Getting Started

I'm about to start a new novel. It's going to deal with dark themes (rape and murder of the serial kind). And I'm hesitant.

Honestly, I'm not hesitant about the subject matter. I'm hesitant because of the huge amount of research I'm going to have to do to get this story right. And not just the violent crime part.

I'm mixing in an amateur sleuth, a private investigator, two different officers in the police force who do very different things, and the corrections system. Parole and community service, too. As well as other, non-criminal aspects of both the heroes and the villains.

I know some of this. But not all of it. Not by a long shot. And so I stall.

Why? Some like research. Some love it. Me, I like it just fine when I have the time. But I want to get rolling. And research takes some of that precious time away from the writing. In the case of this story, it's going to take a lot of that time.

I know there are some who advocate just writing it and fixing it up later. However, I tried that early in my career and found it disastrous for me. Get it right the first time, that's my motto.

So, with that motto in mind, perhaps I'd better stop stalling and start reading. And then...then I can start writing.

All the best,
C.W. Walker

Writing As Though My Life Depended On It

If the headline didn't tell you already, I'm an author. I write mysteries, suspense and action thrillers. Some set in present day, some in the future. So I suppose there's a little science fiction thrown into some of my writing as well.

At my agent's behest, I've joined the world of blogging. My take, at least my plan for my take, on what subjects I'll tackle is finding the mystery everywhere. Regular life can be dull -- I like to imagine what's really going on behind the closed doors and in people's minds.

I've been accused of having a dark worldview, and I suppose in some ways I do. But I believe that the human spirit wins out more often than not, and that everyone can make the choice to do right, make a difference, alter their life's path, if only they have the courage to do so.

I enjoy writing immensely -- it's one of the most satisfying things I've ever done, which is why I do it. My spouse will tell you I write like a fiend -- but I figure it's better to write like one than to be one. I have fiends in my novels, and while they did come out of my head, I'd rather leave them on the page and take them with me that way, than to live with them in my real life.

Of course, writing is my life, so perhaps I'm not as far removed from the fiends as I like to think. This blog may help me find that out. Hmmm...I wonder if this was such a wise idea?

Well, wise or not, here's hoping you enjoy my little part of the greater blog universe. Now, back to the thrill of taking an idea and making it come to life.

All the best,
C.W. Walker