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Every six Sundays, I host a guest at the Berkley Prime Crime cooking blog, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. Today, I’m pleased to announce that my mystery writing friend Patricia Stoltey has prepared a delicious recipe at the Kitchen. She also shares some wonderful tips for down home French cooking, Colorado style. Hope y’all will pop over and check it out.

I did a little writing outside yesterday and was surprised by how much more productive I was. Over the summer I got used to writing at lots of different places (wherever I was with my children.) Since school started back, I’ve written at home or the library. I’m thinking now that a little location writing at parks or outdoor cafes might be fun. The weather has changed for the cooler here and with temps in the 70s, it couldn’t feel better. Hope you’ll have a great day writing, wherever you do it.

Today I’m part of a writers’ workshop, similar to this Waldenbooks event from last weekend (I’m at the far left. I’m with my Carolina Conspiracy promotional group…Jim and Joyce Lavene and Terry Hoover are both pictured). I’m in Mint Hill, NC today, at the library there from 10:00—12:00, talking about “Mysterious Characters”.

I spend a lot of time communicating with other writers—both online and in person.

I’ve been genuinely surprised twice in the last week when people have told me at events, “You’re the first writer I’ve ever met!”

To me, we’re everywhere. The writing community is such a huge part of my life that I find it hard to believe we seem elusive to many people.

But then I thought about it. Writers are fairly tribal. Yes, we’re out in the community a bit…at bookstores and libraries. We’re at schools and workshops and writing conferences. Places where writers and readers hang out.

We like to hang out with each other because writing is a solitary and challenging pastime and only other writers (or maybe, serious readers, know what it’s like.)

I don’t even like introducing myself as a writer when I’m with non-writers. I’ll label myself a mom or a stay-at-home mom. I’m uncomfortable meeting people for the first time, and I don’t want to focus attention on myself.

I came out of the writing closet a couple of weeks ago. I was doing a local signing and I thought, “Why the heck not?” I sent out a global email to everyone I regularly saw when volunteering at the school, or volunteering at scouts, or who hosted my children at playdates. I invited them to come to my Barnes and Noble signing.

The response was amazing, really. So many people that I’d been acquainted with for years had no idea that I was a writer. They were completely shocked.

Because I didn’t tell them.

I’m not ever going to be the hard-sell type person. But I’m getting better at acknowledging what I do in a natural way. How many people do know writers, but don’t know they know writers?

You’re probably the go-to writer for everyone you know. Aren’t you?

If someone needs a resume cover letter, a complaint letter, a business letter, an admissions letter, they come to you.

But here’s the catch—each type of letter requires a different voice and tone. After all, the letter is supposed to be coming from our friend. We know what they sound like: their own, unique voice.

The important business email for your friend? The employee’s coworkers are expecting business-language speak and a brusque, professional, confident attitude. You’re using silly, business words and phrases like “going forward,” “leverage,” “out of the box,” “big hitter,” etc. It should sound like your friend, being professional.

The complaint letter? A well-documented tale of woe with just a tinge of sarcasm or irritation. My favorite thing to do for friends who ask me to write their complaint letters is to take the corporation’s slogan off their website, transplant it to the top of the letter, and outline how the company failed to live up to it. Your friend’s voice, but frustrated.

A letter to the principal of your friend’s child’s school? Very much like a complaint letter, but scattered with insight into the friend’s child, casting the child in a sympathetic light. The tone is of concern for the child. Write these letters in a nurturing voice—your friend–the responsible, concerned parent who is partnering with the principal in an important role.

Sometimes I think as writers we over-think voice. It comes naturally to us—voice is that voice in our heads when we’re thinking or reading. We’ve changed in it the above examples because of the situation and because the letter is supposed to be coming from our friends, not us. Our friends don’t sound like us. We made the voice in the letter sound like them…with a problem.

But our books are from us—unless we’re ghostwriting. Our voices, telling the story, on paper.

Tonight I’m talking to my daughter’s Brownie troop about writing.

I usually talk to children and teens/preteens a quarter as much as I talk to adults.

This does make sense—I don’t write books for children, after all. But I do really like to encourage them to write. I remember how an advertising agent came by my 3rd grade class to talk about creative jobs. She brought in her own chalk and it was wildly colored stuff—nothing like what my teacher had. She was so excited about writing copy and inventing ad campaigns that her enthusiasm was contagious. I ended up taking an advertising course in college which helped me from time to time with the magazines I worked for.

I always remember her excitement when she spoke to my class and I try to reproduce it when I talk with children.

Things that are different about talking to children:

They pay closer attention than most adults.

They ask questions in the middle of your talk. You need to tell them at the very start that each person will have a chance to ask questions at the end.

You may need to remind them more than once that you’ll take questions at the end.

They are genuinely more creative than we are. This comes out in everything they do and say—whether they’re talking about their dreams, the monsters under their beds, or the fanciful but not-quite-true event they’re telling you about. I wasn’t prepared for it the first time I went in and the creativity was overwhelming—and exciting.

They need more graphics and physical examples than adults. Bring your book to hold up. Bring your WIPs—the messier the better. Bring any outlines you might have. Show the before and after.

A Few Tips:

Ask the teacher what they’re working on, writing-wise, when you’re preparing to talk. Most kids in elementary school will be working on non-fiction pieces until at least 4th grade.

Make sure that if you incorporate some teaching into your talk that it corresponds exactly with what the teacher is teaching. Don’t want to un-teach anything and get on the teacher’s bad side.

I write murder mysteries, but when I’m talking to small children, I write “detective stories.” When they ask what my book is about, I tell them it’s about a detective who figures out puzzles.

Middle schoolers, on the other hand, are more interested in any blood and gore—not that my books have any. But they’re definitely a different audience. I focus more on my research and the information I get from police, etc.

Handouts are helpful tools for the kids. I’ll put clip art on mine, and put three major points of my talk on the handout. Then I’ll have my book info for any curious parents who end up with the handout later at home.

And….it’s Thursday morning! If you like some zest in your bread, head over to Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for a spicy corn muffin.

I’ve been an off and on follower of Fly Lady for years. I keep many of her general housekeeping principles each day (quick clean-up in the morning, devoting a particular day for different household tasks…including errands and bills, etc.) It helps me to have some sort of method for the madness—I am, after all, a grime-fighter. :)

One of my favorite things that the Fly Lady has instituted is Anti-Procrastination day. Anti-Procrastination days take place on Wednesday every week and we’re encouraged to tackle at least one thing that we’ve been putting off doing. This could be something like making a medical appointment, sweeping the front porch, replacing a light bulb, calling the plumber about the leaky sink, or sending in a claim form to the insurance company.

I think the concept is useful for writing, too. I definitely have writing-related tasks that I put off doing. How about you? Have you ordered those bookmarks? Postcards? Business cards? Have you put all your writing-related receipts in a separate envelope (I believe even those of us who call writing a hobby for the IRS can claim some deductions….it’s something to check into)? Have you brainstormed on a sheet of paper how to finish that difficult chapter? Was there a scene you need to go back and revise? Promotional phone calls to bookstores to make?

I have postcards I need to send out to libraries. And I’m going to tackle that chore today (just for 15 minutes.) I might be finishing up this chore next Wednesday, but at least I’ll feel better knowing I’ve made a start. And there’s also a picture I’ve been meaning to hang.

What have you been putting off doing? Can you find 15-30 minutes today to do it?