Peg Herring, Mystery Author

 If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me, "I'd like to write"...I'd have a lot of nickels. To help those people out a little, I thought I'd do a series of posts on the topic, similar to a presentation I used to do in live settings called WRITE, EDIT, PUBLISH.  WRITING If you want to write a book, you have to find the time, energy, and perseverance to keep at it until the story is done. When you type "The End" (We actually don't do that, but the image is nice), it won't be perfect, but--at least in the world of fiction--a story needs to be finished before you can consider the next steps. Mostly, this means the BITCH principle is in effect: Butt In The Chair, Honey . Your method doesn't matter. I know authors who hand-write their first drafts, some who keyboard, some who dictate, and even one who uses some antique half-computer half-typewriting device she claims works best for her thought process. Whatever, just get your story on pa

Heaven knows you've got other things to do, and some people growl if you "sit around with your nose in a book" (or in modern times "staring at a screen"). My dad, usually a patient man, would get irritated with me when I  (a) brought a book to the dinner table ("But it was at a really good part, Dad!"), (b) failed to get dressed until noon on a weekend because I was reading, or (c) sat upside down in a chair with my legs up the back and the book on my chest. (What can I say? At thirteen, it really was comfy.) Here are some reasons that reading is an important part of my day, every day. Reading connects me with other places, other people. I learn from books, even fictional books, about how the world works, how people live, feel, and think. Reading takes my mind off other things. Reading helps me relax and get ready to sleep . Conversely, reading helps me wake up and serves as a step toward action in the morning. Reading gives me lots to talk