Writing-- The Dream Job?

I've been looking for work for a while now and someone asked me recently what my dream job would be. Being in day job mode, I answered something like full-time and with full benefits--especially health insurance. Then my questioner asked me again, "Seriously, what does your dream job look like?"

When I answered her, I told her about my writing. My dream job is to write as a day job--with those full benefits, I mentioned.

But when you think about it, no one expects writing to be a day job. I'm published but no one expects me to actually make any money at this, let alone get health insurance. Writers frequently give their skills away, writing blogs for free, writing articles so that they can get publicity for their other writing projects, writing the church newsletter because somebody has to do it. Yeah, so why doesn't the church's secretary volunteer her services? Or the church handy man?

But writing is regarded differently. We want to be entertained, but we don't expect to pay much, if anything, for it.

Every so often, usually on listserves like National Writer's Union, or Author's Guild, I'll see some activist who will rail against all of those who give their writing away for free. If all of us would just grow backbones and demand what we're worth, the theory goes, the average income for every writer will go up.

I'm not so sure. Afterall, the world is not going to fall apart if all of us writers go on strike--with the possible exception of TV programs. The social networking site Twitter's coverage of the Iranian election proved that even news will still get around without the help of people who consider themselves writers. So while I'd like to believe that somehow my writing will earn my living--I have to be realistic. And no activism on my part will really change that. I'd like to get paid, but I need to write.

So does my neighbor and the guy who is on the board of adjustments and the guy who drives the Kroger delivery van. The bright spot there is that some of us are going to drop out. I've been writing long enough to know that.

Writing friends have quit writing to have babies, start a business, get married (yeah I didn't get that one either.) Some have died. Being stubborn (and healthy) counts for something in this business, I think. Really, other than the need for money what other weeding out process do you know in a business that lets you blog on anything and everything you want for free? All you have to do is be satisfied with...pretty much nothing.

I'm not going to quit.

I'm a writer. I have my dream job. You can't take this one away just because it doesn't pay the bills. But if you know of any bookkeeping jobs in the Denver area, let me know.

Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series. Book two of the series, Safe House, is due out later this summer.

What's in a Name? and other character building questions

by Austin S. Camacho

A while back I talked about character inventories - a list of traits and details that you could use as a fill-in-the-blank character starter. Each of those traits tells a bit more about your character and if you remain consistent with all of them you’ll have a great character who readers will take to their hearts because they will feel as if they really know this person.

Character inventories usually start with names and that’s not just for convenience. Superficial as we humans are, we draw a lot of meaning out of a person’s name. My detective Hannibal Jones has a very common last name, indicating an everyman. His father named him after the only African military conqueror he could name, the man who led elephants in his army and almost defeated the Roman legions. Who is your character named after? Who named him, mom or dad? Does she have a name that indicates parental personality expectations? Many common women’s names do: Chastity, Felicity, Hope, and Faith. Such characters often either grow into their names or they may take a stance in opposition to it like fictional adventurer Modesty Blaise?

Last names often indicate nationality with all the assumptions they bring. If you have a fellow named Patrick O’Connor in your cast and he ISN’T Irish, you’d better tell us quickly, because we’ve already slotted him. And in fact if he isn’t, there’s a great story there about how he got that name that will tell us a good deal about him.

Similarly, nicknames tell us a lot about your character, but we need to know if he took the name himself or if someone stuck him with it. If you introduce me to a character named Tiny I expect a giant. But if her pals call her Brain, she might be the one who always has a plan, OR she might be an idiot. Either way, the fact that she accepted that nickname tells us about her confidence level and self-image.

As for backgrounds, consider your own nationality. I think very few of you will say, “American.” We all come from somewhere, or our ancestors did. There are no generic people, and readers won’t care about your characters if they are too generic. Everyone has a race, a nationality and a religious background – even if the person doesn’t practice a religion. Consider how that affects your character’s personality.

