With heartfelt gratitude to the membership of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Margaret Mizushima
is thrilled to announce that she was elected their 2019-2020 Writer of the
Year. Margaret is the author of the award winning, internationally published
Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries (from Crooked
Lane Books). In addition to RMFW, she’s a member of Colorado Author’s League,
Sisters in Crime, Pikes Peak Writers, Northern Colorado Writers, Women Writing
the West, and she serves on the board for the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery
Writers of America. Margaret can be found on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, and on her website at www.margaretmizushima.com.
Sweet Success is coordinated by, Darby Karchut who is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter.
If you have a Sweet Success Story to share, please contact Darby at: SweetSuccess@pikespeakwriters.com
For the last couple of months, I can’t really say I’ve been in my writing hole. It’s probably closer to the truth to say I’ve been in my Project Management hole. But I’m out now, and I want to talk about my experience. See, I am self-publishing my debut novel. I came to this conclusion after a minor incident with a small publisher. Sitting there last fall, trying to figure out how everything had fallen through, I realized a couple of things that I wanted to share with you.
No one was going to care more about my story than me. Nobody. So if I didn’t advocate for my story, who would?
Just because my story didn’t fit into a genre slot didn’t mean there wasn’t an audience out there for me. I just had to find them.
Whether I was traditionally or independently published, I was going to have to do the marketing myself.
Learning the skills an independent publisher has to know would always make me a better consumer further down the road.
So why did it take me so long?
Fear.
Now don’t get me wrong. Fear can be a positive motivator.
Most of us have had that experience at work where project X needs to be done by
a certain time or we’re all fired. So everyone bucks up and gets it done. I
have personally had that hard conversation with a boss because I was slacking
and didn’t realize it. So I redoubled my efforts and learned I was capable of
more. So in that sense, fear can be good.
Not my fear.
I was afraid of what I didn’t know. I was afraid of the work that might be involved. I was afraid I was going to fail.
Let’s take formatting as an example.
I write in MS Word. I have since I was in middle school. (When I was in 8th grade it was called Jr. High. But I digress.) So, when I decided to self-publish I knew formatting was going to be an issue. Reason number one was because I couldn’t afford what some people wanted to charge (up to $500 and more). Reason number two was all the horror stories people told me about trying to format in word. (I call them the Scrivener-Vellum Syndicate. But I tease!)
I procrastinated until the end of the school year (I’m a substitute teacher). When I finally did get to formatting my novel for print and e-book, it took a day and a half. Around 15 hours. That was it. Did I make some mistakes? Yes. But after installing Kindle Add-in for Microsoft Word and watching a couple of hours of Youtube videos on formatting in Word, I figured it out.
A New Skill Set
I figured it out. It was challenging, frustrating and deflating at times. But not only do both versions of my debut novel, The Gallowglass, look good, but I now have a skill set. I understand how to format in MS Word. I know how to use Styles and how to take out tab indents (go to replace and type in ^t, then replace it with nothing). I know how to format a table of contents and create Styles of my own. I will use these skills when I publish my second novel and the process will get a little easier.
If you’ve been hesitant about finishing your book. If you’ve felt bad because you don’t have the skills to self-publish and don’t have the money to pay professionals along the way. Don’t be discouraged. There are some things you can learn to do yourself. Just be patient with yourself and realize it’s not going to be perfect. (Even traditionally published books have typos!) Remember, suffering leads to endurance, which leads to character, which leads to hope. Your book will be awesome and your second one will be even better.
You can like Jason’s Facebook Author Page. Or, you can follow him on Twitter @evans_writer If you’d like to read his personal blog or sign up on his mailing list, go to www.jasonhenryevans.com
Jason’s debut novel, The Gallowglass, releases July 10th. Find out more information here.
A special two-part Write Brain: The New Zebulon Amy Armstrong, Presenter and 250 Words That Will Make or Break You Natalie Mae, Presenter
2020 Zebulon
The August Write Brain began with an update about the 2020 Zebulon Contest, including TWO double-sided pages of information about what has changed during the contest’s year-long hiatus. A few of the more notable changes:
Contest entries will be accepted
through Submittable rather than a custom-built portal.
The short story category is back!
No more query round, but a synopsis is
still required. (Darn.)
The Zebulon will offer monetary prizes
only in 2020, rather than discounts on conference registration.
