It's all too easy to let things slide when there's no deadline. For me, anyway. I had a vague notion a few weeks ago but it didn't get any further. This morning, it happened. I was out for my early morning walk; my iPod had just died; my mind started playing around with some scenarios.
By the time I reached home, I'd phoned home twice to leave myself a message about some of the critical points I didn't want to forget. I sat right down, with a cup of espresso to spur me on, and wrote two pages of notes on characters and their background along with the bare bones of a murder plot.
What a feeling of elation! You know how it is, when ideas start to flow or writing a scene takes off...you're back in the game and it's a thrill.
So, it's a couple of hours later now and I'm still feeling good about all these notes. I enjoy the time invested in fleshing out characters, plots and settings. I'm going to take my time, since there's no deadline, and make the most of it with the hopeful end result of having a solid basis for a new series.
I'm into plotting again...all because of an iPod that ran out of juice!
Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ & BURIED, coming Dec., 2012
www.erikachase.com
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