This past Saturday, I had the honor of being a panelist and a panel moderator at Deadly Ink 2015, a conference for mystery writers and readers held annually in New Jersey. The experience, as I expected, was delightful and inspiring. I met some fantastic people, and got to spend a day talking about, and listening to others discuss, the art of craft of writing mysteries.
I’ve attended a number of writing conferences since I decided to take my writing seriously. I find that each time I take away more than a few nuggets of inspiration and wisdom that help me improve my craft. All that creative energy inevitably finds its way into you. The very first conference I attended was the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator’s Winter Conference back in 2009. It was while attending a workshop that focused on writer’s voice that I realized I needed to do another full rewrite of my novel Swimming Alone. Soon after, I landed an agent.
So, what nuggets of wisdom did I take away this Saturday? Well, I’ll be honest: I was a terrible note taker. So maybe the first kernel of wisdom is, if you plan to blog about it, take better notes! But seriously, here are a few of my nuggets:
DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW
While preparing to moderate the panel “Short & Sweet (or Sour),” I read the work of some really fabulous writers: the gripping “Live for Today” by S.A. Solomon (Jersey Noir); the dark and absorbing “The Ancient F***ing Mariner,” by Albert Tucher; the delightful “Out of the Closet” by KB Inglee; and the fantastically humorous “The Grapes of Sourness” by Kate Gallison. All were very different; all were really good. If you’ve ever spent any time on this blog, you know that I love reading. But, I’ll admit, it is really hard to find time, and I often fall back on reading writers whose work I know any trust. But there is just so much good stuff out there! During one of the final panels (“Make Mine a Mystery”) author Steven Rigolosi touched on this theme as well. I am paraphrasing very loosely, but when asked what mysteries he would recommend to novice mystery readers, he said he would encourage readers to try something new. Short stories are a great way to try (and discover) something new.
Short & Sweet (or Sour) Panelists (from L to R): KB Inlgee, Kate Gallison, Albert Tucher and S.A. Solomon with moderator Nina Mansfield at Deadly Ink 2015.
THERE IS NO ONE WAY TO DO ANYTHING
This idea first struck me while I was moderating the aforementioned short story panel. I was trying to dig in to find out what makes a “good short story.” We never did come to a conclusive answer…because there is no one answer! Throughout the day, I found that all of the writers I encountered had vastly different sources of inspirations, different research methods, different career paths… but here we all were, writing and discussing mysteries.
THE BOULDER IN YOUR PATH IS YOUR PATH
Author Tim Hall quoted this ancient saying during the panel entitled “Get Your Facts Straight.” It came up when discussing stumbling blocks that might come up while conducting research. Like, say you discover that the really great historical event you are writing about didn’t happen quite the way you imagined it. Well, sometimes that might cause you to abandon your writing. But other times, it could lead you down a new and interesting road. I am currently dealing with such a stumbling block with one of my short stories. I had hoped that the crime would be committed one way, but it just isn’t working for the story. I have a feeling that this “boulder” will lead me to a new and better method of murder!
RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT, AND CAN BE QUITE FUN!
The importance of research was a reoccurring theme throughout the day. One thing I learned is that there are many, many avenues for research, depending on the type of writing you are doing. Many of the writers at the conference spoke about their travels as a great way to research. Author Kim Kash, for example discussed walking the streets of Ocean City for her Jaime August series. But how does one travel back in time? Spending a great deal of time at the New York City Public Library, like Annamaria Alfieri, is one way. Spending time working in a living history museum, like KB Inglee, is another. All of these things made me really want to start my research for that epic historical mystery I plan to write one of these days.
HAPPINESS CAN BE ACHIEVED
This might not seem like it has anything to do with writing. But it does. Many writers retreat into solitary worlds, and quite frankly, it can be depressing. During his interview, Deadly Ink 2015 Guest of Honor Brad Parks mentioned three things people need to be happy:
1) To be part of something larger than oneself
2) A reason to get up in the morning
3) To feel like the people around them understand them
I think that numbers 1 and 3 are really great reasons for writers (and readers) to attend conferences. You realize that you are part of a larger community of people who really do care about how sentences are crafted and how red herrings are woven into tales… and while the rest of the world might think you are cranky, bizarre and reclusive writer, the fine folks you meet at conferences might just possibly understand you! (And yes, the Deadly Ink conference was a great reason to wake up and drive to New Jersey at 5:30am on a Saturday morning, so I guess number 2 works here too. So thank you to Debby Buchanan and to everyone involved in Deadly Ink 2015!)
