Writing a new book: Where to start?

Christopher Pinto, Rat Packer

 It's been almost a year since I published my last novel, Murder on Tiki Island, and I feel that I haven't really done a lot of writing since then. Sure, I have the blogs, and I released my book of flash fiction. But what about the next novel?

The holidays always throw a wrench into my writing machine. I go absolutely bananas at Halloween, spending most of my free time in September and October decorating for a huge party I throw. Then I have to take all that decor down by Thanksgiving, then there's Christmas...It just leaves little time for me to write.

Well, it's late January. All the Christmas stuff is packed away, and I have no more excused.

So, where do I start? How does a person get back into swing of writing every day?

Well, first off, I have two pretty good ideas in the hopper, "Murder Under the Boards, The Atlantic City Murder Mystery" and "Murder Over The Airwaves", both featuring Detective Bill Riggins, the hero of my previous two books. I've started both, I have a basic outline for both (in my head), but that's about it. Now what?

Snapping out of it

The past few weeks, I've felt like I'm kind of in a fog, just sort of existing. The days go by at work, the nights go by and home and I don't feel like I've accomplished anything. So, I've tried a few things to "snap out of it".

First, I tried huge amounts of caffeine. I thought that might jump start things. It did a little, and I managed to get some notes down, but that's all.

You never know where you'll find inspiration to write.

Second, I tried my old pal, booze. Now, I'm not saying any of you should go out and get plastered, hoping it would get your creativity flowing. But it is a fun way to pass the time, when you're not in the mood to write. And, for me, it paid off...It got me in the mood to write this. So if there are a lot of typos, you'lkl nokw whyy.

The next step will be to find some inspiration. You never know where inspiration will come from. With the first book I wrote, the inspiration came from moving to Florida from south Jersey. With the second, it came from a combination of things, including visits to the Florida Keys, to some very kool Tiki bars, and from a friend that happened to be going through some crazy stuff in her life. The elements all came together and Murder on Tiki Island practically wrote itself.

I wonder where the inspiration for the next book will come from. And I wonder when. Seems like I'm going to need a shot soon, something really exciting or life-changing or just plain fun to get me back on track.


-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Tiki Lounge Talk 

(This blog was written late at night after a few cocktails. It is unedited, and hasn't even been proofed. It's just some stuff off the top of my head - so if there are some typos, or something sounds out of whack, just let me know in the comments and I'll fix it. =CP)