The Mystery Starts Here

I have been writing for over 25 years and have to say, I don’t get writer’s block. I’m lucky because I started my writing career working for newspapers and there are no writer’s blocks in newsrooms. Newspapers have deadlines. If you’re given an assignment and told to write four or six or 12 inches by 6:00 PM, you do it. Believe me if you can’t make deadlines, there are a lot of bright young writers lined up to take your job.

I don’t have deadlines anymore, well other than the ones that are self-imposed but I still don’t get blocked. Oh, I may run out of steam on one project or get bored with it, but then I just shift to another piece and work on that for a while. Because I freelanced for so long, I always have multiple projects going. Right now I’m working on and alternating between: a memoir, an article for an anthology and three novels. That’s not much I know, but I’m semi-retired, I’ve been writing for a long time and I’m getting lazy.

I guess I don’t understand writer’s block. I mean, do plumbers get blocked? Do teachers get blocked? Have you ever heard an accountant say, "I couldn’t go to work today. I’m blocked. I simply cannot add another number." I’m afraid that poor accountant would starve to death pretty fast. So like the plumber or teacher or accountant, you show up at the page every day and just write. Don’t worry about writer’s block, it doesn’t exsist.

Here’s a quote from comedienne and author Steve Martin about writer’s block that I love: "Writer’s block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcolol."

When I tell people I’m a writer, they are almost always impressed. I can’t imagine why. Anyone can write. It’s a skill, like playing the piano or painting. Anyone can learn. But when I mention that I’m a novelist and write mysteries, almost everyone says the same thing! "Oh, I could never write a novel. How you do that?" I have to admit you write a mystery or any novel the same way you eat an elephant. One bite at a time. Or to quote E.L. Doctorow, "Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can never see further than the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

When people still protest that they could never write a novel, I ask them if they can write one page a day, 250 words. Almost everyone says, that yes, they can do that. Well, 250 words a day for a year is a novel. Of course the novel won’t be publishable, you’ll still have to do rewrites, probably several. But the main thing is to get those words on paper. You get an idea, maybe noodle around with a character study, maybe do a rough outline, but you don’t have to. You can sit right down at the computer or take pen and paper in hand and just write. There is no right or wrong way. How long does it take to write 250 words? Probably 10 minutes maybe 20. Who doesn’t have 20 minutes to spare everyday? And I’ll bet you a chocolate-covered donut that soon you’ll be writing more than a page a day. My goal is 500 words a day, two pages. Sometimes I only write a few paragraphs, but often I will write four or five or six pages. Once I start writing, I enjoy it so much I keep going. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss your goal. The main thing is to have one.

If you’d like some tips and ideas on writing a mystery novel, go to www.silveradopublishing.com and sign up for my free writing course. That’s right, FREE as in no money! All I ask is that you come back here when you’re finished and leave me a comment if you enjoyed the course or how I might improve it.

Happy writing