My New Year's Resolution: Loving Words, Dreading Writing





Let's Take a Hard Look at that Word!





RESOLUTION "Making up your mind to do something . . . to resolve."





For me that's acting on thoughts, putting pen to paper and fingers to keyboard.





I love words--finding new ones --or using words in a way I haven't done before.





The latter can be a danger to the writer of mystery novels. Readers have a certain subconcscious expectation of style and pace. Going outside the norm may turn on a few readers. Reality is that doing so also causes many to close their books and toss them aside "for another time."





I've maneuvered around that "debris in the highway" so to speak, by going for old-fashioned expressions or sayings. These are ones that would fit one of my characters, usually an older auntie type or curmodgony neighbor.





Had that predilection (love that word) come "home to roost" when my 10-year-old granddaughter Bridget said to her mother:





"You know today I told my friend Alicia, 'Let's skeddadle'



Granddaughter Bridget threw up a hand to cover her mouth. She grinned slyly at me and added, "I sounded just like grandma."





And you know, that's okay by me.





Here's to your wordsmithing and publishing in 2009.





Day 1 of posting on my blog on Day 2 of 2009.





Yours in mystery,





Pat