The Villain Speaks by Annette Dashofy

After many months of non-stop writing to meet back-to-back-to-back deadlines, I turned in my latest manuscript to my editor on March first. My next book isn’t due until December, which, for me, is a luxury. Nine months between deadlines! 

It’s a good thing, too, because I’ve pushed so much non-writing “stuff” to the proverbial back burner for so long, I need some time to catch up on those little things like tax prep, annual doctor’s exams, yearly medical tests, and researching the wonderful world of Medicare since I’m fast approaching that age. March, I decided, would be a sabbatical from writing to focus on these matters. 

I’ve done quite well, even managing to slip a home improvement project into the mix. I still have some straggler tasks for this final week, but I think I’ll have that back burner cleared off by April Fool’s Day. 

Or maybe I’m kidding myself and I will be the April Fool. 

Either way, that December deadline is one month closer than it was on March first, so I need to call my muse home from vacation and get back to writing. 

And my writer’s brain is already working on it. 

A week ago, I dug out the proposal I’d sent to my publisher for the next contracted book. This consists of one very generic paragraph. It’s a starting point. I let that paragraph be a seed planted in my brain as I worked on financial reports. Usually, when I do that, my characters begin to discuss the plot amongst themselves and whisper their intentions into the ear of my subconscious. 

Mostly, that’s what’s happening now with one surprising exception. 

While this will be the fourth Detective Honeywell Mystery, Matthias Honeywell is keeping quiet. So is Emma Anderson. The characters who are growing progressively louder are my secondary characters, one of whom has never appeared on the page. Apparently, Detective Sergeant Cassie Malone’s veterinarian husband, Dr. Shawn, is going to be a major player if he has his way. Not what I had planned, but okay, I’ll run with it. 

The character who’s speaking the loudest though is The Villain. Or maybe he’s the one I’m listening to the most. I don’t know his name or even if he’s a man or a woman. All I know is he has a grudge and plans to exact revenge. 

Okay, to be honest, I know a bit more than that, but I’m not telling. The Villain will only share his secrets if I promise to keep them for now. 

One of my favorite mystery-writing tricks comes from Erle Stanley Gardner of Perry Mason fame. I can’t find the exact wording, so I’m paraphrasing, but he advised writers to plot from the viewpoint of the villain and write from the perspective of the protagonist. It’s a great tool. The villain is behind the scenes, driving the plot, from planning and carrying out the murder to covering it up and possibly helping misdirect the sleuth. 

Right now, I’m carrying my notepad with me wherever I go so that when The Villain starts to share his plans, I can jot them down. Hopefully, once I hear all he has to say, I’ll know exactly what Matthias and Emma will encounter once I type “Chapter One” on the page.