Open Book - P.J. MacLayne

Writing the Ridiculous #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 30, 2020 August 30, 2020 Open Book

Aug 31, 2020

Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?

I admit it. I had to look it up. What capers meant in a literary sense. I had an idea, but I’ve never studied the form and wanted to make sure. What I found was “an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous.” In a literary sense, “The caper story is distinguished from the straight crime story by elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity.” They usually focus on the bad guys. Think Oceans Eleven or The Sting.

But then I got thinking about a few of the ‘interesting ‘ situations Harmony has gotten herself into. Of course, they are all on the side of good.

I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”

With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.

The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.

A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.

I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”

He got thoughtful. “I almost forgot!” He dug into one of the bags. “Teeth!” he said. They were some of those fake ones that slip on over real teeth. I put them in and ran my tongue over them. I wouldn’t be able to eat corn on the cob, but an ice cream sundae would a possibility. “Try talking now,” he said.

I tried but it wasn’t easy. It reminded me of when I lost both front teeth at the same time as a little girl. “It’ll take some practice,” Lando told me. “But in the meantime you don’t sound like you and that’s a good thing.” He crooked an arm. “Shall we go show Eli?”

Walking slightly bent over was harder than I anticipated so I appreciated the arm he offered for extra support. I shuffled more than walked to the far room.

“Aunt Martha, meet my friends Eli and Scotty. Guys, this is Aunt Martha.”

From The Marquesa’s Necklace

All of that to go out for supper. And to take a walk in the park. Visit the Post Office. Innocent, right? But when I think about it, they all share one or more elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity

I don’t claim I can write an entire story as a caper. I pull off a scene here and there for the fun of it. Harmony likes going in undercover to places she shouldn’t be. Lando didn’t know what he started when he taught her how to use theatrical makeup.

But then there’s Harmony’s ex-boyfriend, Jake. Jake won’t reveal his secrets to me. Maybe because I take him too seriously. His alleged history as a gentleman jewel thief would be the perfect setup for a caper. He has the right mix of irreverence and seriousness, and the ability to charm himself out of almost any situation. I’ll have to think about it.

And there are a few capers out there. One I read recently was Hook Dead to Rights by Melissa Snark. It may not be a caper in the traditional sense of the genre, but it comes close.

On the stream-of-consciousness part of this question. I do. Write that way. Frequently. And I’m betting there’s a few others on this loop that do as well. (Richard and Lela, I’m looking at you.) Let’s see who owns up to it by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

Aug 31, 2020

Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
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3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Race to the Finish #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 23, 2020 August 23, 2020 Open Book

Aug 24, 2020

Do you hurry through a first draft, or are you conscious of flaws as they go down? Has that changed over time?

Have you ever heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? It happens every November, and the challenge is to write at least 50,000 words during the month. That’s considered the minimum number of words for a novel.

Well, the first book I wrote was part of the challenge. I wrote every free moment I had. At work, at home, planning while I drove. Still, I only made it to 49,000 words. Not only did I run out of time, I ran out of story.

But we won’t talk about that book. It’s buried in my archives and will stay there. However, I have made the 50,000 words in a couple of other attempts. It’s tough.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

I haven’t tried to compete in NaNoWriMo for a few years. I don’t know if I will try again. The plots of my mysteries are convoluted, and I have to pay close attention to ensure I tie everything together and don’t miss any potential loose ends. Plus, now I am paying more attention to grammar and word choice as I write. It slows down the initial process, but leads to less editing as I’ve already fixed minor errors

Speed also varies depending upon whether I’m writing by hand on paper or if I’m typing. When I’m typing, and see the way the words look on the monitor, I do more immediate editing and it slows things down. When I’m putting ink on paper, it’s more of a stream-of-consciousness process and I go faster. (But have to do editing in the transcription process.)

The other factor that affects my speed is whether the characters feel like talking to me and telling me what happens next. I’m what’s known as a pantser—I make it up as I go along. I don’t plot out my stories before I start writing. I may know the beginning and end but everything between has to be discovered. Some days the characters are willing to spill their guts and some days, I have to drag it out of them.

There are authors out there that write a book a month. Month after month. Yes, they are pretty much formula-driven. I’m not one of them. I challenge myself and my characters to break the mold. (including the mold I built them in!) For example, in The Ranger’s Dogtags, the next book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, I’ve pulled Harmony out of Oak Grove and plopped her down in Orlando. (And if you’ve read the books, you know she has nothing good to say about Florida!)

