Clues

I'm beginning to see a light a the end of the tunnel with my WIP. I've finally determined on a route to take to the end that pleases me, and I've come up with a couple of twists I like. Now all I have to do is persevere. It's grunt work, now. Sit and type it out, find the right word, the right sentence.

One technical detail every mystery writer has to deal with is how to dole out the clues. You want to lead your reader on, like scattering bread crumbs through the forest. You want to play fair with your reader, and give her all the information she needs to be able to solve the mystery along with the sleuth. Yet you want to keep her guessing. It's a bit of a problem, and it takes some skill to know just how much information is enough without being too much.

It's easy enough to determine how often you should drop a clue. Be sparing with clues early in the story, then as you get near the end, the clues should come faster. But which piece of information to reveal? Start out with general discoveries, and become more and more specific as the story goes on. When do we reveal that the killer had to have entered through the basement window, therefore Suspect A is far too large? How soon should the reader know the victim had a clandestine affair with Suspect B's wife 25 years earlier? When do you drop the final bit of information that makes it possible to solve the mystery?

Savvy mystery readers are hard to fool. How do I lead him astray while giving him all the right clues? He knows the killer is seldom the most likely suspect, nor is the killer often a recurring character in a series. Should I therefore surprise him and have my killer be the most likely suspect or a series regular?

Lovers of mystery novels know all the common mystery writer tricks. The mystery writer knows they know. I quite enjoy trying to anticipate what the reader is going to think, and to write in little twists and turns to play with the reader's mind. 

Whether I can pull it off or not is another story.

National Craft Month

 by Sybil Johnson

March is National Craft Month. I don’t know who decides these things. Probably a committee somewhere. March is my birth month and I love crafts so I think I’ll just go with it.

Over the years, I’ve tried my hand at a lot of crafts: embroidery, paint-by-number, macramé, scrapbooking, crocheting, knitting, tole/decorative painting... Many of these I still do. The one I’ve spent the most time on is tole/decorative painting (NOT paint-by-number). That’s one reason I decided to feature it in my Aurora Anderson mysteries.

I admit, though, that recently I’ve been stepping out on decorative painting a bit. It’s all the fault of Facebook ads for the Woobles crochet kits. I’d never heard of amigurumi until I saw these ads. That’s the Japanese art of crocheting small stuffed creatures. I think you can also use the term for knitted stuffies, but I’m just focusing on crocheting.

I tried crocheting once when I was a kid many, many, many, many years ago. I never really got into it. But these Woobles were so cute! They promised step-by-step videos and patterns. The kits included everything you need. I bought one. It did not disappoint. Then another. Then an explosion occurred with Wooble kits everywhere. Then I branched out to other amigurumi patterns and kits. I’ve given some as gifts. Here’s the ones I’ve kept for myself:

 

I still have a lot of painting projects to do, but it’s been fun to do something else for a bit.

My mother started me on my crafting journey by teaching me how to embroider. A friend at work taught a bunch of us at lunchtime to do decorative painting. We enjoyed sharing time together doing an activity we found fun.

I suspect that’s one reason why there are so many mysteries featuring crafts. People have fond memories of knitting, painting, etc. together. It’s real life. Except for the murder, of course.

I’ve read a lot of these types of mysteries over the years. Some of my favorites are: The Vampire Knitting Club series by Nancy Warren, The Fairy Garden mysteries by Daryl Wood Gerber, the Miniature Mysteries by Camille Minichino and the Candlemaking mysteries by Tim Myers. I particularly like the relationship between the main character and her granddaughter in the Miniature mysteries.

I plan on celebrating National Craft Month by reading craft-based mysteries, working on some painting and crocheting projects and maybe starting on a macramé one. How about you?

Boggled Conference

 by Charlotte Hinger

The recent Left Coast Crime Conference wasn't boggled. I messed up my planning.

The conference was great. There were outstanding panels and I'm always surprised by the friendliness of the whole writer community. 

