COMING UP DRY

~ marilynm

It’s time for me to write a new Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, or at least I think it is. I thought I’d finished the series when I wrote End of the Trail, but then I got the bright idea for The Trash Harem. I was pleased to see a photo of a Facebook friend reading it while on the beach in Hawaii. The caption said she always took my latest Tempe book with her on vacation.  Well, if I don’t write one, she won’t have one next year.

I enjoy being with Tempe, but I haven’t any ideas for a great story for her. I was desperate enough to explain this dilemma on my Facebook page. Many of my friends gave me ideas—some pretty good—but nothing that really made me want to get busy jotting down notes.

In mid-July I’m headed to the Public Safety Writers Association’s annual conference. I’m hoping listening to the speakers and the panelists will give me some ideas. Most of the participants are great story tellers.

Truly, I’ve never had this problem before. And no, it’s not writers’ block because I’ve been doing plenty of writing, just not the fiction kind. Maybe all that extra brain and computer time has taken away my incentive for spinning a tale around my now retired deputy, Tempe Crabtree. I hope that’s all it is, and when my life calms down a bit, my imagination will be ready to give Tempe a grand adventure.

Anyone else have their imagination go dry? If so, what did you do to pump the well?

Marilyn

Published by marilynm

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty-five books, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. She is also the author of the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Her two latest books are Seldom Traveled and Unresolved. She's a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Epic, Public Safety Writers Association.

15 thoughts on “COMING UP DRY”

  1. Sometimes my brain like to sit in neutral for a time. But it revs back up once I put it in drive again. I’m sure the same is for you.

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  2. My imagination always runs wild, but often just snippets of ideas–not full stories. I let them simmer while I go on to other writings. This sounds like where you are. I think you’ve stumbled on a good plan and soon the characters and story line will start behaving, if it’s to be. Churning out one book a year isn’t going to happen with my brain. My stories take several years to mature. Best to you!

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  3. Yes. I ate chocolate. Watched Britbox Mysteries and made lots of notes of new ideas.
    I agree with Mar, you’ll surely find a way!!!!

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  4. Marilyn, everyone has given you good advice. In the end, each one of us discovers stories in a different way. But I agree with Mar. Maybe it is time to end Tempe, for now, and work on something new. That’s how I was with my Shandra Higheagle series. I ended it where I felt it was right and I haven’t thought up another story that would work for her. But I am still going strong with stories for my other two series. I think having more than one series going helps keep the writing feeling new and interesting. You’ll get this figured out.

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  5. When I finish one story in a series, I have to take a break and let the story settle and the characters move on. The well is there, and ideas will show up. This isn’t something I can push or control; but it is something I can trust. You’ll get there, just as you have in the past.

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  6. I agree with Mar – you will find a way. You’re a wonderful writer, and I know something is bubbling away in the deep recesses of your brain and will just jump out when it – and you – are ready. My own remedy is that I never have less than four projects going at a time, and when one dries up, I just switch to another. They’re all over the map, so the changing keeps me fresh.

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  8. I think many of us authors have experienced the same dilemma, Marilyn. What’s worked for me is putting the project aside and making a concerted effort to not even think about it. Usually time and emotional distance bring that ‘aha!’ moment when an idea surfaces when I’ve least expected it.

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  9. I’ll tell you more when we meet at PSWA next month, but new genre might help. I’m pushing myself into historical crime fiction, a very loose story based on my family and another during the Dirty Thirties in Canada. I just couldn’t hear the waves of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California any longer since I moved back to Canada. You will find a way.

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