Staring at the wall

 Having had numerous book, plot, and writing discussions with Lynn Folsted, my physical therapist during my recovery from back surgery, I wasn't surprised when she sent me an interesting quote.

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called 'mad' and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called 'writers' and they do pretty much the same thing." - Ray Bradbury

I forwarded that quote to several writer friends who universally responded, "Amen!". Writing a book is a marathon that involves hours, days, weeks, and months of staring at a wall while listening to the voices of your characters. Yes, my characters have voices. Each of them is an individual, with a backstory and personal history that makes their voice unique. They "speak" as I write dialogue, often taking me places not included in my rough outline. They sometimes roust me from bed, demanding that I record their thoughts before those ideas are lost with the sunrise.

In general, a writer's life is solitary and remote from the outside world. Characters who never existed, do things that never happened, in places you won't find on any map. The whole story exists only in the writer's mind and on the pages we write. Our goal is to engage the readers, and transport them to our fictional places, and intrigue them with our fantasies. I use the names of "real" towns, counties, restaurants, in my books. Although the names are real, the places are pure fiction, and the events have never occurred anywhere except in my mind. 

I met a panel discussion moderator at the Left Coast Crime mystery convention. She hadn't previously attended any events like that convention and was in awe of the writers and readers. Being an introvert, as many authors tend to be, she had been reluctant to put herself into a setting with hundreds of people who wanted to ask her about her books, characters, and writing process. Smiling, she said to me, "I've found my tribe." Yes, there we were, among four hundred "book people", all talking about books, and meeting readers who were in love with our fictional characters and stories. 

To be honest, it's humbling to speak with a reader who enjoyed one of my stories. Having created the characters, story, and places "in a vacuum", it's reassuring to hear someone say, "I love CJ and Pam. Their banter is so real".  Having spent months staring at the wall (or computer screen), I hope that what I've written resonates with the readers, but I really don't know until I hear it from you. I get some feedback from beta readers and my editor, but until they read the manuscript, I'm staring at the wall, with an image of a rural location and unfolding events rolling out like the scene of a movie in my mind.

It's not nearly as exciting or enchanting as it might seem. On the other hand, there are times when the scene unfolds so fast that my fingers can't keep up with the dialogue and events. I hope that I'm writing something special, but until someone reads it, I'm never entirely sure.

Check out the latest Pine County Mystery, "Conflict of Interest". The Pine County Sheriff's Department is called in to investigate a murder in nearby Kanabec County when it's discovered that the victim is the missing girlfriend of the (fictional) county attorney's son. I spoke with the Kanabec County Attorney, who thought the premise was amusing and very close to current events. She suggested including a "current" premise, involving computers. I didn't tell her that was exactly where this story originated.

Check out my books at Hovey, Dean Pine County series - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

https://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Interest/dp/B0D15858V6