Why Fiction Writing Is like Therapy

Writing fiction is like therapy. I enter a virtual room (within my brain) where a group of people (my characters) sit in a circle and tell me their stories. Sometimes their stories intertwine, and sometimes their stories are standalone.

And sometimes, their stories imitate things from my life.

Let's look at Maggie Sawyer, for example. Unlike me, she's in her mid-30's and single. Her high school boyfriend has just re-entered her life, but they're not hooking up any time soon. Like me, Maggie has some issues, one of them being a parent with an explosive temper. (Boy do I know about that!)

When Art Imitates Life

It's no secret that artists create things that imitate life, and nothing makes art more appealing than a little tragedy. When I write, I slip the dark things from my life into my fictional works. It helps me confront them in a creative way.

Slipping those negative emotions into my fictional work also helps me take control of the details of the situation behind them. Sometimes I come up with a different outcome. Maybe even a better outcome.

Accepting the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Everyone has creative talents and I'm blessed with more than a few. During my quilting phase, I made memorial photo quilts. When on my knitting kick, I whipped up scarves and hats for the local cold weather coalition. And during my pen and ink era, I sketched pets that had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

Looking back, it's easy to see how I've spent my entire life using art to get past the rough times in life. Depression and the holidays go hand in hand, and the ugly black claws are already threatening to sink in. If this happens to you, then please reach out and talk to someone.

For now writing is doing the trick for me. Whenever a dark memory threatens to drag me down, instead of wallowing in it, I'm pulling out my notebook and jotting down details. Making poor Maggie Sawyer suffer along with me in her own, fictional way really does help.

If you're a writer, I'd love for you to chime in with your thoughts on this subject. And if you're a reader, then let me know how you tackle the tough times, through the holidays or otherwise.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What Is a Cozy Mystery?

Despite all the cozy series available through both online and retail book sellers, there are still a lot of people who have no idea what a cozy mystery is. Books authored by Agatha Christie are probably the best and most recognized examples of cozy mysteries.

Also called "cozies", a cozy mystery is a sub-genre of the larger one known as crime fiction or mystery. In a cozy mystery:

• Sex is all but nonexistent. What happens in the bedroom stays there.
• There's a lack of blood and gore. If it does feature, then it's downplayed.
• The overall tone is light, if not lighthearted. There might be puns!
• Crime typically takes place in a community or small town.
• The sleuth is an amateur with ties to some brand of the law.

If cozy mysteries were television shows, then you'd most likely find them on the Hallmark channel or some equally family-friendly television programming station. Some good examples are Murder She Wrote, Pie in the Sky, the Father Dowling Mysteries, or Matlock, although the latter was a criminal defense lawyer and not an amateur sleuth.

As Lieutenant Columbo would say: Oh, just one more thing....

My cozy mystery for NaNoWriMo is coming along nicely. I'm slightly ahead of the curve as far as daily word counts, and look forward to completing the book so I can move on to the next phase of seeing it in print.

National Novel Writing Month

If you follow me on Facebook, then recently you might have noticed status updates like:

Today I poisoned someone, broke someone else's leg, and convinced someone to walk off with the keys to a cabinet holding a murder weapon. ‪#‎WriterLife‬ ‪#‎BestJobEver‬

In case you're worried, I reconsidered the broken leg and gave the person a mild concussion and a bruised collarbone instead. But I digress.

November is National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. In 2012 and 2013, I wrote the first and second halves of HAUNTED WOMEN OF THE APPALACHIANS, a collection of thirteen fictional short stories inspired by authentic Appalachian lore.

Writing a Novel versus Writing a Short Story

This year I'm writing a cozy mystery, tentatively titled One Squashed Victory. The story takes place in the fictional town of Treasure Pines, North Carolina, about forty minutes west of the Outer Banks. The characters include:

• The victim, who steals his neighbor's gourd and enters it into a contest
• The amateur sleuth, who by day is a single librarian who isn't looking for love, but might find it despite her attempts to thwart it
• The sleuth's private investigator brother who trusts the local police to find the real killer
• Their dad, who is accused of the crime of killing his neighbor, the victim
• A wannabee starlet who dresses as a pirate using eyeliner and his mother's yoga pants (He's in his 20's. It's not pretty. His day job involves a camouflage tuxedo.)

Writing a novel is different than writing a short story. A short story can let the reader draw their own conclusions about why things happened, or how the plot ends.

Starting the novel was pretty similar to writing a short story. But then I had to keep the momentum going. I'm 14k words into the book and it seems to be going well.

A backstory involving the sleuth and her high school sweetheart tempers the main story line and helps provide some romantic comedy balance to the serious main plot.

