Saturday, April 27, 2024

What We're Writing Week: Julia's Tied Up In Knots

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I had really hoped I'd be posting a video of the Hallelujah Chorus and  telling you all AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY is done, but I've hit two, shall we say, bumps in the road.

The first is: the whole action-packed, (hopefully) thrilling finale, gathering together the entire group of good guys versus the baddies, take place in a very real location in upstate NY.  A place I last visited about a decade ago - and I wasn't thinking of setting the most important part of a novel there. 

Now, I've written about places I haven't been to before, or about places I haven't been for a while. Or I've made up locations based on the same.  But there's a difference when you're using a location for a setting, aka background, and when you're using it to choreograph an action scene. (More than one scene! Practically the whole last act!)

To illustrate the difference, imagine you're setting a book in Boston. Your characters are walking and talking on Boston streets, riding the T, and eating at restaurants. Honestly, if you can recall some of the sounds and smells, or the way the wind blows in the winter, you can get by writing all of those character interactions with a street map and a bunch of Google images saved in a file.

Now imagine a sniper is shooting at your characters, who have to snag a car and careen through the streets to the waterfront. Where can the sniper set up? How far away? What's the angle? Can cars park there, or will your heroes have to run? How fast does the traffic move? One way? (trick question: it's all one way in Boston.) When they get out of a car, what things can they hide behind? Where would the bad guys have set up, anticipating our heroes next move?

Maybe other authors do it differently, but for me, producing a fast-paced, can't-catch-your-breath, slam-bang action sequence depends on meticulous planning and a deep understanding of all the physical elements involved. (This is why I think I would be VERY good at committing elaborate heists, btw.)

Even when I've made up the whole location, I still need a clear mental picture of geography, distances, structures. And it's SO MUCH WORSE when it's a real place. A real place tens of thousands of people see every year. I can already see the torrent of emails and Goodreads reviews taking me to task for my sloppy research.

 

So I'm ushering in the finale by constantly referencing maps, charts, photos, etc. etc. All while trying to write in such a way that the eventual reader has a seamless, emotional, and exciting time once the book is out in the world. Needless to say, it's slowing me to a crawl.

Oh, and the second thing. Stress/bad ergonomics/overwork has given me a burning muscle spasm running from beneath my scapula right up the side of my neck and down to my left bicep. It's been bothering me for a week now, and yesterday I finally took action by downloading Microsoft's free voice-to-text app. I trained on it, and trained it, and my first day's word count using it is... not good.  I can tell this is going to be a steep learning curve for both of us. It doesn't help that it thinks my main characters' names are Ross and layer.

I'd like to get to the point where I can comfortably compose by voice, at which point I'd be willing to invest in Dragon, which everyone seems to agree is the bomb-diggity. I know I can change the way I interact with words and the page: I did it when I trained myself to do an initial draft on the computer keyboard, instead of longhand on paper. Of course, that was back in '86. I guess this is a chance to see just how much my brain has fossilized since then.

 I guess I have two questions for you, dear readers: How do you like your action scenes to flow? Is authenticity important to you?

And I'm welcoming suggestions to get my back muscles to calm down...

68 comments:

  1. First and foremost, I hope you're feeling better soon. I've had some success with using a heating pad for muscle spasms . . . .

    I suspect that if the action scenes were in a place that I was intimately familiar with I would be looking for some authenticity even though I could still appreciate the action taking place in the story . . . I'd be involved in the story and not necessarily looking for specific details about the location. But if it's a place I don't know and haven't been, then authenticity wouldn't be necessary for me to appreciate the scene.

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    1. I'm using my phone to comment today because I have mastered its voice to text! Joan, I feel the same way as a reader. I just worry that I'll have enough readers who are familiar with the area I'm writing about to feel let down.

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  2. Oh, Julia. I enjoy this peek at the process but I'm so sorry for your back spasms.

    I am not attentive to details when I'm reading. I notice things like descriptions of a cow barn or stopping at Stewart's -- oh, I know that and I can see it! -- the big picture items. Not the details of in one door, out the other. However I know others are more nitpicky. If I can help with walking through a site and providing on the ground information, I'm happy to.