After the break, YA author Natalie Mae shared tips for beefing up your first paragraph. In an unexpected but super helpful twist, she began her presentation by sharing an early version of the first paragraph of her novel Duplicitous and comparing it to the published version. The exercise clearly demonstrated the improvements she made, including that oh-so-important delicious first line. For even more insight into Natalie’s journey to publication, visit her website.
Robin Laborde is not sure exactly how long she has been a member of Pikes Peak Writers but she enjoys it very much. She worked as a technical writer for over ten years and has had nonfiction articles published in newspapers and magazines. She is currently writing a speculative fiction novel and working part-time at the East Library in Colorado Springs.
Three weeks
ago I fulfilled a lifetime dream of publishing my first novel. I decided to
self-publish my first novel for a variety of reasons. However, if I’m honest
with myself, it simply was the right time. See, I have been very fortunate in
the writing game. I have met men and women who have published 5, 10, even 40
novels. They’ve had short stories in a dozen anthologies. Many of these people
have given me sage pieces of advice. They have held my hand, gently told me when
my story was bad, and inspired me to go forward. But there comes a time when
you have to do it on your own. Whether your self-publishing a novel or you have
a contract with a big four publisher there comes a time when you have to be
alone. You have to put the words on the paper and be honest with yourself about
the story you’re trying to tell.
That can be
a dark place. But it was in that dark place, all alone, that I realized I
couldn’t depend on anybody but myself. That was when I decided to self-publish a
manuscript I put aside a year earlier. At that point, it wasn’t about fame, or
financial success. It was about reaching the next level in my writing.
A Giving Community
One of the
short comings of the writing community here in Colorado is that everyone is so
giving. You reach out and people will genuinely help you as much as they can.
The writers here—regardless of their levels of success—are so warm. But for me,
it became a crutch. I could always ask for and get a pep talk or a piece of
good advice. But I wasn’t doing the work. That all changed ten months ago.
Re-Writes
I went back
into my writing cave. I edited, did re-writes, and commissioned a cover artist.
When that cover ended up being awful and the artist stopped returning my
emails, I went out and bought another cover—a better one. My wife and some
close friends already read my manuscript and they thought it was good.
Become an Author
So, I paid a
copy editor, I sent it out to more beta-readers, and I learned how to format
both a physical book and an ebook. Did I have help? Absolutely. But I was the
one who had figure out the minutia of book formatting. I was the one who had to
go over every line for typos and homonyms. You know what? The entire process
was frightening. But I had to do it. I had to get to the next level. I had to become
an author.
I write this
not to praise myself. But to tell you, gentle reader, that you can do it too.
But a large part of that process, I have discovered, is sitting and doing the
work by yourself. It will be lonely. For me? It was scary, too. But isn’t that
the point?
Finding the Magic
In that dark
place where it’s just you and your story and you don’t know how to solve that
plot problem, or format your table of contents, that’s where the magic is.
That’s where your mettle is tested. That’s where you stop treading water and start
swimming. But no one is going to write your story for you. Jeff Goins once said
that “Art needs an audience.” Don’t deny your audience your art, no matter how
scary or full of drudgery the process may be. Finish your art and accept the
consequences.
If you do, I
promise you, holding your book in your hands will make all your struggles worth
it.
Jason Henry Evans says that life is funny. In 2004 I moved from Los Angeles to Denver, newly married with a desire to be a great teacher and husband. I dedicated myself to public education and realized my heart was not in it. So I moved on. At the same time I stumbled into a creative world of art and literature I now call home. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been worthwhile. You can catch up with Jason on his Facebook Author Page or on Twitter. You will also find up to date posts on his blog.
Pikes Peak Writers is known for our annual conference, but we also do tons of programming throughout the year, much of it free!
Join Mytchel at the next Writer’s Night!
One of our free monthly events is Writer’s Night, where writers of all genres gather together to discuss writerly topics over food and drinks. Anyone is welcome to attend, whether they have a question to ask or they just want to hang back and listen.
Why Go to Writers Night?
At the last meeting, I asked the attendees for their top reasons to attend Writer’s Night, and here they are:
Hearing from other writers inspires you to keep writing.
It’s nice to be around like-minded people.
Sense of community. Writing is such an isolated experience–sometimes you need to escape it.
Helps fight impostor syndrome.
