With the advent of each New Year and a fresh new calendar, I reflect back over achievements, disappointments, or goals I set and procrastinated about. This year, two achievements stand out: I received a contract for Sour Grapes, the second book in my Shakespeare in the Vineyard mystery series, and I managed to hike the Pinnacles for the third time. It gets harder with each passing year.

My readers always want to know how long I’ve been writing, so I thought this might be a good place to reflect back thirteen years to when it started. That’s peanuts to those who have been writing all their lives, but better late than never. I’ve always read, mostly comic books as a kid, but still about places I wanted to be, some fantasyland where the world appeared perfect.

When I retired from Sandia National Labs in 1998, and then again in 2000 as a DOE contractor, murder never entered my mind except in the mysteries I loved to read. I attended Penny Warner’s book signing, later joined her critique group, and wrote my first novel set on Martha’s Vineyard. Getting that book published is one of my goals for 2014. I haven’t been idle these thirteen years, just struggling to perfect my work before sending it out. Which now I realize was a mistake. Just write it and then edit it, I’m told. Finish it. And I agree. I have more ideas for my mystery series and a few short stories I’m eager to write. A few quotes I’d like to share:

“And since you know you cannot see yourself, so as by reflection, I, your glass, will modestly discover to yourself, that of yourself which you yet know not of.”

—William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

“One of the saddest things in life, is the things one remembers.”

― Agatha Christie

Music comes to mind when I think about pacing. Pacing is the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music, the arranging of sounds in time through harmony, melody, rhythm, and timbre, to create a composition. I watched my mother sing and play her violin as her friend accompanied her on piano before a performance. They would jot notes on their sheet music and try again to get it exactly like they wanted it.

Pacing is hugely important in sports. I spent years on an ice rink, trying to perfect jumps and spins with only a few lessons. Ice Capades was never my goal, fortunately, because I was too impatient to invest time or money on advanced classes. I remember my instructor telling me to slow down, think through the process, pace myself, while I just wanted to jump and spin for the fun of it. He reminded me that if I wanted a skating partner, which I already had, I needed to learn to skate with precision.

And then there’s pool. Not the water kind of pool, but billiards. I loved to shoot pool so much that I took two quarters of it at Ohio State. Men don’t like women to beat them at pool, which is why I entered a tournament with all men and then played well enough to win the trophy. My instructor suggested I try another sport after I beat her too. I finally learned to pace myself, not rush my shots. I chalked my cue the proper way before every shot, making me look like I knew what I was doing. Having a plan and choosing patterns is the key to stringing together multiple table runs. When Cliff and I bought our second house, it had an original pool table in the basement, one with a green felt top and leather pockets. It was a sad day when we moved and left the table behind.

Pacing is something that every writer needs to get right or suffer the consequences of running into a blank wall. Since I don’t outline, I’ve had a few of those black holes, as I call them. As Michael stated in his blog on Monday, a story’s pace is linked to the three- act structure. In the first act, your characters are introduced and at least one crime is committed. I always have subplots and red herrings, and elaborate on them in act two. Act two is where I fumble, and sometimes fall dead in the water, without an outline, but eventually something totally unexpected occurs, making the story even better than if I’d planned the whole story out. It’s those moments that excite me most.

Act three is where you wrap up your subplots and the conflicts come to a head. The climax! And a sigh of relief that you finished your story. Several years ago I bought Martha Alderson’s Scene Tracker kit. Since I don’t outline, I thought it would help me advance the plot of the story. I tried it until I got caught up in so many details I never got to the end. It is a great kit, but probably for someone with more patience than I have. Maybe I’m too old to change.

We can keep on learning and applying through experience and perseverance what we wished we had known, or we can dwell on the past and our regrets. I’m guilty of dwelling on the past and thinking ‘If I had only known then what I know now.’ By taking advantage of all the possibilities of today, we open up a new world and a different way of living. It’s about choosing to create the life you really want. We can find all the success we’ve been looking for and live up to our potential if we slow down enough to enjoy the journey. Life hands us a lot of lessons along the way. We just have to be alert and pay attention.

20 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier In Life:

1. It’s never about fitting in or changing. It’s about finding your way to continually uncover more and more of who you really are.

2. The friends you’ve known and loved your entire life are some of your most valuable gifts, as are those friends you found later in life that have a special connection with you.

3. Be with people whom you really care about and who really care about you.

4. You can have fears and still take steps forward. In fact, that is usually how it works.

5. Even if you can’t see things working, there are always good things going on behind the scenes and coming your way.

6. It’s okay to look back, but make sure you don’t overlook the possibilities of today.

7. Never assume the other person is always right.

8. When you’re ready to move on, stop focusing on what happened in the past and start focusing on what’s going to move you forward.

9. Don’t allow someone else’s bad behavior to cause you to be someone you’re not.

10. The only real difference between a rainy Monday and a sunny Friday is your perspective.

11. You can have fears and still take steps forward. In fact, that is usually how it works.

12. Never think it’s too late to follow your dreams. Your dreams are your possibilities.

13. Sometimes it’s not about having all the answers, but about trusting, leaning in the direction that feels right, and focusing on living the day in front of you in the best way you can.

14. Sometimes you must let go of certain things so even better things can come your way.

15. If there is something you feel deep down is right for you, then you must have infinite hope and infinite patience. Never give up.