But back to the original question. Am I more conscious of my flaws as I write? Absolutely. I’m aware of every “was” “feel” and “had” that I drop into a sentence. I work to get rid of passive verbs and write more action. I spend time trying to figure out if I can redo the sentence to get rid of the offending word. Sometimes the fix comes to me, and sometimes I have to move along so I don’t lose my momentum. Yes, my writing is slower, but better.

And that’s why I doubt I’ll ever try to “win” NaNoWriMo again. I think I’d have to sacrifice quality for quantity, and create more work for myself in the end.

What do the other authors have to say? Find out my following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

August 24, 2020

Do you hurry through a first draft, or are you conscious of flaws as they go down? Has that changed over time?

Creating a Story Arc #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 16, 2020 August 16, 2020 Open Book

Aug 17, 2020

What is story arc to you?

There are authors that plan out their entire series before they start writing. They know how many books they want, how many words they want in each book, and the story line from beginning to end across the entire series. I’m not one of those authors.

When I wrote Wolves’ Pawn, I had no intention of making it into a series. The second book, Wolves’ Knight, came as a total shock when Tasha, the main character, forced her way into writing plans. Although the books share characters, they aren’t dependent on each other. You can read them in any order. The same is true for Wolves’ Gambit, the third book in the series.

But there are several underlying story lines in the series. However, I suspect not many readers see them, that they exist mainly in my head. I can see one of them developing into another book. I don’t know if I’ll ever write it, unless it’s for my own satisfaction, because the series didn’t sell well.

Then you have the mysteries. I knew before I completed the first draft of the first book that it had the potential to be a series. But I don’t believe in writing cliffhanger endings, so I made sure that I wrapped the story up nicely so readers would be satisfied.

And in Harmony’s case, the series is chronological. Although some of the books stand well on their own, I highly recommend they be read in order. There is a strong romantic subplot that evolves through each story. That, and Harmony’s personal growth is clearer. (She surprises me all the time!)

There’s no huge revolution in the mysteries. No overthrowing the evil king and saving the prince and the kingdom. No quest to return a ring to the forge where it was created. (Granted, there’s a minor revolution in the Free Wolves books.) Those aren’t requirements for a story arc, in my opinion.

All it takes is a continuing story. Harmony does more than move from one mystery to another. We get to share in her personal life—the changes in her jobs, her interactions with the police, overcoming her fears. The Harmony I’m dealing with in The Ranger’s Dogtags, my current work-in-progress, is not the same as she was in The Marquesa’s Necklace.

And I’m enjoying this improved version. She’s being forced into situations that make her uncomfortable, and she’s handling them like a pro. Everything she’s learned along the way come into play. Here’s a quick example.

Once upon a time and far away, we practiced yelling in the self-defense course. I drew on that memory now. Filled my lungs. And screamed.

My shout echoed in the night. His throw faltered. The light arched through the darkness. Bounced against the house. Landed in the juniper bushes that lined the front. He bolted towards the neighbor’s yard and beyond.

I had two choices. Chase after the arsonist. Put out the fire. The bushes were expendable. Eli’s home wasn’t. I dialed 911. And grabbed the garden hose.

Originally unplanned, I am bringing in additional characters from The Marquesa’s Necklace into this new book. I won’t tell you who. Not yet. But they will tie into the story I told in the first book.

And that’s story arc. It doesn’t even have to be across a series. It can (and should) happen within one book. There’s a challenge, attempts to solve the issue, and a resolution. The basics of any story.

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors on this hop have to say. (You can do that by clicking on the links below.) And, until next time, stay safe!

Aug 17, 2020

What is story arc to you?

Adverbs- Good or Evil? #OpenBook Blog Hop #Grammar

By P.J. MacLayne August 9, 2020 August 9, 2020 Open Book

Aug 10, 2020

Are adverbs really the devil? If they sneak in occasionally, does it mean the writer is lazy?

How many adverbs do you count in the subject for this weeks blog hop? It’s been a long time since I conjugated a sentence, but I count 2. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. Sure, I could change this to “Are adverbs the devil? If they sneak in on occasion, does that mean the writer is lazy?”

Now, when was the last time you used “on occasion” in your everyday conversations? The answer likely depends upon the last time you gave a formal speech. Which for me is more years ago than some of you have been alive.

