The Next Four Letter Word

Today we welcome Molly MacRae to Salad Bowl Saturday. I'll be seeing Molly as we both attend Magna cum Murder in Indianapolis next week. I had the good fortune to read her Last Wool and Testament. Despite the fact that it was a cozy (which I tend not to read) and had woo-woo elements (which I often dislike), I thoroughly enjoyed her first her Haunted Yarn Shop series. The second is now out. I think you'll find her sense of humor on display in this piece as well. ~ Jim

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“Next” is such a small word, a shruggable preposition you might take for granted. It isn’t quite cozy, though, is it? It could be, if you’re thinking about a cat curled beside you on the sofa or if you’re looking forward to the next book in your favorite mystery series. But more realistically, “next” is a word freighted with expectations, emotions, and a whole baggage claim of possibilities. Consider the following examples of “next” as . . . 

Pressure – “Is your parachute secure? You jump next.”

Promise – “If you’ll dance with me again, next time I’ll try not to Two-step on your toes.”

Prophecy – click here to see a Mutts comic by Patrick McDonnell

Threat – “The next time you weed whack my hydrangeas . . .”

Organization – “Bring the eye of newt to a bubble. Next, stir in the toe of dog.”

Hope – “Please don’t pick me next, please don’t pick me, please.”

Hypothesis – “I’m as sane as the next woman.”

Negotiation – “I’ll gladly pay you [next] Tuesday for a hamburger today.” ~ J. Wellington Wimpy from an episode of Popeye

Placement – “You’ll find The Joy of Cooking next to The Pleasure of Poisoning.”

Finality – “Sorry, we can only release information about the severed hand to the next of kin.”

“Next” implies forward movement, but an actual “next” isn’t inevitable. That’s because “next” isn’t just beleaguered by all those emotions, expectations, and possibilities, it can also be frightening. Paralyzing, even. In fact, fear of the word “next” could be the root cause for most cases of writer’s block. Think about it. A blank page, the start of a new chapter or scene, the first word of the next sentence . . . each of those is a huge, scary void staring you in the face demanding to know what you’re going to do next. George Carlin offered this advice: “Always do whatever’s next.” Yeah, right. Easy for the funny guy to say, but a blank page can reduce grown men to jelly and convince strong women there’s safety in cleaning the refrigerator.

But no matter how horrifying it might be, “next” is a good word for mystery writers. “Next” is tied up as tightly as the hero in a melodrama with those other classic mystery words: who, what, where, when, and how. “Next” is the word, whether it’s actually on the page or up there skulking between our ears, that every story and every writer depends on. Writers need readers up until two in the morning flipping pages to find out what happens next.

“Next” has been on my mind lately. Dyeing Wishes, the second book in my Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery series came out in July. I turned in the manuscript for the third book, Spinning in Her Grave, soon after. I’m about to leap headlong into writing the fourth book and now that third book is back for revisions. And people keep asking, “How’s the writing going? What’s next?” It’s a kindly meant question, so I try not to do my imitation of “The Scream” when I answer. Not because I don’t know what’s next, but because I do know. A lot of work comes next – writing, revising, editing, promoting, keeping up with my day job, proofreading, getting up at five in the morning to fit it all in, crawling away from the computer once in a while to say hi to my family, not the laundry, thank goodness, because my son took over doing that, but generally anything else that’s part of what we call life is what comes next. With caffeine.

But do I really know what’s next? Um, I hope I know about the writing and rewriting, and sharing meals with my family, and about keeping up with the day job. But beyond those hopes? Nah. How could I know? The wonderful Gilda Radner said, “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what happens next.” In other words, life is full of mysteries. Mysteries? Hey, cool. I like mysteries and I can live with that.

So, what’s next for me? The first word in the first sentence of the next book. I wonder what it’ll be. What’s next for you?

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The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” Molly is the author of the award-winning Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries from Penguin/NAL. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine since 1990. After twenty years in northeast Tennessee, Molly now lives with her family in Champaign, Illinois. You can find Molly at her website www.mollymacrae.com, on Facebook and Pinterest. Her books can be found at independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and your public library.