16. Things don’t just happen to us, they also happen for us. No experience is wasted. Everything in life helps strengthen you and show you more and more who you really are.

17. When it comes to your purpose, you should either be doing it or looking for it. It’s okay if it takes you awhile to find.

18. Knowledge is key.

19. Experience every moment as who you really are: loving, living, and enjoying your experiences and the people around you. And on a less serious note,

20. To prolong the life of batteries, scrape both ends with sandpaper, a nail file or an emery board.

Collaboration is working together to achieve shared goals. My critique group is a good example of this. Without them, I wouldn’t be published, obtained necessary resources, or recognition. Take a look at other examples of collaboration:

Music: Although relatively rare compared with collaboration in popular music, there have been some notable examples of music written in collaboration between classical composers. Bellini’s opera, I Puritani, was written and first performed in 1837. Two well-known contributors were Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin. Musical collaboration also occurs when musicians in different places or groups work on the same album or song. Collaboration between musicians, especially jazz, is often considered the epitome of complex collaborative practice.

Art: In towns big and small all across the country, you see artists sharing space and administrative functions. Some of these galleries have programs in experimental theater, literary performance, new music, and sound art. Financial savings is a huge advantage because of their shared space. They share equipment such as phones and Internet services, coordinate mailings, and develop a sense of trust and respect for each other. These galleries have become a support system for problem-solving and practical help, and have changed the concept of art into something that can be engaged in by more than one artist.

Education: Collaboration in education brings knowledge and experience together by interacting toward a common goal in the best interest of students for their future success. Students achieve team building and communication skills and have the ability to practice real-world communication experiences. Schools and teachers benefit in a variety of ways when teachers work together, and there’s evidence that shows a positive relationship between teacher collaboration and student achievement. Unfortunately, our daughter had an unpleasant situation when she was a middle school special education teacher. She felt these kids were put into embarrassing situations by the principal.

Law enforcement: I discovered this while researching my next book: Global law enforcement collaboration netted the largest synthetic drug takedown. The Project Synergy enforcement operations in thirty-five states targeted the upper echelon of dangerous designer synthetic drug trafficking organizations, including retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers. The investigations uncovered a massive flow of drug-related proceeds to countries in the Middle East and seized more than 1,000 kilograms of synthetic drugs at express consignment facilities. The largest U.S. seizure of synthetic drugs, commonly marketed as herbal incense, bath salts, jewelry cleaner, or plant food, involved hundreds of law enforcement actions and nearly $15 million in cash and assets. It culminated last week with the collaboration of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other U.S. and international law enforcement partners. These drugs pose significant public health risks.

Since 9/11, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have worked collaboratively to detect and prevent terrorism-related and other types of criminal activity. This represent a willingness to share information among agencies and across all levels of government, which allow each organization to retain its own information and, at the same time, make it available for others to search and retrieve. Some of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services are: National Crime Information Center, Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), and Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

Why is it as we get older and become slower (speaking for myself of course), electronics and technology become newer and faster? I feel lucky to have successfully posted this blog on my high speed Internet with my new high tech laptop.

David McCullough, an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer, has been called a “master of the art of narrative history,” incapable of writing a page of bad prose. His works have been published in ten languages, over nine million copies have been printed, and all of his books are still in print. I have a few of his books on my shelves: 1776, John Adams, and Truman. Imagine McCullough writing those amazing books on a low-tech typewriter.

“Nothing good was ever written in a large room,” David McCullough said. His own office is reduced to a windowed shed in the backyard of his Martha’s Vineyard home. Known as “the bookshop,” the shed doesn’t have a telephone or running water. Its primary contents are a Royal typewriter, a green banker’s lamp, and a desk, which McCullough keeps control over by “flushing out” the loose papers after each chapter is finished. The view from inside the bookshop is of a sagging barn surrounded by pasture. To keep from being startled, McCullough asks his family members to whistle as they approach the shed where he is writing.

Martha’s Vineyard is one of my most favorite places to visit. I wish I had met McCullough on one of my trips. A friend of mine grew up in Edgartown and introduced me to the other exciting towns on the Island. In fact, my first book (written ten years ago) takes place on Martha’s Vineyard. Unfortunately, publishers rejected it. So in keeping up with change, I will now give my characters digital cameras, smart phones, and high tech laptops and hope someone will love it and publish it.

Although keeping up with the latest changes may seem to be just one more thing to add to your To-Do List, there are several important benefits. You’ll make better decisions, and you’ll spot opportunities early on, which can give you a competitive edge. This is important when you’re involved in sales and marketing, where it helps you identify and take advantage of the sales opportunities (book events and conferences) that come your way. Keeping up-to-date with your writing is key for developing expertise in your business, along with other new and exciting changes to think about. Making time for networking—Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, blogs—is one way to stay current.

I’m in the market for a new cell phone and laptop, but purchasing these products is a challenge. Then there’s the added worry that what I buy may be out of date the next day. Just like buying a car. How can one avoid the impulse to buy the latest, just because of some new bells and whistles? Which brings me back to David McCullough and his Royal typewriter. I choose not let the new technologies manage my decision. Anyone interested in buying an old proportional-spacing typewriter with an extra long carriage?