Exposes you to diverse perspectives.
Casual education. Learn from others while just hanging out!
Bragging rights. Each session, we go around the room and allow people the chance to tell us about their accomplishments.
Gets you out of the house.
You don’t have to make dinner.
Beer!
NEW Location!
We’ve got exciting news to share, too! Writer’s Night is getting a face-lift. It’s moving to Navajo Hogan in August. Plus, we’ve got a new host! Mytchel Chandler has taken over as Writer’s Night host, bringing a fresh perspective to the group.
Monday, August 26 (every fourth Monday!) 6:30 to 8:30 PM Navajo Hogan (private room) 2817 N. Nevada Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80907
We hope you’ll come check out Writer’s Night and all our other monthly programming! Look for it under “events” on our website or in the events on our Facebook page.
Mytchel Chandler, Secretary of PPW, has taken over Writer’s Night! Mytchel has written a time travel comic titled Chronic, and is finishing up his debut novel, a YA fantasy titled The Dark and Dangerous Days of Sin Shadow. In his spare time, Mytchel is an avid movie goer, comic collector, and cosplayer. Be sure to follow him @authormytchelchandler on Facebook and Instagram, and at www.mytchelchandler.com.
Did you happen
to attend a writer’s conference recently where you heard every author must have
a blog? Or maybe you heard an agent won’t pick you up if you don’t have a blog.
Or maybe you’d just like to join the community because believe it or not, blogging
isn’t dead. New blogs still pop up all the time and become successful.
So, do you need
a blog?
If
you want to sell more books, no.
If
you want to drive traffic to your website, not necessarily but it helps.
If
you want to establish a daily or weekly writing habit that will also drive
traffic, then yes.
But if you
plan to start a blog, I want you to think about a few things.
It
is a fantastic way to start and maintain a writing habit
It
is a fantastic way to drive traffic to your website
It
is time-consuming and requires some creative brainstorming for topics after a
time
There
are 31.7 million bloggers in the U.S. by 2020
Yes, there are
a lot of blogs out there. That doesn’t mean you can’t make it work for you.
Your fiction content is unique and more than likely, there won’t be too many
other fiction writers out there clamoring away to write about your content. So
that opens up a lot of post possibilities.
The best way to
keep track of what you’re writing is to create a content calendar. It’s a
device to help you plan out your blog strategy, which posts to write and when
to post them. You’ll never be lost on what to blog again. Here’s mine, feel free to steal it.
To get you
started, here is a list of topics you can blog about:
Behind-the-scenes. Talk about how you get your ideas
(because you know you’ll be asked), where you write, where you do your research
Excerpts
of your work. Do you
have a really favorite scene? Share it.
Character
Interviews. These are
always fun and can help you flesh out a character as well.
Book
chronicle. Journal your
book. How you create your characters; how they respond to you on a given day;
where you’re having writers block and why; how you resolved the issue
Book
covers. Talk about why
you like one over the other.
Research
trips. Write about what
you ate, where you stayed, what you discovered, where you discovered it.
Location
Scout. Write about your
setting and its history
Writers
life. How you became a
writer, stay motivated and started your career
Supporters. Interviews with people who’ve helped
you on your journey: librarians, researchers, biggest supporter, funny little
guy you met on the train who was super excited to find out you’re a writer!
Reviews. Connect something in your work to
popular culture and become an expert on it. For example, Young Adult novelists
could review episodes of Riverdale or Stranger Things. Mystery writers could
review CSI or NCIS.
As you start
blogging or want to punch up the blog you have, here are some best practices to
help you:
LONG
form!
Not
250 words. Not anymore. 1000 words. Why? Because Google likes search words and
the more words you have, the more likely you’ll pop in a Google search. This
maxes out between 1500-2000 words though.
Will
readers take the time to read all that? Yes. Statistics show people are reading
just as much as ever, even with short attention spans, they are reading. They’re
just doing it on their phones. (Source)
Bullets,
headers, lists.
I
know I just said readers will read up to 1500 words, but really that’s only
true if you break up the text with these elements. It makes it an easier read
for users who have the attention span of a gnat.
Attention
span has been reported at 8 seconds in the online word. But more than 30% of
blog readers admit to liking lists and headers, and more than 40% admit to
skimming. Breaking up the text will help your reader stay involved with the
post. (Source)
Video
is still king.
