Cold Case

… Icy fingers make a point

With all the chaos churning, I’ll admit to thinking why even try to write? But I need to keep creating to stay sane… The stories fueled by my imagination allow me to escape to a world that I can control.

Speaking of another world, last week I spent a few days in Middlebury, Vermont. While the snow-covered landscape didn’t surprise me—after all, Vermont is more than five hours north by car and my local area has been frozen in place for several weeks—what did amaze were the icicles!!

Photo by Jason Mayer on Unsplash

This was my first visit to Middlebury, home to Middlebury College and within sneezing distance of Lake Champlain. Walking my friend’s dog along the main drag, within the span of a few blocks I passed the public library, an indie bookstore, the post office, a real estate office, and an art supply store. A local coffeeshop beckoned from a cross street. A pizzeria stood just a block or two away. I could hole up right there and have everything I’d ever need.

What I also noticed: Nearly every building displayed at least a few icicles. Most were of the horror-movie variety—three feet or more in length, with circumferences fat enough to resemble crystalline tree branches, and, of course, pointed ends, the better to serve as a kind of sword of Damocles for the unwary walking beneath them.

These icy missiles of nature would make perfect weapons in a crime mystery. (Note to self!) But they also reminded me of the need when writing a story to keep ramping up the tension. Part of an icicle’s threat is the randomness of its fall. If you’re unlucky enough to pass under it when it releases from the eave, that’s the end of the story. But if you’re a minute or two early or late, you’re spared. You just never know.

Getting at the source(s)

Speaking of not knowing, it can be difficult these days to figure out what’s real and what’s not when it comes to news about … well, everything. This essay from the Card Catalog Substack offers some great advice.

Scrabbling for ideas

If you are stumped for story inspiration, consider pulling out your Scrabble board and inviting a friend or family member to play, especially now in the thick of this snowy winter. When the game is underway, I challenge myself to use the words laid out on the board to tell a story. Off the cuff, the story is usually mediocre, but the word prompts can trigger a more substantial idea to write about.

These results are a little like the game Clue…

What I’m writing

I am thrilled to have a story included in a Tiki horror anthology slated for release next month.

An early version of the cover …

Here is my latest short fiction post, plus a link to my book coaching packages.

Thanks for reading –

Dianna