Author: Margaret Lucke

In Defense of Procrastination

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 8 Comments

By Margaret Lucke

“I used to just crastinate, but I got so good, I went pro.”
~ Seen on a T-shirt

My name is Margaret, and I am a procrastinator.

It’s 11:27 a.m. on Friday, and right now I am typing the first sentence of my post on time management for the Ladies of Mystery blog. The post is due to go live tonight at midnight. So I have twelve hours in which to get it written — and to accomplish all of the other items on my long to-do list for today.

It could be worse. If I had really perfected procrastination to a fine art, I’d be typing this at 11:27 p.m. on Friday instead of shortly before noon.

On the other hand, if I were any good at time management, I’d have written this post yesterday. Or last week. Or, hey, two months ago, like some of my fellow Ladies of Mystery, who are much more on top of their time than I am.

“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
~ Spanish Proverb

Getting things done is simple, I’m told. You set priorities. You make lists. You break down a project into easily accomplished action steps. When I’ve tried doing that, I find it really works. As soon as I’ve finished my list, I make sure to take action on my next priority, which is to do a Sudoku puzzle, or take a walk in the fresh air, or make myself another cup of tea.  

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
~ Mark Twain

I used to feel bad about being a procrastinator. That’s because procrastination is usually talked about as if it’s a bad thing – a sure road to missed opportunities, a certain sign of laziness and sloth. Those annoying people who are on top of all of their tasks sneer at the rest of us with disdain and disgust. Their intent is to make us feel guilty and anxious, and too often they succeed.

But I think that when I’m confronted with an important project, it’s a good thing to take some time for mental preparation and to approach the work with judicious care. It saves me from slapdash results. And sometimes, if I procrastinate long enough, it saves me from having to do the work at all. The situation changes, and the need is no longer there.

Calvin: “You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.”
Hobbes: “What mood is that?”
Calvin: “Last-minute panic.”
~ Bill Watterson

I was gratified not long ago when I heard a radio interview with Berkeley psychologist Mary Lamia, about her book What Motivates Getting Things Done: Procrastination, Emotions, and Success. Lamia explains that there are two types of people: task-driven types who feel uneasy and anxious when pending work is going undone, and deadline-driven folks who are not motivated to act until they “feel the heart-pounding terror of an imminent deadline.” And she contends that both types are equally capable of doing quality work and achieving success.

So there.

“Procrastinate now. Don’t put it off.”
~ Ellen De Generes

In 2024, I Resolve To . . .

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 6 Comments

By Margaret Lucke

Here we are—halfway through January. Have you broken your New Year’s resolutions yet?

I recently came across this definition:

New Year’s resolutions = a to-do list for the first week of January

Maybe it’s true that most resolutions don’t last. In fact, a lot of people claim not to make them at all. But I sort of enjoy the annual ritual. If you’re like me, this is the year you’ve resolved to do things right—to break all your bad habits, finish all the projects you’ve been procrastinating on, and become that all-around perfect person you know you have it within you to be.

Most of my resolutions have to do with writing. It’s the same list I made last year, and the year before, and, well, probably every year since 2010.

If you’re a writer and you’ve neglected to make your own New Year’s resolutions, I hereby make you a gift of mine. I probably won’t keep them this year either, so someone else might as well put them to good use.

Note well: If carefully followed, these resolutions are guaranteed to lead to fame, fortune, and bestsellerdom. How do I know? Because they’re based on the never-fail counsel I’ve received over the years from how-to books, English teachers, and writers far wiser than I. Or is it than me?

That question leads me to:

 Resolution Number 1: I will brush up on grammar.

Here are the rest of them:

2:  I will write every day.
(Okay, let’s be realistic here—I will write every week. Would you believe every month?)

3.  I will study the markets and never submit anything that is not tailored precisely to its intended home.
(I will also learn to read editors’ minds as well as their guidelines.)

4.  I will write about what I know.
(Hey, that puts me back to writing only once or twice during the whole year!)

5.  I will not try to second-guess market trends but will write only what speaks to my heart.
(Wait a minute—does anyone else detect a contradiction here? See Number Three.)

6.  I will keep pen and paper handy so that I can jot down ideas as they come to me.
(Especially those ideas that are so huge, so fabulous and solve so many plot problems that I could not possibly ever, ever forget them—until the next time I’m at my desk, when I will remember that I had this idea that was so huge, so fabulous … but I will have absolutely no recollection of what it was.)

7.  I will get organized.
(I’ve got a head start on this one. For New Year’s 2022 I bought myself a box of file folders. As soon as I find it, I’ll be all set to go.)

