Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that I spend a good deal of my time on auto-pilot.

Any rote kind of activity in my life—laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen counter—it’s sort of committed to muscle memory. Sometimes, when I’m done with it, I don’t even have any memory of having done it and I have to check myself (this is what happens when you write books in your head while you do housework.)

Unfortunately, I was apparently on auto pilot a couple of days ago when I went to the grocery store.

Going to the store is another activity that sometimes doesn’t require a lot of thought. It does if I’m going for special ingredients, but there are some trips that are just to replace staples from the pantry—and I don’t even need a list for those trips. I need milk, bread, fresh fruit, sandwich meat…you know.

So yesterday, I show up at the store and I’m apparently not even really there. I load up my cart, pulling things off the shelves, then go to the checkout line—and I have no money with me.

No money. That’s right. I’d gone to the lake with my sister and had changed my pocketbook and put my money and debit card into a beach bag.

So I left my cart at the store, told the cashier I’d forgotten my money (yes, she looked a little worried about me) and drove home for the debit card and cash. And then drove back to the store, got the fully-loaded cart and checked out.

You’d have thought forgetting to bring money to the store would have been enough to shake me out of auto pilot for the rest of the day. But then when I was unloading the groceries I apparently resumed it—and left the milk in the trunk.

There are certain things that I do when I write a book that put me on auto pilot. The story is never on auto pilot (that would be a bad thing), but the way I just keep on going, plowing through to the end, staying in the writing zone is me just doing what I always do…following the usual path. If I’ve really gotten into the groove of a plot, I feel like I’m almost just the typist, putting the story on the page. The characters tell me their bits of dialogue, I watch them as they lie to my sleuth, and the story just unfolds on the screen.

If I run into a plot wrinkle, I’d rather just keep on going and iron it out during revisions. Again, I’m just plowing through to the finish line.

But there are some problems that are big enough that I stop immediately to fix. Because if I just keep to my usual auto pilot plan for quickly working through to the end of the first draft, these problems will balloon and be more of a pain to fix later.

These are problems I pay attention to as I’m writing that can pull me out of my auto pilot zone:

The protagonist seems to be coming off as unlikeable. Or flat.

The character seems to have changed—a lot. With no reasonable explanation.

The plot is unfocused…and not in an easily-fixed way.

The main characters’ behavior doesn’t seem to have any motivation.

Now I still like to keep on plowing ahead. If I shake up my routine too much then it messes me up. But what I like to do with these major problems is to immediately make the change to the rest of the manuscript from that point on. I mark the point where I straightened out the character or plot issues in the margin of the manuscript with a Track Changes comment…then I can fix the earlier part of the story during revisions.

Do you ever find yourself on auto pilot with your writing routines? What shakes you out of it?

I’d posted last week on my need for a little downtime to fire up my creativity.

I think a lot of us are in the same boat, juggling family and job responsibilities while trying to write at the same time.

And don’t even get us started on social media and internet distractions, right?

Funnily enough, an article with some suggestions for handling this problem was posted on Wow—Women on Writing a couple of days ago—and I was quoted in the article! So apparently I’ve forgotten some of my own advice. :) The author of the article had written to me in early June and interviewed me for the story. One of the things I mentioned doing was getting out of the house and away from the distractions of home.

For a psychological standpoint, the author interviewed Dr. Shelley Carson, an adjunct at Harvard who wrote a book on creativity.

She explained that while distractions (especially of the online variety) can cause stress and prevent creativity, that writers and other creative people are actually naturally attracted to distractions because:

highly creative people are biologically rewarded when they discover something new. It may be subtle, but it is enough to encourage us to seek out novelty.

I also found it interesting that Dr. Carson mentioned that creatives are “mentally disinhibited:”

In short, our ability to make connections where others may not is part of what makes us good writers.

I’ve always thought it was interesting to hear writers’ observations. It’s because we can have the same exact experience as other people, but get insights that others don’t.

What I take from these different statements about being creative?

That I should get out more. :)

Lately, I’ve been out only while taking the children somewhere, or while running brief errands. Other than that, I’ve been spending more time at home trying to catch up.

