In my creative writing work, what I am finding most enjoyable is the research. To write a believable story, the facts have to be historically, geographically, and forensically correct. To that end, I have been researching murder. No, I am not planning to murder anyone outside of the realm of fiction, but I want my characters to have the right personality traits and use methods, which will stand the test of logic. While I do not think there is anything logical about taking another’s life, I want those who have read, investigated and work in those occupations that come in contact with these deviations to read my work and feel that it is believable and follows the logistics of the crime. To that end, I must investigate murders, murderers, murder methods, and murder investigations.

What I am finding is that my files are starting to take shape and become organized to the point where compiling them in a book is starting to make sense. It would be a murder guide for writers, as it were. Therefore, soon, I will be working to compile this bevy of information into some semblance of logical order. Once that is done, I will be formatting it and delving into the world of editors, agents, and publishers, to see if I can drum up some interest. This is a new step for me, and one that I have, up to now, avoided out of sheer terror. Writing, when kept as a solitary occupation, leaves one free of criticism--but does nothing to further one in their writing careers.

So, with this new project in mind, I am feeling revived in my fervor to get moving ahead. In the meanwhile, I will keep researching and compiling. Someone once told me that real life is what happens while we are waiting for our life to start. I think it is the same with my writing. My career is what will be happening, while I am waiting for my idea of a career to begin.