Writing On Demand

I often hear people talk about writing when the muse strikes. Being a freelance writer means learning to write with deadlines in mind, so waiting around for inspiration is out of the question. Writing fiction on demand is trickier, but it is possible. Right now, I’m betwixt and between two major fiction projects in radically different stages of development and assorted freelance assignments, too. Creativity is a factor in ALL my work. Is writing a murder mystery the same as writing a blog post for one client or a social media strategy for another? Of course not—although there’s always a
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Pants(er) on Fire!

I’m trying my hardest to move from being a full-out PANTSER (writing by the seat of my pants) to being a meticulous outliner. This transformation is turning into a test of wills between me and me. I’m not lying when I say I’m cheating on the promise I’ve made to myself and this game of pantser/planner is turning into a private joke. Initially, I was hell bent on creating the entire outline—on note cards—prior to beginning this novella. But now that I’m into the outline, including notes on the characters and bookmarked historical references, it appears that I can’t help
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The Fabulous Old Lady

I woke up and said to myself, “I’m going to be a fabulous old lady.” I’m planning my old age? Not really—although the ambition of becoming a fabulous old lady is not so bad. It’s definitely worth exploring as a later in life aspiration. No, I’m contemplating one of the more amusing characters in my latest work-in-progress. She’d a classic grande-dame, the rock solid matriarch of her family and the wise & witty counterpoint to the protagonist. I don’t have to BECOME my characters, but I do have to crawl around inside their heads. It’s the best way to get
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The Horrible in HORROR!

A little horror goes a long way! I don’t write full out horror, but I appreciate its power. I like being scared, mystified, lost in suspense and enchanted by dark and mysterious forces, but horror is like a spicy condiment—too much overwhelms the senses. The image of yellowed teeth, bared and ready to bite sends a tickle of terrified excitement down my back. It’s anticipation mixed with dread with a drop of delicious fear, and it’s a potent cocktail—the double hot, hot sauce that creates a sizzle. Switch it out for armies of hungry zombies on the march and I
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Artistic Risks

People often talk about the need for artists—all kinds of artists—to take risks. Musicians, writers, filmmakers, painters, etc. are often lauded for their failures, as long as the effort pushes the envelope. But risk-taking artists require risk-taking audiences for their out-of-the-box work. Some theater fans only go to big, popular, shows with great reviews. I LOVED ‘Hamilton’ so it’s not like I avoid the hottest shows on Broadway, but, more often than not, I try to see shows with ‘buzz’ before they open. That means I get to make up my mind before the reviews come out. This means I’ve
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The Cat-ness of my CAT

Fiction is full of anthropomorphic characters—animal characters with human characteristics. From Pooh and his friends to the political machinations of the pigs in ‘Animal Farm,’ we invest all sorts of human traits, ambitions and motivations into animal-shaped characters. We also, as animal lovers, tend to imagine that our favorite creatures think the way we do. They don’t. I’m not dissing animals; I’m just noting that they are unlike us in many fundamental ways. I love the cat-ness of my cat. Morse is a mini tiger, a sleepy hunter with one eye on the game and the other lost in a
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Cooking & Writing

My apartment smells wonderful! I’ve got a pot of mushroom barley soup on the stove top. My usual vegetarian recipe ramped up with the steak I took home from a French bistro last night. The portion was too big for one meal and now it will be in several. I’m also roasting chicken and an entire head of cauliflower in the oven. I’m not just cooking for tonight—I’m cooking for the week and enjoying the romance between the kitchen and the desktop. Cooking goes well with writing! Much has been made about the relationship between writers and alcohol, but I’ve
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Steampunk Experiment

I’m playing around with a Steampunk idea. If I manage to pull it off, it will be the fifth in the Candy’s Monsters novella series. After a straight out mystery (The Mary Shelley Game), a broken-hearted, chick-lit, dark comedy (Bram Stoker’s Summer Sublet), a 21st Century gothic horror (POED) and a romantic suspense novella (The Strange Case of Dr. Hyde and Her Friends), I’ve finally found my monstrous way to Steampunk. I’ve read a big bunch of ‘em. Loved a few. Hated a couple. Found merit in the fusion genre with its twist on time & technology. And so it’s
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Verbal Infatuation

Crepuscular, metonym, avuncular, loquacious… It’s so easy for a writer to become infatuated by words. Sometimes it’s the sound of the word. Sometimes it is the specificity of its meaning. Sometimes it’s so cool that you just want to use it in something. I love crepuscular. In addition to rolling off the tongue, the meaning is precise. Crepuscular describes a creature of twilight. Cats are crepuscular. They hunt during the twilight hours just before the dawn and at dusk. The word twilight has been hijacked by the series of vampire novels. I can’t wait until they fade and twilight goes
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