Drawing a Blank

I sat down to write this week’s post and drew a blank. I don’t know where that phrase came from and, frankly, I’m not in the mood to research it. Anyway, my mind was like a chalkboard that someone had erased, or a document someone had deleted. It happens to the best of us, and it’s not an age thing. I’ve seen plenty of young people go blank at the worst possible moment.

As the blankness wore off (ha ha), I remembered that last week’s post was about including a little reality in our stories. Drawing a blank is reality. What if your protagonist were to approach the most important information in her investigation, and suddenly she/he can’t remember what they meant to check into? It could happen, and it could add to the story. Just a thought.

Often, when you least expect it, that elusive idea or thought comes to you. I was once trying to think of the name of an actress’s son so I could tell an anecdote about him to some friends. It just wouldn’t come to me and, of course, I couldn’t think of her name either. This was in the days when there wasn’t a computer in every home and I couldn’t look it up. About two days later I was driving home from work on a Los Angeles freeway in stop and go traffic when it hit me. I suddenly knew both his name and his mother’s. Guess what? Today I can’t recall either of their names again, even though I can picture them in my mind. I want to say her name was Sylvia, but that isn’t it.

Sometimes our mind is going in one direction while our mouth is going in another. Have you ever looked at your dog and called it by your child’s name? (It’s not just me. I’ve heard other people do it.) Heaven help you if you call to your child by using the dog’s name.

Here’s another one. Have you ever answered the phone and recognized the voice of a longtime friend but you couldn’t think of their name? That’s when you say, “Who is this?” as they start talking. After they fill in the name, you say, “Oh. It didn’t sound like you,” in order to get yourself off the hook.

I think sometimes we have too many thoughts going through our little pea brains and it’s hard to pull ourselves back to what’s currently going on. Again, this isn’t an age thing. It’s a “we all have days like that” thing. Our characters should certainly have days like that once in a while.

I’m chuckling because when I sat down to write this post, I sure didn’t have these things in mind. Maybe drawing a blank was actually in inspiration. Ya think? Probably not.

What did I say about things coming to you when you least expect it? The actress I referred to above was Stella Stevens, and her son was actor Andrew Stevens.

I’ll bet the next time my protagonist forgets something it will come to her as she’s washing the dishes or putting on her shoes – or maybe in the middle of a different investigation.

So, once again, I appreciate it when an author puts a little relatable reality in a story. Something I can laugh at and say, “Oh, yeah. I’ve done that.” Even if it’s a fictional character you’re relating to, it’s nice to know you’re not alone.

What are some of the things you’ve done that you might use in a story? Can’t remember? Oh, well…

Until next week, write the names of your children on one hand and the names of your dogs on the other. When you call to them, just be sure to check the correct hand. Enough of this silliness. Come back next week. You never know what you’ll find here.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Having a Great Crime – Wish You Were Here, A Sandi Webster Mystery is… Gosh, I can’t remember what I was going to say. Just kidding. It’s a fun book that’s just waiting to be read by you.

Billing Enclosed

Those are words that can sometimes make your skin crawl.

Some of us deflate a little on payday when we have to sit down with a stack of bills and pay them – especially when there are unexpected expenses. That money seems to dwindle faster than we can pay the piper.

Reality is something we sometimes forget when writing a book. I mean the kind of reality we each have to deal with on a daily basis.

Sandi lives the romantic life of a private investigator. It sounds good, doesn’t it? Of course, that life includes murder, hard work, dealing with difficult people and figuring out who the bad guy is. Unfortunately, it also includes paying the bills for both home and business, grocery shopping, cooking, feeding the dog and running all kinds of errands. I often forget those essential parts of her life.

She and Pete don’t have a perfect marriage, but that’s reality, too. They fuss over things sometimes which is normal for any married couple. Often the issues are small ones.

I remember a woman in a restaurant telling a story about going out to dinner with her husband. When she got to the part about what they had for dessert, things got out of control. She said they had rhubarb pie. He said, no, that they’d had apple pie. She corrected him and insisted it had been rhubarb. He, in turn, corrected her. Uh oh. Before long things got out of control. She stomped out of the restaurant. He whipped out his wallet, threw money on the table, and stomped out after her.

They could have argued about something of substance, but no, it was about pie.

I suspect Pete and Sandi would be more likely to argue about spending money and paying bills, or one of them taking too many chances when dealing with a client or a crime. Of course, the pie issue could lead to some humor.