Economic background affects personalities too, even if the character has moved on from that background. Habits learned during a poor childhood don’t vanish when your character strikes it rich, and vice versa. Know how she’ll behave in a store, in a restaurant, or in a bar. How much does money matter to her choices?

I’ve said all that before mentioning appearance because I think too many people think looks make a character. A description is NOT a character, friends. It’s probably the least important thing. However, it does matter for a few reasons. It indicates race and nationality, and whether the person is inclined to sports or not. It indicates how often others might be attracted to them.

When describing your characters don’t forget importance of clothing and jewelry. Beyond what we’re born with, consider what the character chooses to change. Has he had plastic surgery? Is she dieting? Do they wear a wig or toupee? All those tell us a lot about this person, just as being bald and proud of it does. How do they dress? How much makeup do they wear? These are all more clues to this personality.

Personally, I consider descriptions to be the most boring part of most books. So this is my personal plea for the use of simile and metaphor for description. He’s as tall as what? As fat as who? Her voice sounds like a… what, exactly? Pretend you’re describing your character to a friend who’s never seen him because that’s exactly what you’re doing.

And remember that, beyond description, characters are best revealed by what they say and what they do.

Unique Kill

by Ben Small

In my ever increasing effort to find a more unique murder weapon than Chester Campbell's smudge pot, and to keep Lee Lofland guessing, I've found this:


The PSEXTech Tac-15 Tactical Assault Crossbow.

Okay, I know anything in black thsee days is called "tactical," but this baby really is. It comes with or without a scope, will fill the same hole at forty yards, and sends a 425 grain steel bolt on its way at four hundred thirty-two feet per second -- the fastest crossbow on the market.

Zowie! Shazam. Take that, Batman.

This beast features a Picatinny rail for scope and accessories, weighs only 6.3 lbs, features a free floated fore-grip/handguard, so hand pressure will not bend the bow and adversely affect accuracy. It features an integrated quick-cocking design with a lever crank, a good thing, because maximum pull-weight is one hundred seventy pounds. One would need to be big, green and nicknamed "Hulk" to pull this tension without the crank. While you may imagine the creaky, clanging of gears pulling up a moat bridge, this hummer is whisper quiet.

Since "assault" rifles, whatever that term means, often are described as "black rifles," I suppose this would be a black bow -- good thing since it's black, huh? Blends into the night.

Heh, heh, heh. Just a whistle and a thud, the body hits the ground.

At this speed and with the weight of this bolt, I'd guess the bolt would pass clear through a body, but if not, retrieval would leave quite a mess. Either way might have Lee scratching his head for a bit.

And it gets better. Since it's designed on an AR platform, the crossbow fits onto any lower AR receiver. So, your perp or protag can choose on the spot whether he can afford the noise of his AR-15 black rifle, or the slippery silence of a dead-nuts bolt. Just strap the upper on your back and off you go with your AR-15, ready for action.

Too bad these bolts aren't wood: Vampires wouldn't stand a chance.

Better yet, this piece of arsenal auxiliary comes from a company in Tucson. Yes, we like our smugglers to have the latest stuff. And bad guys may buy; no NFA clearance or investigation required. Just walk in and plunk down $1200 of dirty money.

Ain't technology grand?

Sure, Lee would eventually figure it out -- he always does -- but this one would have him scratching his head for a bit. Once figured, tracking would pose no issue, at least while this thing is new, but as demand spreads out and used products become available, tracking would become more difficult. And of course, there are other crossbows on the market, just not with the speed and power of this one.

I know, Chester's still got me beat. A smudge pot is hard to match. But I'm trying.

Wouldn't Vlad the Impaler have had fun with this thing...?

