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1/23/2018 1 Comment

Crazy Shade of Winter

It's been a crazy Winter here in California. The State's largest wildfire happened on the Central Coast of California in December followed by catastrophic mudslides that killed 21...and two people are still missing. How does a small community like that handle such a gigantic catastrophe? The answer is Mutual Aid. Mutual Aid Agreements are in place between local, state, and federal agencies all across the United States. Which brings us to our first bullet point:

STORY: Writing about Major Catastrophes
The California Office of Emergency Services put together several manuals for managing major incidents. Fortunately, you can download them directly from the California OES. Scroll down to the LEMA (Law Enforcement Mutual Aid) links to learn how first responders formulate response plans for critical incidents. Also be sure to check out the column on the right side of the page with additional links. The Coroners & Mass Fatality link will give you more research sources. We've had discussions in the Facebook Q&A Group (click here to join) about using cadaver dogs and this CalOES page is the group that we make the cadaver dog requests through. While these links are certainly California-centric, it may give you an idea of how the set up works wherever you've set your story or it may give you a starting point of what to look for research-wise in your area.

RESEARCH: Forensic Science
In the Facebook Q&A Group, a question was asked about how the term forensic is doing when it comes to sounding dated or falling out of fashion. I've written before about cop slang, so I thought this was actually a really fair question. The answer is that the word forensic, when used correctly, isn't slang or lingo. That said, it has become a slang abbreviation for forensic science. As a writer, it is really important to understand that when the adjective forensic modifies a noun (usually a field of study) it means applied to law. Forensic science is science applied to law; Forensic Accounting is accounting applied to law; Forensic Odontology is the study of teeth applied to law.

Speaking of forensics...er...I mean forensic science, Author Claire O'Sullivan (follow her on twitter) provided a great link in the Facebook Q&A Group for nfstc.org, the National Forensic Science Technology Center. Claire explained that she'd taken all of the NFSTC courses, which you can find here. This is a great research resource for learning all about forensic science. Thank you for sharing that with us, Claire!

The NFSTC also has this great Research Digest from late-2017 with links to all sorts of fascinating forensic science research white-papers. A note of warning, you will go down the research-rabbit-hole with this and likely lose half a day of writing! ;)
CRAFT: After the first draft is done...then what?
I want to offer a huge shout out to Terri who finished the first draft of her book last week. Terri was one of the first writers to join this crazy Writer's Detective adventure and I am insanely proud of her for finishing the first draft. First drafts are never easy and fighting the resistance is a constant battle. I'm scoring this:

[Terri: 1 | Resistance: 0]

Now that I am writing my own first draft of a book, I understand how monumental a task it can feel...only to discover that the majority of the real work still lay ahead. But here's the thing, finishing your first draft is a gigantic milestone that 99% of the people that "want to write a book" never accomplish. I am a firm believer in celebrating your successes, so when you finish your first draft please take the time to actually celebrate and recognize your accomplishment.

After recuperating from that celebration, you'll likely find yourself back in front of your first draft wondering "So...now what?" Thankfully, Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn gifted us this blog post about what to do next. I can't wait to get to this stage in my own writing. Speaking of Joanna Penn, I highly suggest checking out The Creative Penn Podcast. It is one of my absolute favorite podcasts. I listen to it weekly and love how upbeat and positive Joanna is.

Have you found any incredible research links that helped with your story crafting? If you think they are worth sharing with your fellow writers, comment below or in the Facebook Group. I'd love to check them out!

Write well,

Adam

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1/7/2018 1 Comment

New Year 2018

I hope you're having a great start to the New Year! I was fortunate to have Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year's Day off work, which rarely happens. Despite catching the stomach flu, it’s been a great start to the year.

I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, I tend to make my annual reassessments around my birthday rather than the First of January…after all, birthdays are technically our personal New Year, right?
Looking back, 2017 was a pretty shit year for me having lost my dog and best friend. So I am happy for the fresh start feeling of 2018. That said, one really positive thing I discovered in 2017 is still going strong for me. Actually it is two concepts working together:

1.) The power of mini-goal momentum

2.) Turning your goals into systems

So really, my noteworthy 2017 discovery is: The momentum of mini-goal-systems.

Eighty-three days ago, I took on the challenge of completing one-mile-a-day for an entire year through a friend’s Facebook group. It doesn’t matter if I run the mile on a treadmill or walk the mile in the neighborhood. I started the challenge by running or walking immediately after work. I am obviously not limited to only one mile per day, but the point is that I have to get one little mile done every day. If I’m walking leisurely, that’s just 18 minutes out of my day. It’s a mini-goal, something simple and quick. Yet in the last 83 days, I’ve logged 102 miles. Prior to this challenge, I might have gone out for a two or three mile hike per week with the best of intentions to do more, but not making the time.

This has led to the realization that implementing the system of getting the small task done every day breeds consistency, momentum, and a volume of work that felt easy to accomplish. The friend that launched the mile-a-day challenge is a fitness coach, and she said she’s never seen such a high percentage of people remain active in a fitness group. It's easier to stay on the bandwagon when the commitment is miniature. There is definitely something to the idea of committing to mini-goals that you can easily achieve daily.

In mid-December, I started reading The Miracle Morning for Writers* (free for Kindle Unlimited members.) Around the same time, I was listening to the StoryGrid Podcast and Tim Grahl offhandedly said "make systems not goals." That little comment really struck a chord with me.

I rescheduled my daily mile (often two miles) for 5am. I then implemented another mini-goal-system, one for writing my book. I write every morning as soon as I get back from my mile, usually from 6am to 7, before getting ready for work. According to Scrivener, I average 837 words per day which is done solely during the 6 to 7am hour. I am on track to complete my 60k word first draft by mid-March.

So while I am still sticking to my No New Year’s Resolutions resolution, I highly encourage you to create mini-goal-systems for anything you want to accomplish.

We all want to lose weight, get in better shape, and write more. What other mini-goals can you implement this year? Let me know in the Facebook Group or by replying to this email. I’d love to hear from you.

Now on to this week's curated content:

CRAFT: Writing Police Procedurals
This is the best article I’ve read so far on how to write great police procedural fiction: 6 Tips for Writing a Great Police Procedural by author Carrie Smith. You’re already ahead of the research game by belonging to this mailing list and the Facebook Q&A group. You are part of the Facebook group, right?

CRAFT: Coming to terms with your writing genius
I have not read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love (nor do I plan to, really.) However this Ted Talk she gave is something I think every Creative, Writers especially, should take the time to watch. It’s 18 minutes long, but it is thought provoking.
STORY: The Second Act Belongs to the Villain
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and The Legend of Bagger Vance, wrote a great blog post about the Second Act of your story belonging to the villain. This post explains what he means by that. I think it is a critical concept to understand and implement to keep the middle build of your story from feeling like a slog that you and your reader need to just get through. Print this one out and keep it next to your computer monitor; it will help you keep from throwing it out the window when you get frustrated with your story.

Write well,

Adam

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