What Julia's Writing: A Novel, A Proposal, and a List

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Happy New Year, everyone! (We can still say that for at least the first week, right?) I'm starting out 2026 with a bang - hopefully a bang like fireworks reaching high into the sky, and not a bang you hear while driving your car and suddenly the steering wheel starts to wobble.

Usually, my contribution to What We're Writing Week is 1) I'm not, really or 2) another in an endless series of excerpts because I'm still working on the same manuscript since last year. Not this time, however! Right now I have three balls in the air, two professional and one personal.

 

One: I'm picking my non-mystery novel back up after mumbledy-mumble months weeks. I was sidelined for mostly happy reasons: my daughter's wedding and the birth of my grandson, the release and tour of AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY, and, of course, the holidays. As much fun as the hustle and bustle and guests and celebrations were, it feels delicious to be back at my laptop, getting words on the page.

 

Two:  I'm working on the proposal for Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne #11.  I'm at the earliest stage, where I'm noodling ideas, moving characters around, and trying to come up with something cohesive. While on tour, one of my Albany-area readers suggested the Lake George New Year's Day Polar Plunge as a setting. I responded, "Oh, yeah, imagine you're standing in the nearly-freezing water and you feel something like a fish... but it turns out to be an arm."

That image has stuck with me ever since, which means there's Something There. Of course, I need to make it work with who can investigate what, and I want to bring some new characters from the most recent book back, and I want to set up a possible story line for the 12th book if my publisher wants two... there's a lot of staring into space and scribbling into my composition notebook during this process.

 

Three: It's the new year, and I want to be even more organized and productive than I was in 2025! (Those of you who know me an stop snorting with laughter now.) So I've got out my calendars and my planning notebook and I'm making lists of EVERYTHING and THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS and WHAT I GOT RIGHT IN 2025 and WHAT I WANT TO IMPROVE. That last one tends to be a long list...

 

How about you, dear readers? Are you working on an unfinished project? Thinking of a new one? And are you debating your word of the year and your intentions? 

What We're Writing Week: Structure and Scaffolding

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: My writing for my college classes is thankfully over until next September, and, like the proverbial In spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, in May, a college instructor's fancy bemusedly turns to prepping other courses. 

In my case, I'm working up another one of my creative writing seminars. I've done them on creating suspense, on using setting to strengthen your writing, and on developing characters. Now I'm turning to story structure.

Not, mind you, outlining techniques. I'll leave that to authors far more skilled at them than I. But I'm someone who has long been fascinated by structure - by acts and scaffolding and playing with chronology. One of the first things that led me to writing a mystery, when I was a very unfledged novice, was the fact crime fiction had, as it were, a skeleton already provided, something I could drape muscle and skin over.

And yes, the fact that was literally the metaphor that presented itself to me all those years ago probably indicates I was choosing the right genre. 

Here's an example of how I worked on ONE WAS A SOLDIER, which had eight point of view characters (!) whose stories switched between the past and the present. 

 

 

I was very pleased with the book, and glad I was so creatively ambitious, but I do have to point out this was where I fell off the book-a-year cycle - this was published three years after the previous novel - and so far I haven't gotten back on that horse. Maybe simpler is better?

This is a fascinating look at screenwriter/director Christopher Nolan's process, which I can across while researching. I encourage anyone interested in structure to click through and read the whole thread, which also includes other examples of mapped story.

 

The amazing Jennifer Crusie, who is one of my writing goddesses, uses a story-creating technique so far from my comfort zone I wouldn't even know how to begin: she makes collages. 

 

 

And here's what I'm trying out for my current work-in-progress, a combination of Jessica Ellicott's Post-It note plotting on the framework of a classical four-act structure. 

Also, I really need to scrub off that door to my office. Usually the only person who sees that side is me.

Do you notice story structure, dear readers? Or does it get lost in the flow of a good book? And if you're a writer, what scaffolding techniques do you use?

 

Spontaneous! Travel!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: We talk a lot about travel at JRW, probably because 1) we all love to do it and 2) a number of our guests, like several of the Reds, travel for research for their own books. (Once again, I’m going to promise my next book series will require me to travel to exotic warm beaches in February, not to towns in upstate New York.) So it won’t surprise you that one of the first sections I turn to at the Washington Post is Travel (after my true first, the Advice columns.)

What caught my attention was “Going with the flow on an impulsive trip to Thailand” by Lily Radziemski. It’s a nicely-written travel piece, with the usual recommendations and reviews, but the most interesting part is at the beginning. Radziemski books her trip to Thailand on a whim, less than four weeks before flying off, after a cheap ticket to Bangkok pops up while she’s surfing travel sites. And she quotes an analyst from online travel company Skyscanner, who says this summer 35% of tickets originating in the US were purchased less than thirty days before travel.

Now, correlation /= causation, and it may be these travelers are planning well in advance and for some reason grabbing their tickets at the end of the process. But let’s face it; the standard “best fare” window has remained around sixty to seventy days before the flight takes off. Which suggests a third of Americans traveling are really, truly winging it.