Here's where I went wrong: I dithered about attending in the first place. The conference was in Denver and I live in Fort Collins and it seemed silly to ignore a conference that was so close. But conferences are expensive and I was reluctant to spend the money. It's not a good idea to run back and forth between FOCO and Denver every day. It's better to stay in the conference hotel. 

But by the time I decided to go, hotel reservations were closed at the conference rate. No problem, I thought. I'll book a hotel nearby. Wrong!!! There was a major problem. A third party reservation system (Reservations.com) highjacked the website and I ended up with a reservation in Thornton Colorado. Rather than finding parking close to the Westin, I relied on Uber. At least it was just for one night. 

I caught a break. The price of Westin's regular rate dropped. And the hotel had on-site parking. At a price, of course. A really wicked price. But I ended up at the conference hotel for the remaining two nights. The rooms were lovely and it's very restful to have a retreat from all the activity. 

Nevertheless, I should have made up my mind far enough in advance to participate on panels and volunteer for the various tasks required for organization. At the very minimum I should have had books there. 

It was great to reconnect with friends and listen to fine mystery writers talk about their craft. Conferences are always inspirational. At the beginning is a photo of myself and a fellow Type M'er, Catherine Dilts who sponsored a table at the Lefty Awards banquet. Above this paragraph is photo of our fellow diners admiring the favors included with our place settings.

The Colorado chapters of Sisters In Crime did an outstanding job of promoting the organization. They had a carnival night with a lot of games and photo opportunities. 

I've learned from this experience. Next time I'll plan far in advance.

How I do I sell this thing?

    Stephen King can spend a few days writing a short story and sell it for $10,000 as the lead-off story in an anthology. His name and reputation have serious curb appeal.

    I can't. I am paid from the profits from the published anthology, split between 12 to 24 contributing authors. Quarterly. I'm lucky to make more than $50. 

    For all the famous writers on the best seller lists, there are hundreds that just made $50. The magazines, the few that remain in paper, and the digital monthlies that come and go, pay more to their Regulars, but it'll seldom pay the rent.

    This sounds like I'm about to complain about per/word compensation or to cry about poor, starving short fiction writers. I'm not, nor am I going to wax poetic about Why I Write. I'm in a practical mood since I have two short stories about to gestate, one noir mystery, one yound adult SciFi. When the stories approach the editing plateau of diminishing returns, what am I going to do with them? Who buys this stuff?

    The magazines have a process, a specific process about format and content. The better ones tell you what they Don't want (excessive violence, sex, politics, true crime or sword and sorcery) and they try to tell you what they Do want - altho often in general terms like Coming of Age, or "Funny". They list their rules and wants on their websites under "Submissions".

    Anthologies are often built around a Theme, a word or short statement the editor hopes writers will build their story around. You might see Dieselpunk, military, What Lies Beneath, the Decade of the 60's, or Teenagers on Mars. I've sold almost a dozen mystery and SF to theme anthologies. They were fun to write and they made me the usual $50 each. One anthology that received several award nominations still resulted just in that $50 bill.

    Submissions are announced in one of two ways: in marketing lists and by word of mouth. Many sub-genres have a web presence where editors announce the anthology, what they are looking for etc, and the opening and closing dates for submissions. Horror, Splatterpunk, True Crime, 1890's mysteries, Steampunk, romantic suspense, historical mysteries, New England mysteries. Genre specific lists present genre submission openings, from amateur, to semi-pro, to pro. Ralan lists speculative fiction across a broad spectrum of classical SF, New Age and juvenile. They list a web spot for more info, length limits, possible pay. Duotrope lists short and longer fiction market openings, some non-fiction too, I think. The paid version of Duotrope includes considerable marketing information, like similar markets to consider, and a submissions tracker.

    Word of mouth is generally very genre-specific. You can catch word of an opening on message blogs like the Short Mystery Fiction Society, horror groups, writer's blogs, Facebook.  Too often, editors solicit privately. I've never seen an announcement for the many NOIR Mystery volumes, for example. Editors develop their reliable favorites too. Sometimes the resulting anthology was a co-development between the editor, the publishers and writers, and no announcement was ever intended. To be successful, you learn how to search for possible markets.

