Writers' Rituals – Maggie Bishop

The Mysterious Writing Habits of Crime Writers From Around the World

Mar 9, 2009 Janice Hally

Writing a novel requires an idea, the right words, and something extra. Writer Maggie Bishop shares the secrets of her approach to writing, from idea to execution.

Are writers obsessive-compulsive? Overly superstitious? Or do habits and rituals provide security for writers who never know where the next idea, or the words to write it, will come from?

Searching for clues to the secrets of writing, Suite 101 has an exclusive interview with Maggie Bishop, who was honored recently as one of "100 Incredible East Carolina University Women".

Maggie is known for the Appalachian Adventure Series. Having started with romance, she has now turned to murder! The main male characters in her series are all cousins living in the North Carolina mountains near Boone. Her mysteries involve Jemma Chase, a CSI wannabe who leads trail rides on her parents’ dude ranch. She’s also a carpenter and photographer, much like many mountain people who have a variety of skills. Detective Tucker, one of the men cousins of the series, works for the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department.

How much research and plotting do you do before you're ready to write a book?

When I turned to murder, I interviewed the Chief of Detectives at our local sheriff’s department and then she read an early draft of my novel to suggest changes. For example, the detectives get on a first name basis for anyone they talk with as soon as possible rather than use the formal address of Mister or Missus. Since it is a contemporary series that features the same two main characters, recurring characters and is set in the area I live, my research in those areas was largely done with the first mystery.

Once I have the opening scene, I make a list of the suspects and play with their characteristics and backgrounds. I brainstorm some possible plot points. The plot grows organically from there. Needless to say, I do a lot of rewriting. The one time I plotted ahead, the pages went dead on me and I abandoned the project. I could no longer discover the action like a reader would.

What hours do you devote to your writing and what time of day do you prefer to write?

The first two hours in the morning (5-7) are spent on the internet at various sites authors need to keep up with in order to market books. The creative work on my manuscript is from 9 to noon. Sometimes I’ll work in the afternoon for a couple of hours. My brain shuts down at 5 so it is crucial that I write in the morning. I manage to arrange writing days 3 to 4 times a week.

Do you take breaks, and if so, what do you do during them?

I exercise five days a week, 45 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes of weights or once a week workout to a belly dance tape. At five I have a glass of wine and watch Ellen to relax.

Where do you write and what do you write with?

My first draft is written on the sofa with my feet propped up. I use a pen and a tablet and have the house as quiet as possible. My house is built into the side of a mountain with the downstairs mostly underground. The only sounds that penetrate the walls are the clap of thunder or a high wind hitting the heavy wind chimes. My world focuses down to the land and people I’m creating. Then it flows out of my fingertips onto the paper. Such fun! Keying it into my computer in a back room is a second draft.

Describe what you like to keep within arm's reach while you're writing.

I keep a couple of cheat sheets handy. One is a suspect list with attributes such as age, local vs import (this is a tourist/second home area as well as a university town), job, motivation. The other is a list of recurring characters and their current role.

Describe the things you can see when you look up from your writing.

Two cats, named for the two main characters in my mysteries, Jemma Kitty and Detective Tucker (he likes to go under the covers). I look out the picture window to the tree trunks -- we’re up about thirty feet from the creek and road.

What was the first thing you wrote which was published?

"Appalachian Paradise" was published in 2003. It’s the romance and takes place on a five-day backpacking trip in Pisgah National Forest amongst boars, bears and girl scouts.

What is your latest book?

"Perfect for Framing," November 2008, has trouble a-brewing in the Property Owners Association. Jemma’s carpentry skills lead her to work in a subdivision where conflict leads to arson and murder.

Find out more about Maggie Bishop and her books, here.

Read about Peter May, Jane Finnis, Ruth Dudley Edwards and many other Writers' Rituals.

The copyright of the article Writers' Rituals – Maggie Bishop in Writing Fiction is owned by Janice Hally. Permission to republish Writers' Rituals – Maggie Bishop in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Maggie Bishop

Perfect for Framing by Maggie Bishop

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