Genres & Subgenres & Sub-subgenres

A lot of writers have trouble categorizing their work. Is it dark fantasy? Urban fantasy? Cyber-punk? I thought I had it easy with mysteries. Either you have a professional detective or not. But then I started reading more. I knew about the craft subgenre. That's where Bennie will fit eventually. But within the craft group there are the knitting mysteries, needlework (other than knitting) mysteries, scrapbooking, etc. By the time I finish Bennie, there may be dozens of jewelry series, but I hope not.

The cat mysteries are everywhere. I have asked the Pirates to shoot me if a talking cat ever shows up in one of my books.

Last week, I happened to pick up the first book in Charlaine Harris' vampire mysteries, Dead Until Dark. Geoff recommended them years ago, but I just got around to it during my reading break. It's a very good read. Sexy, smart, funny and scary with an interesting mystery at the center. Nice. I have since picked up the next two books. I mentioned to Fleur that I read a vampire cozy mystery. She named an author (I can't remember the name right now) who was not Charlaine Harris. I started searching online.

We have a paranormal mystery subgenre. Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity, a ghost who solves crimes, would fit there. But within that subgenre, there are werewolf mysteries and vampire mysteries and who knows what else.

What accounts for these clumps of books with similar storylines? Is it just something that's in the air? Does a writer see that one-legged female hairdressers seem to be hot and jump on the bandwagon?

Here's the big question: If you read a werewolf mystery and like it, will you look for other author's who write about werewolves?

A Rest or A Block

I have been finding it harder and harder to get motivated to write this summer. I'm certainly not ready yet to rewrite HM, and D&D needs much more research before I can continue. I think I may need to take a break. Read a lot. Maybe look at taking a class or two.

Being part of a critique group may help, too. Just listening to the comments last month gave me a lot to think about. I'm sure when I've read the submissions first, they'll make even more sense. I'm just glad it's not a group like the CWC. Deb's been in a tizzy all day, and I'm not ready to deal with that kind of pressure.

I'll continue to post. Mostly about what I'm reading. And about the Pirates, I'm sure.

July Goals

Last week got away from me. There were the end of month/beginning of month duties I normally have plus extra coverage for time off here and there. We all love our extra long holiday weekends, but there is a price to pay for them.

I didn't do well on my goals last month. That is probably an understatement. I did manage to write 20 more pages of D&D and do a lot of research. I also joined the new Sunday group (UGWP) so that I can get better at giving and receiving critiques. It's a bit more work for me, but I think it will be worth it. I also cleaned out the blue room so I can finally organize it as a writing room. That should help, too. There's something about having a signal that says, "It's time to work now."

So, since I didn't make my wimpy goals last month, I'm setting harder ones this month. It seems to work for Jenny, Ali and Deb when they do it.

For July:

--Outline changes for HM. There are a lot and I need to know how I'm going to weave them into what is already there.
--Revise first 3 chapters of HM. My chapters are fairly short so this isn't that much of a stretch.
--Write 25 pages of D&D rough. I am dropping my expectations here. My focus seems to be turning back to HM right now.
--Complete UGWP critiques. I have read all the submissions. I just need to write up summaries for all of them.
--Research 6 yoga positions. I want to be more specific about the research I am doing.
--Research 2 massage techniques. Ditto.

That should keep me busy.

Goals

I didn't make my goal of 50 pages for D&D this month. I made it to 29, which isn't bad. I think part of the reason may be the nervous anticipation of my first critique tonight. I know it's probably silly, but I almost feel like I need to wait until I get feedback on HM before proceeding with D&D. Maybe not silly since they are the same genre. If what I did in HM doesn't work for it as a cozy mystery, I am probably doing the same things wrong in D&D.

Goals for June:

--Get feedback on HM
--Write 50 pages of D&D once I process HM feedback
--Leave HM alone for the month
--Continue research

Not Slacking

I haven't updated in a while because there hasn't been much to report on my progress with D&D. There are new pages, but not a lot. A scene here or there in between tasks at work. Not like with the beginning of HM when I generated page after page. Of course, that was during NaNoWriMo. Maybe I should pretend it's November. Might help.

Using Ali's idea of listing what I have accomplished, I see that I haven't exactly been idle. Research seems to be at the top of the list right now. That's not a bad thing. A lot of different things happen at spas that I don't know much about. I need to find out the way those things work so I don't sound like an idiot when I write about them. I have even more research to do about migrant workers for the jewelry series.

The blue bedroom seems to have collected a lot of junk since last year. Saturday was a clearing out day. One step closer to being a lilac writing room. I moved the Spooky's food dish out to the kitchen, but she doesn't like the relocation. I'm giving her a week to get used to it. If she doesn't, I will have to find a Plan B.