8.  I will eat right and exercise so that I will be in excellent shape for producing excellent work.
(That is, I will follow the Writer’s Diet Plan. It has been scientifically established that creativity is stimulated by the four basic food groups: caffeine, chocolate, wine, and nacho chips. And if getting up to refill your mug isn’t exercise, I don’t know what is.)

9.  I will quit procrastinating.
(Well, maybe I ought to wait until 2025 before committing myself to that one.)

10.  I will persevere, because writers with perseverance and no talent are more likely to succeed than writers with talent and no perseverance.
(All the books say so. Of course, it would be nice to have perseverance and talent both. Not to mention luck.)

11.  I will follow all the good advice I receive about my writing and ignore all the bad advice.
(And I will suddenly be blessed with the perspicacity to know which is which.)

12.  I will double-space my manuscripts when I submit them.
(Hey, I had to throw in one resolution that I might actually keep.)

So there you are—help yourself. Learn these lessons well, and let me know the minute these little gems make you rich and famous. And have a wonderful 2024!

The Holiday Season in Three Acts

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 8 Comments

Having you ever noticed that going through the holiday season is a lot like writing a novel?

Most writers of fiction are familiar with the three-act structure. While there are other models that can be used to construct a book, the three-act structure offers a handy method for building a plot. It works especially well for mysteries. It works like this:

Act 1–The Setup. In this act you introduce your Main Character, and then promptly make something happen that knocks your MC out of their comfort zone. Maybe they receive a mysterious letter, or a dead body shows up on their doorstep, or their kid is accused of a crime. This is called the inciting incident, and it creates a problem to solve, a challenge to meet, or an opportunity to take advantage of. The MC now has a goal.

Act 2–The Development. So the MC sets out to reach the goal, but it’s not easy. A lot of roadblocks, conflicts, and barriers are encountered along the way. The villain is elusive, red herrings steer the MC in the wrong direction, and a lot of questions evade answers. The plot twists and turns, tension tightens, and the suspense becomes unbearable. Will the MC succeed or fail? For a time, all seems to be lost.

Act 3–The Resolution. The big moment arrives. Everything has been building to this point. Now the MC’s ultimate success or failure will be determined. The villain will (hopefully) be vanquished, and all the questions will be answered. Reaching The End, the reader closes the book with a sigh of satisfaction and begins looking forward to the author’s next wonderful novel.

Right now you’re probably saying, “Sounds like a great story. I’d read that. But what does it have to with the holidays?”

Well, it occurred to me recently that the holiday season also unfolds in three acts.

Act 1–The Anticipation. We become aware that the holiday season is approaching. Or maybe it sneaks up on us; most years, that’s what happens to me.

This act can be fun, filled with hope and eagerness. This year, the holidays will go great. We make plans. We make lists. We ask questions: Will we celebrate at home or travel to visit loved ones? Who’s going to host the big dinner? What gift will please the picky nephew? What photo will we choose for the Christmas card? What do I want Santa to bring me? When will we find the time to accomplish everything on our to-do list?

Act 2–The Frenzy. Did I mention time? In this act, time becomes the villain. Too much to do, too little time. Now we’re in a frantic race to get it all done—shopping, decorating, wrapping, addressing, baking, searching for the missing gift tags, dashing from errands to parties to more errands. And all the while we have to keep up everything that makes up our daily lives during the other eleven months of the year. Our goal is to get it all accomplished in time to let us enjoy the rapidly approaching holiday. Will our juggling act succeed or fail?

Act 3–The Celebration. The big day arrives, or maybe it’s a stretch of big days. The frenzy of Act 2 is behind us. We can kick back, pour a cup or glass of our favorite festive beverage, and enjoy the twinkling lights and the smiling faces around us. It’s a joyous occasion, and just as we do when we finish a good book, we give a sigh of satisfaction.

Three acts to a book, three acts to a holiday season.

Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of the year, may it be filled with joy, peace, and happiness for you and yours.

My Muse and My Editor Talk About Challenges

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 2 Comments

“Yesterday my critique group was chatting about challenges we’re facing with our works in progress,” I announce as I walk into my office. “What would you two say are the biggest challenges when it comes to writing fiction?”

You two means my collaborators, my partners in crime—the Muse and the Editor who inhabit my head when I write.

“That’s easy,” says my Muse. She is lounging in the easy chair in the corner of the room, sipping from a cup of Earl Grey. “The biggest challenge is keeping her out of the way so I can let the ideas flow freely.”

“Ha!” snorts my Editor, who is sitting cross-legged on the desktop, a grammar book on her lap. “The biggest challenge is to keep her under control.”

