Did you ever have a crazy day when expectations are flipped, and just when you think one thing is going to happen, the day flips again? Of course you have. If you’re paying attention, it probably happens every day in one way or another. But sometimes it happens in a very public way with 200 people waiting and watching…
Or you wish something would happen, and then it does, but not the way you expected and it’s horrible.
The Monkey’s Paw, a short story from long ago, is like that, where the parents wish their dead son alive, realize he’s alive but a monster, and have to wish him dead again. Last month, that happened to me, but without the zombie/dead family member thing (*thanks god, touches wood, etc.*)
But first…some background music
After 35 years of writing, I’ve boiled my practice down to three main areas: creativity, craft of writing, and making books. Every day, I try to do something that helps each area, with my creativity being the most important because it’s the power source for everything else, and is the most fun.
Creativity even powers my day job. Not directly (I’m not writing haiku for a living). But I have to solve problems every day, and that almost always requires creating something “new,” and a creative mind helps that along. Granted, some of my day job is routine, but I make myself laugh often.
I consider myself the Bob Newhart of computer guys.
So what about writing?
I’ve come to realize that, to write an interesting novel, you have to draw upon your own experiences and fuse them to the story being told in a way that supports the character without forcing them to just do what I (the author) want them to do. My craftsmanship is a combination of taking any situation in a story, shoving it down into the dark recesses of my subconscious, and writing down whatever bobs back up.
It’s like tossing something buoyant into the water: it sinks at first, but eventually bobs up on the surface. Like if you were to drown, your body would slip beneath the surface of the water. Eventually, the bacteria in your body creates enough gas that you rise back up again. (I know that’s dark, but I am writing crime stories…I’m hoping you’re not shocked by brief descriptions of mayhem or death.)
A lot of my scenes are tossed into the dark waters, and I hope they emerge soon with a story to tell. Sometimes they surface like a pig in the ocean.
My Monkey Paw Wish
A month ago, I planned a trip to The Moth in Ann Arbor to listen to stories. Ordinarily, I prepare a story and hope to get chosen to tell it. But this time, I couldn’t think of anything that fit the theme.
For nine days, I kicked around ideas, but nothing worked. I could have told some kind of a story–I often boast I can talk for five minutes about any subject with zero notice–but I’ve heard enough Moth stories to know that the world doesn’t need another mediocre one, made up on the spot. The day before the show, I gave up trying. I would attend the event, but only to listen.
In the morning, I woke up with a vivid memory of something that fit the theme, and the basic Moth story structure was there, intact, within minutes. I wouldn’t have time to polish it but, when I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was going to tell that story, come what may.
Fortune is Fleeting
As luck would have it, my name was not pulled from the hat. The kicker is that there were eleven hopefuls for ten slots; all but one person was going to tell their story.
Mine was the only name not called. What are the odds?!
9%.
Craftsmanship is built with practice
In general, I recognize that my storytelling is better when I think about a scene and then sleep on it. I’ve been doing that the past six weeks with the new novel, and it’s a reminder of why it takes so darned long to write an interesting novel. It’s not a question of how fast you type the 60,000 words, but how many days it takes for the scenes to surface from the depths of the subconscious.
As with the story for The Moth that came to me after a night of sleep, good days for my novels happen when I take a problem to bed and wake up with an answer.
That makes these novels take months, even years, to complete.
Upcoming Books and Stuff
Ruthless has been years in the making, but now it’s available wherever fine books are sold. If you want an advance copy to review, I’d love for you to take advantage by clicking this link.
Ruthless is a crime thriller set in 1979 about a cop’s daughter who dies in an “accident,” and only her younger sister wants to know what happened. She crosses the thin blue line to fight for the truth, fight for her life and to save her father.
If you’re ready to purchase a copy, it’s available wherever fine books are sold.
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Next Picayune
I’ll be back soon with another story. In the meantime, it would help me a lot if you forwarded this email to someone who might find it interesting, and they can consider joining by visiting: https://sendfox.com/mickey
Thanks for reading the Mickey Picayune
All the best,
–mickey