So
what does that have to do with blogging? One of the best ways to up your search
engine optimization is to create a quick 1-3 minute video that basically just
tells the reader what’s in your blog. Pop that on the end of your blog and you
should start to see an increase in traffic.
In
addition, 80% of blog readers report they remember more of what they read if it’s
accompanied by a video. Win win! (Source)
Images.
Articles
or blogs with images receive 94% more views. Even if you just use one, put it
toward the top so you pull readers in right in the beginning.
Find
photos on Flickr, Google Images, Shutterstock and Pixabay. Most of these sites
will have free or inexpensive photos you can use copyright-free. (Source)
Launch
with 20.
Because
content is how Google finds you, it’s better to have at least 20 posts before
you officially launch your blog.
Think
about that … 20000 words. That will certainly help your search engine
optimization.
Be
consistent.
This
one has been preached forever. Right now the going rate is at least every other
week, but weekly is best.
Never
go for once a month. It simply isn’t enough content to drive traffic. (Source)
If you’re read
to start, you’ll need a platform like Wix, Weebly, or Blogger – all of which
have a pretty easy learning curve and free templates. I use WordPress because it has better integration with
the Google search engine and an amazing SEO tool in the Yoast plugin which
makes SEO super easy. You’ll also want to own your own domain (URL), so head
over to GoDaddy, SquareSpace or HostGator and purchase the URL.
For slightly
more information, check out this link.
Jennifer Lovett
Jennifer Lovett is the founder of Writer Nation, a podcast and Facebook group dedicated to helping writers market their work. With 17 years communications experience, she regularly writes on social media, internet marketing and face-to-face publicity. She currently lives in South Korea and travels around Asia for fun. You can find her on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest: @jennylovett
Recently the issue of backstory came up again with a client who is writing a YA in the aftermath of a pandemic. The horror is over and the story is about how they will live from here forward. About the society they will create and how they might do it differently this time. The writer, working on her first draft, was feeling the pressure of writing backstory and wanted to talk about whether it had a place in the novel or not.
As I’ve said here before, there are writers who insist no backstory is the right amount. But I disagree. I think it depends upon the story, of course. But there’s more to that feeling of needing backstory that deserves to be looked at as part of the writing process.
Thinking about my client’s story I wonder how backstory can not play a role in the front story. What happened during the pandemic to each of her characters is relevant to how they respond to the changed world. The complete loss of any kind of control in the face of a global disease, an invisible foe, has to change the people that lived it and the society they will create the next time. It will also reverberate for generations to come.
For example, I think about whether or not my mom living through the depression had an effect on me. Here’s a story that illustrates exactly what I’m talking about. During the depression, my mom was poor. She lived with her immigrant grandparents because her mother died at twenty-four and in those days men didn’t raise children, especially widowers who didn’t marry someone else right away. So my mother and my aunt moved in with their grandparents.
My great-grandfather was injured at work in 1930. In those days, sans any kind of compensation, he was simply out of work. My great-grandmother cleaned the house of the factory owner and they had to accept subsistence from the government. They lost their house. The girls wore heavy, black, government shoes that were delivered by a big truck that stopped in front of their house to bring food and supplies. When the truck came my mother and her sister would hide. To be supported that way was shameful.
Certainly in any story I would tell about my mother, that time in her life would reverberate, always. The backstory would have an effect on the front story. Formative experiences always do.
But I have wondered what strings from my mother’s experience of living poor are threaded through my life and into my daughter’s. During my conversations with my writer-friend I thought about what my mom’s life event meant to the current story.
One conclusion I came to was that both me and my daughter learned my mother’s extraordinary ability to “make do” which I believe is a direct result of the depression years she lived through. The women in our family make do to a fault. And I’m not just talking about groceries. It’s been more along the lines of accepting and getting along without, rather than fighting to get what we deserve. Does that make sense?
And that bleeds over into other areas besides money or jobs. It’s an attitude I’ve been fighting since I realized how unhealthy that is and exactly what it says to the universe about getting my needs met. It’s sort of like neglect on a spiritual level. I believe I can trace it back to my mom’s experience with poverty and I can see it in my daughter, too.
So how much of that backstory would make it into a novel about my story or my daughter’s story? Perhaps none. But isn’t the writer better informed if they’ve taken the time to explore those issues in their character’s lives and to write about how the backstory still reverberates?
