Quotes for writing and living

by Kaye George

Today, I’d like to share some thoughts I’ve gathered over the past months and years. Maybe some of these will resonate with you and maybe some will make your day brighter.

“When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character.”

W. Somerset Maugham

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow.”

Old Irish Saying

“I'm thinking literary focuses on the moment when the character changes, and the genre focuses on what the character does with that change.”

Stephen D. Rogers

"Writing is a lot like prostitution. First you do it for love. Then you do it for money. Then you recruit others."

Moliere

“How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterwards.”

Spanish proverb

"Every time you sit down to write, you should be afraid of losing the reader at any moment of any page."

Playwright William Gibson

"Be  kind, because everyone you meet is fighting some sort of  battle."

Betty Webb: Author of THE KOALA OF DEATH and DESERT  LOST.
_www.bettywebb-mystery.com_ (http://bettywebbssignings.blogspot.com/)

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.”

Buddha

“That was the moment I changed from an amateur to a professional.  I assumed the burden of the professional which is to write even when you don’t want to, don’t much like what you are writing and aren’t writing particularly well.”

Agatha Christie

"When you compare your inside with someone else's outside, it isn't a fair comparison."

Leslie Budewitz

“Fairytales are not written to tell children that dragons exist. Children know full well that dragons exist. Fairytales are written to show children that sometimes dragons can be defeated.”

G. K. Chesterton

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

Martha Graham

Entertainer or Philospher?

By Chester Campbell

It may be a bit simplistic, but basically that's the question we face as mystery writers. Do we want to write stories that keep the action going and entertain the readers, making them frantic to turn the next page? Or do we want to philosophize a bit, educate people as to what's wrong with the way life is going on about us? Sure, some writers do quite well combining the two. Betty Webb created quite a stir in Arizona and Utah with her novel about bigamy among a Mormon sect.

I consider myself a pure storyteller, an entertainer, if you will. A  little philosophizing might creep in on occasion, but it's never the central theme. In the first Sid Chance mystery, the case involves a toxic chemical spill behind a small plant. Sid, a former National Park ranger, is concerned about the environmental impact and interviews people who have suffered from the water contamination. However, he spends most of the book chasing down the people responsible for the spill.

My characters deal with the emotional impact of murder and such personal characteristics as greed, hunger for power, and total disregard for the welfare of others, motivations that lead to mayhem. In the new book, A Sporting Murder, Greg and Jill McKenzie are grieved by the slaying of a young German friend. Gambling plays a key role in the story, but I deal with it only as it relates to tracking down the killer. I don't have my characters fretting over whether gambling per se is good or bad.

A little enlightenment on a particular problem is okay by me, but I prefer mysteries that deal with raw emotion, putting the protags in peril and letting them claw their way out of the corners I lead them into. I'll leave the philosophy to the literary types who like to spend page after page telling us all about the characters and how they got themselves into whatever mess they're dealing with.

If readers see one of my stories as a microcosm of some larger social problem, great. It just means I told a good story. And for a storyteller, what more can you ask?

Visit me at Mystery Mania

Forensic Tips and Other Stuff

The Public Safety Writers Association conference turned out wonderfully! I was in charge of the program--and like anything else, I wasn't sure how the speakers would be or how well they'd be received.

Steve Scarborough, who I'd met the year before, is a newly retired forensic expert who gave us some intriguing tidbits. I put them on my own personal blog, but think they are good enough to spread around a bit more:

Steve was wonderful. He's been an expert forensic witness on all kind of crimes. I'm just going to mention a few of the things he told us.

Forensic Evidence can narrow the leads and eliminate suspects.
Forensic facts can make your story come alive, but you need to be careful.

You should know the direction your story is going before you do the research.

Fingerprints are the most conclusive form of forensic evidence though Fingerprints and DNA should get equal billing.

It's hard to get fingerprints off of towels, the sofa, etc. metal and glass works better.

Ballistics evidence depends upon certain conditions of the bullet.

Other types of evidence are hair, fiber, glass fragments, ABO blood type, shoe prints.

Everything is circumstantial evidence except an eye witness.

What you must have is Means, Motive and Opportunity.

It's a myth that anything can be done--nothing is proven quickly, and some of the science seen on TV is make-believe.

You can't tell race or sex from fingerprints.

There is no such thing as a three point or four point match in fingerprints.

Detectives don't follow the evidence to the lab.

And the labs don't have everything they need in forensics. The smaller the place, the less they will have in the way of crime labs.

Steve was fantastic, worth the price of the conference. (And by the way, he had to pay to come too. Because it's such a small conference, all the speakers had to pay to come. Guess how much fun that is to explain when you're trying to get speakers. Despite that, we had other great speakers, Betty Webb for one, Sheila Lowe who is a forensic handwriting expert, and Joyce Spizer Foy who besides being a private eye has written screen plays and any number of exciting pursuits.)

In my books, the police officers use old-fashioned detective work--I never use much in the way of forensics, found it easier that way. Even had a reviewer say once that he suspected most police departments operated like my fictional Rocky Bluff P.D. using old-fashioned police work to find out the answers.

And as a P.S. I'm already planning for next year. If you'd like to be a speaker (writing information or as an expert) and don't mind paying your way, please do contact me.

Marilyn a.k.a. F. M. Meredith
http://fictionforyou.com

Another Conference to Consider

Morgan talking about Love is Murder in Chicago gave me the urge to write about the Public Safety Writer Association (PSWA) conference in Las Vegas in June.

http://www.publicsafetywriter.com

This conference is perfect for any mystery writer who writes about law enforcement, fires, investigations etc. The majority of members are active or retired law enforcement as that’s how the association began. However, they are a welcoming group of men and women who are wonderful about sharing information.

We also have several reasons for attending in the form of those coming:

1. Award winning author, Betty Webb. Not only will she be a luncheon speaker, she’ll be on several panels, and available to answer questions.

2. Forensic Expert, Steve Scarborough who works with the Las Vegas P.D. and the FBI.

3. Sara Cortez, award wining writer and editor, will tell us how to rev up our writing productivity.

4. Tim Dees, editor in chief of Law Officer.Com will be speaking on writing for the new media.

5. Sheila Lowe, court qualified forensic handwriting expert.

6. Dave Doust, retired captain Toronto Fire Department, to talk about fire fighting and arson.

7. Marilyn Olsen, editor; Billie Johnson, publisher; Becca Buckley, publisher will be on a panel telling us what they are looking for in submissions, what turns them off, and common errors made by authors.

We’re going to have panels on promotion, character building, and much, much more.

Anyone who signs up before May 1st who wants to be on a panel will get an assignment.

Remember, though, there’s a price break if you sign up before March 31.

Because this is a small conference, there is plenty of time for networking and asking the experts questions. It is also lots of fun–believe me, I’ve been to nearly everyone.

If you have a book to sell, bring copies. For every copy sold, PSWA gets 10%. There will also be a joint booksigning at Cheesecake and Crime in Henderson NV the afternoon of the last day of the conference for anyone who wants to be a part of it.

And, you might want to enter the writing contest. All the information is up on the website: http://www.publicsafetywriter.com

Hope to see some of you there.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com