Instead, it sounds like I should be returning to my familiar writing haunts—discovering new people (which is a “good” form of distraction for writers), getting new ideas, and making those connections that we “mentally disinhibited” are supposed to be making.

So I think I may divide up my writing time this week—spend half of it at home and half at either the coffeehouse or the library.

Have you needed to change up your writing routine a little lately? Do you usually write at home or while you’re out?

Hope y’all have a great Monday.  I’m in a couple of different places today, so hope you can pop by and say hi at one of them, if you have a second.

First up, I’m interviewed by the incomparable Jean Henry Mead on Mysterious Writers.  Jean covered a variety of topics from why I choose to write senior sleuths to how I got my agent.

It’s also my post day for the Inkspot blog, the group blog for Midnight Ink authors.  Today I’m talking about my experience with the first outline (really a synopsis), that I’d ever written.

Thanks, everyone!

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter for the past week. If you’re looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

Review of the Kindle 3 Lighted Cover (and a brief history of lights and e-ink devices): http://dld.bz/uYyc

Writing your book’s opening: http://dld.bz/uYxU

No, you’re not too old to read YA: http://dld.bz/uYxC

How to read a publishing contract (22): http://dld.bz/uYx2

7 Ways Authors Can Market Without the Internet: http://dld.bz/uYxf

3 articles on mind-mapping for writers: http://dld.bz/uYxe

Tips for writing backstory: http://dld.bz/uYwT

Up the stakes to grab readers: http://dld.bz/uYwQ

Time Warp: 5 Ways To Find Flow In Your Writing: http://dld.bz/uYwF

Google Instant & Google Scribe for Writers: http://dld.bz/uYw3

5 Clever Ways to Make A Sticky Blog: http://dld.bz/uYvW

The Most Important Words On Your Website: http://dld.bz/uYvT

Eat, Pray, Blog: http://dld.bz/uYvP

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookies http://bit.ly/a8Nfxn @CleoCoyle

How-To-Create-An-Email-Signature-That-Promotes-Your-Book: http://dld.bz/uX7x

One writer responds to his rejections: http://dld.bz/uX7e

How to write a blog series: http://dld.bz/uX6R

A Simple Guide to Running a Facebook Page: http://dld.bz/uX6P

7 Success Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson: http://dld.bz/uX6K

5 Ways Serious Bloggers Can Fail: http://dld.bz/uX6F @LiteraryNobody

Mystery writing–characters who live in quiet desperation: http://dld.bz/vm9g @mkinberg

Should I use a nom de plume? http://dld.bz/uX6D

Dealing with wordlessness: http://dld.bz/uX68

Writing–what makes it worth it, despite the frustrations? http://bit.ly/cdvvh2

How to Write and Send a Press Release: http://dld.bz/uX63

How to Avoid Stretching Yourself Too Thin: http://dld.bz/uX62

7 Cheap and Healthy Meal Ideas for Starving Writers: http://dld.bz/uX6h

Is There a Disconnect In Your Story? http://dld.bz/uX6c

Six Myths About the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/uXuT

Best Articles This Week for Writers 9/10/10: http://dld.bz/vjuu @4kidlit

Creating a protagonist? Some questions to ask yourself: http://dld.bz/uXtc

Agree To Disagree: The Key To Constant Conflict, Part 1: http://dld.bz/vjr4

16 Predictions for the Future of Publishing: http://dld.bz/uXsZ

An overworked agent’s version of triage: http://dld.bz/uXsj

The curse of swearing in children’s books (Guardian): http://dld.bz/uXsV

7 Ways to Grow Your Writers’ Group: http://dld.bz/uXsu

A List of Mystery Writing Group Blogs: http://dld.bz/uXrC

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Recession Cold Cuts or “Poor Girl’s Hot Butt” by Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/cyje8l @CleoCoyle

A Writer’s Life: I Hear Voices and I See Dead People: http://dld.bz/uXry

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Thursday’s Winner Is… http://bit.ly/d6vDF6 @CleoCoyle

