To Beat the Bots, Talk to a Tree

Hank Phillippi Ryan: As always, Jane Cleland, a darling friend of the Reds, knows just the right thing to say, and just the perfect doors to open for us.

Her newest book is Beat The Bots. Yes. Beat the Bots. And more on that below. (It's so life-changingly important!)

Happy Saturday, everyone. Take a few minutes, and now, let Jane transport you.  And Jane is giving a copy of BEAT THE BOTS to one very lucky commenter!

To Beat the Bots, Talk to a Tree

Jane K. Cleland

When I was young, my dad built a rock garden, a secret space filled with craggy stones and low-lying plants placed just so. 

He’d come home from work and visit his garden, repositioning a rock, adjusting a trailing vine. It was his happy place, and perhaps I caught my love of natural beauty from him.

When I visit a new city, I ask about walking trails and botanical gardens. (I know, I know. I can see you rolling your eyes. Over the years, more than one traveling companion has politely suggested we meet up later as they’re out the door to check out the local shops or cafes, while I trek off to a garden.) 

What can I tell you? To me, there’s something about the trees and the shrubs and purling brooks and waterfalls that moves me, that inspires me.

I mean, really... look at this photo I took of the Katharine Hepburn garden in Midtown Manhattan.

This tiny walkway contains stones engraved with some of the late great actress’s most intriguing sayings, like “Without discipline, there’s no life at all,” and “If you always do what interests you, at least one person will be pleased.”

Only recently, in researching the science behind the lore for my new book, Beat the Bots: A Writer’s Guide to Surviving & Thriving in the Age of AI, did I learn that spending time in nature is more than good for us—it will help us harness our creativity. Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist, has conducted research that proves that being in or around water reduces stress and facilitates creative thinking.

Here’s a photo I took from the balcony of a cruise ship. I couldn’t stop looking at this gorgeous, lulling view.

Forests provide solace, too. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing” or “absorbing the forest atmosphere.” They encourage people to spend time in nature — no actual bathing required. The goal of forest bathing is to live in the present moment while immersing your senses in the sights and sounds of a natural setting.

While the little parks called Tudor City Greens in New York City can’t be called a forest, they offered me great solace during my daily walks, the meandering path, the hidden ferns.

Speaking of ferns, look at the last flower box in my garden in New York—a moss garden with ferns. I added a couple of rocks, too. I think my dad would have been proud.

Even if you can’t leave your home for a walk on the beach or stroll through the woods, you can approximate the mood by playing any of scores of free nature videos widely available on YouTube, the sounds of waterfalls, or birds chirping, or forest creatures cavorting. If you’re like most people, you’ll relax as your internal muse rises to the surface, eager to help you bring forth your creative best.

How about you? I’d love to hear about your favorite nature spot! Please add a comment below and tell me about a place that’s moved and inspired you.


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, we have a little stone bench in our side yard…long ago, maybe a hundred years ago? It was one of the front steps to our house, and for some reason,it had to be taken out. It was so gorgeous that I said–don;t throw that away! I had it made into a bench, using a chunky rock under each end, and now it’s in the midst of a grove of  ferns and spirea, and it is absolutely tranquil.

And we have engraved stones in our yard, too! (They are images: including the Big Dipper, the sun, a flower...and duck footprints!)


How about you, Reds and Readers? What’s your answer to this delightful question?

And Jane is giving a copy of BEAT THE BOTS to one very lucky commenter!
******

And don’t you think Jane should tell us more about her new book? Here' s a bit of info:

Beat the Bots offers science-based creativity techniques that guide you through the writing process to unlock your imagination and create compelling stories that resonate with emotional truth in ways AI can’t match.

Even though artificial intelligence is based on a technology called “machine learning,” computers can’t learn to be creative—but you can. This book will show you the way. AI is, by definition, derivative, not creative. It can’t bring rational judgment to determine the quality or value of its work. When you bring those capabilities to your writing, your stories will touch readers’ hearts and minds.