    So you submit - - and then you wait. Many calls for submissions will result in a hundred or more 15 to 25 page stories, and a small reading group will take months to read and vote on the submissions. Sometimes the editor will reject your story quickly if your story Is Not what they were looking for. Rejections can be harsh, but sometimes they can say "I liked your story but I already accepted another with a similar plot". The best rejection asks you to submit again to a future call.

    

    Magic happens, and your story is accepted. You receive edits from the editor for you to process. You might sign a contract via DocuSign. And, then?  You wait some more.

    

    Short fiction, novels too, take a long time to finally make it into print. I had a story that finally showed up last December that I have been writing and rewriting for Years. How you are paid may depend on the publishing date. Some short fiction markets pay on acceptance. Most pay on publication. Many pay on profit distribution in a future calendar quarter. Nope, not going to pay the rent that.

    But, that's not why I write short fiction, which is a different blog.

Gearing Up for Left Coast Crime 2025

Catherine Dilts

At some point, even a determinedly introverted turtle has to poke her head out of her shell. This is the year for me. I’m attending Left Coast Crime in Denver. I realized this morning with some alarm that the conference begins this Thursday! Yikes!

(Photo of turtle with head retracted inside shell.)

I’m even participating in events. Early Thursday morning, I’m attending Author Speed Dating, at which I’ll have to talk to over a hundred readers. Authors talk for two minutes, then move to the next table. It sounds crazy. I’m hoping the frenetic pace will keep my mind off the idea that I’m way outside my shell.

Saturday, 11:30 am to 12:15 pm, I’m on the panel Mysteries with Animals. Sharing the stage with these accomplished authors will be fun. Talking about animals in mysteries should be stress-free. There are animals in almost all my stories. Oddly enough, I haven’t written any turtles into my tales. I also love reading stories featuring animals, such as all the great cat cozy mysteries.

Saturday night, I’m hosting a table at the awards banquet. I will poke my head out of my shell to converse with readers who are sitting at my table because they’re interested in my fiction.

I won’t be de-shelling alone. My daughter is attending her first LCC. She’ll be attending panels of interest to her writing, which is geared toward younger readers. And I’ll be teamed at Author Speed Dating with Jeff Schmoyer, and sharing the banquet table with Jeff and his wife, author and editor Deborah Brewer. Friends and family might be an adequate substitute for plates of turtle shell?

This should be an intense, fun, inspiring long weekend. I’ll turtle on through the introvert stress, knowing I can crawl back inside my shell until the next professional or social event. Turtle Power!

 

Emily's Book

  By Thomas Kies

This past Sunday, I was both proud and delighted to attend the book launch for Emily Dunlop Carter.  The book, entitled A Spork in the Road, is a collection of essays that are touching, humorous, and thought provoking. Emily has her own blog called www.achicksview.com.  She was also once a member of my creative writing class and continues to be a good friend.

Another set of friends, Autumn Ware, her husband, Jack Ware, and Marjorie Peltier, founders EPIC Carteret Books, an imprint of Planck Length Publishing, are publishing the book.  Both Autumn and Marjorie are former members of my creative writing classes. 

I wrote one of the blurbs promoting her as a writer on the back cover of her book that goes, “Reading Emily’s work is like spending time with a lifelong friend who shows you life through fresh eyes on a warm summer day. Her stories are clever, moving, often laugh-out-loud funny, and always filled with love. She’s a butterfly that lands on the back of your hand—beautiful, graceful, and filled with childlike wonder.”

At her event, Emily read a series of her essays and her husband, John, also known as the Smokin’ Hot Love Biscuit, performed songs.  Combined with champagne, scones, and cupcakes, it was a delightful afternoon shared with about fifty people in Beaufort, North Carolina.

The event was actually a pre-launch celebration.  Once the book is available, I'll let you know how to order it. Or you can go to Emily's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/emily.d.carter.1.

