Delving into the Minds of Writers

This post is a repeat, having run in October of last year. Please enjoy the reflections and, if you haven't already, check out these authors!

by Paula Gail Benson

I’m so pleased to have been asked to participate as a panel moderator for the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime’s workshop on The Psychology of Writing. (Hurray to Debra H. Goldstein, the event coordinator!) The event also was sponsored by the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

I learned a great deal from the keynote speakers, Toni L.P. Kelner (who has written the Laura Fleming and Where Are They Now? series, numerous short stories, and as Leigh Perry writes the Family Skeleton series) and her husband Dr. Stephen P. Kelner, Jr. (author of Motivate Your Writing!: Using Motivational Psychology to Energize Your Writing Life). For more about their presentations, please see my post on yesterday’s The Stiletto Gang blog.

Banner designed by Karen McCullough

Writers' Minds and Killer Characters

All the panels had wonderful writers who provided excellent information. Debra H. Goldstein moderated “Pros by Day, Deadly Scribes by Night” with Dr. Shirley Garrett, Rick Helms, Holly Sullivan McClure, Sasscer Hill, Lynn Hesse, and Dr. Stephen Kelner, all of whom balanced specialized professions with their writing lives. “Writers’ Minds and Killer Characters” was moderated by Lisa Malice and featured Maggie Toussaint, Linda Sands, Fran Stewart, Susan Crawford, and Jane Suen, who talked about how they developed the characters in their books. Every one of these authors was articulate and delightful. Please check out their work.

I had the opportunity to meet some amazing authors on the panel I moderated. All of them are now on my to-be-read list. Our topic was “Real Life Bleeding Onto the Page.”

Real Life Bleeding Onto the Page Panel

Each panelist had an amazing life story that had become a part of her work, either as fiction or nonfiction. Following is some information about them:

Sid, Paula, and Toni/Leigh

Toni L.P. Kelner had already participated in a session about motivation with her husband and a presentation about habits to make a successful writing career before joining our panel. Her own life is reflected in her Laura Fleming series, where the protagonist from the South has been transplanted to the Northeast, and in her paranormal short stories and Family Skeleton mysteries which include fantasy and scenes about cosplay (where people attending science fiction or fantasy conferences create their own costumes and dress as favorite characters). Toni brought her skeletal protagonist, Sid (who travels extensively with her), and introduced him to me!

Claire Count, the current President of Atlanta Chapter, writes mystery, fantasy, and poetry. Her theatre background (she has an MFA) is an obvious advantage in her work. Recently, her British manor house mystery short story “Fleeting Victory” was included in Georgia’s Emerging Writers: An Anthology of Fiction. During the panel, she pointed out a theme that was picked up and resonated throughout our discussion: only from deeply felt emotions and experiences can a writer accurately portray the human condition and, in doing so, make it meaningful to others.

Kathleen Delaney, while being a caretaker, a real estate agent, and extensive traveler, not to mention dealing with her own physical difficulties, made an amazing writing career. Currently, she has five Ellen McKenzie mysteries and three Mary McGill Canine mysteries published. Blood Red White and Blue was a finalist for best canine book of the year in the Dog Writers of America annual writing contest. Her work-in-progress is Boo, You're Dead. She spoke about translating her daughter’s experience with domestic violence into fiction.

Angela K. Durden has written nonfiction, memoir, children’s books, and songs. Once, in an interview, she gave G. Gordon Liddy advice about sprucing up his resume, particularly concerning his prison sentence. Her style is direct, compelling, and immediately involving. She spoke about her choices in not identifying family members in her personal account about abuse she had experienced as a child. She writes fiction (featuring a male protagonist) under the name Durden Kell and brings the same immediacy to it as she conveys in her nonfiction.

Sharon Marchisello has an amazing amount of life experience to draw upon, having written travel articles, short stories, book reviews, and an e-book about personal finance, not to mention being retired after a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines and doing volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardener Extension Office. Her murder mystery, Going Home, was inspired by her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Sharon’s novel examines not only the difficulty in resolve a mystery when you cannot rely upon a witness’ memory, but also deals with themes of role reversal, when adult children must make changes in their lives to care for elderly parents.

Julia McDermott is the author of domestic psychological suspense novels Daddy’s Girl and Underwater; a French travel/young adult romance Make That Deux; and the creative nonfiction book, All the Above: My Son’s Battle with Brain Cancer. In an article written for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, she said, “Fear is no longer my daily companion; it’s been replaced by gratitude.” The story of how her family and son faced the unexpected challenges is truly inspirational.

If you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading these authors, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to learn more about their work. Many thanks to everyone involved in this wonderful workshop!

What have you been reading lately and what events from real life have found a way into your own writing?