you get high-quality software, you should know how to use it. This way, you will get good results. Kristin Savage, a writer from Trust My Paper and content creator for her own blog called Fly Writing, says that “many people use Microsoft Word for writing, but it’s worth it to explore other options as well. Sometimes, even the act of changing your writing environment can improve your productivity”.
6. Lack of discipline
As with any other activity in life, lack of discipline is a problem here too. So, without proper discipline, you may find that time passes, and your project does not progress.
At this point, the solution is similar to a previous one we have mentioned. Here you will have to set a time and a day again and avoid any other factors interfering. Even depression or lack of inspiration should not be an excuse not to write.
7. Accidents and unexpected events
In this case, writers suffer from unforeseen events and family emergencies, just like everyone else. So, dealing with these problems can be a big obstacle if you don’t know how to do it.
So, the solution here will be to learn to abstract from the current problems you have to go through. In turn, if it is too big a problem, you can take some time to deal with it. After that, you can use that pain as a resource for your writing.
8. Past problems
Depending on the topic you wish to write about, you may encounter some key obstacles. In this case, some traumas and problems from your past may interfere with your creativity.
An effective solution here is to identify the specific trauma in question. This, in turn, is an excellent opportunity to begin therapy and solve a multi-year problem.
9. Losing a good plot
The vast majority of authors tend to lose a good plot at some point. Even this can get worse when they don’t have enough inspiration to improve the situation. You can see this tendency everywhere, especially in TV shows with many seasons or stories with too many sequels.
Each author has his or her resources that are adapted to each personality. If you feel like you had a good writing plot, but distanced away from it too much, you can use these resources to help you get back on track.
10. Not being able to finish the project
One of the most common obstacles for a large number of authors is not getting the right ending. Sometimes it even happens that an author writes an ending, deletes it, rewrites it, and so on.
At this point, the solution is to write the ending that you think is best at this point. Also, you should not be a perfectionist with it. After a certain period, you can reread the ending you have written and corrected it.
Conclusion
The biggest struggles and challenges writers face have to do with their mindset. When you’re writing from a place of low self-esteem and perfectionism, it’s unlikely that you will ever reach a result that you really like.
So, if you want to progress as a writer, try working on your expectations, thoughts and behaviour patterns rather than the technical skill of writing. You will be surprised at how much things can change when you adopt a positive mindset.
Diana Adjadj is a professional writer working with some of the best companies in the industry: Best Essays Education, Supreme Dissertations and Classy Essay. She is also a regular contributor at Grab My Essay, an academic writing service. What inspires her the most in her writing is traveling and meeting new people.
Facts and Fiction by Shelley Blanton-Stroud
She’s striking, with high cheekbones and a full lower lip, but also haggard, sun-damaged. The fingertips of her right hand graze her cheek as she squints into the distance, inscrutable. Two young children lean into her, heads turned from the camera. A baby in dirty clothing sleeps in her arms. The woman is both the high point and center of their circle. The filthy lean-to tent behind them has the mottled quality of a photographer’s curtain backdrop. The composition is nearly perfect. Nearly. You can’t take your eyes off her face. Her name is Florence Thompson.
The photographer, Dorothea Lange, took five shots in this 1936 series, none of the others like this one, “Migrant Mother, Nipomo.” All the others include more people, more details of the Hooverville campsite. Lange later even had the photo retouched to remove Thompson’s thumb from the bottom of the image, as a compositional flaw drawing the eye away from Thompson’s face. (Such modification was against the rules of the Farm Security Administration, for whom Lange worked.) When the photograph appeared in the San Francisco News, the government sent 20,000 pounds of food to Thompson’s migrant camp. The picture made a difference. It fed hungry people. Though it omitted key details, including Thompson’s name, it appeared to tell a truth about the experience of hungry people living along the roads and fields of Depression-era California.
In her darkroom, Lange hung a quote by Sir Francis Bacon: “The contemplation of things as they are, without error or confusion, without substitution or imposture, is in itself a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention.” This was her photographic creed—to photograph things as they are, though Florence Thompson later said the story this picture told about her was a lie. And though Lange clearly approached her documentary work with an artistic editorial eye.
This photo is in part what inspired my historical mystery, Copy Boy, and its central question—what is the difference between fact and truth? It was also a central problem for me as I was writing. How to treat historical fact in historical fiction. Here are five ways of seeing that helped me figure it out.
Look for cracks in the facts. When you’ve found a period and people you want to immerse yourself in, look for a gap in the history, an unexpected tunnel leading to a grotto where you can invent. When I researched iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Herb Caen, I found all kinds of information from his adolescence through his sports-writing gig as a 19-year old at the Sacramento Union, and then much more—of course—when he’d become a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1936. But there was a one-year period when almost nothing was written of him. How did he go from being a teenaged sportswriter for a small-town paper to columnist at a big city paper in one year’s time? What could happen in such a year to evoke such a change? That was my grotto.
Look through a scrim of history, to the present. For me, this idea came from my working playlist. Writing about dust bowl Okies, I listened constantly to alt.country music, mostly Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams, because their music suggested something authentic about the 1930s Depression-era but at the same time something very current. As a reader, I think it’s good to aim for that. Historical fiction that manages to be authentically of the past but at the same time current, can avoid the cute preciousness of tidy recreation.
Look with a worker’s eyes. When you show somebody at work in a particular time and place, it establishes historic authenticity precisely, without your having to cover everything happening in that time. In Sheri Holman’s TheDress Lodger, when you follow a grave-robbing doctor who needs bodies for dissection, you also see core aspects of the Industrial Revolution. In Caleb Carr’s The Alienist, when you follow a psychological profiler investigating an immigrant boy’s murder, you also learn about Gilded Age New York City. Showing the workplace and the job narrows your scope but provides a view outside.
Look for the wrong person to put in the right place. If you’re aiming for realism in your historical fiction, you can still make it fresh by putting an unlikely person in an authentically accurate historical role. This is where you choose from an alphabet soup of protagonist pathologies—an obsessive-compulsive crime-scene clean-up guy; a delusional investigative reporter; a pathological liar as court reporter.
Look for story over history. Don’t be so beholden to what actually happened in history that you miss the chance to tell a good story. One way to do this with impunity is through alternate history, as in Stephen L. Carter’s The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln. This can allow you to explore things that did happen with fresh eyes. The person many people see as our greatest president also took actions to win the Civil War that bear consideration. With his alternate history, Carter crafts a courtroom drama to do so.
Maybe looking this way through your story options will help you find the right balance between accuracy and authenticity, fact and truth.
SHELLEY BLANTON-STROUD grew up in California’s Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. She teaches college writing in Northern California and consults with writers in the energy industry. She co-directs Stories on Stage Sacramento, where actors perform the stories of established and emerging authors, and serves on the advisory board of 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing nonprofit for children. She has also served on the Writers’ Advisory Board for the Belize Writers’ Conference. Copy Boy is her first novel, and she’s currently working on her second. She also writes and publishes flash fiction and non-fiction, which you can find at such journals as Brevity and Cleaver. She and her husband live in Sacramento with an aging beagle and many photos of their out-of-state sons. To get to know Shelley Blanton-Stroud and her writing better, visit her at https://shelleyblantonstroud.com.
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