The point of this particular blog isn’t just to promote Emily’s new book.  It’s to say how you never know how things will turn out.  Emily, Autumn, and Marjorie were all part of my creative writing class.  Most of the members of the Carteret Writers Organization were part of my creative writing class. And that group continues to grow.

At the beginning of my first class, I always tell everyone that I don’t grade.  How I measure success is if, once you’ve taken the class, you continue to write. 

I love writing.  I love when people read what I write.  But I also love being able to have an effect and be part of a community of writers. Seeing them succeed is damned gratifying and I can’t be any prouder. 

 

Frame It Up: Experiments in Short Story Structure

 

By Shelley Burbank

Cliff overhanging Gun Beach, Tumon Bay, Guam

I drafted a short story last summer when I was in Maine. I wanted to write a short crime narrative about my female private investigator character, Olivia Lively. Because I was visiting at a home with no internet, I drafted the story by hand on yellow paper. The solstice inspired me to use June's full moon as part of the setting, and the title Strawberry Moon Mystery seemed perfect.

It took me three tries over the course of a day and night, but I finished the draft at 3 a.m. A few days later, I went back to California where I began to transcribe it into a Google doc. However, I failed to get it all typed up before I came back to Maine and then on to Guam. I figured once I got settled, I'd finish typing it and then work on revising and polishing and maybe even submit it somewhere. (Or offer it as a lead magnet to find new readers for my two books.)

I'm excited about this one because I wrote Strawberry Moon as a frame story. 

***

When taking photos, it's sometimes fun to create a "frame" in the foreground in order to highlight something in the background. This creates interest in the whole, as in the above photo I took on Gun Beach. The overhanging cliff hovers over the dimpled sand while framing the blue-green seawater and dark rocks beyond. 

Stories are structured in many different ways, and we writers like to experiment with various plot devices and structures. One of my favorites is the "frame narrative." 

You are probably most familiar with frame narratives in classic literature. The Canterbury Tales collects 24 different stories under one umbrella, or frame, story: Travelling companions amusing each other by telling stories along the way. The Thousand and One Nights is another collection set in one frame. 

Sometimes the frame contains just one story, or perhaps even a story that frames a third story. (I'm giddy just thinking about it!) 

I've experimented with frame stories a few times. Once, I wrote a lengthy short story for a class I was auditing at the University of Maine. The class was Native American & Immigrant Literature and was taught by Rhea Cote Robbins. I wrote about a modern-day character who is told a story by an elder. Within that story was another story. It was complex and probably a little clunky, but I received positive comments from the instructor and like to think there's some good material in there. I'll revisit it someday as I think it would make a good "novel in stories" like Alice Hoffman's The Red Garden.

A second frame-writing adventure wasn't planned. I inadvertently used a frame when I drafted a novel with a very dramatic opening scene which set up the conflict for the main character. I then decided the events leading up to that moment were important enough to include in the narrative. I had a choice: weave in backstory in dribs and drabs or, in the next chapter, go back in time to tell the story chronologically until the events led up to the original scene--which really was the inciting incident for my character's developmental arc and thus the best place to start--and then continue on to the end. 

I did it, but I was never totally happy with it. 

On a second draft, I tried writing the book beginning to end chronologically, but it transformed the story into a different genre, from women's fiction to romance. That's not what I wanted. I wanted the story to be about my heroine's journey, her challenges and growth, not focused on the romantic relationship even though that relationship incited the change she was forced to make in order to thrive. 

No one ever said writing was easy. Stories are puzzles. All the pieces have to fit, and fitting works best when you build in the right order. Figuring out the right order, now, that's the real challenge. 

***

This brings me to the drafting of Strawberry Moon Mystery, the short story I wrote on yellow paper in Maine. Here, Liv goes to a party to celebrate the publication of her client's latest novel and the successful defense of her authorship following a plagiarism claim. Trouble is, Liv felt something was off even though she investigated for the defense. The end brings the missing pieces to light. In the middle, though, I tell the story of her investigation in chronological order from initial client meeting to final report and settling of the claim. 

