Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

During the recession of the early 90s (which looks like nothing compared to the one we’re in now) I was fresh out of college and working for very little money at a magazine. Begrudgingly, I took on a bank job as well as writing for the periodical.

I ended up (oddly, considering my lack of leadership skills) in a supervisory role. Basically, if someone sent the bank written correspondence (no one really had email then), I would get it and reply.

So I was the complaint letter girl. And, wow, did people complain.

These letters, for the most part, were poorly-written, rambling rants.

And what got me was that no one asked what they wanted. The bank had screwed up. What did these customers want in return? What kind of reparation were they looking for? It seemed like the sole purpose of their letters was just to let off steam.

If they didn’t ask for anything, I didn’t offer them anything. I just apologized on behalf of the bank.

The whole experience (besides giving me insight into writing effective complaint letters) made me realize how important it is to express…or even to know….what we want.

I’ve read plenty of books where the conflict is apparent and well-written. The character reacts to what’s thrown in his path. But what does he want during the novel? Just a return to normalcy? Or can we make his wants (and, by extension, himself) more complex ?

How do they show what they want? Dialogue with a friend? Internal monologue? Through their actions?

Knowing what our protagonist wants can also propel the plot—because then we can effectively withhold it.

Do you know what your character wants?

So we’re replacing the downstairs carpeting.

And we have a few really massive pieces of furniture.

The carpet company said it would move one of the biggest ones, but the rest were up to us.

My husband and I moved a few piddly things out of the room and closets, then we approached the (very large) sofa. My husband said, “Can you take one end?”

I did. And I couldn’t budge it. Not with my arms, hip, legs—the thing just refused to move.

My husband called out for our 13 year old son. “Honey,” I whispered to him as our son was thumping down the stairs, “there’s no way he can…”

And I watched as he and my husband moved the sofa right into another room. Followed by two other pieces I couldn’t budge.

It was the end of an era. My son is definitely stronger than I am. Much stronger. Yes, I’d noticed he’d gotten taller, yes, he’s beefed up a bit. Yes, his clothing budget is through the roof because he’s growing out of everything. But somehow, in my head, mamas are stronger than their children.

It was a very odd feeling. I felt proud of him. But I felt old and wimpy, too.

One of my protagonists, Myrtle Clover, gets a similar feeling quite a bit. Her son is trying to farm her out to a retirement home and she’s pushing back with plenty of resentment. This adds a little extra conflict to my stories as well as propels the plot—Myrtle’s son is a police chief and she gets involved in his cases to needle him.

What if you’ve got a character who suddenly retires when they’re used to being in charge in an office? Does this mean she’s suddenly redirecting her efforts to another area of her life (one where people maybe aren’t appreciative of it?)

These changing roles don’t have to be age-related.

Stress also comes when a character is suddenly thrust into a leadership role when they’re not used to taking one on.

Or a character who is very active could be forced to take more of a backseat role—like Jimmy Stewart’s character (laid up with a broken leg) in the Hitchcock movie Rear Window. His frustration and boredom drove the plot early in the film.

Maybe you’ve got a really outgoing character who is used to speaking his mind. He decides to run for office…and wins. Now he’s got to watch what he says.

I think these type of scenarios—where our characters change roles in life—can serve a couple of different purposes. For one they serve as additional conflict for the character to deal with. For another, they can help to propel the plot—particularly if the character is frustrated in some way.

Are any of your characters playing new and unfamiliar roles in your book?

I like having a writing plan.

This doesn’t mean that life goes according to plan.

Kids get sick. New carpet gets installed. Cars need to go to the mechanic. Life happens.

I grab my writing time when I can find it—if my plan has been completely scrapped.

But having that basic plan in place—which includes writing—helps me out from the very start of the day.

5 ways to pave the way for writing (the night before):

Check your calendar. Make sure there aren’t any nasty surprises to hijack your day. If there are things on the calendar to do, then plan your writing around those things, in advance.

Make a tentative writing schedule for the next day. Is your morning looking hairy? Can you write and eat lunch during your lunch hour tomorrow? Can you write during an evening commute home (public transportation riders only, please!) Or does it look more like a 9 p.m-10 p.m. type writing day? At least you’ll have a plan to start out with.

Plan now when to catch up with social media the next day. Decide whether it’s better to check emails/tweets/FB statuses/blog comments before you write (and risk being distracted….unless you use a timer and have a stern attitude with yourself) or after you write (in which case you might be like me and have heebie-jeebies wondering what’s lurking in the inboxes.)

Plan to disconnect from the internet if you don’t trust yourself to ignore the online distractions. Tell yourself now the repercussions you’ll face tomorrow if you keep checking in on social media.

Prep for the next day’s writing by making a (very) short sketch of what you’re going to write. It can keep you from five minutes of wondering where you left off the day before. This can be as vague as: Pick up with Susan asking Anne where she was the night of the murder.

It can be really tough to squeeze writing in. But starting out with a plan—and giving ourselves permission to veer off it—helps ensure we make the time.

Friday morning at o’ dark-thirty, I’m going to the Malice Domestic conference in Washington, DC.

