The Right Writing Tool

By Claire Booth

I’m just starting a new manuscript, which is a stage that involves much brainstorming. For me, that involves a lot of good old-fashioned pen and paper. I scrawl out lists and charts and random circled notes. And then I re-think things and want to change them. Which is where – in the past – things got messy. I would either have to use pencil - which I don't like - so that my scribbles erased nicely, or scratch out what I’d written in pen.

Then, I found the perfect solution. 

Erasable pens. That actually work! Sure, erasable pens have been around forever, but neither the ink nor the eraser ever really worked right. Then I found these. They actually erase. Completely. And they come in different colors. Now I can easily assign separate colors to different plot points or characters. I can’t tell you how much this has changed my life. I know, this is the point where you’re thinking that I really need to get out more. True. But at least while I’m stuck in my office dreaming up new and creative ways to commit crime, I’ll have the right tools to do it.

Over the River and Through the Woods

By Claire Booth

We came back from Grandma’s (and Grandpa’s) house yesterday. It’s a drive that takes a little less than two hours, which is just about perfect. Not so long that you go crazy from being stuck in the car forever. Not so short that you barely get settled in before you’ve gotten where you’re going. It’s just the right amount of time for some serious brainstorming.

My mind wanders more on car rides than it does almost anywhere else. And for a writer, there’s nothing better. One random thought leads to another and another, and before you know it, you have an idea.  

And that, after all, is our bread and butter, isn’t it? Ideas. Some amount to nothing, some start out as brilliant and then fizzle, and some – those rare gems – become actual stories.

As we whizzed along on the interstate yesterday, I had an idea for a stand-alone thriller, pondered a different take on a short story I’ve been mulling for a while, and came up with more character development for my next Hank Worth book.

That’s a pretty good start to the holiday travel season.