Now, I could revise and start at that beginning when Liv is approached to do background investigation for the client, make my way to the night of the party, and get to that ending payout scene. But I kind of like the frame. The opening scene of the party being held at a Victorian "cottage" on the coast of Maine, a full Strawberry Moon rising over the sea, and Liv's queasy feeling that something isn't quite right makes me happy. 

I'm hoping it piques the reader's interest, as well. 

However--plot twist--somewhere in between San Diego and Maine and Guam I've misplaced my handwritten draft! Remember, I never did get the whole thing transcribed. I can sort of remember the basics, but I've lost the details. 

Will this author be able to finish her piece? Stay tuned for updates. 

Comfort Reading, Writing and Viewing

 by Sybil Johnson

I recently had a discussion with someone about what kinds of shows and movies brought comfort. Hallmark movies were at the top of their list. While I do enjoy many Hallmark movies (not all alike, btw), my go-to when the world is getting me down is...serial killer documentaries. Don’t know why this is. It probably says loads about me psychologically. Not sure I want anyone to analyze that!

I also find comfort in old episodes of Dark Shadows, baking competition shows and documentaries on ancient history, especially Ancient Egypt. A particular favorite that gives me great comfort is “A Caribbean Mystery”, the version with Helen Hayes as Miss Marple. Also, I adore "Kong: Skull Island'.

In terms of reading, I lean towards cozies, particularly series I’ve read before. I find great comfort in familiar settings and characters. Nonfiction is also a go-to for me as long as it’s not about current events. I lean toward books on history and linguistics.

Writing can also be a comforting activity, particularly writing fiction. I think this is because, as the writer, I have control over every aspect of the story. 

What books and TV shows/movies bring you comfort? Do you find writing comforting:

#

In other news, I got to participate in an event at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, CA for “Angel City Beat”, the Sisters in Crime/LA anthology that I have a story in. It was hosted by the wonderful Naomi Hirahara. She did a great job. Fun was had by all. Here are the authors who were able to attend. 

 

The Smerchek Museum

By Charlotte Hinger

A  while back Michael Chandos broke my heart with his account of determining what to do with his grandfather's war memorabilia. I am so nostalgic about historical artifacts that I nearly volunteered to store them myself. 

I'm sorting through family stuff. My mother's side of the family is Czechoslovakian. Originally from Moravia. We have information going back to the 1700s although my grandparent's generation didn't migrate until the 1800s. There is a fabulous family scrapbook that has been scanned and distributed to all the descendants.


I've taken in a lot of my family's "treasures" simply because I can't stand to throw it away. I have my grandmother's wedding dress from 1900. It is exquisite and the shoulders are about the size of an American Girl doll. I've always referred to them as the "wee Smercheks"


Aunt Helen was an artist. Above is a picture she painted that I've labeled "The Path." I do love it and hung it about my sofa. Her portrait of a farmstead is above my dining room table. It's very well done and she had a great sense of perspective.

Some time ago, I posted a photo of my great-grandmother's rocking chair. A gentleman from my church refinished it and when the mood strikes us, some of my friends are coming over to help with the webbing so I can complete the upholstery. 

The picture above is that of the seven Smerchek sons who arrived from Bohemia in the 1800s. 

Michael is right. The younger generation takes a more minimal approach. They won't be troubled by this compulsion to cling to family memorabilia. 

The Serendipity Genie

 Donis here, happy to announce that we just bought a new car. It's the first new car we've bought in 20 years. We decided we'd better do it now while the getting is good. It's a Subaru, which brand we've never before owned. I've always liked the look of Subarus, but never particularly noticed them on the road - until now, when it seems that Subarus are everywhere I look. Interesting how just paying attention changes one's reality.

