What Are You Missing Most as a Writer?

We've talked about this before, all the writing conferences and conventions that have been cancelled, plus the book and craft fairs.

So what do we miss besides the opportunity to sell books?

For me, it's not getting to see old friends and make new ones in the writing and reading community.

In July, my favorite conference of all, the Public Safety Writers Association's annual get-together had to be cancelled. I usually teach at the pre-conference workshop. I always get ideas for my books from the speakers and panels.

The Visalia Library had planned a big outdoor book festival for fall--of course that won't happen, all the libraries are closed.

One of the biggest book festivals in northern California held in Manteca held in the fall is a victim of the Covid 19 too.

My calendar for the 2020 was filled with conferences and book fairs to attend, plus speaking engagements at writers groups. All cancelled.

Of course, I've got copies of my books on hand that I expected to sell at all these places.

I've been busy, despite all this because all my books are now self-published in paper and for Kindle on Amazon. But, I don't know about my fellow authors, but for me, it's not as much fun to try and promote on line as it is to be face-to-face with a potential buyer and reader of one of my books.
Discussing a book in person is much more rewarding. And I miss this.

What I'm also missing in meeting with my writers' groups like the San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime. I miss seeing the members, and I miss hearing the speakers. I miss the regular meeting of the Tulare-Kings Writers group. And most of all, I miss the weekly gatherings of our writers' critique group. I'm in touch with them via email, but it isn't the same.

What about you? What are you missing most as a writer or a reader?

Marilyn who also writes as F. M. Meredith

I'm busy writing the next book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, and the latest book in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series is End of the Trail. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFTC6K/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1588514254&sr=1-1

Writing Blurbs

There are two kinds of blurbs, one another author asks you to write praising his or her book, and the one you must construct for your own book.

In either case, I usually keep mine to about two sentences.

I recently did one for a friend and she liked it so well it's going on the front of her book. For some reason, I find it much easier to do for others than for myself.

The blurb I'm working on now is for the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery. I've sent one in to the publisher, but I'm not really happy with it.

The book is about a trip Tempe and her husband take to Tehachapi. He isn't happy about the destination as they'd planned to go to the coast and visit her sister. But a call from a ghost hunter has intrigued Tempe. Of course there is a ghost, messages on the wind only Tempe can hear, and a murder of course.

I've tried several different ways to present this, and as yet I'm not thrilled with any I've come up with.

Recently I attended the Tulare-Kings Writers group and the topic was on writing blurbs. It helped, but I'm still not sure what I'm going to use. My critique group also had some suggestions.

How about the rest of you writers? Does writing blurbs for your books or others come easy?

And readers, does an intriguing blurb often cause you to buy the book?

Marilyn

How Do you Feel About Cursing Characters?

A new member of my critique group sent an email asking me and another older member if she would offend if she used the “f” word in the story she was writing.

I wrote back and told her that I’d both read and heard the word before and if it fit the character by all means use it.

However, I also told her that I don’t use that word or other curse or guttural words in my books–though I do write things like, “he spit out a slew of curse words.” I confess to using the word “crap” though. Why I think that’s more acceptable, I don’t know, except that I’ve been known to say it myself at times.

When I first started writing, my mom was reading my manuscripts, and I held back with the “bad” words because I knew my mom would be unhappy reading them. Of course I left the romantic sex scenes in, which she commented about–but didn’t seem to mind.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I read books that have such words in them–however, I notice the books I like best don’t seem to need curse words and the characterizations don’t suffer because of it.

I’ve read some books that would have worked just fine without having the curse words sprinkled liberally on every page. Feel the same way about some movies.

Getting back to the critique group, have to laugh because I forget how old I am and I’m sure that’s why the young woman felt she needed to ask.

Let me know how you feel about your characters and what they have to say.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com