Tactical Assault Crossbow

Conferences...Learn Something New? by Chester Campbell

My high school alumni association holds a monthly luncheon at a cafeteria not far from where I live. The largest attendance is from classes in the 1940s and 1950s. That makes sense as most all of us from that era don’t have to worry about day jobs. It’s always fun to reminisce about what we did “back then,” as well as chat about what the grandchildren are doing. We usually have a speaker on some subject of interest, and Thursday it was a woman who had written a book on discounts for seniors. She made an amusing talk, but as we were leaving my wife asked me, “Did you learn anything you didn’t already know?”

Very little, if anything, I was forced to admit. It got me to thinking about mystery conferences and conventions. Do I learn anything new when I go to one those?

In the past I’ve attended as many as six in a year, ranging from Florida to Indiana to Texas to Las Vegas. With the current economic climate, I’m cutting down to three in 2009, including one just across the county line to the south (Killer Nashville). The other two are SleuthFest in Florida, a perennial favorite, and Bouchercon, an easy half-day drive away in Indianapolis.

During the first few years, I took copious notes, digesting all sorts of useful information on writing, publishing, marketing, and a slew of other subjects that go into the mix. I also made lots of contacts with other writers, a number of fans, bookstore people, agents, editors, etc.

Now, rather than learning new things about the business, I find I am more often reminded of things I learned in the past but have not been putting into practice. Conferences have become more like a refresher course. Dialogue? Break up all those quotes with a little action. Sure, I knew that, but had I been paying enough attention to it? That’s just a minor example.

I chat with old friends and meet new ones. It’s an opportunity to put a face to those names I’ve been scanning in the emails. I might find somebody new who’d be willing to blurb the next book. And there’s always the chance of picking up a promotional idea I hadn’t considered, or unearthing an interesting way to jazz up a book signing. You’re never too old or jaded to learn something new. It’s just that there aren’t all that many things out there you hadn’t encountered before.

In earlier days I was always concerned about getting my books in the Dealer Room. I still like to have them available. But I’ve learned that lacking a household name in the mystery world, the chances of selling more than a handful of books at a conference are pretty slim. Especially at a major event like Bouchercon. I’ll never forget my first one in Vegas when I sat at my table in the signing room like the proverbial wallflower. The vacant table beside me had a line winding out into the hallway. I later learned they were waiting for James Lee Burke. One guy said he meant to come by my table but he didn’t want to get out of line.

Now I mostly choose small conferences, where you get a chance to meet most of the people and interact with those who are really interested in reading your books. Killer Nashville is one of those. This will be the fourth year, and it’s developing into a nice venue with some great speakers and interesting panels. And it’s fairly inexpensive. If you haven’t checked it out, here’s a link.

Bottom line, conferences have important values, whether you learn much new or not.

Making an antagonist evil and believable - by Vivian Zabel

Psychopath or Sociopath – how to make your antagonist real.

A good writer does the best to make characters believable. Antagonists need to be round characters, too, not stereotypes or flat. One way to put depth into a villain is to decide whether or not the person has a “problem,” perhaps one that’s pathological or traumatic, that motivates behavior.

I’ve researched psychopath and sociopath. Most information stated that they are one and the same, and the terms have been considered interchangeable for at least twenty years. However, some of the newer decisions by the psychiatric community has been to show a slight difference between the two conditions.

Let’s look at the traits found in a psychopath and then look at the slight difference between psychopath and a sociopath. The first eight are absolutely associated with a psychopath. Nine through fifteen aren’t always noticeable, but are found to some extent. The final four are not as common as the first fifteen, but many psychopaths have the traits or history of such traits.

1. Glibness/superficial charm
2. Grandiose sense of self-worth
3. Pathological lying
4. Cunning/manipulative
5. Lack of remorse or guilt
6. Emotionally shallow
7. Callous/lack of empathy
8. Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
9. Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
10. Parasitic lifestyle
11. Poor behavioral control
12. Promiscuous sexual behavior
13. Lack of realistic, long-term goals
14. Impulsivity
15. Irresponsibility

1. Juvenile delinquency
2. Early behavior problems
3. Revocation of conditional release
4. Many short-term marital relationships
5. Criminal versatility

The one difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is a sociopath can, and sometimes does, feel guilt or remorse. A psychopath never does, and if he shows such emotion, he is acting.

