Writing is Like a Magic 8 Ball

A couple months ago, my wife and I went to an 80’s/90’s-themed party for her work. After the party, everyone was allowed to take one of the little toys or trinkets from their table.

Among other things, we grabbed a magic 8 ball that now sits on my desk.

I’ve found it more than a little fun to play with for the last few weeks. As I’ve sauntered through line edits and redrafting short stories, I’ve asked it several times for advice.

“Magic 8 Ball, should I kill this character’s puppy?”

Signs point to Yes.

“Aw, but it’s a cute puppy. Are you sure?”

It is certain.

“Oh… ok.”

I can’t tell you why the Magic 8 Ball had a vendetta against the little boy’s puppy, but it did. In much the same way, I’m sure there is no shortage of writers out there who are facing the same problem. They don’t often know what to do, so they turn to the muse for help, hoping it’s up and running. Most of the time, it’s like a stubborn bear that will lash out when poked or prodded.

Or, worse, it’s like that shiny Yveltal I got a code for that won’t listen to me because I don’t have enough gym badges (If you got that reference, you’re cool, bro).

Anyway, you know what I mean, right?

It is decidedly so.

Good.

Sometimes the muse is an odd, inept little voice that tells you to kill the main character in Chapter 1 so the book can be over sooner. But more often than not, it’s a voice with some reason behind it. Recently, I was writing a novel, and my outline called for one of the main characters to win the fight.

He didn’t.

He died.

Painfully.

At the time, I was a wreck. I didn’t know why I’d let that happen. There were still five or six more chapters left in the book. I couldn’t let him die!

But this was a rare occasion where I listened to the muse, bypassed my thorough outline, and kept going. And not only do I feel like the decision worked, but it actually solved a few plotholes I’d caught earlier in the novel.

So, should you listen to the muse? Is it always a good idea?

Ask again later.

“Oh…”

“Should I listen to the muse?”

Concentrate and ask again.

“SHOULD I LISTEN TO THE MUSE! TELL ME, DAMN YOU!”

Reply hazy. Try again.

“YOU’RE A STUPID PIECE OF CRAP!”

My sources say no.

“Ok, I’m done arguing with a toy!”

Don’t count on it.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now! See you next week with Michael Ridding, Chapter 3!

-S.T. Hoover

What am I reading?

Guilty by Association by Albert Simon

This is the sixth Henry Wright mystery and while the grammatical side occasionally leaves a lot to be desired, I’m quite enjoying this book.

I’d actually read up to Book 5, Coachella Valley Traffic Jam, thinking that was the end of the series. I’d read on the author’s Kindle page that he was working on a sixth book, but at that time it’d been many, many years since Book 5.

But much to my surprise, when adding Book 5 to my Goodreads “Read” list, I noticed the 6th book had a page. I clicked on it for giggles and was plesantly suprised to see a reviews and a buy link! So, apperently, the series isnt over!

Anyway, just a brief summary: Henry Wright is a retired police chief who lives in Palm Springs, California. He is often called in by his friend in the local police department to help him solve the tougher cases. Recently, (minor spoiler) he’s gotten engaged, and his wife helps him solve some cases.

This is definitely not what I usually read, but I came across the first book (which is FREE on Kindle) while I was writing Michael Ridding. I wanted to get my head in the Palm Springs mindset, and the series did not disapoint.

Anyway, I’ll link to the first book below (try to remember it’s a first novel, but in my opinion, storywise, it’s a pretty good one!) I know, I should probably post a link to the book I’m reading, but if you want to get into any series, you should probably start with Book 1.

You can take a look and possibly download it below (again, it’s FREE on Kindle!).

Wow, that’s the longest “What am I blah blah blah” thing I’ve written so far! I guess I love this series more than I thought!

2 thoughts on “Writing is Like a Magic 8 Ball”

  1. Nice post!

    Characters have a knack for behaving in ways we don’t want them to, don’t they? I’ve given up on trying to force them. Just point them in the direction I want them to go and hope for the best, right? 😀

  2. LOL I had one of those 8-balls as a kid. Good memories! Thanks for the humorous start to the day. 🙂 (And, I’m curious to find out – someday – how the whole “death of a main character” plays out!)

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