    As for the dictation... I used a $3.99 software app on my phone when I was driving around my hometown and wanted to take instant notes on the landscape as I drove. The transcriptions were almost gibberish and I found that fighting with the process became a distraction from the real goal. I wonder if anyone in your local school or college's learning support department has access to Dragon so you could try it before buying. I think even one afternoon would give you a good idea if it was worth investing. I hope you feel better! (Selden)

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    1. I should check and see if dragon has a free trial, Selden. I just didn't want to invest in anything if the process doesn't work for me.

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  3. I'm so sorry about your neck, Julia. I was going to suggest you take a drive to your location and stay for a couple of days. But not with a burning muscle spasm! All I know is heat, plus things like Bengay and a cannabis salve might help. Maybe talk to someone who knows bodies like a yoga teacher or a physical therapist.

    I Like Selden's suggestion of getting help from your local high school or college - the high tech equivalent of taking your car to the Voc Tech school for repair.

    Good luck with all of it!

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    1. Those are good suggestions, Edith. I've been using a roll on version of icy Hot, but I may have my young friend massage in some of my cannabis salve when she is over here for dinner on Sunday.

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  4. Julia, feel better quickly! I live with constant neck pain and it cramps my style and limits my activities on top of being a pain in the neck. Try all the remedies that you can until you get some relief!

    I was going to suggest the same thing as Edith. Go to the site for a couple of days and choreograph your scene. Since you feel that it is essential for it to be plausible in that location, it will be the most expedient way to accomplish your goal.

    I am really excited about reading your new book. Feel better, soon.

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    1. Thanks, Judy! I'm supposed to go down to DC at the beginning of May; I may adjust my trip so I can do a boots on the ground tour of the area I'm writing about.

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  5. Julia, take good care of yourself! I dictate into the notes app on my iphone and it's quite amazingly good at understanding the words. Of course then I have to copy and paste and edit, but it does save time and body stress. We'll be patiently waiting...

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    1. Lucy, I was getting so frustrated with the mistakes the Microsoft program was making I thought about doing the same thing! I'm not sure why it has so many difficulties when my phone voice to text, which I'm using right now, has so few errors.

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    2. Phone software was developed by Apple or Google. Computer software developed by Microsoft.

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  6. My soccer players used Salon Pas or other stick on heat pads on their backs. The pads lasted eight hours.

    Location: Sisters in Crime to the rescue? Contact the nearest chapter and explain that you need a ground scout taking phone videos of your climax scene. I know Helene Hanff used someone on the ground in London when she wrote 84, Charing Cross Road, back in air mail days.

    Good luck and feel better!

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    1. I am fascinated to learn that detail about Helene Hanff and 84, Charing Cross Road. I love that book!

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  7. Poor Julia! Nothing is worse than pain and sorry but I don't have any magic elixirs you could try. I do like the Aleve roll-on which I think helps me. That's the key isn't it, if we think/believe it helps.

    I like authenticity in the stories I read. Even if it's not a real place, it should feel like it is. I know, Julia, if you are writing it it will be wonderful and worth the wait. (But I'm not getting any younger.)

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    1. I had a little magic elixir last night, Judi, in the form of a heating pad, extra strength ibuprofen, and a bottle of very nice Cabernet :-)

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  8. From Celia: Julia I hate to think of you in pain, I’m a firm believer in chiropractors. As for your location, I second Margaret’s idea, local help. I thought Dragon had a free version to start on but it’s a while since I checked out software. If you haven’t already you might check Wirecutter to see if they have suggestions. You’ll get it done and don’t they te naysayers get you down.

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    1. Wirecutter is a good idea, Celia.

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    2. I love Wirecutter, and I use them for lots of text suggestions. I don't know why I didn't think of checking there!

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  9. I completely understand your wanting to get the scene right even if a mistake wouldn't guarantee you as many annoyed emails over inaccuracy as you fear. And I'm very sorry about the pain you describe. I have a terrific physiotherapist whom I see whenever I have some kind of muscle/nerve pain that doesn't go away fast. But maybe this problem of yours wouldn't respond to that. I hope it heals!

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    1. Thanks, Kim! And I know you take the time to get your locations right because when I read action scenes in your novels, I can very clearly picture what is happening where - even though I've never been to Switzerland!

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    2. That's a great compliment, Julia. Thank you!

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  10. Julia, I’m so sorry for your pain. You might try to find a practitioner in Bowenworks, which works with your connective tissues. This really helped me when I had trouble with my psoas muscle.

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    1. I'll definitely look for professional help if it doesn't clear up within the next week, Anon.