Cool things about this: I get to meet (in person) some of the great folks I’ve gotten to know online over the last year or so. And I’m looking forward to the panel I’ll be on Saturday afternoon–“Senior Sleuths versus Middle-Aged Meddlers and Crime-Cracking Kids: How Age Impacts the Story.”

Uncool things? Well, I’m packing and flying. I should write a book entitled The Paranoid Traveler—Tips for Neurotics.

I won’t check luggage because I’m convinced it’ll end up in Belarus.

“So,” my sister asked me, slowly, “you’re wearing an evening dress Saturday for the banquet. And …you’re putting it in your carry-on.”

I nodded.

“Okay. Maybe if you wrap it in tissue paper?” She stops, shaking her head. “I just don’t know how this is going to work out, Elizabeth. What about the rest of your clothes?”

“Well, I’m wearing Friday’s dress on the plane. And I guess I’ll wear that dress to the Berkley dinner that night. Maybe I’ll sleep in it too because I definitely won’t have room for pj’s. And then I’ll just pack a couple sundresses for Saturday and Sunday. If I roll them up they won’t look too bad. There’ll be an iron in the room. And the dress for the banquet I’ll just stick on top of the others. I was going to pack the blue dress, but it was too poofy. My red one looks wrinkled…but I think it’s supposed to. It always looks wrinkled. It’s perfect for carry-on.”

“And shoes?”

“Hmm?”

“What about your shoes?” she looked pointedly at my flip flops.

“Oh. Well, I’ll probably wear my flip flops there and then pack some dressy sandals for the banquet.”

She’s looking concerned now. I redirect.

“See, I have to have room for the potholders…”

“Potholders?!”

“The fifty potholders. They have “BBQ” on them and I’m going to tie a tag with my Memphis cover on them and give them away at my book signing after the panel.” I’d actually bought ALL of the potholders at the store. They were completely sold out. But they had “BBQ” on them…

So maybe I don’t have a handle on conference attire and packing.

But…

Things I Think I’ve Gotten Right:

I’ve got my business cards and bookmarks printed and ready to go.

I’ve reviewed the program and I have an idea when people will be where. I know the people I really want to meet.

I’ve programmed my agent’s number in my cell phone (she’ll be there) and I’ve programmed the numbers of author friends I’ll be seeing while I’m there.

I’m prepared to be more outgoing than usual. I’ve been more antisocial than usual lately so I could save up all my visiting for this weekend.

I’ve got a couple of short, snappy descriptions of my mysteries if I’m asked what my books are about.

I’ve got something to give out during my book signing. Potholders.

It’s also probably a good idea to carefully gather your clothes and promo material together during the days before the conference—do laundry, pack, study your checklist. Definitely don’t do anything like have your downstairs re-carpeted a couple of days before you leave. Because—ha! That would just be crazy…

Sigh.

As promised, I’m running a post with the past week’s interesting writing/reading related links that I found in my Google Reader and tweeted on Twitter.

Well,it’s almost a week’s worth. :) The page acted like it wanted to crash, so I’m backing off putting any more data up on it for right now.

Again, this isn’t meant to overwhelm anybody—I’m hoping that by posting these links in a searchable database (my blog), that maybe we can access these helpful links by topic—when we need them.