I don’t know who came up with the rule that adverbs shouldn’t be used in writing, but it wasn’t me. I’m a firm believer that storytelling should echo the language of the listener. That includes adverbs.

Image by PDPics from Pixabay

The trick is to limit their use and find the proper balance. Overuse translates to boring, just like too much description or starting too many sentences with the same word. Or using the same word too many times.

I do try to be aware of my use of adverbs when I’m writing. Sometimes, the only word that fits is an adverb. An author friend claims he wrote an entire book without using any, (I haven’t verified it!) and my first reaction was “Why?”

I run these posts through a grammar checker before I post them, and I got a kick out of one of the suggestions for this one. Way back at the beginning, when I switched ‘occasionally’ to ‘on occasion?’ The grammar checker wanted me to switch it back. So, even an “official” source approves of the use of the rare adverb.

That leaves me guilt-free to continue my sparse use of adverbs. I’m not lazy, I’m using all the possible tools to tell my stories. Let’s see if other authors agree with me by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

Aug 10, 2020

Are adverbs really the devil? If they sneak in occasionally, does it mean the writer is lazy?

A picture is worth 1000 words #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 2, 2020 August 2, 2020 Open Book

August 3, 2020

Do you draw your main characters so that a forensic sketch artist could put them on the cover, or do they belong to the reader?

As most of you know, I’m a pantser. I don’t outline my stories ahead of time, they are written as my characters reveal the story to me. That extends to their descriptions, as well.

Sure, I know if they are male or female or wolf or fox or slim or heavy. or athletic. I’m pretty sure what color of hair they have. I have an idea how tall they are.

But I couldn’t tell you the shape of their nose or how far out their ears stick. I don’t know if they are flat-footed or walk with a limp. I may figure out these things if they become important to the story, but only if the characters tell me about them. So, for most of the book, I have only have a vague idea how what my characters look like.

But, in the case of my Free Wolves series, that changes when it’s time to work on the cover. I give my cover artist the details I know, and we get to work on finding images that suit the book. It can be tough, because my female leads are not your standard shape-shifter women. But here’s a shout-out to K.M. Guth, because she’s got a knack for finding the right picture or pictures we need. She’s able to translate the bare details into works of art.

I have made small changes to my characters to match the final covers. Tasha, from Wolves’ Knight, started off with brown eyes, but when we found the picture that ended up being the cover, the model had blue eyes. Rather than make K.M. try to change them, I made it a minor plot point how unusual it was for a wolf shifter to have blue eyes. By the way, I love the intensity in Tasha’s gaze (Wolves’ Knight) and the determination in Lori’s. (Wolves Gambit.)

Now Harmony, my main character in the Harmony Duprie Stories, had a different evolution. The first covers were more cartoonish, a deliberate ploy to emphasize the light-hearted nature of the books. When circumstances dictated a change in covers, we opted to go a different direction. Not real-life, but more stylized.

With the second cover, the reader’s imagination is free to decide to what Harmony looks like. I’ve built in the basics: the brown hair worn in a bun, the brown eyes, and the glasses. the rest is up to the reader. Of course, she loves to change her appearance and that’s the fun part. Next, I had to plan out who I’d be. I closed the curtains, fired up my laptop, and hit up the makeup tutorials. I had several ideas in mind but had to make sure my limited skills were up to the challenge. From The Samurai’s Inro

So, two different series, and two different ways of creating my characters’ descriptions. As a reader, which do you prefer? Feel free to tell me in the comments.

Don’t forget to check out how the other authors develop their characters’ descriptions. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

August 3, 2020

Do you draw your main characters so that a forensic sketch artist could put them on the cover, or do they belong to the reader?

Art Imitates Life #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 26, 2020 July 26, 2020 Open Book

July 27, 2020

What elements from your life are woven into your latest book?

Spoiler alerts ahead!

Harmony Duprie isn’t me. The more of her stories I write, the more that becomes clear. But there are pieces of my life in her character.

Let’s start with a few things about her that are totally not me.

I didn’t want to go anywhere that required getting on a plane. Flying freaked me out.
I’d never had a bad experience on a plane—at least not that I can remember. But there’s something about hurtling through the sky at thirty thousand feet trapped in a tin can without a parachute that bothered me. If Eli lived on the West Coast, our relationship would have been doomed before it started. At least his place in Florida was within driving distance of Oak Grove.
from The Baron’s Cufflinks

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I have no fear of flying. I used to travel for a job. I once made three trips from Florida to California in the same month. (A different place each time.)

