The Mystery Starts Here

Yesterday the temperature at my house reached a staggering 109 degrees! Yes, too damn hot. Just what do you do when the weather reaches triple digits? If you’re like me, you turn on the air-conditioning, grab a dog, curl up and read a book. Of course even I can’t read ALL day. So, what do you do?

I’m a writer, so I record how I feel in weather like this. I’m working on a book that takes place in Oklahoma, so this weather is perfect for using my senses. I woke in the night to a burning sensation in my throat. If felt like I’d swallowed sand. My skin is dry and tight from too many showers and not enough moisture in the air. Then my skin becomes sticky from slathering lotion on my body and I jump in the shower and start the process all over again. My eyes burn, blur and water. The hot dry air blows junk my orbs irritating them. My nose runs constantly. I look like a coke addict. It’s kind of hard to write notes in my little book when I can’t see, but I try.

Did you go to the beach this weekend? How does that blazing hot sand feel on your winter-soft feet? Is the ocean warm yet? Or does it snatch the breath out of your chest when you dive in because it’s so frigid. Is your hair a tangled mess caked with salt from the ocean? Can you feel it bleaching while your ends split? Can you feel the burn of the blistering sun on your poor proboscis? Write it all down. You may never use any of these feelings, but if you need them some day you’ll have them recorded.

How about a swimming pool? Are you lucky enough to have one in the back yard? I lust after a pool when the weather is this hot. Then I sober up and remember what a huge pain in the butt a pool can be. Yes, it’s a lot of work and … I have two labs. If I had a pool, my house would always smell of Eau de dog - not nice.

It’s 10:00 A.M. and 97 degrees outside so I turned on the air-conditioner. That’s how I beat the summer heat. I just hope I won’t faint when the electric bill arrives.

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