Ever notice how ideas get into the ether and suddenly everyone has the same thought at once? Is it like a virus, spread by physical contact but no one knows where it first began? Or is there a more mystical source? I'm sure it's something infinitely more prosaic than Muses or an Oversoul, but what the heck, I like that idea better than just mental epidemiology.

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I could use a switch-up in my writing life and thought I'd try doing some short stories again. I say "again" because for many years, short stories and poems were all I wrote. Then when I began writing novels in the '90s, I quit writing shorter pieces altogether. When I sat down again to write my first short story in decades, I discovered that my short-form muscles need building up. If you practice the instrument for years, you're in danger of forgetting how to play. Fortunately, there seems to be some sort of muscle memory going on, and it is coming back to me.

Having tapped into that long-buried well after all this time seems to have dredged up the serendipity genie, too. Last week I dug into the chest at the end of my bed, looking for something unrelated to writing, and came across a box containing scores of sort stories I wrote over forty years ago. I had completely forgotten they existed. It took me several days to re-read them all. Many were unfinished. Most were pleasant diversions. Some were embarrassing. A few were surprisingly good. But what impressed me most about all these stories is that I never tried to get any of them published. I had written every one of them for the sheer joy of it, with no thought of monetary reward. 

It's like Virginia Woolfe said: "Writing is like sex. First you do it for love; then you do it for your friends; finally you do it for money."

In praise of launches

 In the past two weeks, I released SHIPWRECKED SOULS, my latest Inspector Green mystery, with two launches, one in Toronto and one in Ottawa. I have been doing launches for my books, sometimes alone and sometimes with another writer, for over twenty-five years, and I have never tired of them. The, launches serve four purposes.

First, they are a reward to myself,  the culmination of all the hard, lonely work that comes with writing a novel. Secondly, they are a marketing tool. As I described in a previous post on Type M, I promote the launch on my social media platforms for a few weeks before the event. In my case, that's Facebook and Instagram, both of which are public. I use those two platforms because I am too long in the tooth to get excited about TikTok and Threads and other newer platforms, because I have built up a friendship base on them over the years, and thirdly, I believe the people who might enjoy my books tend to use those platforms. This may be a wrong assumption, based on the fact I find them alien and annoying, but a writer can only do so many things. 

As the launch dates approach, I also send out specific invites to my email contacts and to my Facebook friends via the Facebook event feature. Unfortunately the Facebook invites are sent to Facebook Messenger, which not everyone actually looks at. But you do what you can. The purpose of doing all this launch promotion is not just to invite people to the party but also to announce the publication of the book.

At the Ottawa launch, Robin Harlick interviewed me. 

The third reason I have launches is to give me a chance to meet readers. It's wonderful to see old friends, family, and devoted readers who have become friends. Everyone is united in their affection for Inspector Green, and that's a very heartwarming feeling. In our darkest hours, writers often wonder why we do this job, and this reminds us. Readers buoy us up.

The fourth, and least important, reason for holding a launch is to sell books. I'm a traditionally published author; I don't make much money on each sale, so the amount I actually take home is fairly small. But it builds my relationship with the bookseller, in this case Perfect Books, and supports their store. 

The Toronto and Ottawa launches are different. I live in Ottawa and the Inspector Green series is set here. I have lots of friends and family here as well as readers, so I make it a real party. This year, after years of online events due to Covid, I booked a pub (Irene's Pub, which is very supportive of the arts), ordered some food platters, and arranged for a friend's band to play soft background jazz. There's always a few moments of panic beforehand. What if I throw a party and no one comes? It's a leap of faith that always seems to work out.

Toronto launch

Toronto is a more challenging market. The city is bigger and getting around it is difficult, I haven't as many contacts there, and if I  booked a pub in this case it might well be "what if I threw a party and no one came?" There's nothing more demoralizing than an empty party room. However, Toronto does have a wonderful mystery bookstore, Sleuth of Baker Street, which is very supportive of authors and author events. It's a smaller, more intimate setting surrounding by shelves of books, and it allows for an informal gathering of friends. 

