The click of the basin top shutting.

Sadly I wasn’t actually on the luxury train. I was watching a PBS special where David Suchet, the actor who plays Agatha Christie’s Poirot, rides the train to experience it before acting in the movie as the detective. Apparently Agatha Christie rode the train a number of times prior to writing MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. The little details she adds, such as the clicking sound made by the basin lid being shut, are so real and true all readers can relate to them; whether they have ridden the train or not.

This is the talent of a truly great author. Mystery, of any genre, requires precise pacing in order to draw the reader into the story. The dilemma… adding details such as the above will often slow things down. So how does she do it? Let’s take an example…

…Now, weary of lying wakeful in the hot stuffiness of her overheated compartment, she got up and peered out.

This line, which takes place in the very first chapter of the novel, tells us much in the space of 19 words. She could have gone into detail about why the room was hot and stuffy, but the fact that she included the word 'compartment’ shows us instead…. This is a small space; a closed in space.

I now understand what it means to say lazy writing. The act of pulling together precise words and stripping out the
unnecessary is difficult work. It takes time and thought, hard thought, to come up with the right words. A large vocabulary helps, but is not the key. Rather, I think, it is about thoughtfulness and care… playing with words until we are satisfied we have found the right one that conveys many meanings, rather than only one. It uses metaphor and glyphs to represent feeling and ideas; so that a child can be either a mouse or a puppy…

... and a sink can be a basin or a pool.

“Is there a hurricane named Deanne?”

Interestingly enough, there isn’t… at least not technically. I was inspired to do some research on how a hurricane (the storm, not the drink) gets its names. Sadly, I am sure this, along with many other important life facts, was something I learned in school but have now forgotten.

First off… names are given to tropical storms, and when a storm is designated a hurricane by the speed of the wind it, retains the tropical storm name. Over the years there have been many different naming strategies. For example, in the Caribbean hurricanes were named after the patron saint of the day. When U.S. meteorology began they named hurricanes by latitude and longitude (imagine the fun those weatherman had giving the news.) Military meteorologists during WW II started naming hurricanes after women (probably in revenge for the song, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of my Hair from the musical South Pacific set during the same time period).

Anyway… this stuck until 1978 when the National Weather Service decided- huh, this sort of sends the wrong signal- and began using both men and women’s names for hurricanes on a 6 year rotational schedule. So… every six
years the same hurricane names are re-used, unless one becomes devastating (such as Katrina) in which case it is taken off the list and replaced.

Want to find out if there is a hurricane named after you? Check below, or look on the National Hurricane Center. So far, Deanne hasn’t made it on the list.

”You’ll never see two owls cuddling.”

We were at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center learning about birds of prey. A beleaguered mom had been pestered into asking if her daughter could pet the birds, and the kind presenter used this example to explain why they didn’t allow it. Owls might look all cuddly with those beautiful feathers, but it doesn’t mean they like to cuddle. 

There are five senses, by the way… but the one most associated with love is, of course, tactile. We cuddle, we hold hands, we kiss…um, etc. What about the other 4 senses, though? 

We always hear about how women like to talk while making love and poetry was created to be read aloud, not to
oneself.

Certainly food can be quite sensual (though I would argue it is the feel of the foods, not the taste, which is associated with romance) and of course we all know about oysters and chocolate. 
 
Though invisible, scent can have a powerful subconscious effect on attraction. Perfumers have preyed on this fact for ages and who can forget the movie, Scent of a Woman?

Finally, the last sense, sight can be the most intimate of all. In one Pregnant in Heels episode a counselor made a couple stare into each other’s eyes without touching for a numer of minutes. Difficult to do? Incredibly. The couple laughed a lot at first. But after they had done the exercise they both admitted they felt more connected. 
 
Studies show that people have a preference for one sense over another. Some of us are auditory (hearing) while others are visual. So it makes me wonder, what happens when a physical person ends up with a non-physical
person? I would guess a lot of confusion… a lot of tension… a lot of conflict.  

Sounds like the makings of a great story, doesn’t it?

“What if the crystal ball showed Dad getting a job at the American Girl Store? That would be awesome.”

My daughter was looking into a glass sphere and forming her own dreams about a perfect life (which not surprisingly included tons of free American Girl stuff). The air was already thick with dreams, but hers were so
vivid I am sure they overwhelmed all the rest.

Most of my overhears yesterday were in fact daydreams… “Why couldn’t we build new doors into the kitchen to make a little eating area outside?” “What if we carpeted part of the attic to make a hide-away like this?” “I would have my book club meet in the little cottage like our own little space.”

