First Drafts

There's something thrilling about starting a first draft, isn't there?

You've got a shiny new plot filled with shiny new characters. You start your computer, open a new document and...

Wow.

That is one empty page.

Many writers will have just finished editing their last project and so the sight of that blank page can be rather unsettling. After all, you're used to seeing pages filled with words - yes, words that you're changing, rearranging or deleting - but dammit, there were words there!

Yep, that is one empty page.

Here's an image that was given to me by a writer far more gifted than myself: think of your first draft as an ice-covered pond. Your beginning is on this side and your ending is way over there. The pond is safe to skate on - just. The faster you get to the other side, the better. Stay in one place for too long and you'll start to hear the ice crack.

And look - that empty page looks just like it's covered with ice.

What do you do to get through that first draft?

Fun Friday

As many of us start to reluctantly begin to think about holiday shopping, I thought a few parking pictures would not come amiss this Friday. I've got a selection of parking signs to be aware of and a few pictures of (I would suggest) parking-don'ts.

Have a great weekend - see you on Monday!

And That's The Way It Is...

Hark! What's that I...

It's an...

QUICK!!!

I've got to act like this...

and find a...

Oh dear....

I know...

I'll look in the kitchen...

Oh dear....

First, I'll just do this...

and I'll quickly do this...

and...just how long has it been since I've done this?

And...why am I getting accusing looks from the...

oh dear....

Which reminds me...

Oh dear...

I'd better go and do a quick this...

But before I go, I'll throw in a load of this...

WAIT!!!!

What was I doing?

Right! My...

What was it again?

Oh dear....

Wee Writing Whoops

Last week, I started a new feature here on It's a Mystery, Wee Writing Wisdoms. Of course, if you're going to have Wisdoms, then you have to be honest and have Whoops.

Therefore, welcome to Wee Writing Whoops - wherein we can confess a writing mistake. Here's one of mine (and I've got a million at least)

I once wrote the same scene three times. No, not three times trying to perfect the gosh-darned thing, the same scene in three different places in the manuscript. Discovering this scene the second time was bad; the third time was...shall I say....colourful.

Now, 'fess up! Share one of your writing whoops.

Please don't leave me standing here all alone.

Fun Friday

Here's a clip I was sent of a wonderful ventriloquist at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Enjoy the wee Scottish Granny!

Decisions We Make

When we do this...

We need to spend a great deal of time doing this...

We need to decide...

Out of all of our these...

Who is going to be our main character?

Which way will our plot go?

How much of this do we need?

There are days we feel like this...

And days we feel like this....

But...

Always keep in mind....

There will be the day when you do this.

Wee Writing Wisdoms

I'm trying out a new feature here at It's a Mystery - Wee Writing Wisdoms. It's a chance for each of us to leave a wee bit of writing wisdom for everyone else who cares to stop by.  I'm a firm believer that anything which makes any of us feel less isolated in what can be a very isolating path is a very good thing.

So...

What's my inaugural Wee Writing Wisdom?

Hmmmm.....

Don't Begin with Backstory.

Now, I'm not talking about Prefaces because that's a beast of a completely different colour. I'm referring to those first crucial 50 pages or so, when you're trying to entice your reader to read on. It took me some time before I realized readers don't need to know a character's background the first time they meet them. Yes, that incident is important, but readers don't need to know it now. You've got a whole book to shade and contour your characters' portraits - take your time. Let your readers be introduced to each character in the here and now and learn about their past in the future.

Please leave your own Wee Writing Wisdom in the comment section. I look forward to reading and learning from all of you.

Remember. You're not alone.

Remembrance Day

I write mysteries that take place before and during the second World War. I have spent countless hours learning about life back then and the many sacrifices that were made both by those in battle and those left at home.

So today, which is Remembrance Day here in Canada, I'd like to share this clip with you. I actually used this iconic song back when I was directing theatre, as the opening for a play taking place in 1942.

Take a moment and remember not only those who fought in past wars, but those who are fighting now. May they all 'come safe home'.

And in the End...*

Sooner or later we all get to write our version of this...

or (if you're like me) it's probably more like this...

Sorry. That was shameless self-promotion of my highest-selling game.

But, here's a link to the game if you're interested.

Oops...Sorry again.

BACK TO OUR POST....

Sooner or later we all get to write our version of this...

Some stories end like this....

or like this...

maybe there might be a this...

with plenty of this...

Your main character might be doing this...

But you must know (hidden in the backseat) is a small this...

In my case, however...

No matter how I end any of my projects...

I know...

in my heart...

Somewhere...

a sheep is doing this.

*Taking a page from the marvy Margot Kinberg, this blog title is from the Beatles' song The End.

7 Dialogue Tips

Every fiction writer knows dialogue is an important (some would say the most important) element in their storytelling. Here are a few pointers I've picked up from people far more clever than me.

• Look over your manuscript for places emotion is expressed outside of your dialogue. The odds are that those emotions are actually explanations of one type or another.  See how the dialogue reads without it. If it doesn't read well, you may need to improve your dialogue.

• Do you need every one of those 'he said/she said's? You might not.

• Do you refer to your character in the same way throughout the scene? Or is it 'Charlie said' and then 'Mr. Bopper said' and then 'Chuck said'?

• Check those adverbs. Do you need them? And (in my opinion) the answer to some of them might be 'yes'.

• Read your dialogue out loud. It's the best way to discover if it's sounding too formal.

• Dialogue can smoothed and polished to the point where your character's voice is lost. Beware.

• Is that awkward dialogue really disguised exposition? 

What's your best tip for creating effective dialogue?

Fun Friday

Time for trivia! Here are some interesting historical happenings on the first 7 days of November. There are, of course, many, many others.

November 1: (1995) The first all-race local government elections took place in South Africa, marking the end of the apartheid system.

November 2: (1947) The first and only flight of Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" flying boat occurred in Long Beach Harbor, California. It flew about a mile at an altitude of 70 feet. Costing $25 million, the 200-ton plywood eight-engine Hercules was the world's largest airplane, designed, built and flown by Hughes. It later became a tourist attraction alongside the Queen Mary ship at Long Beach and has since been moved to Oregon.

November 3: (1957) Soviet Russia launched the world's first inhabited space capsule, Sputnik II, which carried a dog named Laika.

November 4: (1922) King Tut's tomb was discovered at Luxor, Egypt, by British archaeologist Howard Carter after several years of searching. The child-King Tutankhamen became pharaoh at age nine and died around 1352 B.C. at age 19. The tomb was found mostly intact, containing numerous priceless items now exhibited in Egypt's National Museum in Cairo.

November 5: Remembered as Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, for the anniversary of the failed "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I in 1605.

November 6: (1860) - Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th U.S. President and the first Republican. He received 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and 40 percent of the popular vote.

November 7: (1885) Canada's first transcontinental railway, the Canadian Pacific, was completed in British Columbia.

Thirties Thursday

Thanks to all of you who took the time to leave a comment on my blog yesterday.

But today...

We're traveling back to 1930s Hollywood and a studio tour.

To Be or Not to Be

 I'm wondering if I should continue this...

I'm trying to do this...

What do you...