Just as real food is better for us than processed food, and actual social interactions are more meaningful than social media, when it comes to writing your story, artificial intelligence can’t replicate your individual human intelligence, imagination, and sensibility. Technical wizardry can’t tell your story. Only you can do that. Your uniqueness is what separates you from a chatbot, and explains why you can’t be replaced by an algorithm. You’ll succeed because you’re human, not in spite of it.

Through engaging FAQs, invaluable “Pro Tips,” and “AI Weighs In” revelations, you’ll be able to apply the writing lessons and creativity tactics to all aspects of storytelling, bringing your distinctive vision and voice to your projects in ways AI simply can’t. Thought-provoking, science-based guided exercises challenge you to apply each chapter’s lessons to your own writing. Whether you’re writing a novel, literary nonfiction, or a memoir, you’ll be able to write stories that are fresh and compelling—your stories—and those are the books that publishers want and readers crave. That’s how you’ll beat the bots.

Jane K. Cleland’s books on the craft of writing, Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot and Mastering Plot Twists (Writer’s Digest Books, now Penguin Putnam Random House) both won the Agatha Award. Jane has also written fourteen novels in the multiple award-winning Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series (St. Martin’s Minotaur, with short fiction published by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine). The series has been optioned for film and TV production. 

In addition, Jane is a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine and the chair of the Black Orchid Novella Award, presented by the Wolfe Pack in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Jane is a frequent in-person and online presenter at writing conferences, association meetings, and MFA Residencies. She also offers small group Mystery Mastermind virtual workshops, monthly webinars, and free weekly YouTube Shorties—one-to-three-minute answers to FAQ. More information is available at http://janecleland.com.

It's never too late: Part I

HALLIE EPHRON: “It’s Never Too Late” is the headline on the November/December issue of Writers Digest Magazine. That got me thinking about the many writers I know who didn’t start writing fiction until their 40s or even their 50s, when many people are thinking of retiring, and have gone on to have terrific success.

How did they do it?

Today starts a 2-part piece in which authors who started late share how they did it.

Today:

• Annamaria Alfieri
• Lucy Burdette/Roberta Isleib
• Jane Cleland
• Sheila Connolly
• Hallie Ephron

Tomorrow:

• Sara J. Henry
• Edith Maxwell
• Barbara Ross
• Hank Phillippi Ryan 

Here are the questions everyone answered:

• When did you start writing?
• What career did you have before you published your first crime novel?
• Why did you start writing fiction?
• How long did it take from when you started writing fiction to seeing your first book published?
• Did you take writing classes or complete an MFA program and did that help?
• Were you in a writing group and/or hire an independent editor to work with you on your first published book?
• If you could do it over, what would you do differently?

AnnaMaria Alfieri

Last published book: STRANGE GODS, Minotaur Books  

Crime novels published to date: 4

Before writing: Management training consultant, CEO of small marketing company, non-fiction author

Started writing: 1950

Why started: I knew when I was nine that I wanted to write stories.

How long from starting writing to publishing first book: I started writing fiction with an eye to publication in the late 80's.  I had a book I thought was publishable in 1999.  I tried to get an agent to represent it for eight years.  In the end, I had to write a fifth nonfiction book to get and agent to read CITY OF SILVER.  When it finally went out to potential publishers, it sold to St. Martin’s Minotaur in four days.  It came out in 2009 and earned starred reviews and love letters from critics.  I say this because I want people to know that rejections by potential agents do NOT mean the book is not worthy.

Classes, MFA: I studied creative writing in college, but not afterwards.

Writing group, independent editor:  I did join two writing groups, and I think they helped me develop my skills.  I did not employ an editor, but I did polish and polish and polish my own manuscript.  I still do that.

Do over: I am so delighted that I am getting published that I don’t look back.  And I often think that I am better prepared now to write about the human condition.  I don’t think I would have been a very insightful writer had I tried to write fiction seriously when I was a young woman.  

Lucy Burdette/RobertaIsleib

Latest book: FATAL RESERVATIONS, NAL

Crime novels published to date: 14

Before writing: I worked in a private practice as a clinical psychologist.

