Squirrels, Rabbit Holes, and Other Writing Obstacles
Terry Odell

There are always interruptions to the writing process, even when you’re diligently writing.

In my never-ending challenge of naming characters, unless “Mr.” is an acceptable first name, I’ve managed to go over 55K without mentioning my protagonist’s boss’s first name. Now, the story demands he have one. In perusing my character naming spreadsheet, I look for initials that haven’t been used, or have been used only for secondary or tertiary characters. “G” seems to be a reasonable choice. Glenn, perhaps.

Does it matter that in another book, a character has this name? The current wip is a stand alone (so far), so it’s unlikely there would be confusion. In fact, the character who already has this name goes by a nickname almost all the time.

I could use an alternate spelling on the rare chance someone who’s read the other book even remembers that character’s first name. Or spend more time looking for other “G” names.

Normally, rather than spend time going down rabbit holes or chasing squirrels, I’ll simple use my standby placeholder, [name].

Okay, that’s tabled for later. Back to the “real” writing.

Something I learned at a RWA chapter workshop came from an author who was talking about kinds of scenes. They should carry over to any genre, not only romance.

• Prologue – not required. In fact, unless there’s a huge time gap between this and the opening, it should probably be Chapter One. There’s also a difference of opinion as to whether agents want to see prologues when you’re submitting.
• Opening – should draw the reader in.
• Set-up — foreshadows something to come
• Validation – shows the character at work
• Conflict
• Push – moves characters apart
• Pull – moves characters closer together
• Reaction – also referred to as “sequel” (or shower scene, where the character would reflect on what just happened). These can slow the pace, so they’re falling out of favor. If you need one, make sure it’s important, and don’t linger too long.
• Flashback – use sparingly – they’re often found in reaction scenes
• Flash forward—rarely used in romance; author intrusion. Tends to be omniscient POV, which can intrude as well.
• Reversal/Black moment – everything goes wrong
• Climax – characters must make choices
• Conclusions – wrap up those dangling threads

I’ve been dealing with “validation” scenes. If your characters have a profession, eventually you’re going to have to show them at work. My female protagonist—Evvie—is a photographer. I’m far from a professional, but I can fake my way through scenes of her at work, and if I have questions, my son is a professional photographer, and (since I’m the Mom), he feels obligated to answer me. Most of this is handled via email or phone calls, so I don’t have to deal with the eye rolls.

Evvie’s male counterpart—Colton—is an insurance claims adjuster. Don’t ask me where I came up with that one, other than it seemed to have potential for conflict, but at this point, I’m stuck with it. I can’t fake my way through his validation scenes, so it’s research time.

I’ve found that using an AI helper can speed up the research process by summarizing things that would require going to numerous websites and separating the wheat from the chaff. Of course, you can’t take everything your helper says for granted, so there’s some checking to make sure it hasn’t made stuff up. I had a vague idea of what conflict I could throw Colton’s way, but had to validate what would happen.

You need details to bring characters to life. They didn’t spring into being on page one. Then, because Only Trouble is Interesting, snips of tension have to show up. Evvie calls Colton “Colt” and she knows he doesn’t like it, so using the nickname says something about their relationship at that point in the story, which is in Chapter 2.

In Chapter 17, Evvie asks Colton about his past. He says he grew up in on a ranch in Wyoming where they raise cattle but also have horses, and now it clicks that he doesn’t like being called Colt because it reminds him of his childhood. Did I know that in Chapter 2? Nope. But it made sense in Chapter 17.

Then, in Chapter 31, circumstances have him returning to the ranch, and he invites Evvie to come with him. I’d already set the book in Colorado, an area I’m familiar with. I’ve never been to Wyoming. A placeholder saying [research ranching in Wyoming] wasn’t going to cut it. This was more—a lot more—than waiting to decide on a character’s name.

First research tip: Whenever possible, narrow the search. Instead of asking about cattle ranching in Wyoming, I asked what would be happening during the timeframe of the story. I’d arbitrarily set the time of year to mid-April when the book started, but when I asked what was happening on a Wyoming cattle ranch in April, I was “informed” it would be the tail end of calving season. I also learned that calving season was a very busy and high-pressure time in the ranching business. Perfect for adding trouble. Coming in at the tail end would make things too easy—so after checking to how many April references I’d included in the book—only one—I shifted the date to March. Easy-peasy. But the weather’s different, so I need to watch what my characters have been wearing.

While I wasn’t going to stick with my character round the clock, I still needed to know what the ranchers would be doing during calving so I could include that validation scene, showing my character at work. More squirrels and rabbit holes.

One question led to another, and I ended up with pages of information. I had the perfect opportunity to get this information on the page because Colton had been away from the ranch for a number of years, and things would have changed. But should it be there? If so, how much?

That’s always a problem with research. You pick up fascinating tidbits like the Sandhills Calving System and include it in a family discussion. But will it move the story forward enough to justify those 135 words? Nope. It’s in my “snips” file in case it turns out to be needed, but research should follow the iceberg rule. Most of it’s under water, and shouldn’t show on the page.

These are some of the topics I’ve researched so far for this book.

• Broken ribs
• Punctured lungs
• ICU
• Website Contact Form tracing
• Email tracking
• Deep fakes
• Insurance procedures
• Insurance fraud
• Ranching (with lots of rabbit holes to get lost in)
• Slow detonation for explosives
• Children testifying in court

Somewhere along the line, I have to crawl out of the rabbit warren and get back to writing. Our dog brought me a squirrel the other day, something she hasn’t bothered with in years, so maybe she thinks she’s being helpful.

So, TKZers. What’s your approach to research? How do you avoid spending too much time with those squirrels and rabbit holes?

Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Deadly Ambitions
Peace in Mapleton doesn’t last. Police Chief Gordon Hepler is already juggling a bitter ex-mayoral candidate who refuses to accept election results and a new council member determined to cut police department’s funding.
Meanwhile, Angie’s long-delayed diner remodel uncovers an old journal, sparking her curiosity about the girl who wrote it. But as she digs for answers, is she uncovering more than she bargained for?
Now, Gordon must untangle political maneuvering, personal grudges, and hidden agendas before danger closes in on the people he loves most.
Deadly Ambitions delivers small-town intrigue, political tension, and page-turning suspense rooted in both history and today’s ambitions.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”