Perhaps the definitive answer for my friend’s novel is to write the backstory in the first draft exploration. Spend time wallowing in the Why of it all so she knows what influences her characters and their story. Perhaps she should look for the threads that still live in all of their lives, how the backstory changed the front story and what it says about the future stories. The individual reactions to that pandemic will reflect in each person differently, in each family differently and it will have a societal ‘flavor’ as well. Perhaps even different in different parts of the country.
Here’s an illustration. One day during a dinner when both my mother and my mother-in-law were present, the subject of the depression came up. My mother-in-law, raised in Cape Cod in a wealthy family (think coming out balls and Sarah Lawrence college), lamented over the loss of their summer home on the beach during the depression. My mother’s lips pressed to white and she said nothing about the government shoes. Still steeped in shame.
So thematically, I think all stories deserve a time playing with backstory. Then even if you don’t use the actual scenes you write in backstory, or use only some of it, you understand your characters and their world better and you might find themes that will serve as the bones that holds your story together.
Deb McLeod is an author and creative writing coach. She has been coaching writers for over ten years, and worked with fiction, memoir and creative nonfiction writers. She has also worked with poets and screen writers.
You’ve envisioned a world where some large-scale event has wiped out hordes of humanity. Your characters are alive in your head, probably struggling to survive. You can see the blighted landscape all around you. What do you need to do now?
There are a few things that must be part of your post-apocalyptic story, or you have no story.
~An apocalyptic event.
That’s right, you can’t have a post-apocalyptic world without something that got them there. What will yours be? Viral, bacterial, natural, man-made, space-related or nuclear? These are all options, and there are probably plenty more. Did the swine flu get out of hand? Was it helped by humanity or just one of those things that happens in nature? Did the Earth tilt too far off its axis? Did nuclear Hell flame rain down upon the continents? There must be a reason the people in your story are stuck in this particular landscape.
Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, by Viktor Vasnetsov. Painted in 1887;
Viktor Vasnetsov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
~A time frame.
Are they living through the event or has it already happened? Is it fresh or decades down the line? You have to know when it happened and what stage humanity is in to really tell your story. If it happened decades ago, the landscape is going to be significantly different than if it just happened yesterday. Quality of life will also probably be very different. If they’ve been coping for decades, they probably aren’t struggling to find food or water sources as much as if it just happened and everything is tainted or burning. If it’s a new problem, there will be mostly individuals and small groups, whereas a length of time may mean there are established towns/cities.
Stalingrad after the battle;
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
~A fully realized landscape.
World building is important in any story, but you need to build this post-apocalyptic world so that people see your vision of what it looks like. They must know what your characters’ reality looks like. Are there fires raging? Or is everything underwater? Are there bodies everywhere? Or has nature reclaimed what once was solely hers? Let us know what it is your characters are looking at. Make sure it makes sense for passage of time and the particular event that occurred.
~Strong characters.
We need to believe that these people can make it (or not, as the case may be). It must be a real struggle. We have to care whether they can survive, one way or another. Maybe we hate this guy so much that we question why he survived, when better people died. Maybe we love this character and desperately want to see her rebuild her life. Whichever characters you have, we must believe in them, and they must have a mission, of sorts. Does Evil Guy want to take over what remains of the world? Find natural resources to survive? Or just be left alone? Does Lovely Heroine have a child to fend for? Is she just trying to find a home she can call her own? What drives them? What are they trying to accomplish? This is important in every single kind of story you may write, but don’t get so intent on your world building that you forget your characters.
~A purpose.
All right, we get it. The world has ended. The apocalypse has found us. Whoopty-doo. What is so important about this world that you just have to tell the story? What are we going to take away from this? I’m not talking about a moral (necessarily), but just a life story that means something to us when we read it. A violent post-apocalyptic world, where survivors are constantly under siege, does us no good if we don’t come out of the story feeling something. Perhaps you want us to know that humanity will always find a way to thrive. Or that love will always pull someone through. Whatever it is, make it part of your story.
The aftermath of Hurricane Camille. Ruins of Texaco gas station with Rambler automobile,
Biloxi, Mississippi, 17 August 1969
There are many elements that are important in a story, but these are just a few of the top ones to keep in mind when writing a post-apocalyptic tale.