In most cases I enjoy a book that breaks away from the drama for a moment and lets the character do something normal, like feed the baby or take out the trash. It makes them feel more real to me.

The same applies to pets. If a dog starts barking, it doesn’t always mean there’s a stranger nearby. Earlier today one of my dogs started barking and wouldn’t stop. I went to the door to hush her up, and found her lying on the patio, casually barking at nothing. I guess she just wanted to hear her own voice. She also always manages to get the last “word” in, too. I tell her to be quiet and she barks one last time before moving on to something else. It’s like she’s saying, “I’ll stop barking when I’m good and ready. Okay, I’m ready.”

Reality can be anything – a kid coming to the door to sell cookies or the one whose ball landed in your backyard and he wants it back, a delivery man, someone who mistakenly received your mail along with his own, or a neighbor complaining about your dog barking. Thankfully, none of my neighbors have complained – yet.

Your protagonist might be on the phone listening to a bad guy threaten her life, and suddenly the voice of reality comes from outside the front door. “Yoohoo. I need your help.” It’s the little old lady from across the street whose toilet is running over and she can’t turn off the water.

Reality is what it is, things that happen in everyday life. I think a dose of the little old lady or the kid with an armful of cookies can help the reader relate to the story and your characters.

I guess you’d have to call this a Reality Check. There’s more to a mystery than the mystery. Life happens, and your characters have to be ready to juggle events.

Just thought I’d mention it.

Until next time, treat yourself to a piece of pie and enjoy every morsel. Just don’t try to tell anyone what kind you had.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

My new book, Black Butterfly – A Bogey Man Mystery, is nearing completion. In the meantime, if you haven’t read Bogey’s Ace in the Hole, you might give it a try. And remember, this is fiction. No child, or Church Lady, or mother-in-law was harmed in the writing of this book. They simply make good characters.

Dorothy Bodoin, Guest Author

This week I'm pleased to welcome Dorothy Bodoin as my guest author. Dorothy has 28 published books with more on the way, and I've read them all. They have elements of mystery, the paranormal, collies, and something new -- time travel. If you enjoy any of the aforementioned elements, you'll enjoy these stories. Collie lovers, here's the series you've been waiting for. This week Dorothy discusses time travel, which appeared in The Mists of Huron Court and again in Down a Dark Path. Welcome, Dorothy!

Jennet Ferguson, Time Traveler

I have always loved time travel novels.  Not the silly kind like the one I’m reading now in which the heroine is clueless.  She purchases an antique item, and when her world breaks apart, literally, complete with lights flashing and painful physical reactions, she wonders what is happening to her.  (You’ve traveled into the past, oblivious one.)

Among the books I love are Connie Willis’ classics: Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Blackout and All Clear.  These are novels I can read over and over again and each time find something new.

Rather than write a stand-alone time travel, I decided to give Jennet Ferguson, the heroine of my Foxglove Corners Cozy Mystery Series (with Wings ePress) a time travel adventure.  How better to explain the mystery of the pink Victorian that ages a hundred years between one visit and the next?

I didn’t think this would be too radical a departure for my readers, for Jennet is used to encountering the unusual.  Soon after moving to Foxglove Corners, she saw a phantom Christmas tree in the window of an old white Victorian.  This was her first supernatural experience.

As she settled into her new home, she realized that Foxglove Corners was a town in which many strange occurrences happened.  For example, a certain road was the source of several disappearances.  Rumors spread that sometimes when traveling on it, one reached the end of the earth and fell off.

As she marries her true love, Deputy Sheriff Crane Ferguson and adds collies to her household, Jennet frequently comes across actual ghosts.  The white collies of Lost Lake, a girl who haunts the town’s library, another ghost who appears in the hall of the Spirit Lamp Inn, and a girl ice skater who returns to the lake where she fell through the ice and drowned.

I didn’t think Jennet’s misstep in time would be that different.

However, a few of my readers, unfamiliar with the genre, were confused.  Did Jennet really go back in time in The Mists of Huron Court or did she imagine it?  When Brent Fowler disappears in Down a Dark Path, has he been cast adrift in the past as Jennet suspects?  What else could be going on?

For Jennet in these two books, as well as in a more traditional mystery, the worst may happen but there is always a way out for those courageous enough to search for it.