It's Bound to be a Squash-buckling Good Time

Because the murder takes place during Blackbeard Days, there are some puns starting with the title of the book itself.

Those who "win" NaNoWriMo will have written 50k words in 30 days. This is the push many people need to get their novel off the ground. I've been kicking this one around since August when I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to pick up Captain Jack, my crested gecko.

You can read about that in last week's blog entry, How a Runaway Gourd Vine Led to a Cozy Mystery.

And now here's a look at the inspiration for the wannabee starlet. Enjoy, and afterward please leave your comments and questions in the area below. I'd love to discuss them with you!

P.S. Thanks very much to my pal Anthony for suggesting the term "squash-buckling" during one of our writing sessions.

How a Runaway Gourd Vine Led to a Cozy Mystery

Where do you get the ideas for your books?

It's something people ask writers all the time. The answers, in its most simplest form, is anywhere and everywhere. Most of the time ideas happen when we are not even looking for them.

From Mystery Lights to Short Story Collection

For example, on an early fall morning in 2013, I scrolled through my emails while waiting for my husband. He was undergoing physical therapy for a shoulder injury that ultimately ended his firefighter career.

One of those emails was a newsletter from The Moonlit Road, a website that tells "ghost stories, folktales, myths and legends from the dark backroads of the American South." This particular newsletter featured a story about the Brown Mountain Lights which led to this train of thought:

• My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Brown.
• Those Browns hailed from North Carolina.
• What if this mountain was named for someone in that family?
• What if the lights are ghost-related?
• What if I wrote about it?
• What if I wrote a story for each state in the Appalachians?
• What if I made them all about women?

With National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) just over a month away, I took the chance to sign up. Two years and over 100,000 words later, I have a collection of 13 short stories in my collection, titled HAUNTED WOMEN OF THE APPALACHIANS.

How a Runaway Gourd Vine Led to a Cozy Mystery

Sometimes the inspiration is much more literal, which is what happened to me just a couple of months ago. I was in Baltimore, Maryland to adopt a rescued gecko when I pulled over at a fast food restaurant to double check my GPS.

I noticed a zucchini vine trailing out from beneath the fence separating the parking lot from the residents next door. This sent the author neurons in my brain into overdrive. I wondered:

• Who owns the zucchini who grow on the opposite side of the fence?
• Is it the fast food company, because the gourds are on their property?
• Is it the private residence, since the vine originated on their property?
• What if someone entered a wayward zucchini in a contest and won?
• What if the property owner lost the same contest because of it?
• What if the deviant entrant wound up murdered as a result?

The next thing I knew, I was plotting out my next book: ONE SQUASHED VICTORY. It's my 2015 NaNoWriMo attempt. Follow Becky Muth Author Page on Facebook so you can keep keep up with my progress during the entire month of November.

If you're a reader, then I'm happy to answer your questions. And if you're a writer, then I'd love to hear where you find inspiration.

In the meantime check out this video about the Brown Mountain lights during a National Geographic shoot. Creepy isn't it?

What I Learned from Bouchercon 2015

On May 5, 2015 I found myself on the corner of Blind Faith Boulevard of Hope and Dreams Avenue. There I was, staring at the Bouchercon registration page. My information filled out, the only thing left was to hit the send button.

Flash forward five months and a few days. I found myself on the corner of Salisbury and Lenoir Streets in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was really happening. Not only had I drowned my social anxieties in enough Starbucks to float a pontoon boat, but I was also ready to mosey up to the Sheraton hotel to check in at the Bouchercon registration table.

The moment the volunteer handed me a swag bag filled with a wide range of mystery books, I was sold. Within a few minutes I found myself in the company of a couple of other Bouchercon newbies. Over the next few days I'd happily run into them again, making me feel more welcomed and included than I could have imagined.

If you're planning to attend Bouchercon 2016, here are some things you should consider:

Arrive and check in a day early, if you can. There was no line on that first morning, but I skipped anything scheduled before about 10 o'clock in the morning. I'm pretty sure I checked in smack dab in the middle of the Welcome to Bouchercon event, which would explain the lack of a crowd. Arriving a day early not only gives you a head start on checking in, but it also allows you to locate other essential locations, like the bathrooms and Starbucks.

Attend the Bouchercon 101 panel. Even though I won't be a newbie next year, I still hope to attend this panel as it's full of tips and advice specific to that particular venue, which is the Marriott on Canal Street in New Orleans.

Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. The dress ranged from very casual to business casual. Wear what is comfortable for you. I saw someone wearing a business suit and sneakers, and another person wearing a t-shirt, yoga pants and flip-flops. The fashion statements covered a wide range.