Even though it feels like May is just about over, I have almost two weeks to accomplish more. I may get to my page count goal yet.

Almost May

I'm looking at how I've done vis-a-vis my goals. I may have 15 pages of D&D when I get it typed up if I'm lucky. Not even close to meeting that one. Research, however, has been great.

I guess I need to use Ali's method of looking at what I've accomplished and not just what I haven't. Look for a new section in May with a list of tasks completed. And, I hope, part of it will be more pages.

Out Of Order

I wrote a scene out of order. The world didn't explode. Yet.

Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble to pick up some research books for the D&D series. It's amazing to me how many different topics I need to read about for one setting. Deb says it's a "groovy" setting. I like it, but might have chosen differently had I known. No, that's not true. I do really like the setting.

The characters are becoming a lot more real to me as I go. I guess that's the nature of the game since the same thing happened with HM. It's one of the things that's so much fun about writing for me. Like making new friends.

One Scene at a Time

Yesterday I picked up a magazine on yoga and another on herbal and holistic medicine. I haven't been able to find one on aromatherapy that is published in the US. There are some from Australian and UK, but they are expensive. Maybe I'll see if an inexpensive book on the subject. Must be one.

D&D is moving slowly, but moving. I don't seem to be able to write more than one scene at a time. What's strange is that I find myself wanting to write them out of order. I haven't so far, but I might get a little crazy and try it. I think it would make for a choppy book that needs much more revision. But it's going to need revision anyway.

Have any of you tried writing out of order? Does it help or hinder?

April Fool?

Deb's enthusiasm for April seems to be catching. Now that I have a working outline for D&D, I think I will be able to write fifty pages easily. I have been prewriting for a few days. That means I can utilize shorter periods of free time to jot a paragraph or two. It's not ideal, but it's what I have right now.

Having completed The Artist's Way, I have become aware of certain "nasty" words. One of which is "should". I used it three times in the original version of the first paragraph. See if you can figure out where.

I subscribed to a couple spa magazines last week. They are really interesting. One of the most beautiful spas I've come across is here in Colorado. Tax deductible, right? I would have to have the money first, but it just might be worth it.

The jewelry book has been eluding me. It seems that once I found Bennie, the rest of it went away. I tried to sign up for a metalworking class, but it was full. Maybe that's part of it. It's not a totally bad thing. One at a time is good. And maybe if I do run into trouble with D&D, that's when Bennie will start telling me her story.

Preparation

Yesterday I figured out why I was having trouble getting beyond the first few pages of D&D. Lack of preparation. I did my spa research. (And in a future post I'll talk about just how much I'd like to visit a few.) I did my character sketches for the main characters. I know who gets murdered and whodunnit. So what was missing?

My scene outline. I know a lot of writers just wing it. Or they can plot out mentally and be okay working from that. I have to have an outline in writing. It's not detailed to begin with, but I have to know where my "turns" are, as Jenny calls them. And it's nice to have a list of scenes I know I'll need. So yesterday I wrote the outline and made a list of scenes. I know I'll be adding as I go, but just having the basics down let me relax enough to prewrite two scenes.

Are there certain things you need to do before you can begin? Or can you freestyle all the way through?

Long Week

With Deb in Phoenix, I've been covering her workload, too. Of course, it's been busy. Not that I begrudge Deb time with her family. If she could somehow split in two and leave one of her here, that would be nice.

The good news is that I have been working on D&D in the evenings. I think it's starting to come together a bit. I'm not adding many pages. It's more that it's gaining weight. I have a better idea of what is going on. Maybe this weekend the word count will climb a little.

Artist's Way Check in - Week 7

Late.

I performed all the tasks, and my Artist's Date was a trip to a coffee shop to write free hand for a while. I fleshed out the rushed through scenes of HM. I also introduced a few characters in D&D. One showed up that I knew had to be there, but hadn't really thought about. All of a sudden, there she was. Marigold is a dog groomer at the spa. I'm not sure if most spas have dog groomers, but they should. How many pet owners treat their pets like children? And the owner of the pivotal dog in the story has changed into a well-heeled widow. The town now has a name--Overlook, Colorado. It was settled by wealthy mine owners who didn't want to be in Colorado Springs or Denver, but wanted to be away from the actual mine sites. All in all another productive week.

Each week of The Artist's Way is titled, Recovering a Sense of [fill in the blank]. The program could be called simply, Recovering Sense. In all meanings of the word. Now that I am more than halfway through, I feel as if I am recovering my common sense when it comes to writing. I'm also more aware of all of my senses. It all helps.