In both these launches, I am so appreciative of the readers and friends who do come to celebrate with me. Being an introvert, I don't throw a lot of parties, but these launches are highlights! 

Balance

Catherine Dilts

When I retired from the corporate office job recently, I envisioned sitting at my computer for eight hours a day, churning out fiction manuscripts at a frenetic pace.

Even though I knew better.

During my day job years, I wrote some of my published stories in fifteen-minute increments with time seized out of a busy schedule. Like many writers, the flashes of brilliance I had during work hours had to be jotted down surreptitiously, for later development. Not exactly satisfying, this process felt like piecing together scraps to make a quilt.

When off the clock, I might have the luxury of six to eight hours to focus on a project. A few writing marathons went even longer. I wrote on Sundays, and even used holidays to write fiction. I participated in NaNoWriMo several times. To get 50,000 words slammed down in a month, you have to plant your rear on a chair and work long hours.

When I went to my doctor with a shoulder complaint a few years ago, I did the math. Between the day job and writing fiction, I was frequently at the computer twelve hours a day. Not every day. But often enough. That kind of workload is not sustainable. Physically. Excessively long writing sessions resulted in a couple stints with physical therapy.

When I no longer had a day job whittling away my time, I slid to the opposite extreme a few times. Briefly. I am at heart a workaholic. These forays into slackerdom didn’t last long.

Realizing I can go to either extreme, I keep a timesheet for my writing. And a fitness schedule for my walking and running. Both need to happen, or else everything starts to break down. Both require consistency. Both work and fitness activities also require breaks. Recovery days.

Saturday the weather finally cleared up enough for an outdoor walk. My husband and I enjoyed the fresh air, sunshine, and birds. The small brown birds were chirping with delight to bask in warm sun after a long cold spell. I almost felt like chirping, too.

Taking breaks from writing is necessary. Breaks offer a refreshing change of pace that often inspires a new story. On the flip side, inspiration is nothing without work to give it form. It’s all about balancing work and play, diligence and rest.

How do you balance the demands and delights in your life?

Real-life Breaking Bad

We love our crime stories but at a distance. Criminals are fascinating as long as they get no closer than Netflix, a podcast, or the pages of a book. Then life brings the crime up close and personal. 

My sister Sylvia and her spouse Janet were in Las Cruces, NM, visiting my 83-yo aunt Angelica. When returning to my aunt's home after completing mid-morning errands they saw that her car had been stolen. The fact it was missing was the first clue, then the evidence of broken glass, unusual tire prints on the lawn, and skid marks on the driveway. Sylvia immediately called the police. Astonishingly, within a half-hour, the car was found, missing its license plates and coated with black paint so fresh it was still wet. Six police cars and a K9 unit converged at the Coachlight Inn Motel and RV Park near I-10 and Motel Blvd. To see what kind of a place it is, check out the Yelp reviews. The motel is a hangout for criminals and drug trafficking and so the cops get kudos for connecting the dots in a hurry.

My aunt lives in the house on Kay Lane she had inherited from my parents. I lived there from the time I was ten and until I graduated from college. We lived at that address because an outbreak of meningitis in my old neighborhood had killed several children and left my sister mentally disabled. When my mother noticed that the victims were all Mexican, she insisted that we move to the white part of town because the government would have never allowed such a disease to rage through the Caucasian community. At the time, the neighborhood was middle-class, a lot of government workers and contractors. A neighbor up the street was a lawyer who drove a big shiny Cadillac. 

Now the area looks like Detroit in the desert. Plenty of broken windows covered with cardboard or scraps of plywood. Abandoned appliances. When the neighborhood was first designed in the early 1960s, grassy lawns and mulberry trees were the norm. To conserve water, the city now insists on xeriscaping, which means the forlorn lots are surrounded by dusty patches. 

