Murder: Double or Nothing:
A Southern California Mystery
by Lida Sideris

I am very excited to have Lida Sideris visit Escape With Dollycas today!

Welcome, Lida!

When Writing Turns Clunky
by Lida Sideris

Sometimes, especially when beginning a story, my fingers weigh about forty pounds. Each. Sweat trickles down my forehead and I’m suddenly famished, even though I just downed a big breakfast ten minutes ago. The thoughts that pour through my head don’t help:

“This is terrible.”
“Where are you going with this?” – I get this one even after planning the plot beforehand.
“Can’t you do any better?”

“Will anyone want to read this?”

And my writing feels terrible. My words are dull, plain, lacking pizazz. I get up from my seat behind the computer and, there are times, I don’t come back. But I’ve come to realize the way I feel when I don’t return makes me feel worse than writing clunky. So I plod on, heavy fingered and creativity-free. Why did I ever become a writer in the first place? That’s the pivotal question. The one that can change things for the better.

I remind myself that I write because I love the feeling of completing a story, bringing characters to life and, hopefully, entertaining readers. I love the sense of adventure I feel when my head’s inside a fictional world. Anything can happen. My characters have the power to overcome or get sucked into terrifying situations if they make the right…or wrong decisions.

That’s when I start to ask myself different sorts of questions. Better ones. Would my heroine say, “Let’s go”? And walk away? Or would she say, “Chop, chop” and clap her hands to show she means business before marching up the staircase? Forcing myself to continue jumpstarts the snoozing creative buttons inside of me into operation. Not always as quickly as I’d like, but it does happen.

How else to overcome the clunkiness? By pressing onward and pushing negative thoughts away. Far away. If we don’t move forward…oh, I can’t even contemplate that possibility. So I continue and switch direction. I consider what the heroine is wearing, smelling, feeling. What does she see on her right? Does her head hurt? Are her shoes too tight? I distract myself this way from the negative thoughts, and then return my fingers to the keyboard. As I continue typing, I notice the fat dripping away. It’s like my own personal finger treadmill.

To get the juices flowing, we have to keep on. When I persist, I find I’m soon typing a little faster. My characters speak a little louder. Words come easier. And…progress happens. Isn’t that what we all want?

Thank you!
Lida Sideris
Thank you, Lida, for visiting today!

About Murder Double or Nothing

Murder: Double or Nothing: A Southern California Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Level Best Books (July 22, 2019)
Print Length: 285 pages
Digital ASIN: B07VMB2DSN

Corrie Locke, newbie lawyer and daughter of a late, great PI, is learning the ropes at the Hollywood movie studio where she works—and where things are never what they seem. Life imitates art when a fictional murder attempt turns real—right before her very eyes. With more than a little help from friends and a crazy movie legend, Corrie trips down a trail littered with wisecracks, mysterious messages, and marginally legal maneuvers to track down the killer. Meanwhile, clues keep disappearing and Corrie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics keep escalating. Will her impromptu sleuthing skills be enough to catch the mysterious assailant before he takes her down?

Praise for Murder: Double or Nothing:
A Southern California Mystery
by Lida Sideris

Murder Double or Nothing is a clever, twisty, and entertaining read that keeps your attention till the end.
~Diary of a Book Fiend

Murder Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris is fast-paced, funny, full of family and friends who just want to help Corrie find the killer before she gets herself in too deep.
~Baroness’ Book Trove

About the Author

Lida Sideris is an author, lawyer, and all-around book enthusiast. She writes soft-boiled mysteries and was a recipient of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America scholarship award. Murder: Double or Nothing is #3 in her Southern California Mystery series, published by Level Best Books. Lida is also the author of The Cookie Eating Fire Dog, a picture book for ages 4-8. She lives in the northern tip of SoCal with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens.  To learn more, please visit: www.LidaSideris.com

Author Links

WEBSITE:  BLOG:     FACEBOOK: TWITTER: @lidasideris  GoodReads:

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