Looking for a few good reads?
Want to read a story that takes something familiar and turns it on its head, all the while showing us the strength of humanity and the power of good versus evil? Read Stephen King’s The Stand. Watch Book of Eli for another viewpoint. There’s also The Road, Mad Max, Water World (hey, I’m not saying these are all good), The Postman, Jericho and The Walking Dead for movies/television shows. For books, this link should take you to a comprehensive list of classic post-apocalyptic stories. Of course, The Hunger Games and Forest of Hands and Teeth should be on there. Also, I recently read Without Warning by John Birmingham, on a whim, and I enjoyed it. It was more a political/government/military-type book that took on what happened in those facets – so different than I’m used to for this genre, but also quite good.
I don’t know how The Marbury Lens and The Maze Runner are qualified, but I’d consider both to be sort of post-apocalyptic. We really aren’t sure with The Maze Runner, but we get a sense something big must have happened, and in The Marbury Lens, the alternative world he visits via the lens seems quite post-apocalyptic. Both are excellent books, though be aware that The Marbury Lens can be graphic or disturbing, despite being Young Adult.
The short of it is, fully realize your story so we can be drawn into it, feel for your characters, smell the fires, feel a sniffle coming on as everyone dies of the Hulk of flu bugs. Watch some of these movies or read some of the books (or both) and figure out what you like in them, so you can duplicate that, in a sense.
A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in anthologies and magazines, including Once Upon a Scream, Dark Moon Digest, and Space and Time Magazine. Her first solo collection of short stories, Blue Sludge Blues and Other Abominations, was released March 1, 2019. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there’s always a place to hide a body or birth a monster.
No matter what genre you write in, the need for a crime scene of some sort may crop up somewhere in the course of writing your book. It is imperative for you to get your facts correct. You must respect the laws of how the human body reacts to violence, the mechanics of safe cracking, or the physics of an explosion.
In doing research for a new novel, not only was I treated to a tour of Colorado’s CBI Forensics lab, but I also attended a workshop presented by a forensics expert (thank you Sisters in Crime!).
Here are a few things I learned on the tour and at the workshop.
If an officer is hit in the protective vest
by a bullet, what does that really feel like? Like getting hit with a baseball
bat. The higher the caliber, the bigger the bat.
What can a pet’s nose print tell an
investigator? Nose prints from a dog or cat are unique in much the same way as
a human fingerprint. If you look closely at your pet’s nose you will see lines
and ridges that make their nose unique.
Does broken glass tell a tale? Broken
glass can tell you a few things, but the most basic is from which direction the
glass was hit. If it was hit from the outside inward, the glass lands inside.
Easy solution there. But what about multiple bullet holes in a windshield? Not
only can a forensics expert tell what order the holes were made in, but also
what direction they came from. [Side fact: a skull will shatter nearly the same
as glass.]
Diatoms? What the heck are diatoms? Algae.
It is found in fresh water, marine water, in soils, and decomposed bodies. But
they do not occur naturally in a living human body. If any diatoms are found
in, on, or around, a body, the investigator may be able to determine the
location of the crime. Diatoms vary by season and geographic location. They
even differ between those found along the shore vs the center of the same lake.
Today, aerial photography is done with
drones. It is the best way to get the layout of a crime scene and the area
around it. Rest assured CBI does not do surveillance with drones. That’s not
saying no one surveilles with drones. [Queue dramatic music.]
How long does it take to process DNA? Because
of a huge backlog at CBI, it takes 4-8 months to process. If there is a
priority on a case it can be faster. The process itself only takes 24-72 hours.
What do writers get
wrong?
Miranda Rights are not read at the time of
an arrest. They are written out and the criminal must read and sign them when
they are processed into the system.
Cordite was used during the 1890’s in
elephant guns and has not been manufactured since 1945. It would not be smelled
at a crime scene. Put it in a revolver and it would explode.
At a homicide, evidence is not collected
in plastic bags. Especially not anything that may have biomaterial. Dump the
plastic and use paper. There are instances where a plastic bag is preferred for
evidence so do your research for the preferred method.
DNA information collected by the CBI, or
by companies like Ancestry.com, is never shared between agencies. If you send your
DNA sample to find a long lost relative, that information cannot, and is not,
used by law enforcement agencies. It is inadmissible to use it for a case
because there is no paper trail as to where that particular sample came from.