How to Re-Ignite Your Blogging Fire When You’re Feeling Burnt Out: http://dld.bz/uXrf

How one agent evaluates full manuscripts: http://dld.bz/uXrd

More about revision letters: http://dld.bz/uXqC

10 Ways to Create a Better “About Page” for Your Blog: http://dld.bz/uXqh

Are you striving to survive or succeed as a writer? http://dld.bz/uXpS

Mystery writer’s guide to forensic science–blood spatters: http://dld.bz/uXp9 @clarissadraper

Downtime can equal productivity: http://dld.bz/vefN

How to Get Your Book Reviewed: http://dld.bz/uXpz

Amish Romance Poised to Dethrone Vampire Romance? http://dld.bz/uXpx

How to Deal With Contradictory Query Advice: http://dld.bz/uXpu

Ten Ways to Know if Your (Internet) Marketing is Paying Off: http://dld.bz/uXnW @everythinggreen

Some helpful revision tips: http://dld.bz/uXnT

How To Post an Amazon Review: Random Acts of Publicity: http://dld.bz/uXnA

The Writing is in the Rewriting: http://dld.bz/uEfg

What to Work on When You Can’t Think of Anything New To Write: http://dld.bz/uEfd

Characterization–tips for getting real: http://dld.bz/vbu8 @SpunkOnAStick

What Drives an Agent Crazy? Part 5: http://dld.bz/uEeW

Writing for the Impatient Reader: http://dld.bz/vbvr @ultraswan

Those Pesky Overused Words: http://bit.ly/9Au1VR @authorterryo

An agent answers writers’ questions: http://dld.bz/uEeB

Reviews – How should an author react? http://dld.bz/u9ep

Ten of the best religious zealots in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/u9eh

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Wednesday’s Winner is… http://bit.ly/bJH7Rk @CleoCoyle

6 content tips for creating successful blog posts: http://dld.bz/u9dG

POV problems–do they distract you as a reader? http://dld.bz/u9dD

10 of the bloodiest bedtime stories (Independent): http://dld.bz/uXuw

How To Write Magical Words – Writing Fantasy (and other genres, too): http://dld.bz/u9d2

How to read a publishing contract (21): http://dld.bz/u9dz

Does your story have enough of the element of mystery in it? http://dld.bz/u9dv

Historical fact or fiction? http://dld.bz/u9dr

Reading genres you’re not proud over (Boston Globe): http://dld.bz/u9dn

Confessions of an Acquisitions Editor: http://dld.bz/uX7z

Ten of the best railway journeys in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/u9dm

How To Effectively Manage Your Online Reputation: http://dld.bz/u45X

Which is Best: First or Third Person Point of View? http://dld.bz/u45V)

Simply Said…How to Motivate Yourself: http://dld.bz/u45T)

Did You Get The Memo? You Don’t Have To Write Fiction: http://dld.bz/u45R)

What Batman Can Teach You About Proofreading: http://dld.bz/u45K

How to Beat Procrastination Permanently: http://dld.bz/u45G

Sentence strengthening exercises: http://dld.bz/u45E

Conflict–the engine of your story: http://dld.bz/u44M

An agent on author headshots: http://dld.bz/u44D

8 Ways for Writers to Create a Captivating Website: http://dld.bz/u447

6 ways authors can profit from their books “after the sale”: http://dld.bz/u445

5 new school year resolutions for writing parents: http://dld.bz/u442

10 reasons one writer is considering writing romance: http://dld.bz/u44z

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Win a prize! It’s a wrap! http://bit.ly/bLgmE7 @CleoCoyle

10 Authorial Confessions: http://dld.bz/u44v

Character Motivation: http://dld.bz/u44u

Can a Blog Challenge Help Drive Traffic to Your Site? http://dld.bz/u44p

12 Ways to Create a Mailing List that Will Sell Books: http://dld.bz/u44k

August’s helpful writing sites and blog posts: http://dld.bz/u44b @gracefuldoe

One writer offers examples of requested revisions from her editor: http://dld.bz/u43V