This is the joy of the Street of Dreams. In it disbelief is suspended and we can pretend that we will someday be able to have a library…. or a waterfall… or even a mudroom. We can experience how the 1% live, and dream about perhaps joining their ranks.

However I was there not only as a dreamer, but also as a writer…. And my brain was taking in the details that created these perfect environments. The heavy wood plank flooring that felt rough under my feet; the ocean sounds
coming from the speakers in the garden, or the way the shiny grille blinded me for a moment when the sun hit it. 

I don’t tend to write characters that live as the 1%... but I do write dreamers who might pay
  attention to such details… long for these little things and in that longing
  show what my readers what is most important to them. Just as American Girl
dolls are critical to my daughter at this stage in her
life.

“But what if I don’t like my teacher?”

Raise your hand if you remember that feeling… you know, the one you would get right before school started back up after summer vacation? 
 
We’ve been having this discussion a lot in my house lately. And, it is tough not to laugh when my daughter explains that she is scared she won’t have any friends in class… won’t get a good teacher… won’t be smart enough to do
the work. I try to explain that every summer for as long as there has been school with summer vacation, kids have felt the exact same as her at this point in the year.

In my last blog post I wrote about change. Having this chance to observe my daughter has pointed out something to me. Since change is inevitable, and since there will always be some measure of fear that goes with it… fear must
be inevitable too. Perhaps this is obvious to others, but for me this is an epiphany.

Not liking the feelings that fear creates I have worked throughout my life to fight it. I have believed if I were simply stronger, more secure, more stable, more…. something, I could avoid having to experience these feelings of fear. Now I see that no matter how much I might try to control myself and my environment fear is part of life. 
 
So, what can I do about it? Well, that is why I wanted to laugh at my daughter’s anxiety about going back to school. Although those are very real concerns, there’s actually nothing she can do about them until she sees how it plays out. She can’t actually not go to school (as was her suggestion). She has to simply live it out.

Writing is a scary business, filled with what-ifs and self-doubt. And, unlike school, writers can, and some do, decide to avoid it by just not writing. But it shouldn’t stop us. Because even though writing may be scary, it also gives me something to do while I worry about whether my daughter will like her new teacher in school this year.

“So I guess you heard about the changes?”

Uh oh… this wasn’t good. Everyone knows how I feel about change; and lately it has been coming at me fast and furious. In this case I had taken a vacation and once again my Starbucks was upsetting the apple cart.

The last time this happened I returned from my trip to find the whole store remodeled…. My favorite chairs were missing and everything seemed out of place. It threw me for a while, but eventually I grew to appreciate the
counter where I could sit and watch them make coffee drinks or the tall tables in the corner by the windows.

So, I am sure over time this new change will grow on me also. But, I should warn you, that it will probably affect you as well; because, in this case, it is the baristas who are changing. These people have become my friends… and more importantly have provided my very best overhears.  

 Allow me to demonstrate:
“I like to keep my washboard abs covered…. I don’t want to be that guy.”
“That’s where you find the unarmed bobble-head.”
“They should require everyone to work a service job at some point in their life.”
“I’m ready to retire before I’ve even started my career.”
and my all-time favorite…
“Good fore-noon to you!”

To all of my Starbucks friends who are moving on to greener pastures you should know, just like the comfy green chairs… you will be missed.

“Next time just leave the cans in your cart. That way there’s less lifting for both of us.”

Given that the clerk was directing this at a 6 foot, well-muscled guy I imagine she will end up being the main beneficiary of this plan. And though technically there was nothing wrong with this plan…. after being around a clever 8 year old I am used to plans being presented as benefiting me, “If I watch t.v. mommy than you can have some time to write,”  and it has gotten rather old.

So, rather than presenting my new blog schedule as a benefit to you, my readers, I will be honest and call it what it is… a plan to give me more time to work on my creative writing. I could say that this means as my readers you will see more of my fiction available in the future… or that you won’t be bored as often with these monologues. But  really I am being selfish here. I miss my writing.

Lately it feels like every time I sit down to write I end up in the black hole of my email or creating a new blog post. I love writing my blog, it is true…. My overhears often amaze me. But I really miss my characters. 
 
So starting next week, I will be blogging every Tuesday and Thursday (rather than m/w/f).