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  11. From Jay

    Julia, I'm sorry to read about your health issue and the delays it is causing you.

    As for action scenes, I like them to flow smoothly regardless of how violent they may be. Authenticity is important because you want to feel like you are watching a big screen blockbuster that was made in the 80s that filled theaters. Not some budget restricted straight to DVD budget bin disaster that was made by someone who just discovered what a video camera was 10 minutes before being hired as a director.

    Also, pro tip: If you want to be good at committing elaborate heists, you should probably not announce that on the Internet. :D

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    1. I think working together as a blogging team of authors would be the perfect cover for a group of ladies of a certain age who are actually master thieves, don't you? :-D

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  12. Cathy Akers-JordanApril 27, 2024 at 8:25 AM

    Oh, Julia, I’m sorry you are in so much pain. I hope you quickly get comfortable with Dragon and that the pain goes away soon! I used Dragon when I needed elbow reconstruction and couldn’t type. I continued to use it until I recovered enough to type again but I never got to the point where I was completely comfortable writing that way. Dragon IS a great tool but nowadays dictation is built in to Word and my Apple devices AND, weirdly, it understands my Michigan accent without training. I rarely use it but it’s nice to know it’s there.

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    1. I should try the built-in Word dictation, Cathy. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, I can't figure out why my Google pixel voice to text is so effective and the professional software designed specifically for voice typing isn't.

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  13. It speaks to the love of this group that we are concerned re your body rebelling. I too wanna fix it -- have you tried breathing ? Thanks for explaining how you write action scenes, I did wonder because the visual cues are so strong. For me realistic fiction requires no fantasy in the scene. People get hit means people get hurt. no one guy fighting a group while they stand around and take turns. No bullets bouncing like rubber, no 3000 shots from guns that have a magazine of 20.. puff puff puff. I am babbling this morning and good day to all.

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    1. Coralee, that drives me bonkers in both books and film. It's amazing how often some macho detective gets beaten up and in the next scene he's perfectly fine except for a little Band-Aid on his nose.

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    2. My husband always snorts when men in movies or on TV punch someone in the head, knocking them cold, and walk off without a hand injury! I had never considered this but working as a bouncer at a bar one summer, he saw lots of fistfights. (Selden)

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  14. I am a proponent of TENS. You can get on on Amazon for thirty bucks. Read the directions
    I use one for about thirty minutes at a time, always get immediate relief from spasms

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    1. I've heard about TENS, but I didn't realize it could be a home treatment, Anon. Do you have a brand you recommend?

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  15. Sorry you are in pain! I agree with other recommendations for heat, and also PT. A good massage therapist might be able to help as well.

    If I am familiar with a place where a novel is set, I am going to read the background details more carefully and perhaps notice discrepancies. Like the vast majority of your readers, I would not notice any small errors with place details in your work. I like action scenes that aren't too chaotic, while still implying the chaos the characters are experiencing. I like a narrative to make sense and not stretch credulity too much. I am so looking forward to reading At Midnight Comes the Cry! I'm sure your careful planning will pay off!

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    1. Thanks, Gillian. I think half my issue is worrying that mistakes will throw readers familiar with the area right out of the story. The other half is my process: I feel I need to have a good grasp of, shall we say, the lay of the land, in order to write an effective action scene.

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  16. JULIA: Great topic though I am Not a fan of Guns.

    Regarding Action Scenes.I think of Special Effects or Computer Graphics in Action Movies. I DO NOT want Authenticity in scenes with Snipers or Guns. Create a make up place please.

    Look forward to reading At Midnight Comes the Cry!

    Diana

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  17. Oh, so glad AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY is moving to the end! I cannot wait to read this book.

    As for action scenes - it's tough. I have three novels set in the Florida Keys. Hurricane's change landmarks in an instant. I've managed to successfully mix imagination with reality, acknowledge the creative license in the acknowledgements. So far it's sort of worked - I had to scrap one book when the entire setting was razed for a high rise development within a week of writing The End, and I had to heavily edit another when a landmark moved a few miles to a new location pre-publication. That's the cost of writing in the hurricane state!

    The back - I feel your pain, literally. I went to the ER with my first attack fearing it was a heart attack since the symptoms present differently in women and the pain just kept rolling along all day. Strong muscle relaxers worked that time. Now I cover myself in hot pads at the first sign and so far, it's done the trick. Good luck!