Attracted by the commotion at my aunt's house, neighbors told my sister that the vicinity is known as a "weed and seed," a local colloquialism meaning the area is where the city dumps people with behavioral issues--i.e., drugs and criminal acts. Thefts and break-ins are common. We suspect the thieves cased my aunt's house, targeting her car because it was an easy model to steal and seeing when she had left, jumped at the opportunity. My sister noted that the details of the crime--New Mexico, drugs, GTA, sketchy-ass lowlives operating out of a sketchy-ass motel--made the experience like an episode of Breaking Bad.

As you can expect, my aunt was shaken by the ordeal. When she saw what these crooks had done to her car--broken window, busted ignition and steering column, ransacked interior, rasquache paint job--she began to cry. Her sense of security vanished, replaced by fear and paranoia. She can't simply move away. Selling the house in that depressed neighborhood would be challenge, plus she got a notice from her home insurance that because of squatters, they would suspend coverage if the premises was left unoccupied. 

Yes, life is much better when crime keeps its distance.

Creativity & Manifesting Your Dreams

    

Today, I’m going to share some excerpts from a recent essay I sent with my newsletter, PINK DANDELIONS. Not because I don’t want to write something specific for Type M, but because this is what I’m thinking about this week and anything new I tried to write would probably just rehash all this anyway. 

The force that through the green fuse drives the flower 

Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees 

Is my destroyer. 

And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose 

My youth is bent by the same wintry fever. 

 –Dylan Thomas Lately 

I’ve been thinking about what I call “the creative energy of the universe,” what it is, how it operates without and within us, whether it’s simply a phrase to explain the inexplicable–OUR inexplicable–drive to create, thrive, succeed, manifest, or if it is actually somewhere, substantive, other, extra, above. 

    Can we find ways to connect with it or tap into it or use the force, I wonder? Or is it simply a concept? A wordy way to explain an ephemeral feeling that there must be something out there besides ourselves, or something within ourselves beyond flesh? Or both? 

     I believe in manifestation–tapping into the creative energy to make things happen as you want them to. Manifestation is inspiration (one kind of energy) plus action (a different kind of energy). If you set your sights on an accomplishment and take actions to help yourself as best you can, you end up accomplishing your goal, often through circumstances you couldn’t predict.

    That doesn’t mean something magical happened in the sense that saying a prayer or casting a spell made it happen just POOF! Prayers and spells are ways we focus our intentions. If we focus our intentions, we make certain choices in our actions. Our actions cause reactions, often leading to what we envisioned. 

     It’s kind of simple, really. 

    One thing I’m pretty sure of: You can’t really manifest if you don’t know what you want. 

     Now that I’ve accomplished the goal of becoming a published author, I’m not sure what I want. I have a dollar amount in mind for earnings. It’s modest. I don’t want to be famous, but I do want a loyal readership for whom I can create beautiful, entertaining, and uplifting stories. Also a modest number. What I don’t know is how I want to move toward these goals. 

     Traditional publishing? Indie publishing? Selling on Amazon? Selling from my own online shop? Creating a Patreon? Getting an agent? 

     It’s hard to envision the path forward. I’m in a holding pattern. I’m confused. I’m uncertain. I’m a pool a stagnant water. The force isn’t blasting against my roots or driving the flower of creativity through the green stem. 

     Here are some steps I’m going to use to move forward. 

     First, I’m going to get into a regular exercise, meditation, and journaling routine. Eating fewer carbs–especially sugar and pasta–usually helps with any brain fog I’m experiencing. 

     Second, using journaling and visualization and a vision board, I will figure out what I want my personal life and career to look like by this time next year, the year after, and five years from now. If you don’t know where you want to go, you will end up somewhere you probably don’t want to be. This step is crucial. 

     Third, with these outcomes in mind, I will think up definite steps to take and will work toward them every day. Calendar journals work well for this step. 

     Fourth, I will celebrate milestones and actions taken. 

     With some concrete inspiration and goals plus action steps to take, I believe I can create the creative literary and personal life I imagine. Maybe these steps will inspire you as well. Remember, creativity comes in many forms: art, home decor, cooking, writing. You can even see your LIFE as a work of art, one you create every day, each day a brushstroke on the canvas.