But there are other parts of my life that Harmony echoes. Once upon a time, I wanted to be a librarian. I actually got to be a librarian for a while. But life happened to both of us, and she became an internet researcher while my life headed a very different direction.

The apartment that Harmony lives in? It’s modeled after the apartment on the third floor of a house an aunt and uncle owned. I never got to go there because they had the same renter the whole time I was growing up. So I created Harmony’s setup based on my interpretation of what it might have looked like. In fact, visiting Oak Grove is like visiting the town I grew up in.

Then there’s Harmony’s take on Florida.

Scotty handed my phone back. “We’ve been keeping an eye on the weather. If we don’t get out of here in the next few days, we’ll be stuck when the next system moves in. And our job here is done.”

“Besides,” Lando said. “I’m tired of the cold and snow. I’m ready to get back to sunshine and sandy beaches.”

“And tourists and mosquitos,” I joked, hiding my dismay.

“You can come play tourist any time. If Eli is gone, I’ll kick out my roommate and you can stay with me. I’ll take you to all the fun places he won’t. Like coleslaw wrestling.”

“Are you kidding me? Coleslaw wrestling?”

“Yeah. Women in skimpy bikinis fighting in a kid’s swimming pool filled with coleslaw. I bet you could beat any of ’em.”

He was right. Eli would never take me there.
from The Contessa’s Brooch

Harmony picks on Florida often. Like me. As I say, I lived there too long. Throw in hurricanes and humidity, and you have all the major reasons I don’t live there anymore.

Here’s the big spoiler alert. If you don’t want to read it, scroll to the bottom.

In the next Harmony mystery, I take her out of Oak Grove and plunk her down in the middle of Florida. Where she has to deal with all the above…maybe. I haven’t decided about the hurricane yet.

I felt like the Bandit in the Cannonball Run, except I headed south instead of West. I made the drive to Florida in eleven hours when it should have taken fourteen spread over two days. Partly because I started while it was still dark and missed rush hour traffic through Pittsburgh. Partly because I stuck as much as possible to the interstates and didn’t do any sightseeing along country roads going through West Virginia. Partly because I didn’t run afoul of any officers of the law.

Dolores helped, sensing my urgency. Each time I pressed the gas pedal, she responded with a growl of joy. And I swear she used less fuel than normal, because I didn’t have to make as many stops as expected to refill her tank.
Coming soon, The Ranger’s Dogtags

And that’s another way Harmony and I are different. I would never speed. Never.

There’s plenty more ways Harmony has borrowed from my life, but that’s enough for now. Let’s head over and see what parts of their own lives the other authors on this hop incorporate into their stories. Just follow the links below. (And don’t forget to leave a comment, if you are so inclined.)

Until next time, stay safe!

July 27, 2020

What elements from your life are woven into your latest book?

What’s in the Closet? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 20, 2020 July 20, 2020 Open Book

July 20, 2020

How do you decide how to dress your characters?

Let’s get one thing straight. My characters are full-grown adults and they get themselves dressed without my help, thank you very much.

That said, I will admit to influencing their choices once in a while. Help them get out of the rut and update their wardrobe as needed.

Take Gavin, my wolf-shifter male lead in Wolves’ Pawn. Here’s how he was dressed when Dot first laid eyes on him:

She felt eyes on her again as she hung up the hose. “Nice bike.” The deep voice seemed sincere enough.

“She’s okay.” She glanced over at the man pumping gas into a jeep across from her, and grinned. He was all alpha male. The short buzz cut made it hard to tell, but she thought his hair was brown to match his eyes. His broad shoulders strained the seams of the tailored light blue cotton shirt he wore, and his chest appeared to be all muscle, no fat. He had a strong face, and stubble on his chin. She avoided the urge to scan the rest of his body. Dot caught a glimpse of a second man, almost as good-looking, seated in the passenger’s side of the jeep. Another day, another time she might flirt with the guys, but not today, not now.

Like most of us, what my characters wear is based on their occupation. Gavin is the son of a businessman, works for his father, and is expected to represent the business and the pack even in his off-hours. On the other hand, Dot, the female lead, changes her wardrobe and appearance throughout the book. She even gets to wear full costumes when she works as a character at an unnamed theme park. What a great way to hide in plain sight!

Some of you may have seen this snippet before, when Dot allows one of her theme-park friends to design an outfit for her.