Started writing: The year it entered my mind, 1998

Why started: I can only explain that it was a midlife crisis related to many hours of bad golf. (What could I make of all that wasted time?)

How long from starting writing to publishing first book: 4 years

Classes, MFA: I took a lot of local classes on all kinds of writing. Yes it absolutely helped--I had no clue how to write fiction.

Writing group, independent editor: Yes definitely to a writing group. Still work with them! I finally hired an independent editor for books 3 to 7. It was so helpful--a private tutorial on character, plot, setting, and words, but all tailored to me!

Do over: I think this was a process that had to unspool, so not sure it could have been different.

Jane Cleland

Latest book: ORNAMENTS OF DEATH, Minotaur Books

Crime novels published to date: 10

Before writing: Corporate trainer specializing in business communications

Started writing: I’ve always been a writer. I started writing my “Josie” mysteries in 2003. I wrote my first mystery (now on the shelf) in 1998. (I started one in 1984, but didn’t get far.)

Classes, MFA: Only after I was published. Both classes and the MFA helped.

Why started: My mother was a writer. When I was a kid, I thought that’s what all women did.

How long from starting writing to publishing first book: 21 years.

Writing group, independent editor: No to the writing group. Yes to independent editors.

Do over: Learn more about craft earlier in my career.

Hallie Ephron/G. H.Ephron

Latest book: NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, HarperCollins

Crime novels published to date: 9

Started writing: 1990

Before writing: Taught elementary school, college, wrote training materials for high-tech companies, had my own marketing copywriting business

Why started: I ran out of excuses not to (kids were out of the house, an empty room could be my office…)

How long from start to publishing first book: 10 years

Classes, MFA: for 3 semesters I took a fiction class with the great Arthur Edelstein and learned to write scenes and harness viewpoint

Writing group independent editor: Yes and yes, though I no longer use either

Do over: Not be so aggrieved by early rejections; they were telling me what I needed to hear.

Sheila Connolly

Latest book: A GALA EVENT, Berkley

Crime novels published to date: 26 (including the first three under the pen name Sarah Atwell)

Before writing: Professor of art history, municipal investment banker, non-profit fundraiser, genealogist-for-hire (and I've used all of them in my books)

Started writing: 2001

Why started: I'd always been a reader, and I finally decided in 2001 (after 9/11) that it was time to try writing.

How long from starting writing to publishing first book: Started writing 2001, signed with an agent in 2006, and first book appeared in 2008 (as Sarah Atwell; the first under my own name came out later the same year.)

Classes, MFA: No, although I did join RWA and SinC.

Writing group, independent editor: I was part of a writing group for a while when I began writing, but we didn't last--I forget when it fell apart

Do over: Actually, nothing. I tried writing much earlier (I finished three pages) and realized I had nothing to say. It was only when the universe presented me with a chunk of free time (after I was let go from one job) and a clean quiet place to work (I was house-sitting for someone, and the place came with a cleaning lady) that I decided to get serious and dig in. After that I couldn't stop myself.

HALLIE: Tune in tomorrow to hear from Sara J. Henry, Edith Maxwell, Barbara Ross, and Hank Phillippi Ryan

And in the meanwhile: What's the hardest thing you ever tried to learn to do and how long did it take you?

Characters Welcome! A guest blog by Lesa Holstine

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:  Our guest today is Lesa Holstine, eponymous blogger of Lesa's Book Critiques, one of the smartest book review sites on the web. I'm going to quote her own blog profile to give you an idea of her range:

Lesa has been a library manager/administrator for over 30 years, in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and, now, Indiana. Winner of the 2011 Arizona Library Association Outstanding Library Service Award. She is a contributing Book Reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery Readers Journal, ReadertoReader.com and VibrantNation.com. Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Spinetingler Awards for Best Reviewer. First Fan Guest of Honor for Desert Sleuths Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Write Now! Conference.

 In other words, Lesa loves books. A lot. Today, she shares with us  - aspiring authors, pay attention! - that one thing that makes a good story a great read.