If books were made from chocolate: http://dld.bz/aEvq
Writing fiction with the 1-3-1 method: http://dld.bz/aGjx
Canadian authors embrace Ebooks: http://dld.bz/aCBK
Scrawled in the margins, signs of Twain as a critic: http://dld.bz/aEsq
Finding a literary agent– http://bit.ly/b0YQqlProfanity in YA: http://bit.ly/d7WWPX
Dialogue is not necessarily how we talk: http://bit.ly/dwSI49
Potential first chapter problems: http://bit.ly/9RMVrE
Chapter endings and the “Hunger Games”: http://dld.bz/aEsZ
Creating conflict in your novel: http://dld.bz/aErt @MermaidHel
One writer with a new way of looking at balancing the writing life: http://dld.bz/aEtw
London Book Fair conference hears that publishers must become “fleet of foot”: http://dld.bz/aEtQ
Propelling the plot: http://dld.bz/aEuR
3 ways writers can make the most of contests: http://dld.bz/aEK2
The baby steps method to writing a novel: http://dld.bz/aENh
Self-doubt–sometimes it can’t be shelved: http://dld.bz/aEsR
An agent on “is writing fun?”: http://dld.bz/aEv6
An agent with 10 tips on writing: http://dld.bz/aEvN
Uncommon complaints about the ipad (New Yorker): http://dld.bz/aEvW
Do aspiring writers need websites? http://dld.bz/aEwz
Patterson signs up to work with British writer: http://dld.bz/aEws
What’s the greatest reward of writing? http://dld.bz/aEwF
Productivity in 5 words or fewer: http://dld.bz/aExj
The dark side of Dickens (Atlantic) : http://dld.bz/aExp
Author’s Angst (how people we know can rain on our parade): http://dld.bz/aEK5
Common writing errors: http://dld.bz/aGhX @cpatrickschulze
An editor answers a question on write-for-hire scouts: http://dld.bz/aGkA
To outline or not to outline? Inky Girl’s survey results: http://dld.bz/aGkG @inkyelbows
What to do and *not* do when you get “the call”: http://dld.bz/aEMk
Book opening vs. movie openings: http://dld.bz/aEM5
Getting your novel critiqued: http://dld.bz/aEMR
Do you suffer from Shiny New Idea syndrome? http://dld.bz/aEWz
Writing related grad degree links: http://dld.bz/aEW7
Payment models–the need for a good content model for a sub-$5 book purchase: http://dld.bz/aEVu @jwikert
Creative people shouldn’t shut off their brain: http://dld.bz/aEWq
The character likability factor: http://dld.bz/aEWJ
How important is accuracy in your novel? http://dld.bz/aEWR
Anatomy of a story: http://dld.bz/aGjh @bluemaven
A writer’s guide to going green: http://dld.bz/aGjv
An agent says publishing always has changes–writers should roll with them: http://dld.bz/aGjK
How to interview experts (more on primary source research): http://dld.bz/aGkT
Why don’t publishers promote and market the books they publish? (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/aGkW
6 ways to become productive on Facebook: http://dld.bz/aGkX
Unlikable characters: http://dld.bz/aGkZ
Query letter–the beginning: http://dld.bz/aGmc @jasouders
On motivation in writing: http://dld.bz/aGmn
On the importance of our writing–make no excuses, take no prisoners: http://dld.bz/aGm4
How writers build courage: http://dld.bz/aGnf
Fiction is so subjective, it’s the agent equivalent of “it’s not you, it’s me.” http://dld.bz/aGns
An agent on falling in love: http://dld.bz/aGpC
Writing exercise–put the epigram before the horse: http://dld.bz/aGpH
Write and get published–the old way, or DIY? http://dld.bz/aJbJ
The ipad–7 things it CAN do for authors, 5 things it CAN’T, 3 things it’s changing for them: http://dld.bz/aJcc
Proposals and Synopses (@stephanellaw) http://bit.ly/9VW8e4
7 caffeine-free ways to increase awareness: http://dld.bz/aJcn
Irony, juxtaposition, coincidence: http://dld.bz/aJcC
Book marketing tips from around the Net: http://dld.bz/aJcH
Writers–making a living off of Kindle? (GalleyCat): http://dld.bz/aJcX
An editor on 1st chapter mistakes: http://dld.bz/aMpu
Tips for writing a fight scene: http://dld.bz/aMp9
Were the ‘mad’ heroines of literature actually sane? (BBC) http://dld.bz/aMpN
Stuck at the London Book Fair–Erupting Eyjafjallajökull is Unexpected Boon to Some Authors: http://dld.bz/aMtt
Why companions are important for our characters: http://dld.bz/aMpT
A post on the importance of NOT writing: http://dld.bz/aMpX
Can Sci-fi be fused with anything and still be considered SF? http://dld.bz/aMqj
Publishing 3.0: A World Without Inventory (recommendations for publishers): http://dld.bz/aMrc
Some help for writers using courtrooms as settings: http://dld.bz/aMrX
An agent on book marketing: http://dld.bz/aMrB
Improve your writing with word limits: http://dld.bz/aNbU
Fantasy fiction–the battle for meaning continues (Guardian): http://dld.bz/aNcw
A fantasy reader’s comments on the Guardian’s look at “battle for meaning” in fantasy: http://dld.bz/aNdc
The role that luck and timing play in getting published: http://dld.bz/aMsk
An agent says that publishing is not like other businesses: http://dld.bz/aMs8
Blog promotion–are you a fan or not? http://dld.bz/aMtH
Writing historical fiction: http://dld.bz/aNbV @SylviaDSmith
21 tips to land a guest post every time: http://dld.bz/aNdu
An agent on starting your career (and promoting it): http://dld.bz/aPpF
Keeping complex novels organized: http://dld.bz/aPpW
Defining and working with theme: http://dld.bz/aNe7 @AlexSokoloff
A necessary torment for our characters: http://dld.bz/aNf6
On hooking a good query: http://dld.bz/aPq3
Writing secondary characters in novels: http://dld.bz/aPqK
10 questions to ask an agent before you sign: http://dld.bz/aPrb
The middle way–the independent publisher: http://dld.bz/aPrm
9 writers prove age is just a number: http://dld.bz/aRdp
An agent is looking for writers with high internet presence (GalleyCat): http://dld.bz/aRdu
Kindle, iPhone, iPad: Exploring the Impact for Writers and Authorship (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/aRfU
How one writer has become successful on Kindle–with no platform or name recognition: http://dld.bz/aRgn
Goal setting and what to write: http://bit.ly/aJPNkW
The battle of (fantasy) evermore? http://bit.ly/b6bPfJ
The 20-to-1 rule of social media promo: http://bit.ly/9w3rvs
7 ways to be a green writer: http://bit.ly/aRUSPc
Don’t bog the reader down with too much back story. Work it in: http://bit.ly/aSq8y6 @authorterryo
Social media glossary: http://bit.ly/ckBh1f