Just Another Challenge In the Life of This Writer

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

I don't know who wrote this, but I love it and keep it handy to remind me that success is entirely up to me.

"Expect more than others think is possible. Dream more than others think is practical. Risk more than others think is safe."

Recently, I walked away from a long spell of trying to shove a square peg into a small circle (i.e., forcing myself to write a book that didn’t want to be written).

I’ve been writing fiction non-stop for nearly nine years so to find myself in a situation where I couldn’t write--wasn’t being creative, was the most frustrating, worrisome, and discouraging experience I’ve had. To make matters worse, after a while, I quit caring.

But the writing bug was still there and eventually, frustration turned to anger and that’s what usually hurls me into action. I'd had another book floating around in my head for a couple of years that I hadn't taken time to write it because I was so obsessed with getting this other Harper book finished. Finally I allowed myself to say, enough is enough. I put the Harper manuscript on the shelf and that … was the smartest thing I’ve done all year.

This new book will introduce the character of Rhonie Lude, PI. Aside from the obvious difference of changing my protagonist to a woman, I also switched my POV from third person limited to first. There are other differences between the characters. Sam Harper is a city homicide detective, Lude is private investigator which means her style of investigation is completely different from what I’ve been writing in the Sam Harper series. Another big switch is that this story takes place in Los Angeles in 1962. Although I lived there for a few years, I’m spending quite a bit of time not only researching basic information about crime investigation in the early sixties, but I’m also looking at historical information I can use to ground the story in that era.

So what’s this have to do with a quote about expectations, practicality and risk? Once I became a published author, I felt compelled to write on a schedule—one book after another (the pressure is all self-inflicted, BTW) and so for me to put the Harper book down to begin writing this new book was a risk. What if I spent months on it without being able to write it either? The Harper book was over 45,000 words, it had good chapters, strong characters, etc., etc., but I didn’t feel connected to it, if that makes any sense.

It was the risk, the challenge of developing a new character, that feeling of sitting on the edge of a cliff that started the creative juices flowing again like crazy. The first draft came in 50 days--broke my own record of 83 days with The Devil Can Wait. If I hadn’t quit trying to force my writing, I would have never written this Rhonie Lude book (yet to be named). The best part is that I thoroughly enjoy writing this tough lady PI and at last, writing is fun and exciting again!

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Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. Her books are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (2008)
Bronze Medal Finalist, 2009 IPPY AwardsTop Ten, 2008 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

SILENCED CRY (2007) Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book FestivalTop Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)
Visit Sam Harper at http://www.samharpercrimescene.blogspot.com/