Hopefully this will also give me more time to flesh out the rest of my site. In November my next book, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, will be released and, like BETTING JESSICA, I want to set up a separate section of my website for readers who have read the book and want more. In this case I think it will be more about planning a wedding…. But as I said, I am still working on it. I’d love to hear your ideas about what might be there…. So check out the description
of the book and then leave me a comment below.

It’s in both of our best interests… or, okay, mostly mine.

“Why can’t Obama be more like Clinton?”

Seeing as how this was coming from my very conservative father, it piqued my interest. It turns out he was comparing their positions on helping small business. It took me a couple of days to go in and do my own research on this but here is what I found:

-Sept. 2010, CNN reported: President Barack Obama signed into law a $42 billion bill to aid small businesses Monday, saying it would create jobs by providing tax credits and helping banks increase loans.

-Feb. 2012, CNN Money reported: The government program, one of President Obama's many attempts to
pump capital into small firms, disbursed only $4 billion of the $30 billion it was allotted. The original bill, in Feb. 2012 was designed to help small businesses acquire much needed financing . Unfortunately, as one journalist points out there were two problems: small banks were using it to clear their balance sheets instead of lending it out; and small businesses weren’t convinced that demand would support expansion.

-Jan. 2012, The Business Review reported: President Barack Obama’s proposal to consolidate government programs for business into one agency could make it easier for small businesses to find the information and resources they
need. They also pointed out it could dilute small business’ voice… but in the near-term this is avoided, because Obama elevated the SBA administrator’s post to a Cabinet-level position... Something it hasn’t been since Clinton’s administration.

To be fair, there are many very real reasons why small businesses favor Romney in the election. But comparisons of Romney to Clinton seem simplified, like reading a picture book version of Anna Karenina rather than Tolstoy’s original. This seems to me to be exactly what media would like us to do; ignore the difficult details and accept instead a snap-shot as handed to us by whatever partisan group has the money to spend. 

I have mentioned before that I have a penchant for wearing rose colored, historical glasses.  Now I see that I may
have inherited this from my father, who with the distance of time (and a lack of negative ads) has finally begun to acknowledge some of the positive things Clinton accomplished.

“Stressed spelled backwards is dessert you know.”

This was a new one on me but made perfect sense. Chocolate ice cream may heal a broken heart, but when I am stressed I crave a Snickers bar… a full on shot of chocolate not watered down with the other ingredients of ice
cream.

During our week in Tahoe we had many funny conversations about dessert in fact. Apparently, in some places of the world (or perhaps just in my friend’s house) melon is considered dessert. As far as my husband and I are concerned, though, the only thing that makes melon a contender would be that is is sweet. And even then unless it is frozen and served with caramel sauce and whip cream it would be difficult to imagine it being served after dinner at our
house.

That said… my hubby and I do disagree on the range of ingredients that make up dessert. For him, it can not be considered dessert unless it includes chocolate in some form. I, though, hold to the idea that anything baked
or whipped that includes sugar would be dessert.

For example… custard = dessert, bread pudding = dessert, fruit pie = dessert; peaches, cherries, grapes, apples, mole sauce do NOT = dessert. It is a pretty simple recipe, but I’m willing to consider options if you have a
good one… so send me your favorite dessert. 

If I get 10 legitimate comments I will share my super-secret, truly decadent recipe for chocolate peanut butter pie… Hands down the best dessert in the world, especially if you are stressed.

“Donkeys will only walk if they can see the end point.”

Now… I can’t vouch for how true this is. I did a bit of research and couldn’t find it on the internet anywhere. But, I can see that it could be true. 

The discussion stemmed from something we learned while on a mine tour in Virginia city earlier this week: Donkeys were used in the mines because, 1. They were smaller than horses but 2. Apparently you only need to show a
donkey how to do something one time and they will then repeat it. I’m not sure if this means they are clever or stupid… but I DO know I often wish my child had this characteristic.

As to seeing an end point… many experts talk about this as the ideal goal setting technique. Breaking a larger goal up into manageable chunks is far more likely to be successful than attempting to tackle the entire thing at one time.

This, in fact, was how I began writing. It is a daunting idea to consider writing a publishable novel as a brand new writer. Instead… my only goal was to finish. It didn’t matter what I wrote, I simply wanted to know I could write an entire novel. My next goal was to learn to edit it… then to market it… then to publish it. And I continue to set goals using that book, BETTING JESSICA, but only attainable ones; like figuring out more about how Kindle works by pulling my book down, editing it, and re-publishing it.

And as I am on vacation right now, my end-point for my blog would be exactly… here!