Hello everyone, before we get into this blog post, I would like to expand upon what I meant by taking a break day in yesterday's post. Unfortunately, the way humans are wired, it’s not possible for us to be in a constant workflow without some breaks in between. I only realize this after I spent two full days working on my novel and doing yard work leaving me mentally and physically fatigued. Though I am not in a place to write much right now, I now see how necessary breaks are, even if your passion drives you forward. because as I’ve stated previously taking a step back from your work can I hope you fully realize it as well as give you time for idea generation and filling potential plotholes that may be in your story.
That being said, I’ve decided to have one break day every week. I will inform you which day of the week this is, but as for your writing, I suggest you do the same. whether you’re religious or not, having a day where you just set aside everything and focus on recharging your batteries can help you in the long run. As well as make it so you can get back to writing the next day. Even if you find yourself stuck, or have written past the point of mental fatigue.
Now, let’s take a peek behind the fog that is engrossing your mysteries plot and continue based on prior blog posts and writing my novel. Though Writing Wounds for the Innocent, I have not only come to an understanding of myself but also my preferred way of writing mysteries. A big part of writing a mystery is getting everything on the table, no matter how elaborate your plot twist or scenario is. In the outlining phase of writing a compelling and clever mystery, no idea is a bad idea. Now you may be hearing your inner critic making you feel you should omit the idea but I will say my story came together because I wrote down every idea I had. Then narrowed it down to my best ideas or the ones that fit my story best.
Idea generation is a tricky process that is subjective. But being as it is, I will show you my process tomorrow. Sorry for the short blog post, but I’m going to have to cut it short due to the fact my fingers are cramping up right now from work today and writing. I am currently using voice to text which is not my preferred writing style due to the fact I can process my ideas a lot better by typing rather than speaking. My fingers will most likely be back to normal tomorrow so look for part three of the How to Write a Compelling and Clever Mystery series then!
Till next time.
– Matt Gorrell (creator of mattgorrell.com)
(Photo taken by Matt Gorrell)