“Control!” My Muse jumps up, and tea sloshes out of her mug. “Writing a story is a creative process. It’s all about inspiration. It’s not something you can control.”

I run to get paper towels so I can control the rivulet of tea that’s flowing across the floor.

“Writing is only ten percent inspiration,” the Editor is saying when I return. “It’s ninety percent perspiration. You do the easy part.”

Getting down on my hands and knees, I mop up the spill.

“Easy! You think coming up with ideas is easy? It’s grueling work.” The Muse clasps a hand to her brow and nearly kicks me as she flops back into the chair cushions.

The Editor blows a Bronx cheer. “Without me, your ideas would run around wildly all over the place. There’d be no coherence, no order, no story at all.”

“Nonsense,” the Muse retorts. “All you do is pester me about little stuff. ‘That word is spelled wrong. Put a comma here.’ Commas, shmommas. Who cares?”

“Who cares!” The Editor yells as she throws the grammar book to the floor. “Everyone should care. A misplaced comma can change the whole meaning of the sentence. Remember that time when—”

The Muse sticks her fingers in her ears. “La, la, la, la, la … ”

I toss the soggy paper towel into the trash. “Come on, you two, you know we’re all a team. You each have an important job to do.”

They’re too busy arguing to pay attention to me.

“You’re lazy,” shouts the Editor.

“You’re rigid,” yells the Muse.

“Airhead!”

“Stick in the mud!”

I raise my hands in surrender. “Enough! I’m getting out of here. I’ll see you two later, when you’ve settled down.”

“Wait a minute,” the Muse says. “You can’t leave.”

The Editor chimes in, “Yeah, what about our schedule? We’re supposed to be getting some writing done.”

As I walk out of the office, the Muse says, “There she goes again. Know what the biggest writing challenge really is?”

“Yeah,” says the Editor gloomily. “It’s getting the author to sit down and do it.”

So Happy to Be Here

~ Margaret Lucke ~ 5 Comments

by Margaret Lucke

Hello, everyone! I’m thrilled and honored to be joining the ranks of the Ladies of Mystery. So let’s get acquainted. Allow me to introduce myself.

I fling words around as an author, editor, and teacher of writing classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve always been fascinated by the power of stories and the magic of creativity.

My beginning as a writer came when I was four years old. For my dad’s birthday I decided to give him a book of my own creation, entitled We Are Going to a Birthday Party. I wrote the story—well, dictated it to my mom—and drew the illustrations. I cut a cover out of oilcloth and Mom helped me bind my book with yarn. I could not have been more excited. My first book! Nothing beats the thrill of holding your first book in your hands.

Okay, it was a bit short on plot and the character development left something to be desired. But a story had emerged from my imagination and been captured in this set of pages. And the most important literary critic in the world, my dad, said it was wonderful. I was hooked. I decided I was going to spend my life writing stories.

As a child I imagined myself sitting at a desk by a window that looked out on flowers and trees. I would sip tea as wonderful tales flowed effortlessly onto the paper. I would send them off to a publisher who’d send me fat checks, and eager fans would grab my novels off the bookstore shelves. I‘d do research in glamorous places. Dad, a stockbroker, had a client who spent three months of the year in some exotic locale—the Caribbean, southern France, a castle in Scotland—and the other nine months writing a novel that used that place as a setting and figuring out where to go next. That sounded like exactly the life I wanted to have.

The reality hasn’t quite turned out that way. But I do have a desk in front of a window, and I drink gallons of tea. And while the stories don’t flow effortlessly and the fat checks remain elusive, I can’t imagine anything I could do that would reward me more.

Beginning a new story is an adventure, an exciting and slightly scary journey into unknown territory. Fortunately I’m accompanied by my sidekick, the Muse. That is, sometimes the Muse comes with me. All too often, she’s reluctant or rebellious, and despite my urging, she refuses to pack up her duffel bag and set forth on the path. Instead she gives me a raspberry (not the edible kind), rolls over, and goes back to sleep. And I’m left by myself, staring at the blank page. Some sidekick. More like a kick in the pants. But eventually, between us we get the work done.

I write tales of love, ghosts, and murder, sometimes all three in one book. I’ve published four novels and more than 60 short stories, feature articles, book reviews, and scripts for mystery weekends. I’m the editor of Fault Lines, an anthology of short crime fiction published by the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime. I teach fiction writing classes and write nonfiction books on the craft of writing. As a writing coach and developmental editor, I enjoy helping writers move forward toward their writing goals.

All in all, I think the four-year-old aspiring author is pleased with how things have turned out.