Gavin couldn’t believe his eyes. Her hair was bleached white, shaved on the sides, with the top about two inches long and dyed bright pink. She wore a sleeveless camo-colored T-shirt, and tribal tattoos decorated her upper right arm, while a bright pink bandanna was tied around the left one. Her cargo pants were also of camouflage material, another bright pink bandanna hung from one of its loops, and the belt she wore had a strange metallic decoration. On her hands she wore a pair of pink fingerless gloves, and on her feet, a pair of black combat boots.

Gavin wondered if her socks were bright pink too.

Then you have Harmony, my sweet down-to-earth ex-librarian, who, through the course of the books, has become clothing-conscious. She’s moved from a daily wardrobe of jeans and casual blouses to a variety of costumes depending upon the need. She’s even learned how to “change” her facial structure with the help of friends and a lot of videos on the internet.

Here’s how her transformation started

A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.

That may have been the first time Harmony got into costume, but it wasn’t the last.

So, how do I dress my characters? I imagine what is in the closets of people I know based on their jobs, and those are the clothes my characters get to wear. Except when I want them to have a little fun and escape the confines of the expected. Hopefully, it then becomes fun for the reader, too.

Knowing the kind of books some of the other authors on this hop write, it’ll be interesting to see how they dress their characters. You can find out, too, by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

July 20, 2020

How do you decide how to dress your characters?

Stuck in the Corner #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 12, 2020 July 12, 2020 Open Book

July 13, 2020

Have you ever let a story write you into a surprise corner? Do you backtrack or shift gears?

Have any of you ever seen the old movie, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World? It’s a comedy from 1963 about a bunch of strangers trying to get their hands on a large stack of cash. I started writing a scene once that had all the elements to become a miniature version of that. Not in a comedic sense, but the same kind of general chaos. It included Harmony, my main character, throwing her stiletto heels at a car. And the FBI, Sheriff’s Department, and Highway Patrol all showing up to the scene. Along with three bad guys and one person of questionable intent. With Eli, Harmony’s boyfriend, along for the fun. And another car with potential bad guys—or were they just curious bystanders?

It was a fun scene to write. But it came too soon in the story. The rest of the book couldn’t match it. It had to go.

Well, not entirely. I cut it way back. The original is too long to include here, as it was an entire chapter and more. The final version only included Harmony, Eli, three bad guys, and the one person of questionable intent. Harmony still got to throw her stiletto heel at a bad guy. It promptly got lost in a drainage ditch. (If anyone is interested, the revised scene is part of The Baron’s Cufflinks.)

That’s not the first time my characters have steered me in a different direction than I planned to go. When I wrote Wolves’ Knight, I had a love interest all planned out for Tasha. Big, burly, good looking, the perfect match. I even wrote the beginnings of a love scene. That’s when Tasha rebelled.

See, she didn’t want to be with this guy and made it clear to me. It took her a little longer to reveal who she wanted to end up with. Then let me figure out how to make it happen. I got lucky. I only had to go back and add a few minimal sentences to set up for the revelation later in the book. Looking back, I realized what a wise decision that was on Tasha’s part.

I’m a pantser. For those of you who don’t know, that means I don’t plot out my stories before I start writing. I know the beginning, and have a good idea of the end, but the middle has to be discovered. As a result, sometimes I end up where I don’t need to be. Last week, I ripped out two days’ worth of writing because it was leading nowhere in the story line.

To answer the question—yes, I’ve written myself into a corner, probably in every story I’ve written. I’ve both backtracked and shifted gears, depending upon what the book needed. Sometimes both. But that’s okay, because those corners often contain the essence of where the book really needs to go. I just have to dig it out from all the unnecessary words.

Now I’m off to discover the hidden corners of the other authors on this hop. Join me by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe, everyone.

July 13, 2020

Have you ever let a story write you into a surprise corner? Do you backtrack or shift gears?

Breaking the Rules #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 5, 2020 July 5, 2020 Open Book

July 6, 2020

What generic ‘rules’ did you abide by when you started writing that have gone out the window?

It’s easier to talk about the rules I broke on purpose when I first started writing than the ones I stuck to because I ‘had’ to. I’ve always been a bit of a rebel and my books reflect that.

For example, my first cover didn’t have a picture of a man’s naked chest. None of my covers have. In my opinion, they are overdone and boring. I also made my main character a woman instead of a man. In a paranormal, wolf-shifter story with a strong romantic element, that’s not playing by the ‘rules.’ I can’t claim it as a true romance because it contains no sex scenes.