To Have or Have Not a Facebook Page: http://dld.bz/u43Q

How To Publish Your Book On Kindle And Ipad: http://dld.bz/u43K @BubbleCow

What Drives an Agent Crazy? Part 4 (the break-up): http://dld.bz/uvm2

This is Why You Always Meet Your Deadlines: http://dld.bz/uvmx

Capitalizing on your manuscript’s strengths: http://bit.ly/9GnGvu

Marketing during the publishing process: http://dld.bz/uvmv

Writer’s guide to reading people–what the office can say about a character: http://dld.bz/uvmr

Evil Wylie Twitter Writer Gives Interview: http://dld.bz/uvmm

A reminder for character naming: http://dld.bz/uuMF

Self Editing Tips – Turf the Non Descript: http://dld.bz/uuJS

Tips for writing multicultural stories: http://dld.bz/uuHM

Mature voices in YA lit: http://dld.bz/uuJx

The plot that swam away: http://dld.bz/tBxK

The difference between chapters and scenes: http://dld.bz/uuJn

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Monday’s Back to School Winner!!! http://bit.ly/9NpdBn @CleoCoyle

Author Or Writer, Which Do You Want To Be? http://dld.bz/uuHc

Writing exercise–building on cliches: http://dld.bz/uuFY

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Monday http://bit.ly/awPM0c @CleoCoyle

Author Websites for the “Pre-Published”: http://dld.bz/uuGS

7 reasons to partner on someone else’s book launch: http://dld.bz/uuGE

The Cost of Writing: http://dld.bz/uuGA

Ten tropes you’ll find in science fiction – over and over again: http://dld.bz/uuGs

Does Your Novel Suffer From Flat Writing? http://dld.bz/uuGj

The Pernicious Momentum of First Ideas: http://dld.bz/uuGf

5 Quick-Start Tips to Help Improve Your Writing: http://dld.bz/uuFN

Adapting Your Blog Into a Book: http://dld.bz/uuFC

The importance of reading for writers: http://dld.bz/uuFn./

10 signs You Are Ready to Publish a Book: http://dld.bz/uuEY

Novel Design: Character Types: http://dld.bz/uuEN

Self-publishing realities: http://dld.bz/uukT

Ten Ways to Improve Your Writing: http://dld.bz/uukD

Bait and switch tactics: http://dld.bz/uuky

Top 5 launch day lessons: http://dld.bz/uuks @suvudu

13 Wonderful Truths About Publishing: http://dld.bz/uukg

For bloggers–50 free icon sets: http://dld.bz/uuk8

Why narrative isn’t a bad thing: http://dld.bz/uuk3

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Back to School BLOG PARTY http://bit.ly/aVxEvs @CleoCoyle

Your Self-Help Book Should Not Be a Thinly Disguised Memoir: http://dld.bz/uujG

Talent is for cheats–3 things a writer really needs: http://dld.bz/uuj2 @jammer0501

Twitter Made Simple: http://dld.bz/uujw

One Writer’s Guide to Cheating Time: http://dld.bz/uujk

Choosing not to follow writing rules is different from not *knowing* the rules of writing: http://dld.bz/uujf

Rewriting: The Subplot Pass: http://dld.bz/uuhg

Including birthdays in our books: http://dld.bz/uug5

What High Concept Means: http://dld.bz/ucxh

Overarching tension: http://dld.bz/uufX

Describing a Character’s Physical Features: http://dld.bz/uufU

How to send Requested Materials: http://dld.bz/uuf2

Info on the Muse Online Writers Conference: http://dld.bz/uufx

Writer workshops–are they worth it? http://dld.bz/uufa

Catch a reader by the hook: http://dld.bz/uueP

Whom is the Person Which I Know? (grammar brush-up) http://dld.bz/uueF

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Welcome Guest Blogger Vicki Doudera! http://bit.ly/bdimio @CleoCoyle

The Narrative Trinity: http://dld.bz/uuez

Making Your Worlds Come Alive: http://dld.bz/uues

Why You Should Shoot Adverbs on Sight: http://dld.bz/uueg

Think e-books are the first device to create a publishing quandary? A little history, courtesy of the Boston Globe: http://dld.bz/ucyA

