Be True to Yourself

By Catherine Dilts

I’m anxious to start writing a new series. It’s been on my mind for a couple of years now, and darn it, I want to start writing the books.

Instead, I am carefully outlining books one through three. This is taking far longer than I expected. I know the beginning and the end. What’s the holdup?

I’ve been struggling to find the right tone. So much depends on exactly what type of story I envision. When I began veering into a darker telling of my tale, it felt wrong.

Collins Cemetery in Willow Lake, South Dakota

Was I failing to be true to myself?

Most of my novels and short stories have a cozy mystery tone. What does that mean? The generally accepted elements defining a cozy are: an amateur sleuth mystery set in a small community. There is no on-stage violence or sex. The tone is light. There may be humor. If an animal companion is involved, it will be featured on the book cover. The ending is reliably happy. The mystery is solved. The bad guys or girls will receive their just punishments.

Why would I veer away from such a comfortably optimistic universe?

Insecurity. Cozy mystery authors don’t receive the same respect in the literary world as thriller authors. Like romance authors (the ever-enduring most-read fiction genre), people writing cozy mysteries sometimes suffer from insecurity. Am I really an accomplished author when I don’t receive the recognition of other genres?

What’s keeping me from writing in a sub-genre getting more respect? Or stepping out of mystery genres entirely, and tackling a top-shelf women’s fiction series, or literary crossover?

South Dakota cornfield

You might think writers creating bright, happy worlds are living charmed lives. You would be wrong. Sometimes, creating a safe community (aside from the occasional murder) is the writer’s attempt to find a safe space in fiction that doesn’t exist in her reality. Solving the crime at the end of the story is a way to bring order to a chaotic and frightening world.

Not that I believe writers in other genres live charmed lives, and seek adventure through their fiction. Not at all. I suspect some thriller and horror authors embrace their worlds as a way to kill the demons in their real lives.

The basis of most cozy mysteries is that there will be light after the dark, and the dark won’t be too scary or oppressive. Edge-of-your-seat tense, but not lie-awake-at-night terrifying. Our own personal realities are likely much harsher. If I’m guilty of wanting to escape reality, I embrace that charge, along with the millions of readers hoping to disappear into an uplifting tale for a few hours.

Right now, I’m reading a very light series, Annie’s Museum of Mysteries. The lives of the characters may be a touch unrealistic, but I treasure the simplicity of their world. I know what I’m going to get, and it’s going to be fun.

During the outlining phase of my new project, I decided that I don’t want to turn my small town into a horror show of blood and despair. I want a safe harbor from scary reality. The trilogy may not fit the cozy mystery category precisely, but it will have that feel.

I need to stay true to myself and my writing voice.

Playing Pretend

By Thomas Kies

Last Friday was the third birthday of my twin grandchildren, Thomas and Caroline.  Not recalling what three-year-old children enjoy getting as a present, I asked my daughter, Jessica, what she thought the kiddos would like.  She told me, “They like to play dress up. They also like to play with a plain cardboard box.  So…”

I decided to go with something the kids could dress up as, rather than a plain cardboard box. I’d leave that for another time.  I went to the internet and found firefighter outfits, complete with hard hat, fire extinguisher, and wait for it, a real siren.

On their birthday, my daughter posted photos and video of the kiddos in their firefighter coats and hats (on backwards) with the siren wailing.  At the end of the video, the twins say, “Thank you, Grandpa Tom and we love you, Grandpa Tom.”

Yeah, it melted my heart.  I wished I could have been there, but we’re still being Covid cautious.

Oh, and I apologized to my daughter and son-in-law for the sirens. I'm not sure I convinced my son-in-law that I'm being genuine.

Watching the kids enjoy themselves, it made me think how much I liked playing pretend when I was a child.  

Is that why we enjoy writing?  Because we get to play pretend?

At my last Advanced Creative Writing class of the year, I talked a little bit about a writer’s voice.  It’s about the perception, not as the writer, but as the character.

People see the same scene, event, occurrence, but we all perceive it just a little bit differently from each other.  When we write, we have to get inside our characters’ heads and tell the story from their point of view.

We’re pretending to be someone else.

We’re the the bold protagonist, complete with all his or her flaws, including, sometimes their skewed perceptions.  On paper, we’re pretending to be as brave and as adventurous as they are. 

We’re the unscrupulous and homicidal villain, complete with their deeply flawed perceptions. As we're writing them, we're as evil and cruel and twisted as they are. 

When we’re writing, it’s not only okay to pretend, it’s our job. When we’re not writing, however, we are often still pretending, depending on where we are and who we're around. Are we the same person with our spouse that we are with our boss?

Are we the same person when we’re driving, and someone cuts us off and nobody can hear us cussing out the stupid driver who had just put us in danger?  I hope not.

When we’re young, we love trying out different personas and pretending we’re explorers, pirates, cops, and firefighters.  As we grow up, unless we become actors and actresses, we start to lose the joy of pretending, although we never really lose the ability.

For a time, I tried my hand at marketing and sales. I wasn’t a natural at it and I was uncomfortable trying to persuade someone to buy something they might not be interested in in the first place.  I also hated the idea of being rejected and told no.

Which is really weird, because starting out as a writer, you have to be able to accept rejection gracefully. Over and over again.

So, in my head, I channeled Jack Nicholson.  Before walking in to see a client, I asked myself, “How would Jack Nicholson handle this.  What would he say and how would he say it?"

And then it was fun. Why Jack Nicholson? Jake Gittes from the movie Chinatown didn’t give a damn about rejection. 

So, for me, writing is playing pretend.  I get to be all kinds of different people. Getting to be my protagonist, Geneva Chase, is the most fun of all.  She gets to say all the things that I may have in my head but could never say in real life. The lady is a real snarky, smart-ass.

This is my last posting before Christmas, so I’m going be genuine for a moment and take this opportunity to say have a wonderful and safe holiday.  Cheers.