    Voice dictation. I have Dragon and tried desperately to use it. It's really fabulous. My downfall was punctuation. It's hard to read and proof an entire chapter when it consists of a single sentence! I didn't know Microsoft had an option. I may give that a try to see if I've improved.

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    1. Rhys, try speaking the punctuation. “Type this sentence period” I think I even got it to do paragraphs that way. It took a little more time but saved me a lot of editing time.

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    2. So funny! Yes, I say the punctuation, too, and have gotten so ridiculously used ot it that I do it know when I leave a voicemail message. Hi comma this is Hank exclamation mark. SO silly!

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    3. Hank, that’s kind of like me when I’m reading a physical (vs a digital) book and I want to check a word’s definition. I sit there for a minute with my finger on the word, waiting for the definition before I realize what I’m doing! — Pat S

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    4. Cathy Akers-JordanApril 28, 2024 at 7:48 AM

      OMG, I do that, too! See what my Kindle has done to me? Lol

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  18. Back and neck spasms are no joke. I've had chronic pain since my mid-20s when a guy ran a red light in a Mack truck and smacked my car hard enough to turn it 180 degrees. Massage therapy, PT, chiropractic, acupuncture, ice packs, and NSAIDs. But Margaret's suggestion of Salonpas patches is also excellent. There are two kinds. One has lidocaine, and is big enough to cover a large area. The smaller ones smell like BenGay. You can leave them on eight hours and they are miraculous.

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    1. Yes, my husband has used those for back pain and they really seem to help.

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  19. Pat D: Ouch. Just ouch. BenGay or Icy Hot?
    I love to follow a big fight scene. It has to flow through the chaos. Maybe you could get some volunteers to act it out.

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  20. For me, consistency and believability are more important than accuracy... I try NOT to set a scene in a real place for that reason. I can create the space, make the rules, decide which streets I need to run one-way and which way they run. I once set a flash mob in downtown Boston outside the Boston public library and it was a nightmare... had to keep going back as each new tweak added a wrinkle.

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  21. It’s probably comparable to a repetitive stress injury and in your back it’s hard for you to see what you are doing to precipitate the pain. Heat may help as a stopgap measure, but it is not a permanent solution. I have found physical therapy to be very helpful for a number of issues. The therapist will work with you to see what you are doing that is causing the underlying problem and then suggest exercises to strengthen the muscles and possibly be able to give you some better ways to prevent the pain from recurring. The important thing is to be diligent about following through with the exercises at home. The therapist may also incorporate some massage.

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  22. P.S. Hope you feel better soon, Julia! I have back pain from time to time. My chiropractor told me that sometimes it is my body telling me that I need more water. I noticed that if I drink cranberry juice, it helps somewhat. Icy Hot patches help too. And if I sit too long, then my back hurts!

    Diana

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  23. I have no suggestions for your physical pain except to say to keep some movement going so you don't freeze up completely. Now if your medical professional says stay still, completely ignore me. They know far more than I do.

    As for location, I think it depends on how well known the location is. If you were writing a historical novel and had your character taking a long, brisk walk across the Golden Gate Bridge in 1933 someone might object since I'm pretty sure the bridge wasn't there yet.

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    1. It was and it wasn't in 1933. The construction began Jan 5 1933 and finished April 17 1937. So if a person was a high wire walker they could have done it, otherwise a bit nope.

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  24. Julia, may you soon feel comfortable again. As to authenticity: when I read a work of fiction, I enter a time and a place with people that an author creates. As long as all those flow together reasonably it is authentic enough. A palm tree in the middle of Miller’s Kill, a 20 below day in Miss Gloria’s cemetery, a bullet train for Georgie to London, all not authentic… as long as it is reasonable OK by me. Be well, Julia. Elisabeth

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  25. Poor you, Julia. I recommend a good massage or body worker. Someone who can pinpoint what you are doing wrong. Whether it’s tensing shoulders as you write or holding your arm strangely at the keyboard

    Speech to text is hopeless for me! Drives me crazy Made Spyness into spiders etc. but I may have to use it eventually as I have arthritis in my fingers

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  26. Oh, Google Earth Streetview!!!! It saved my bacon with A Killing of Innocents when I couldn't go to London. I could not have written that book without it, and I still use it every day when I am writing. Of course the footage is not to the minute updated, but it's huge help.

