This afternoon I was sitting on the porch watching the tide come in, and I started thinking about John Lennon. The former Beatle, who was taken from us much too soon, wrote a song not too long before his death, called “Watching the Wheels.”
It described how he had stepped back from his hectic career and how people thought he was crazy. Instead, he apparently found enormous satisfaction in being a full-time dad to the son he had with Yoko Ono.
Sometimes, as a writer, I feel the same need to step back. The situations aren’t exactly comparable — I’m not raising kids any more, and I’m not turning my back on massive fame.
But sometimes I just need to step back.
Right now I’m having a moment where I’m just sick and tired of my WIP (work in progress). It seems like I’ve been revising and rewriting forever, to the point where it’s just no fun any more. I thought the change of scene would help, but it’s just making me more antsy to move on to the next book. I know this moment will pass, but in the meantime. . .
Maybe I need to take a pause on this one for a bit, and come back to it when I feel refreshed. (I’ll let you know how that turns out!)
What I’m Reading
I was fortunate to score an Advance Reader Copy of July L. Mohr’s upcoming book, Hidden Traps of the Internet. I’m about a third of the way through, and it’s a solid resource for writers (or any creative for that matter) with an internet presence. I’ll be writing more about it when I’ve finished it.
For lighter fare, I’ve finished the next two books in the Dora and Rex series by Lynn Morrison, Death Undercover and Double Cross Dead.
The series is entertaining, the main characters are interesting enough that I’m happy to get to know them, but, sadly, the last book is in need of a good editor. If you’re going to write historical mysteries (they take place just after WWI), you can’t use phrases and terminology that didn’t come into use until the next century. Seriously.
Can you spot what’s wrong with this excerpt?
With no regard for the risk of an active shooter aiming their way. . .
The phrase, “active shooter,” was used, rarely, starting in the late 1930’s (well after the events of this story) to describe the sport of shooting. It was not used as we’re familiar with it today until after the mass shootings at Columbine, in 1999.
Or how about this:
As incredulous as that seems, it is the truth.
Ahem. You mean, “as incredible as that seems.” Incredulous is what a person feels, incredible is the word describing what makes them feel that way.
In fact, the Merriam-Webster dictionary online even addresses this confusion.
Under the heading, “can incredulous mean incredible?” they state:
Sense 3 was revived in the 20th century after a couple of centuries of disuse. Although it is a sense with good literary precedent—among others Shakespeare used it—it is widely regarded as an error resulting from confusion with incredible, and its occurrence in published writing is rare.
Buy Me a Chai
Some of the links I include in this email may be affiliate links. What does that mean? It means you pay the same — or in some cases a little less — if you click and purchase, and I get a small commission. It’s not a lot, but it helps me buy a few chai lattes here and there. . . Or, if you like what you're reading, you can Buy Me a Chai or upgrade your subscription to paid right now. Thanks!
Notable Quotes
Normally, the meditative practice delivered the results promised by the Indian yogi. With her palms facing upwards, ready to receive whatever the universe had in store for her, Dora had only to sit still, breathe deep, and listen.
Unfortunately, today, the universe had chosen to stick out its tongue at her request.
- Death Undercover by Lynn Morris
And there we go. The reason I keep reading.
Fellow mystery author here Susanna, it's lovely to read your article (and nod at your editing suggestions too). Sometimes, taking a step back from endlessly staring at the same WIP is exactly what we need! Hang in there !!