Blog #12 by novelist Jeremy Logan -- WINTER SOLSTICE - THE TIME TO WRITE, 12/21/13
JeremyLoganBooks.com
I don't know if I'm the only author that thinks this way, but my writing goes faster and is more creative in the winter. Perhaps there are less distractions, or maybe it's the short, bleak days. But, my mood changes for the better regarding creativity. And if you are a mystery writer, the dreary, cold days seem to help. Can you see Poe writing at any time other than during the winter and in the evening?
Now that my books are beginning to sell and I'm getting terrific feedback, I'm being asked questions like: Why is writing a desirable avocation for me. That question is one I was not ready for, and I've been thinking how to answer it. I think I've figured it out. An author has to have a couple of things different about their brains than non-writers. For one thing written expression and how the written word is used must appeal to the author subconsciously. I'm guessing that the author's brain delights in how words are chosen to guide or trick the brain of another.
I had to go back to my school years to find something that made sense. Do you know that schoolmate that the teacher only called upon when everyone else in class didn't know the answer. It could be mathematics, science or literature. I was that guy in English and literature classes, especially when it came to interpretation. I could simply see things that others didn't. I could sense what the author was feeling, what was bothering him, and what he was trying to accomplish with his piece. It was in the words he chose, their place and situation in the work. What did he say first, next and last. There is always a reason for their order and placement. I enjoyed solving the puzzle. Sometimes the clues at the beginning of the piece made the rest easy. Sometimes the clues at the beginning are intended to be the most difficult to figure out.
When the clues at he beginning of the work are the most obscure the author is placing himself in a position of greatest risk. Why, because the reader might lose interest in the work because he cannot figure out where the author is going. I loved crossword puzzles as a child for the same reason. If you can figure out what the author of a crossword is thinking you can narrow down the possible answers to the most obscure clues. If you don't like solving mysteries writing won't appeal to you. I think it's that simple.