    I've never tried dictating, so not sure my brain works that way, but it's so interesting that you do that, Hank.

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  27. Oh, Julia, so sorry about the pain! And so frustrating to be so close to the end! And we so all want to read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No suggestions on the dictation, but I would suggest massage and PT for the pain. I think you need some tips on what you're doing to aggravate it. We are all cheering you on to the finish line!

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  28. Julia, I’m so sorry about your pain. I’ve been living with back and neck pain for many years. I would suggest seeing your doctor, and then following through with whatever is recommended.

    As for the location thing; how about having an Author’s note before the start of the book, explaining that you’ve taken liberties with details of locations? (Doesn’t Hank do that?) And then just going ahead and writing it the way you want to?

    DebRo

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  29. I recommend acupuncture and/or massage, Julia. Hope whatever route you take that you get relief soon. Re: choreography, I just finished THE MURDER OF MR. MA which has great Chinese martial arts choreography.~Emily Dame

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  30. I do wonder if it has anything to do with having written TV scripts for years, which are meant to be spoken.

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  31. Julia, ouch is right! I had a similar issue--used ibuprofen, heating pad, ice, and self-corrected the way I was sitting at the computer. Also, while driving, while at the table, etc., I had to stay aware of what I was doing to my body in all situations. Then followed up with strengthening exercises (note to self: keep doing these!).

    As for action scenes, I like them to flow and I'm not going to pay much attention to the details unless I know the area extremely well. But you know what you need to get it written in the way most satisfying to you--I like the earlier suggestion of some (other person's) boots on the ground combined with Google Earth if you can't manage to get there without hurting yourself.

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  32. Shalom Julia – Have a cardiologist do some blood work and perform a stress test. Thirty years ago, I had a muscle cramp below my left scapula on Christmas Eve. It didn’t go away Christmas Day and finally I went to the ER the day after Christmas. My blood pressure was sky high and they wanted to rule out a heart attack. Turns out that was indeed what was transpiring. Of course, I had put myself at risk by not taking my blood pressure medication and taking too many decongestants. (Also smoking a pack a day.) So they sent me to another hospital, where they did an angioplasty and with proper medication and monitoring with exercise I have been good ever since.

    I don’t want to be an alarmist, but what could it hurt.

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  33. Find someone who does trigger point massage therapy! They can work wonders with spasmed muscles

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  34. I’m sorry, I have to take a moment to chuckle at Ross and layer…… there, got that out of my system. But the frustration is real! I’m so sorry you are having such pain; all the suggestions above seem to be spot on.
    As far as action scenes, I like the action to take precedence over the scenery. That being said, I adore a strong sense of place. I think of myself as a visual sort of reader, in that I’m always picturing in my mind what I’m reading - for me, that’s part of the pleasure. (Full disclosure, I am an artist.) Guess I’m no help, but am so looking forward to your new book!

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  35. I have nothing useful or interesting to say about your questions, but I do want to mention how much I enjoyed reading your blog today. Your issues really made fun reading.

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  36. Russ and Layer. I am dying...so sorry...but that is hilarious. That being said I gave myself a scorching case of sciatica when trying to work 16 hr days to finish a project...never again! I sincerely hope you feel better soon, Julia. Also, major sympathy on plotting a real place for the action packed ending. Ugh.

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  37. JULIA: So sorry to hear about your pain & your finale action scene challenges!! I had sciatica for a few years and that was no fun.

    Hope the voice to text works for you. I have heard good reviews about the Dragon software, too.

    I read a lot of thrillers. I expect to be riveted & entertained. Authenticity is important (right weapon, plausible way for good guys to defeat the baddies).

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    1. P.S. it's Sunday 6:30 am in Singapore. Had a busy Saturday outdoors & missed seeing your post before going to bed on Saturday after 11 pm!

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  38. As an avid fan of yours, I am, (of course) most concerned about getting the newest book!
    Okay, that really does come after you get your physical issues resolved. I'm an RA sufferer and have found that gentle exercise and heat are my best friends. However, in a crisis like yours, I turn to a physical therapy pro and my doctor for help.
    Haven't been to the location you are writing about in a long time so I'm absolutely no help there. Good luck!

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  39. I am so sorry that you are in pain. Just to rule out any potential heart issues; I agree with David S on seeing a physician sooner as opposed to later. We all care about you!!! The book can wait.

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