What Have I Been Up To Lately?

Wow, I just checked my blog and realized that I didn’t post at all in March.  So what have I been doing?

I’ve been writing.  A lot.  The book is coming along, and I’m pleased with it so far.

In each book I write, I learn something new either about writing or about myself.  This time it’s a little of both.

The book I’m working on is the second in the River City Mystery series, Your Time is Up.  Since I thought I knew the characters, I went ahead and worked diligently on plot.  But it seems I didn’t know the characters as well as I thought.  They had some ideas of their own.

Already they have stopped me from killing off the intended murder victim.  And they were right!  The book is much stronger with this character alive – at least alive on the page.  I tend to talk about my characters like they are real people, because they kind of are to me.  Some interesting plot twists and turns have been created by their decision.

I also am learning a lot more about book 3 – Your Lights are Out – as I write this book.  The characters will say to me, “That’s really cute.  Save it for book 3.  It’ll work better there.” So I have notes galore on things to incorporate in future books.

And the main thing I’m learning is to trust that inner writer’s voice.  Life – especially a writer’s life – is so much easier when you stop swimming against the tide and just float.

I still have a lot more floating to do before I can call this book finished.  But instead of the backstroke, I’m definitely doing a nice dog paddle toward the end.

So have any of you discovered that it’s much easier to float than fight?