“Characters welcome” is the slogan of the USA Network, but it could be the slogan for my mother’s side of the family as well. We’re all readers. I just happen to be the one in the family who writes a blog about books. I started Lesa’s Book Critiques eight and a half years ago as a place where I could talk about what I had read. And, I didn’t care if it was only my family who read the posts. My mother was one of seven children, and there are more than forty first cousins in my generation. So, I not only discuss books on my blog, but I write a book column in the family newsletter. And, it’s not uncommon for my Mom and my sisters to all read a book at the same time, something I featured on my blog.

Why am I mentioning my extended family of readers today? Because I was just home for a week, together with my Mom and both sisters. We do talk about books on the phone, but this was a chance to talk in person. And, we’re all passionate about mysteries. We take characters and mysteries very seriously. We want authors to bring characters to life. And, I know we’re not the only ones. Why else would Rhys Bowen have so many comments on Facebook when she asked how far Lady Georgie and her love interest, Darcy, should go? Readers care.

If you had overheard our conversations this week, you would have heard one of my sisters recommend Jacquelyn Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs books to the other. She referred to them as meaty books in which she learned a lot about British history. And, you would have heard me passionately discuss the development of Jane Cleland’s Josie Prescott series. My sister teased me, knowing my pet peeve. “What? Josie Prescott isn’t Too Stupid to Live?” I analyzed Josie’s growth from a lonely woman to a strong woman who has gathered around her a family made of co-workers, friends and a cat. And, she is smart enough to work with the police, not against them.

Can you tell we care about characters and how they change? My youngest sister’s email notes to me probably contain much better and more succinct reviews than any of mine. She’ll complain about a character who dumps a boyfriend, or she’ll tell me the sleuth’s behavior was inconsistent. I have a cousin who reads the mysteries, and drops me notes commenting on the development of the series.

I wrote the chapter on “Mystery Fiction” for the latest edition of Genreflecting. I discuss Julia’s books, Deborah’s, Rhys’, Jane’s, and Hank’s, among others. Why? Their characters fit my comment. “Most readers of mysteries will also say they read the books for the appeal of the characters.” And, I’ll honestly tell you that I drop a series if the sleuth is consistently “Too Stupid to Live”. I also disliked a recent bestseller that lasted forever on the lists. I hated the characters.

When authors ask what they should write about when they do a guest blog, I often suggest they do an interview with their sleuth, or allow a couple characters to do the guest blog. It’s fun to see the questions an author will ask of the character. And, I’ve seen some very revealing questions and comments come from those characters. Sometimes, the sleuth has interviewed the author, which can be funny.

I want to like your characters. And, my extended family reads my blog, and the newsletter. We talk about your books, but we really talk about your characters. We care, and we can be passionate about our likes and dislikes. We’re not telling you what to write, or how to develop your characters. As readers, we really just want you to know we appreciate what you do, and we sometimes discuss your books and characters as if they were acquaintances. Give us characters to love, and we’ll forgive a weak mystery now and then. I’m sure I’m not the only one who read every Spenser book by Robert B. Parker because I adored the character even when the mysteries grew weak. So, “Characters welcome”, please.

What do you look for in characters, dear readers? Who are the most memorable ones for you? Join in the discussion, and one lucky commenter will win an ARC of THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS!

Lesa Holstine blogs about books and reading at Lesa's Book Critiques. You can also like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter as @LesaHolstine and keep up with all her posts on Tumblr.

In my mind I'm going to Carolina

ROSEMARY: Actually, I'm not just going in my mind, I'm going in an American Airlines big old plane - don't ask what kind, I never know - and I'm going with Stefanie Pintoff and Jane Cleland. We are embarking on Molly Weston's 2011 Ladies on the Lam Tour.

And Molly, who one day will officially be anointed the patron saint of mystery writers, does an amazing job keeping our dance cards full with appearances at libraries, bookstores, cultural centers and women's groups with the occasional side trip to Replacements (more on that tomorrow for the china and tea set lovers) and the wonderful daylily farm that she and her husband own. This year we'll also be visiting the exclusive Carolina Club.