Take a refillable travel mug or sports bottle. The convention hosts do a great job of providing refreshments. During Bouchercon 2015, a few times during each day, hotel staff would bring snacks into the hospitality area. Coffee, water, and sometimes lemonade would remain available throughout the day. Take a travel mug or sports bottle that you can keep with you during panels.

Silence your phone. I can't stress this enough. Some of the rooms where panels were held had horrible acoustics. Sometimes the microphones didn't adequately amplify the speakers' voices. And in one case, the speaker's voice was naturally soft. A ringing cellphone is annoying under the best of circumstances. When other conditions apply, it's worse.

Take your business cards - especially if you're a writer or aspire to get published. I didn't take my cards the first day because I didn't want to look presumptuous. This was a huge mistake. Three people asked for my card - and I am pretty sure my path never crossed with two of them again. I met so many people, there's no way I could remember their names.

Brush up your knowledge of Who's Who at Bouchercon. I asked one person, "Are you a writer?" I mean, his name tag didn't say otherwise. Turns out he was nominated for an Anthony Award. Smooth! He was humble enough not to mention it, and fortunately I figured it out later that day. You don't have to know every author there, but you should at least know the Anthony Award nominees so you can wish them luck. (Next year I'm putting an alphabetized cheat sheet in my phone.)

I'd love to hear your tips for attending a writing event like Bouchercon. Let's chat about it in the comments below!

7 Ways Writers Differ from Everyone Else

Writers are not normal. I know this because I am a writer and my family tells me all the time how abnormal I am compared to them.

I like to think I'm the normal one and they're weird, but whatever.

However when I get together with my writing group, it makes me realize that they might be onto something after all. Here are some common traits I see among members of my writing group as well as in other friends who are writers.

1. Writers always think about writing.
Whether it's a character in their book, an idea for a new book, or someone else's book, writers are always either jotting down or making mental notes about something writing-related.

2. Writers get really excited about writing.
If you really want to make a writer happy, then give them time, tools, and space to write. They will love you for it. My favorite gifts from my family include a journal covered in pink faux leather and a Doctor Who themed ink pen.

3. Writers get more emotional about writing.
They also get more emotional about reading, but that's a different blog post for a different day. Only my fellow writers understand when I tell them that I cried over something that happened to the characters in my book.

4. Writers surround themselves with writing.
This one is huge. My desk not only holds my laptop, but it also bears host to a pile of hotel scratch pads, a small milk pitcher full of various writing utensils, stacks of journals and notebooks, sticky notes, and a pile of books on topics ranging from romantic fiction to how to organize your next novel.

5. Writers enjoy talking about writing.
If you want to make friends with a writer, then ask them about their book. Really listen as they explain it to you. Better yet, read the things they write, regardless if it is their blog or their latest bestseller.

6. Writers often balance chaos.
Getting lost in your writing means being distracted from things that might otherwise need your attention. Writers are gluttons for slipping into "the zone" and forgetting to do things like eat lunch, stay hydrated, sleep, and so forth.

7. Writers don't give up.
Writers have terrific highs when things are going their way, and terrible lows when things don't work out so well. Regardless of how it's going, they don't give up.

Are you a writer? Do you agree with the list? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Peter Capaldi and Note Taking Tips for Writers

Last week I had the good fortune to attend the Doctor Who in 3D event, which featured the two-hour season finale from season eight, a preview of season nine, and Wil Wheaton's interview with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, aka Doctor Who and Clara, respectively.

During the interview my friend and fellow writer MK, from Project Ehmkay Ultra, was amused when I pulled out my trusty notebook and pen and started taking notes. She warned me that the best things from the interview would stay with me without taking notes, a tip she picked up from Stephen King.

At the time, I mentally argued that I'm ADD and would never remember these notes without writing them down. As it turns out, I should have at least looked at my notes when I got home - or better yet, written this blog post, because looking at my notes now...I have no idea what some of this means. For example:

1. Any abstraction of the human form is quite spooky.
2. Clara says I have attention deficit something-or-another.
3. Loss changes your perspective after you have nothing to lose.
4. You have to be committed without shutting out anyone else's ideas because their ideas might be better than yours.

Out of all of those ideas, only one makes sense - and I've never even met Clara! And as it turns out, I only have one note taking tip which is as soon as possible after jotting down the notes, sit down at your laptop or wherever and expand on them so you know why the heck you wrote the notes in the first place.

In the meantime, here's the Doctor Who Season 9 trailer. Are you a Whovian? Who's your favorite doctor or companion? Let's talk about it in the comments!