Plotting the novel: The real reason writers are neurotic

Writing is more than just chasing ambulances and fire trucks and spending countless hours harassing the cops for information... or so I've read.

Last night, I finished reading Lisa Gardner's latest book, "Love You More," which was phenomenal. To be honest, I think the best part of the whole book was the acknowledgments, not because the substance of the book was bad, but because in her acknowledgments section, Gardner was much wittier and more candid than I would've expected from a suspense writer. I burst out laughing on at least two occasions while reading those two pages alone, although throughout the week I was reading the book, I did post a number of quotes as my status update on Facebook.

I'll admit part of the reason I so enjoyed this book was because its characters were Boston police officers and Massachusetts state troopers. And Gardner put both entities through the wringer. In retrospect (and for her sake!) I really hope they have a sense of humor. The whole time I was reading, I thought of my cop/trooper friends and it struck me that I could easily do this. I already write for a living, and I know I do that well. How much harder can it be to write a book?  The trick, according to Gardner, is to conduct research and learn "new and inventive ways to commit murder and mayhem," as she so eloquently wrote in the acknowledgments. "Oh, and, um, also spending quality time with law enforcement officials who remind me why a life of crime really isn't a good idea, and thus I should continue to hope the whole writing gig pans out." Haha. She said it so perfectly and I'll take any excuse to spend time in the company of the cops. They're a pretty fascinating group of people.

That said, I  have been toying with the idea of writing a novel lately, but I'm not sure what kind. Given that I've never written a book before, I can't really be squished into one category, i.e. suspense or romance, etc.. I love reading cheesy, girlie novels otherwise referred to as "chick lit" but I'd kill to write a suspense-type book like Gardner's... if only because I'd love to create some mahem and - ahem - kill someone. Figuratively, of course.

During the last few weeks (as always), I've been mulling over a few ideas, and after reading Gardner's acknowledgments (and subsequently, her website), I think I may have to bite the bullet and give it a go. This could be fun. I tend to have an active imagination anyway, so this might prove to be the perfect outlet. Maybe I can finally get what I want out of life, even if I am only giving it to my characters (although not without a little stumble here and there!). All I have to do is come up with an idea, throw in a few crazy plot twists, exacerbate conflicts and character development with sexual tension and, oh yeah, create a little mayhem... how hard could it be?