I used to be a spontaneous traveler. In the era of the unlimited Eurailpass, I made several spur-of-the-moment travel decisions, some of which worked out better than others. After we were married, Ross and I used to go for weekends at B&Bs or Inns throughout New England, calling for reservations on Thursday evening and driving out on Friday night. Where would we eat? What would we do Saturday? We didn’t know. We’d figure something out.

Now, however, the thrill of launching myself into the void without an itinerary or plan is gone. I don’t think it’s an age thing - the turning point for me was when we went to Africa on a four-country, eighteen-day photo safari my father in law had planned down to the minute, thanks to a team of amazing travel agents. The joy of never, at any point, having to figure out what to do, where to go, or how to spend our time was utterly liberating. Everything had already been decided, planned and paid for, and all we had to do was live in the moment (and remember to NOT drink liquids before one of our flights in a two-prop plane.)

I still travel like that as much as possible - albeit usually with a lot less luxury and gin and tonics - but I’m willing to hear the other point of view. What do you think, Reds? Are any of you part of the 35% of spur-of-the-moment travelers?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: No. ForGETaboutit. I am a 100 percent travel planner. And I have to predict that the “this summer 35% of tickets originating in the US were purchased less than thirty days before travel” figure is probably NOT because people are carefree and spontaneous, but that they are terrified.

 

JULIA: Ha! I was thinking the same thing, Hank... 

RHYS BOWEN:  in my youth I hitchhiked across Europe, spent 3 months in Greece with no planned itinerary and a backpack. Now I like my travel to be stress free to the point of knowing the driver who will pick me up at Heathrow. This is a shame because cruise lines often send me fabulous last minute deals and I would be free to go!

LUCY BURDETTE: I love the planning almost as much as the actual traveling! I have a trip to Paris (postponed a few times) planned for the spring. You wouldn’t believe the digital file I have chock full of restaurant and other recommendations. It’s a big part of the fun for me!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My second trip to England was six weeks with a bus pass and NO RESERVATIONS. Fun, yes, but now I look back on some of those dodgy B&Bs with nylon sheets and coin-fed heaters with horror–especially the place that had a chamber pot under the bed because the toilet was in a separate building. I did lots of other spontaneous trips with my parents and with my ex, both in the UK and Europe, but now I want every single place booked. And I'm with Rhys on the car service from the airport! My daughter is the planner extraordinaire–she will have every single meal booked! 

 

JULIA: Now it's your turn, dear readers. What's your take on spur-of-the-moment travel? Have you done it, and how did it turn out?

My Vision Board

 RHYS BOWEN

Last summer the whole family was together for the first time in ages for a blissful week on the beach. On the last day we sat around the big table making vision boards. It’s something I’ve never done before: I’ve never been good at journal keeping, expressing my feelings on paper (when it’s not one of my characters in fiction). I’ve always hated the sort of small group exercises where you are supposed to share feelings and experiences. I suppose I’m essentially a private person and perhaps I don’t want to confront my feelings or reveal my inner self to the world.

                So the vision board was a big shock to me, because I actually enjoyed it. It was fun sifting through hundreds of glossy magazines, finding that perfect picture—one that spoke to me, resonated with what I wanted for myself. The results for the whole family were stunning. (I should add that while the two male grandchildren worked with us, none of the adult males participated. It’s just not a guy thing, I guess.

                I know that my son and daughter-in-law do this every year on New Year’s Day, setting up their plans, hopes and dreams for the new year. I have always done something similar in a notebook that I keep. Each year I write the year-plan: what I am going to write, where I hope to travel. Resolutions of a sort: this year was STAY HEALTHY, STOP WORRYING at the top of the list.  Each year I go through last year’s plan and resolutions and see what worked and what didn’t. For 2020 there was an awful lot of stuff crossed out.  Cruise to Caribbean? No. House in Torquay, Devonshire for the whole family. No. Channel Islands? No. Conventions? No.  Then last year was pretty much a repeat. No travel, except for that one perfect week.

                So this year I was hesitant to put down any plans. We’ve already cancelled the cruise set for February. I’m still hoping to go to England in September, but we’ll play it by ear. And I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for Malice Domestic and the Edgars. I’m guest-of-honor at one and nominated at the other. How often does that happen? So please, no new theta, phi and omega strains!

                Ironically all my writing has gone so smoothly, with few interruptions. Sales have been brilliant. I won the Agatha last year. Edgar nom this year—so no complaints on that score. But while those successes are great, they are not the things that matter. I miss my friends, my family, my social life of pre-pandemic. A big group sitting around the table, laughing and eating. We did manage this at Christmas but that was before omicron. Since then four family members have had Covid. So have multiple friends. So it’s back to hibernation mode. 

    One thing this pandemic has done is to make us realize what is important in life. How many times have I had my nails done (zero). How much new make-up have I bought? Not much. Am I sad about that? No. So it's the relationships, the friendships, the human interactions that I miss terribly. Nothing else really matters. 

How about you? Do you make vision boards? Year plans? Resolutions? Are you daring to make plans for this year? Have you come to any realizations during the pandemic?