Does that mean that every psychopath and sociopath is a criminal? No, because the same traits can be found in politicians, CEOs, and other people in positions of power. However, those people don’t believe that anything they do is wrong, that if others are hurt, it doesn’t matter.

So using the traits to make the antagonist more believable makes our writing better, gives motivation for our villain.


Vivian Zabel
Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap
4RV Publishing

Honolulu Stories, reprise by Mark Troy

Today I am reprising a post from my other blog, Hawaiian-eye, because a storm last night fried my modem at home and I'm unable to post what I had planned. This article was originally posted as a lead up to Left Coast Crime in Hawaii. Although LCC 2009 has come and gone, the stories in this anthology are timeless.

In a previous post, I mentioned Honolulu Stories, a newly released anthology of short stories, poems and essays about Honolulu. I lamented that there were no selections from mystery authors. There are, however, stories with crime or mystery elements.

One such story is "Stalking Haunani" by the great Hawaiian musician, Keola Beamer. It's the story of a hapless auto mechanic named Honey Boy Rodrigues whose problems with his ex-wives, his sisters, his boss and his cat are hilarious. Then, while looking through his binoculars into apartments in Waikiki, he discovers the beautiful Haunani Freitas.

As I said there is no mystery here, but there are crimes aplenty. Besides the stalking crime of the title, we have peeping tomism, terroristic threatening, destruction of property, lying to a police officer, and substance abuse. The substances that are abused are pomade and Brut cologne.

The story is told in the first person by Honey Boy in his pidgin dialect. If you've never heard or read pidgin, this will be a little slow at first and some of the words will be confusing, but the speech rhythms are dead on and delightful. Read it out loud. It's full of hilarious exchanges as this one between Honey Boy's ex-wife and the divorce judge:

"Was he hostile?" the judge wen acks, all serious and formal like.

"Ho, judge," Su Yen wen hiss tru her pouty lips. Steam was comin out her eeah, like da funnel of da smoke stack from one model train. Da pooah ting was strugglin wid her mean tempa. She wen rake da hair from her forehead, an stand up quickly from da chair.

"Hostile, dogstyle, anykine style," she yell out. She point at me. "An den, right afta dat, all da time, ZZZZZZZ, ZZZZZZZZZZ, like one chain saw, yoa honah. I res my case!"

If you are going to Left Coast Crime and you want to familiarize yourself with the local culture and dialect, this is the story to set you on the right path. While you're at it, get some of Beamer's music. "Honolulu City Lights" is still my favorite after all these years.

Mark Troy
http://www.marktroy.net
http://hawaiian-eye.blogspot.com

What's In a Word

Do you have a favorite word you lean on in conversation? We all do – maybe it’s “like” or “well.” Could be “you know” or “um” or even a phrase like “no way.” Well, authors have words and phrases they lean on, too. That’s great in a draft…it's essential to get the story out and on paper, or hard drive as the case is today. Don’t even worry about them at that point.

Then you have to be relentless as you scour your manuscript. How many times do you start a sentence with “but” or “and,” “however” or “although”? Another word many of us are guilty of using as a prop is “that.” Use the “Find” command sometime and take a look at how many times these words sneak into a manuscript.

Don’t get me wrong -- sometimes one of those is exactly the right word choice, but many times those words creep in because our minds are zipping along as we write. It gives us a moment to get the sentence flowing as we go. Kind of like that “um” partway thru a spoken sentence. It seems invisible until you start to hear the other person saying it, like, you know, every couple of sentences. Then that’s all you can, like, hear! You start to sort of tune out…or focusing on it instead of what the person is saying!

So, take a few minutes and check out the repeats in your next completed first draft. Don’t be too worried too at what you find – we all do it as we write.

Next step, though, is to start striking through those handy lean-ons relentlessly.

Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
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