Metaphors that DON’T Work (Okay. Maybe a bit)
I did NOT crest the proverbial hill… it is NOT now smooth sailing. I won’t coast or glide into home. I have to keep working my tail off (and hopefully as I work my tail off, I will also work my tail off… gotta keep that Book Tour Fitness Plan in mind!)
So this doesn’t mean we are home free and clear, folks… only that…
You know, normally… if I NOTICE the lotion is plugged, I can stick a pin in there and clear out the gunk, but when I do that, I think I push as much gunk back IN as I clean off, so the SAME gunk comes back to haunt me later. Seems that might be the case with the writing too... better to just let the rush happen.
(have I stretched this absurd metaphor too far now?) But it’s TRUE!
A Matter of Motivation
If there is a main difficulty I have with my writing, it is in motivating the bad guys. It is NEVER on my list first and unlike most of it, it is something I just can’t force, no matter how hard I try. Oh, sure… I have had art thieves intent on getting rich, but I needed to make this PERSONAL. I’ve been working under the premise that they were mad at people trying to stop them, but I’ve FINALLY got it, and it is better than that!
It’s funny, because I ran into the same thing with CONFLUENCE, have it to some degree in ILLUSIONS (the second of this trilogy) and it has been a problem with my as of yet unnamed and unfinished murder mystery… of my 6 books I’ve finished or written significantly on, it has been a problem for 4. Maybe I need to spend more time with bad guys… always thought I had it covered with my bad boy fetish, but mostly they’ve only ever been naughty.
So the News
I am THANKFULLY back to writing… sure, it just really got in the groove yesterday, but there is idea enough for at least the next few chapters, and I’ve never worried about the ending, anyway, so I think I should be able to stay on track (hopefully finish by the end of March).
In April, when CONSPIRACY is done, hopefully ILLUSIONS is typed so it is fresher in my mind, and I have feedback, then I will do the LEGACY rewrite… and in a dream world, query in May.
Watch List
In the meantime, I’m being paranoid… I’ve checked out half a dozen or more books now on art theft… hopefully that hasn’t put me on a watch list. It is yielding some interesting and useful stuff, though no where near as interesting as the how to be a spy stuff. So if I am arrested for art espionage, I might need to call on you to testify that it is all for the sake of writing books…
11 comments:
*is dumbstruck* DAMN that cover looks good on that scale! =D
And I won't say I told you so, but non-fiction can be pretty interesting, ne? ;)
It does help that most (successful) spy non-fic was written by people that have an interesting story to tell that they know how to tell and want to get out there; the BORING people just tend to stick to the non-disclosure thing and keep their stories to themselves ;)
So did you get those books I looked up for you? Any of 'em good for just READING, as opposed to research? My literary diet has been heavily fictional lately and could use some factual content. ;-)
Love your blog Hart. :)
Joris-it DOES look good, doesn't it?
In my defense, two of the art theft books were fictions... but yes, the spy stuff helps...probably far more realistic though--and the truth is stranger than fiction any day!
And Leanne--I've gotten them all, but other than the Pears novels, I have only gotten to the Gardner Heist. Still early in it, but pretty interesting.
Megan! You snuck in there on me--thanks for reading!
yep. got it. having it. wish I didn't. I'm at the crusty gunked up part and I keep thinking of broken through but you know? Maybe this whole novel is crusted gunked up stuff - not smooth flowing lotion behind crusted up gunky stuff but just that...all the way through to the last gunky crusty word. I feel sick. I'll leave now.
Oh, Jan--I'm sure it's not all crusty gunked stuff! Maybe if you add a little baby oil to get the stuff flowing again... that'll give it a little shine, too, even if it's a bit greasy to work with!
I am really hoping the flow keeps going for me...
Say...you know how I dealt with this one? I killed somebody... oh sure, it was somebody I always planned to kill, but all SORTS of stuff came out in the aftermath... so maybe you should kill somebody..
That cover is GREAT!! I can't wait to read your book, Hart...So you'll be querying with the first in the trilogy--this is a trilogy, right?
Bad guy motivation--my best recs are a) psych books/true crime, say, on con men and b) web sites--you'd be amazed what kind of inside, personal accounts you can get by googling art thieves or whatever bad thing the guy has to do...
Thanks Jenny! I need to always remember to mention my friend Joris on those covers. I wish I believed they'd let me keep them when I get to the publishing phase, but somehow it seems they will make me go with an in house artist (which would be okay if these didn't look so professional, but they DO!)
Yes, Legacy is the first in a trilogy. I am currently typing the second and writing the third (I write long hand)
And what a great idea to read accounts of real sickos... Seems if you just had a couple profiles filed away in memory, you could pull out what worked at the time. I seem to get my inspiration in the form of 'set up' and with my psych background creating characters comes naturally. It's the plot (and villian motivation) that come later...
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