In the second and third books of the series, I put the female main characters on the covers, instead of the male leads. They deserve the recognition.

Then you have my other series, The Harmony Duprie Mysteries. It’s pretty standard when you have a female sleuth, her love interest is in law enforcement. I played with that in the first book, The Marquesa’s Necklace.

“I appreciate your concern, Detective.” And I did. “But I have a life to live.” I stood and picked up my beer. He stood too, and moved close to me. One arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me close. I looked up at him, tried to decide if I would let him kiss me, and if that’s what I wanted.

Spoiler alert: I broke the rules.

What else have I done ‘wrong?’ How about the fact I don’t have a murder in each of my mysteries? No one dies in most of them. I’m writing about a small town and there are lots of other mysteries to solve besides people getting killed by the bad guy of the moment.

I dug up a list of rules for writers, and shook my head at many of them. It was suggested for beginning writers to avoid the use of words more than five letters long. Now think about how many times I broke that rule in the last sentence.

The same list said to turn off the internet when you write, to write everyday and the same time every day. While I understand the concepts behind those ideas, I beg to disagree. If I’m writing and need to research a point, it would drive me up a wall to have to wait to hop on the internet to get the information I need. I want it now, so I can continue in my story and not have to retrace my steps. And while writing everyday is fine, in practice it isn’t always practical and leads to guilt. We can all use less guilt. And writing at the same time every day? Another good idea that doesn’t always translate to real life.

Rules exist for a reason. Most of them aren’t totally arbitrary. Like the use of periods and commas. (Although I’d debate the rules about commas.) They help to make it easier for others to understand what we are saying. But there are times when ignoring or bending the rules is what it takes to express yourself as an author and give your characters life. Sometimes they should be treated as guidelines instead of absolutes. That’s a good thing when used with caution.

So, what rules do you think deserve to be broken?

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors have to say about this week’s topic by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe.

July 6, 2020

What generic ‘rules’ did you abide by when you started writing that have gone out the window?

It’s All in the Name

By P.J. MacLayne June 28, 2020 June 28, 2020 Open Book

June 29, 2020

Do you write under a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, would you ever consider it?

I decided not to use my legal name for my writing back in the Dark Ages, when my focus was poetry. There were a number of reasons’ the main one being that my name was rather boring. I needed a hippie name. And so, I became Bobbi Jo Aspen, in part a tribute to the trees that give the Rocky Mountains their fall colors. I actually had a few poems published under that name, but I doubt there’s any evidence of that left except for my copies of the magazines that are stored somewhere.

At some point the Bobbi Jo name just didn’t “fit” me anymore, and I needed a new one. For more than one reason. Security had become a concern. I wanted something that sounded more mature. I’d also become aware that writers with male names tended to be taken more seriously than those with female names. So, I became P.J. MacLayne.

Security is still a concern, but in a different way. We all know there’s no hiding from the gigantic database better known as the internet. Still, it doesn’t hurt to throw in a roadblock or two for someone with ill intent trying to find you.

And frankly, it’s a liberating feeling to pick your own name. I wouldn’t ever want to change my legal name, but having a different name for my writing works for me. It allows me to express a different side of my personality while still keeping the one I show in real life.

It’s like Harmony Duprie, my amateur sleuth. She’s been known to change her appearance and go “undercover” to do research. She explained it well.

The Chief and Freddie still looked puzzled, but Drew’s face cleared and he laughed. “That was you? How many personalities do you have?”

“Only one.” I tapped my forehead. “Everything else is just a big kid’s version of dress-up.” Born out of desperation, not fun or playtime.

“Seems like a safe way to do it,” Drew said. “I’m having trouble switching between two.”

“This isn’t a game,” Chief Sorenson snapped. “Let’s get back on track here.”

From The Samurai’s Inro

That’s how I feel when I’m writing.

Now, I know of people who use a different pseudonym for every different genre they write. I’ve chosen not to do that. My mysteries, urban fantasy, and poetry all under the same name. I could understand it if I were writing erotica, but when I start my gritty female Private Investigator series, it will still be written under the P.J. MacLayne moniker.

If you’re a writer, I’d like to hear what you think about using a pseudonym. And if you’re a reader, does it make a difference to you if an author writes under a pen name? Tell us about it in the comments.

Until next time, stay safe.

June 29, 2020

Do you write under a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, would you ever consider it?

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