About the Hat

Yup, that's me wearing the mystery-writing hat my son gave me for Christmas last year. So far, it's served as an ice-breaker at writers' events, concealed the evidence of a bad hair day, and kept my head dry on a rainy walk to Kate's Mystery Books in Boston. My goal is to wear it, at least in spirit, for some part of every day as I wrestle with the draft of my first mystery novel.

Writing Update: Yesterday I sent off the revised manuscript of a short story, "Deceptions & Desires," for a one-on-one critique by a published mystery writer at the New England Crimebake. The submission was restricted to 15 pages, and that limit helped me refine my draft. The biggest decision I had to make: Get rid of the opening line that had been the genesis for the story in the first place. Yes, it was intriguing, but it also gave away a plot turn and was forcing me to start the story with a prolonged flashback to the events that came before that part of the story. Once it was gone, I was able to introduce my first-person narrator, Cape Cod Detective Jeff Jenner, in a more detailed and natural fashion. (Yes, he's getting up in the morning, but only because he's been called to a crime scene. No tooth-brushing or ruminating on the night before involved.)

Lesson Learned: Limits can help you stretch your writing skills.