Last year I was lucky enough to be a part of Molly's Unarmed But Dangerous tour with Elaine Viets, Donna Andrews and Meredith Cole. Roberta mentioned that it's good to tour with other people and I've been very fortunate to have toured with some of the most generous, most fun people in the mystery community.

BTW there really is a James Taylor Bridge in North Carolina and apparently the sign keeps getting stolen.

Ladies on the Lam will be an opportunity to speak to hundreds of readers (always good) but even more important it will be an opportunity to bond with other writers, drink sweet tea, eat fried okra and pimento cheese (I'm still not sure what's in it) and talk books. For three years it's been one of the highlights of my book tour - last year's dinner at Margaret Maron's will be hard to top but I know Molly will try!

What have your most memorable tour experiences been? And who would be on your fantasy tour?

Guest Blogger Jane Cleland

Jane Cleland has to be one of the smartest and hardest working women in the mystery community. I first met Jane at a Mystery Writers of America/NY Chapter meeting. Jane is the current president of MWA/NY as well as an Agatha-nominated writer (of the Josie Prescott series), business writer and speaker, and marketing exec. There doesn't seem to be anything Jane can't do, and that's why this story is such a good lesson for the rest of us mere mortals. Enjoy!

Lessons From A Trash Can

by Jane Cleland

The first time I spoke in public professionally, I fell upside down in a trash can. There were seventy-six people in the room. This is true.

I was walking backwards up the center aisle in a hotel’s meeting room holding an example of excellent graphic design high above my head when I ran into an oversized garbage can that one of the hotel workers had forgotten to remove after the noontime refresh. I was wearing a skirt and high heels, and I hit the trash can at just the right place to tiddlewink myself into the can head first.

I recall the moment well.

My first thought was for my hair. I have baby fine hair that's hard to style, and all I could think of was how awful and unprofessional I'd look once I got out of the trash can.

My second thought was for my suit. It was a soft gray wool suit, the first I'd ever bought and the only one I owned. I had another seminar scheduled in Dayton the next day. What would I do, I wondered, if I couldn't salvage my suit?

My third thought was for my carefully mounted example, which had frisbeed somewhere to my left as I’d flipped upside down. It was a really, really great example of an important principle relating to eye path design, and now, as far as I knew, it was gone. How could I make the points I needed to make without it? How could I possibly replace it by the time I got to Dayton?

Time seemed to stand still. Truly, I have no idea if this nightmare lasted seconds or minutes or even longer. At first, I thought I could handle the situation with aplomb. Then, as panic set in, I stopped thinking. I suddenly realized the true horror of my situation. I was upside down in a trash can with no hope of getting out.

People weren't laughing, but I didn't take this to be good news. I figured they were stunned, and thus silent; mortified, and therefore ignoring the situation; or so embarrassed on my behalf that there was no comment worth making. I decided to stay in the trash can until every single one of those seventy-six participants left the room. I figured that eventually someone from the hotel would arrive and haul me out and I could skulk away, never to return.

Two men seated nearby approached the can, peered down, and with a quiet “you take the thigh, I'll take the hip,” hoisted me out and set me upright. They stepped back. I smiled and thanked them politely. Then I thought of my hair and my suit. The trash can was filled with dry goods: discarded newspapers, crumpled napkins and unwanted advertising flyers, that sort of thing.

This was good news. My naturally buoyant optimism leapt forth as I realized that I wouldn’t have to worry about clumps of cherry Danish matting my hair or staining my skirt. It was my lucky day – I’d fallen into the dry goods trash can. Can you imagine how awful it would be to do a header into the discarded coffee bin?

During those first few seconds of recovery, I had the presence of mind to thank my rescuers, smile broadly as if everyone knew this was nothing more than a really clever goof on Jane and they should therefore relax and share the joke, and accept the offering of my beloved, nicely mounted example of excellent design from the woman six rows back who assured me that the bruise she'd received when it struck her shoulder would soon fade from memory. I went on with enormous (if I do say so myself) savoir faire. The seminar was a success.