Deb has finally convinced me to let her read HM. I know some of the edits I want to make already. It should help to have another pair of eyes look at it before I do, though. Once I tighten up those things, I'll let the Pirates have it. Exciting. And scary. They've never read anything I've written before.

Late Artist's Way Check In - Week 5

Some parts are getting easier and others are harder. The Morning Pages are such a habit now that I feel stressed if I don't do them first thing in the morning. And I'm resigning myself to the Artist's Dates. But the tasks often feel like busy work. Cameron calls any resistance a "tantrum" which seems harsh, even when talking about the artist child. I think that is one of the things that annoy me about the program. The hyperbole. Saying 'no' doesn't always constitute a tantrum.

My Artist's Date this week was a hike at Red Rocks Canyon. I've wanted to go there for over a year, but just never made it. Saturday was beautiful, if colder than the weatherfolk predicted. I took the long loop around to the Goddess Contemplative trail. The trail itself is gorgeous. It winds among some of the few trees in the park and up against the geological formations that give the place its name. Volunteers have constructed benches from halfed logs so hikers can sit and meditate at various points along the path. Very nicely done.

About forty-five minutes into the hike, and halfway down the Goddess trail, I had what Deb calls an ah-ha moment. The heroine of the 3rd Series (aka 3S) finally showed herself to me. I know what she looks like. I know her name. I know her history. I don't have a plot yet, but I'm sure it will come.

D&D are also speaking much louder. The name of their town showed up this morning. I'm starting to actually hear them. If I wasn't a writer, I would be worried. But I am thrilled.

Reading Deprivation Over

I missed reading more than I thought I would. Even allowing myself to read work-related emails and the like. I couldn't keep up with my friends' blogs or any of the others I like to read. No reading magazines or books. I couldn't even start a new knitting project, because I couldn't read the instructions.

The interesting thing is how impossible it is to not read at all. Words are everywhere. Just glancing around my office, I see words on the following:

Calendar
Stapler
Computer speakers
Water bottle
Telephone
Shredder
Computer screen
Computer
Book spines in bookshelf
Magazines on credenza
File folder box
Printer paper package
Voice recorder for dictation
The Monet print on the wall

That's just in my office. At home, they are on food packages, on the television screen, books, CDs, DVDs, appliances, toiletries, etc. etc. etc. There is absolutely no way a literate person can give up reading completely for a week unless you go into seclusion somewhere with all your food in unmarked plastic containers.

John pointed out that to write, you are by default also reading. I struggled with this dilemma as well. I wrote Morning Pages, since they were allowed, but did not work on anything new. Nor could I do revisions since that involves a lot of reading.

What did I do instead? I walked once more than I would have anyway. I watched television. I watched a few movies. I worked on an afghan using a pattern I know by heart. Pretty much what I would do anyway, except read. There were no revelations--except the one about not really being able to avoid reading. Maybe if the weather had been warmer, I would have gotten out a little more. I thought about my revisions on HM and what I want to do with D&D, but I couldn't write them down.

Maybe I will find the reasons later in the program. Maybe the benefits will show up later, too. I'm just very glad it is over.

Fate Also Abhors A Vacuum

It always seems that just when you unload one job, three other rear their ugly heads to fill up the space. That happened this week.

Fleur very kindly offered to take The Writer's Life column in the PPW NewsMagazine off my hands. Not a lot of time open, but one less thing to worry about. Then I finished my rough of HM. I want to let it sit for a while before I make a few changes I know it needs. Then I will give to any Pirates who wish to read it.

This should mean that I have time to work on D&D now. My lighter, probably even more marketable than HM, cozy. Instead, I am dealing with plumbing. Yes, you read right. Plumbing.

A while back I posted about the danger of letting little problems grow into big problems. In this case, there was very little warning. A leak under the kitchen sink on Saturday. I used Plumbers Putty to fix the seals on either side of the trap. 24 hours later the leak was back. I then replaced the washers. Another 24 hour reprieve. As I was adjusting the pipes, my thumb poked right through one. It seems the pipes are as old as the house.

I planned to leave work a few hours early today to await delivery of my comfy recliner. Now I'm taking a half day so I can go home, take out all the pipes under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, and go to Home Depot for replacements. Then as I wait for the delivery truck, I will be replacing metal pipes with PVC.

The good news is that this may be fodder for future installments of HM. Maybe even a short story. But right now, it's time I am not writing.

2008

Goals. This is the agreed upon time of year to set annual goals, make resolutions, exam one's life, etc. I've been doing the evaluating, but have been having trouble looking ahead. Possibly because the goals I set last year mostly have not been met yet.