I’ve always been a little puzzled by the time-tripping heroine who decides to stay in the past with the man of her dreams, turning her back on modern conveniences such as wonder drugs.  I can’t see myself doing that.  At present, I don’t plan to give Jennet any more adventures in time.  My summer book, Shadow of the Ghost Dog, will be a mystery with a supernatural touch.  No journeys into the past or future.

Foxglove Corners provides Jennet with plenty of opportunities to rescue collies and solve mystery in the twenty-first century.  That’s where I plan to leave her.

Dorothy Bodoin's website:  http://www.dorothybodoin.com/

Buy Books at Wings ePress or Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_rsis_4_0?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Dorothy+Bodoin&sprefix=%2Caps%2C376 OR http://www.books-by-wings-epress.com/mystery-1

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about time travel, Dorothy. I hope you'll come for another visit soon.

 

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw's website
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com 

Change Your Shoes, Please

I was watching something on TV the other night and, well, there was a scene that bugged me. I’ve seen the same instance happen in several shows over a period of many years. A cop or P.I. or whoever is sneaking up on someone. They accidentally kick something, knock something over, or step on a twig that cracks and gives away their presence. No one seems to notice that their footsteps were a dead giveaway. They’re not wearing rubber soled or athletic shoes, so every step they take makes a sound. That should have actually been what gave them away. You can’t sneak up on someone if your steps are clicking or clacking or echoing.

A sneeze or a cough would make a better giveaway. They might drop a flashlight or some other heavier object, but I like the sneeze or the cough better. Those are sounds that you can’t necessarily control, and they’re human sounds. When’s the last time you heard a rat in an old warehouse cough or sneeze?

Some things are just too predictable when it comes to giving yourself away. Sneaking isn’t all that easy, but it might be smarter to wear those athletic shoes. An allergic reaction to flowers might cause the sneeze, or dust floating in the air might cause the cough. Of course, there’s always the possibility that your character has a cold but believes the job must be done anyway.

Maybe the character isn’t following anyone. Maybe they’re hiding from a bad guy and they’ve secreted themselves behind a pile of boxes. A sneeze, cough or a nervous hiccup will still work. Of course, it might make it harder to run for their lives if they’re coughing.

You have to look at all possibilities, all sides of what could happen.

I’ve also found it unrealistic if a character reaches into her purse, searches for and pulls out a weapon, and defends herself all in one swift movement. On the other hand, what’s she supposed to do? “Oh, hold on a sec, sweetie. I need to search my purse before you shoot, strangle, or beat me. cough cough With any luck I’ll find a cough drop before you hurt me. Be patient. I’m looking. Oh, here’s my gun. Uh, I mean here’s a cough drop.”

Bang! Too late. She didn’t even get her hand out of her purse. Yes, I know many people are anti-gun, but we’re talking about fiction here. And, frankly, if someone meant to do me harm, I sure hope I’d have something to defend myself with.

I once read a book where the protagonist used a bowl of salad as a defense. Figure that one out. It made sense in the context in which it was used and I’ve never forgotten that simple bowl of salad. (Darkness at Foxglove Corners by Dorothy Bodoin)

How about when they whisper to their partner? I understand that in a TV show the viewer wants to hear what’s said, but unless the character gets really close to their partner’s ear, the bad guy might hear something, too. It works better in a book.

Here’s one I almost forgot. Isn’t it just a bit silly when you see a female protagonist chasing a bad guy and she’s wearing high heels? She’d break her ankle before catching the bad guy. Unless, of course, the perpetrator that she’s chasing is also wearing high heels. She could take off the heels and run barefoot, but then she might step on something like broken glass and the whole chase could be over.

I understand these are probably farfetched ideas in the minds of some, but when writing a book I think the authors often need to put themselves in the footsteps (or shoes) of the  protagonist and think things through logically. What would work and what wouldn’t, and how do you keep from giving yourself away?

Of course, you can throw all of my comments out the window when you’re writing with humor or you need the characters to give themselves away. It’s just that there should be a purpose behind clicking shoes or a sneeze, or the type of shoes someone is wearing, or the weapon used to defend yourself.

Just some thoughts. Maybe I watch too much television.

Until next time, be prepared. Dress comfortably. Stay healthy. Think logically. Most of all, enjoy life.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Like ghost towns? What if you were stranded in one? Try Old Murders Never Die - A Sandi Webster Mystery