Which goes to show you that sometimes things that start out bad can end up good. My protagonist Josie Prescott, for example, got chased out of her high-powered New York City job because she was the whistle-blower in a price-fixing scandal, and ends up owning her own company in beautiful, business-friendly New Hampshire. The trick is not to panic, and to show grace under pressure. Remember that the next time you fall into a trash can.

Jane's newest Josie Prescott mystery is Antiques to Die For. Visit Jane (and Josie) at http://www.janecleland.net/

This is a Work of Fiction

fic*tion (fik'shun) n. - an imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented.
-American Heritage College Dictionary


RO: I am about to write an Author's note for my second mystery novel, The Big Dirt Nap. I didn't do it for the first because it didn't seem necessary. After all, I was writing fiction. Did I really need to explain that these characters didn't exist? This town didn't exist? Apparently so.


My editor thinks I need to explain that there is really no native American tribe called the Quepochas, a fictional group that is referenced in the book. While I think this is amusing, she's probably right. One online reviewer complained that my debut novel, Pushing Up Daisies, wasn't accurate because there was no UConn campus where I had one in the book. It didn't seem to bother her that there was no TOWN, no diner and no people there, only that there was no campus. Go figure.


Is it that readers nowadays assume everything is ripped from the headlines, and they are looking for what they believe to be mistakes? Have the lines between fiction and non-fiction become so blurred that people can't tell one from the other?What the hell..I should probably just call it a memoir. Then no one would expect it to be accurate.


Author's NoteThe Big Dirt Nap is a work of fiction. While there is a state of Connecticut and a University of Connecticut, pretty much everything else in the book just exists between my ears. Any other descriptions, laws, people, places or events that are accurate are purely accidental.



ROBERTA: Interesting Ro! There is an automatic disclaimer on the copyright page of all my books, mostly there to protect the publisher from lawsuits I imagine. Do you think some angry fan would assault you (legally) for making up an Indian tribe? I do kind of like the idea of an author's note providing info for READERS, not just for protection. I would put it at the back of the book if you had a choice. And by the way, do you prefer acknowledgments at the front or the back? And how many other obsessive people even look at those pages? (Aside from the aspiring writers who are instructed to look there for agent mentions as a matter of course...and that's not bad advice.)


HANK: I think it's kind of--funny, actually. Maybe it's because you made up such a believable and clever name for the tribe. But I agree--if it's fiction, it's um, made up.

And yes, Roberta, I always read those pages. It's a kind of--six degreees of separation game. I love to see if I know who they know. Or whether the info is illuminating or revealing in any way. Front of the book or back? Hmmm. Put them in the front and there's the problem of: I'd like to thank Dr. Joe Shmo for all his help in learing about how to recognize fake fingerprints.... So much for THAT plot!

In Prime Time and Face Time, I kind of tweaked the geography of Swampscott, Massachusetts and the highway to the Cape. And I just said so in the author's page. And I make up the names of streets in Boston if bad things happen. In DRIVE TIME, I have to make up names of cars! And so far, I've created a problem car called a Calera. Would you pronounce that Ka-LEHR-a?

HALLIE: Interesting, isn't it, how we write those disclaimers--and yet most characters and situations in a novel (or in MY novels, at any rate) are sparked by something real. In my new book, there's a character who vacuums her front walk...I had a neighbor who did that. And there's a Victorian ark of a house on which my husband and I were (fortunately) overbid; the people who bought it found a hidden room. That house, with its leather wallpaper and stained glass, is in "Never Tell a Lie."
I love reading acknowledgments, too. Aren't they kind of a Rorschach? I'm always curious to discover whether writing the book took "a village" as mine do. And what does it mean, I wonder, when there are NO acknowledgments?


RO: Ugh, there was a typo in my acks. After going over my manuscript so carefully, apparently no one looked at the acks, which by the way were PERFECT when I sent them in.

PS.....Don't forget to come back for Wednesday's post when our guest blogger will be Jane Cleland, president of MWA/NY Chapter and author of the Agatha-nominated Josie Prescott series.