Why Building a Dry-Laid Stone Wall is Like Writing a Novel

So okay, I’ve just finished building my first dry-laid stone wall, which I’ve decided is actually a lot like the process of writing a novel. First I divide and organize the raw material (rocks/manuscript notes) and make a general plan which I may or may not end up following. Then as I begin fitting things together, I place countless pieces I later rearrange or decide to save for another spot. They’re too long, too bulky, too lovely to be overshadowed by the bits around them, and trusting that I’ll know the moment when it comes, where to place them to increase the beauty of the whole (great corner piece/nice plot twist). What’s left over is thrown into a pile for the next project. An economy of art.

In vacation mode now…well, as much as I ever am. Two weeks of sailing in Maine while I edit the upcoming book (#2 in the Island Mystery Series) and research Book 3. Going back to Matinicus, over to Criehaven and later on to the infamous Casco Bay island of Malaga. More on this next time.

Oh, and I’m once again cooking up a storm. Nice to have time to do that again. Spent an hour or so picking blueberries in the hills above Bucks Harbor (off Eggemoggin Reach) and making my friend Marty’s Double Berry Pie—all while thinking hard about the “baddies” I’m dreaming up for Book 3. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy.

Marty’s Double Berry Pie

Prepared Graham Cracker Crust

½ C. sugar

2 TBS. cornstarch

2 TBS. water

Pinch salt

3 Pints Blueberries

Mix the first four ingredients with 1 ½ pints  of the blueberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and gently stir in remaining berries.

Spoon into crust and chill at least 3 hours.

Top with whipped cream.

Babies and Books

This past weekend my on-board writing room (a.k.a., the aft cabin) was taken over by two little boys—14-months and and 3 years old, to be exact—grandchildren of happy demeanor and angelic smiles who conspired to keep me from the writing I was supposed to be doing. So I settled for reading. Not the current book that I, myself, am addicted to (Gillian Flynn's wonderful new release, Gone Girl), but the classics. As in Good Night Moon, The Tawny Scrawny Lion, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Children's literature teaches succinctness and brevity. These, apparently, were meant as my lessons for the day. The universe is an amazing thing!


Apropos to the writing life, over the same two days I received several great "fan" emails and a number of web orders for the softcover edition of Matinicus. Unfortunately, the grandsons weren't impressed and pushed for a return to the reading.

Despite these adorable distractions, I'm now back at work and have managed some of the easy bits of the Reese's Leap editing along with a slew of marketing around the release of Matinicus.

This coming Saturday (June 30), and after a four-hour reading/signing stint at the South Berwick Library's Summer Book Bash, we'll be dropping the mooring and sailing off to Cape Porpoise, Maine—a five-hour run that will leave plenty of time for some serious editing while underway.

Anchors away!

The Snickers Bar

This is the deal. A while back, when I first got serious about trying to "sell" one of my novels, I bought a candy bar (something I NEVER do cause they're just a little too tasty) and put it in a little side drawer in my desk. It was a Butterfinger, as I remember, and I promised myself I could have it when I sold the book.

Years went by.

When I began submitting my 2nd book, I did the same thing with a Snickers bar. Sad to say, the Butterfinger was still there. The 3d ms saw a Mounds Bar added to the pile. Things were getting pretty crowded in that little drawer. Luckily, right around that time I sold Hunter Huntress and got to eat the Butterfinger which, as you can imagine, was pretty stale. I mean we're talking 7 or 8 years. Still, never has success tasted so sweet!

The recent acquisition of Matinicus means I can finally eat that Snickers bar--something I plan on doing tonight. Can't wait...this one's only 4 years old.

See, Now This Is What I Love About Writing...

So picture this. You're making your way through your manuscript, tweaking here and there, feeling like you know pretty much the whole story and how it unfolds, when you stop cold--realize something's missing. The paragraph you just read for the hundredth time leads logically and interestingly enough into the next, yet there's something missing. You feel it in your gut. You try and suss it out, but intellectual thought isn't any help at this stage. So you take a walk, make some tea, lie down for a 20-minute power nap.

Going back to the computer, you suddenly realize if you add a line just here it touches on two or three structural elements you were never really sure you needed but somehow couldn't let go of, or bits of character or dialogue you really love but weren't quite sure where to use or even if they belonged in the book at all. Pulls all of it together to become something larger--a plot twist, maybe, or an insight that adds deeper meaning to one or more of the plot lines. Raises the stakes, in other words.

Little miracles, these--precious gifts from the writing gods--and like all such serendipity the key is letting go of the plan and letting yourself be led by instinct. Keeping an open mind as you read your work and seeing it with fresh eyes every time.

This shot is of my "character wall" for Reese's Leap, which keeps me visually oriented to the characters and their storyline.

A Toast to Vacations

Back at work since Monday and it feels good. More than good. You might have noticed the total lack of anything resembling "writing talk" in my vacation entries. Frankly, with all that was going on I had little time to contemplate much of anything in that regard. Didn't worry about it too much, though. I had the sense it was a good thing; that somewhere beneath all that fun the story wheels were turning, moving me toward a number of plot decisions I've been struggling with lately. Sure enough, after taking Monday to get caught up with 3-weeks worth of domestics and other pressing matters in our land-based world, I was back at it and quickly realized I knew exactly how to proceed. The way seemed utterly clear. Just proves the old adage that much of a writer's work is done away from the computer. Trust is called for, and patience a-plenty. Ideas are spun of gossamer, after all. They need time to churn and settle before finding their way to the page. So here's to vacations, where much of the hardest work is done!

A rainy Sunday morning on Skater

After a stunning night at the Isles of Shoals, a lazy Sunday morning finds me sitting at anchor in the rain mulling over the coming week's writing. For a while now, I've been struggling with the "lumpy feel" of the middle of my current ms (Reese's Leap, the sequel to Matinicus--see my web site for excerpts), and only Friday realized the problem. So tomorrow I begin the process of tearing the middle of the ms down and removing the plot elements I now know should be introduced later in the book. A bit of work, but so worth it. And that's a big part of the draw of writing--at least for me. Pulling a book together is a lot like doing a puzzle--moving the pieces around till you get the perfect fit. Terribly frustrating when it's not working, rewarding as hell when you get it right.

Anyone for blueberry pancakes?