If I use last year as a template, I can maybe add fifty pages to HM this year. That's unacceptable. How do I change the pattern? I'm not big on anything new age-y, but results speak for themselves. Deb and Jenny are both big fans of The Artist's Way and morning pages. I can devote 12 weeks to trying it out. Writing every day also seems to work for most of the Pirates. I am setting aside an hour a day just to write, in addition to morning pages time. That's not a lot, but more than I have been doing.

I have heard goals described as dreams with deadlines. The dream part is to finish HM, submit it to the group and get it ready to send out. Another is to write a D&D and, possibly a second HM. I will also learn more about jewelry making and figure out who my protagonist in that series is.

I also will get back to updating this blog at least twice a month.

Chugging Along

I am making progress on HM. 25 pages so far. While I'm not going any directions I hadn't planned on, I find myself inserting moments between Sloan and the people around him that give more depth to what their relationships are. One I like in particular is between Sloan and his daughter, Shannon. He's remembering a moment with his wife when Shannon was 2 (she's 12 now). Shannon comes in and sees him with tears in his eyes. It's a nice scene--if I do say so myself.

My one concern is that I am moving the plot along very quickly and may end without reaching the page count I was shooting for. Before I get a lot of comments, I realize that the book will be as long as it needs to be. I tend to write sparsely and have to go back and flesh out. Plus it will need to be checked for continuity problems because of the changes I implemented halfway through, which may end up increasing the word count. But I will have to decide if I want to start the second HM book or maybe start D&D or JB (jewelry book--I hate coming up with titles).

Any suggestions? Any that sounded more or less interesting to you? I would guess that the "industry experts" would say to start the second HM because starting one series is hard enough without throwing a second or third. But is it silly to write the second book in a series when you haven't sold the first? I guess I'll just decide when, and if, I get to that point.

Writing Without Actually Writing

Deb just left my office. She was giving me grief about not updating the blog more often. Of course, she hit the proverbial nail when she suggested that when I'm don't write, I don't blog. I haven't been writing. Well, I haven't been getting words on paper. But I have been thinking about stories. How do I quantify that?

Here are some of the things I've been working out for HM:

--Sloan's relationship with Jenny. When does he acknowledge that she's more than his daughter's godmother?
--How much should the blizzard impact the story?
--Do I need to deal with Caleb's position being an elected one?
--How many deputies would he realistically have?
--What does the area around the quilt shop look like?

For D&D:

--Where does their money come from?
--How many employees are there?
--What kind of licensing do they need?
--What are the packages they offer?

For TOO (The Other One--I don't have a name yet):

--Should it be on a real street in Pueblo or should I make one up?
--What is the name of the shop?
--I can see the protagonist but don't know her name yet.
--What is she retired from that would give her enough money to open this shop?

When I spell it out like that, it looks like I have been working. I don't have answers to everything yet, but at least I know the questions. And with the boss out today, I may be able to answer some of the questions. Or put words on paper and really feel like I've accomplished something.

Research or Distraction?

I like to do research. It's learning new things. I was one of those kids who looked forward to the new school year. Doing research is one of the joys of writing for me.

But there are times when I think I overdo it. In HM, the protagonist has a job that I know only a little about. So I need to research it. No problem there. Buy a magazine that caters to the person who does this job. Except it isn't one magazine. It's all 4 titles on the shelf. For several months in a row. Do I really need that much information?

The same with D&D. They own a particular type of business. This one doesn't have a lot of magazines on the shelf, but I buy what I can find. Then I decided that someone they know should make jewelry. Ali and Mary are both wonderful jewelry makers. Great sources. But I also bought 5 jewelry magazines the other day.

Maybe it's not a research problem, but a magazine addiction.

To emulate Ali, I'll pose a question: How much research is too much?

Goals

Guess I should fess up to how I did on my wimpy goals for June and set some new ones for July.

Last month I said, "I'd like to finish my first cozy, known here as HM, and outline a second, which will go by D&D (not Dungeons and Dragons, even though my nephew loves that D&D). Not a lot but enough to keep me busy.I'd also like to read a few more of the current crop of cozies out in the world today. Just to see what's there and, maybe, discover what might be missing."

I did not finish the draft of HM, but I did figure out that it's okay to write the beginning, then the end, then the middle. Hoping that helps move the page count. Did not outline D&D since goal one wasn't finished. It shouldn't have mattered one way or the other, but it did. I did read another cozy and bought the two Agatha Christie's to delve into.

This month, I'm setting my sights a little lower since we're already more than a week into July. I'd like to write 25 pages of HM. And I will outline D&D no matter what happens with HM. And read at least the 2 Agatha Christie's.