The Importance of Being Intentional: http://dld.bz/ucxP @JodyHedlund

Should you edit as you go? http://dld.bz/ucxM

What “high concept” means: http://dld.bz/ucxh

5 Ways Mama-Writers Can Foster Creativity in Kids: http://dld.bz/tBMW

How to Summit Life’s Everyday Mountains: http://dld.bz/tBMS

Anti-networking in a networking age: http://dld.bz/tBMJ

10 tips for rewriting: http://dld.bz/tBMD

The main parts of most genre stories–how to plot with them: http://dld.bz/tBKt

Making your own querying luck: http://dld.bz/tBKc

Consider your audience? Don’t! http://dld.bz/tBKa

Can Writers Market Themselves Without Making Eyes Roll? http://dld.bz/tBJW

Writing Routines and Ruts: http://dld.bz/tBJG

What makes a story “high concept”? http://dld.bz/tBJr

The fear surrounding writing: http://dld.bz/tBHW

The benefits of saying less: http://dld.bz/tBHN

Creativity–what it is and how to nurture it: http://bit.ly/aSerH3

Top 5 Most Indispensable Twitter Tools for Marketers: http://dld.bz/tB9t

What their house can tell us about our character: http://dld.bz/tB9m

The Largest Cause of Your Insecurity: http://dld.bz/tB9f

Slaying the Dragon of Authorial Intrusion: http://dld.bz/tB8J @MuseInks

You *don’t* have to write every day: http://dld.bz/tB8B

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Zwetschgendatschie http://bit.ly/bQRrQI @CleoCoyle

How to be a Good Literary Loser: http://dld.bz/tByw

Writer’s guide to reading people–the office: http://dld.bz/tBye @clarissadraper

67 Perseverance Quotes to Keep You Going: http://dld.bz/tBxY

The plot that swam away: http://dld.bz/tBxK

It Takes a Village–All the People Who Contribute to a Novel’s Success: http://dld.bz/tBxA

Add spice to your writing: http://dld.bz/tBwW

For a little while I was in the dark (which seems to happen a lot). But then I noticed a particular pattern to conversations I was having with my daughter’s friends’ parents.

“Elizabeth! I heard the funniest thing the other day when your daughter came over to play. She said you listen to ‘old lady music!’ She kept talking about the kind of stuff you listen to on the radio in the car and I was just cracking up!”

It took me several weeks of random playdates for me to realize that my daughter had targeted me for a change-the-radio-station campaign. She decided that if she spread stories about my listening habits (I tune in to classical music or new age because driving stresses me out), then I would feel some pressure to figure out what the pop radio station was (because I have no idea) and switch to it—at least while her friends are in the car. Apparently, other parents listen to top 40-type stuff? Who knew? She hoped my peers could pressure me into listening to something more modern.

Luckily, I’m immune to peer pressure. :) Although I give her kudos for trying.

Gossip, or telling tales, does have a lot of good uses in fiction, though. Here are some good ways to put it to use.

Gossip can be used as a means to an end…like my daughter’s interest in getting me to change my radio station. A politician could spread rumors about his opponent, forcing her to drop out.

Gossip can be used to achieve surprise. Local gossip can misdirect our protagonist and give him an incorrect perception of a character. This means our reader is jumping to the same conclusions, too. To Kill a Mockingbird had Boo Radley, who seemed like a terrifying person to the children in the book because of local gossip, but he ends up saving Scout from an attacker.

Gossip can create conflict for our protagonist—when untrue stories circulate about him or someone he cares about.

Gossip can be a tool for getting information for our protagonist…although he has to sift through it to glean what’s true and what isn’t. My sleuths come across as gossipy to other character, who open up to them—and provide clues or red herrings.

Our protagonist could be the one gossiping—and it could backfire on him and cause him to make enemies.

Gossip can take a harsher form and go into a totally new territory. In Ian McEwan’s book, Atonement, two young teenagers gossip with each other over the meaning of a note. They reach an incorrect conclusion that ends up changing lives.

Do you ever use gossip as a tool in your story?