To further your research,
here are a few online resources:
Parker Police Ride-Along Program – This link is for information with the Parker, Colorado police department. Check with your local station to see if they have a program in your area.
Sisters in Crime – SinC has a plethora of resources and information regarding most aspects of crime. Whether you’re a fan of crime fiction, or a writer, you will have a vast resource at your fingertips.
Mythbusters – I loved this show, especially when they blew stuff up. Many of their shows were based on the what-ifs that found their way into TV and novels. MacGyver was one of their favorite shows to bust, but if you are looking for a twist in your story, this list will give you some explosive ideas.
If you should have a fight scene, murder, assault, robbery, or other type of criminal activity in your story DO YOUR RESEARCH. The entire scene, or even the entire novel, could be ruined by lazy research. Talk to police officers, detectives, or forensics experts before you publish. Take a tour or attend a workshop led by experts in the field. They will open your mind, and your writing, to the realities of true crime.
Managing Editor, Kathie “KJ” Scrim, is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her inspiration for blogging, flash fiction, short stories, and the long haul of novel writing comes from her many life experiences. When she’s not writing you can find her somewhere in Colorado walking, hiking, or rock climbing at the local gym. You can catch up to her on her website or blog.
As an author, you will almost always have doubts at one time or another about your writing. Is it good enough? Am I good enough? How does an author feel validated? You may have a case of Imposter Syndrome.
What exactly is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter Syndrome is a psychological pattern in which
an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized
fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. You may feel inadequate or incompetent as a
writer despite evidence to the contrary.
What Equates Success?
My problem with Imposter Syndrome is that I sometimes
don’t feel validated as an author because I’m not “successful” in my eyes. But
what equates to success? Having a certain number of books out? If that means
success, then yes, I’m a successful author, having five books published and
three more coming out this year (well, that’s my goal, anyway). I’m not
prolific, but I’m trying to keep a steady pace of publishing books, with a goal
of one a year now. I know authors who do more, but in many cases, writing IS
their job. I work outside the home, so I have to plan my writing time around my
work days as well as watching my grandson on some days and evenings.
Does successful mean having lots of sales? In that
case, no, I’m not successful. I know of some indie authors who have weekly book
sales, and they are bummed when they don’t sell a book in one particular week.
I’d LOVE to have a book sold each week. My marketing skills suck, but I’m
trying to learn more about marketing through reading books, like Craig Martelle’s Become A Successful Indie Author, Unmarketing by Scott Stratten, and Online Marketing for Busy Authors by
Fauzia Burke. But I digress.
How about reviews on Goodreads and Amazon? I have a
few of those, and they make me feel good about being an author (the good ones,
anyway. The so-so ones leave me feeling like a fraud again). I’d love for a
random reader to say they just found my book on Amazon and read it and loved
it. I do have a couple of reviews from random readers, and they make me think,
well, maybe I do have a handle on
this writing thing.
How to Get Past it
How does one get over this sense of feeling like a
fraud? Well, writing can be an isolating career, so talk with other writers.
I’m sure they’ve felt the same way at some point in their career. Also, remind
yourself of how hard you’ve worked to get where you’re at now. How many hours
have you spent writing and editing? Those add up to being successful.
Reflect on positive feedback. I know authors aren’t
supposed to read their book reviews, but that may help you to realize you are
not a fraud. If you don’t have a book published yet, what positive feedback
have you received from critique groups and beta readers? Focus on that.
A lot of people know that I’m an author and when they mention
me and how many books I’ve published, I feel kind of embarrassed, because I
don’t feel successful in my eyes. I don’t claim to know everything about
writing and that’s why I go to writer’s conferences and workshops as often as I
can to keep learning about the craft, and like I said above, I read a lot. I
enjoy learning because it helps me to become a better author and maybe with
that and the steps above I will overcome Imposter Syndrome and I’ll finally
feel validated as a writer.
Margena Adams Holmes was born in Bellflower, CA sometime in the 1960s. She has always had a love for both reading and writing, writing her first song/poem in 1st grade. Margena is a big supporter of indie authors and will read anything that draws her into the story. She is an observer of life, and many everyday things could (and do!) end up in her writings. Her publications are available through her author page. Contact Margena via email: jedi_anegram@hotmail.com.
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