For the past week, I've been fitting in a blocks of time to do some spadework for a new book. Never mind the title (superstitious authors never divulge that!). Suffice to say it's a crime fiction novel. My point is I like to have something in the works. Starting from scratch can be as much fun as it is frustrating.

Some types of novels I'll never do or even make a stab at doing. Zombie titles, for instance. Nothing is wrong with them. I've read a few. Just saying it ain't my cuppa. Erotica, ditto. Again, it's fine if it rocks your clock. Or whatever. But I can't envision how I'd build a plot out of bedroom scenes. Hey, different strokes. Or whatever.

I find I'm drawn more to character-driven plots. People interest me more than blowing up stuff or driving up the body count. I'm also trying to "transcend the genre," but that's not easy when I've no inkling what that even means. So, how does one do the spadework for a new book?

For me, it involves a lot of staring out the window at nothing in particular. I list the areas I want to improve in this time out. I list the things (settings, topics, plot twists) I'll avoid using again. I create lists of character names. I list possible occupations. I list settings for scenes.

But in the end, I also reserve my right to scrap everything my spadework has dug up and strike off in an entirely new direction.

Happy reading to you and yours!

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey
Author of Lake Charles
"A dark and twisted noir tale that starts with a bang and goes in many different ways."
--Blogger/Dallas Morning News