The discovery made me look at my library with a critical eye. A double-row of books crammed on every shelf, I couldn’t find things I wanted and didn’t know what I had. The clutter was overwhelming. I needed to do more than weed a few books. I started in the closet, where I long ago installed overflow shelving that was now overflowing. I picked up each book in turn and asked myself, do I need this? The answer was usually no. I followed up with, do I want this? Surprisingly, the answer was rarely yes.

That’s not to say that I regretted buying any of them. I enjoyed reading them, and I don’t regret the money spent on them. But so many were either novels I’ll never read again or research material for projects long completed or abandoned. I freed over fifteen feet of shelf space.

What’s left are books I actually want to own. Sure, there are a handful  that are borderline–I erred on the side of keeping things because it’s impossible to un-donate them once they’re gone and I can always get rid of them later–but the library is less cluttered and I no longer feel burdened by possessing books I don’t even want.

The Lovely Bones

Ray’s way of describing such things made her feel as if she knew exactly what it felt like–not just what it looked like. He could evoke everything for her, with small verbal pulse points of which he was completely unaware.

I love this passage because it captures exactly what good fiction writing is all about. “Show, don’t tell” is a writing mantra, but “show” doesn’t do justice to what good writing should accomplish. A good writer goes beyond what things look like. Cinema and television provide visual imagery much more clearly than words on a page ever can–but good writing gives readers a deeper feeling.

My home office is also our library, and it is overflowing with books I’m unlikely ever to re-read or refer to. The result is clutter. Nearly every surface is covered with books, and the surfaces that don’t hold books hold items displaced by books. I need to weed out, free some space for the new books I know I’ll buy. I can’t stop myself. I can only slow down when my shelves get full.

So I’ve begun weeding my library. I’ve resisted until now because I couldn’t decide what to do with the discards. Selling them would be arduous. There are book-buying web sites, but they pay so little that it’s not worth the time. The local used book store likewise also doesn’t pay enough, and its process is painful. Donating the books to the library or a charity thrift store and writing them off against my taxes requires making a list of what I’m donating. That’s going to be a long list, but it’s my best option. I can get it done in one weekend if I’m diligent. I only need to find enough boxes.

And stay out of the bookstore for a few weeks.

Friday’s highlight was a presentation by FDLE Agent James O. Born, author of Walking Moneyand Burn Zone, on weaponry. Carolyn attended this lecture/demonstration last year and told me that it was a “can’t-miss” for this year, so I arrived early and sat in the front row. That meant that I was the nearest person on whom to demonstrate a variety of techniques, including the use of an ASP to disable a violent suspect, defending against a suspect trying to take your firearm, and how a police-issue flashlight can be used as a club against an unruly suspect. Born said I was a “good sport.” Really I’m just a ham who loves attention even if it means getting roughed up a little.

Later that morning, I sat poolside with romance writers Amy J. Fetzer (Fight Fire with Fire) and Rhonda Pollero (Fat Chance). The ladies were a lot of fun, and when I said I thought it might be fun to try my hand at a romance novel, they heaped encouragement on me and gave me a lot of great advice.  I also enjoyed running into Terry Odell (When Danger Calls) , whom I met last year.

Saturday I had my agent pitch appointment, which resulted in a request for pages. My favorite session of the day was the one hosted by Kris Montee, one of the two sisters who write as P. J. Parrish (South of Hell). She talked about pacing in suspense novels, building on her Third Degree Thursday lecture on scene focus. I got a lot of great tips on plotting that I’ll put to good use on my next novel.

After lunch, I got to talk for a few minutes with both guests of honor. I ran into John Hart in the elevator after I’d just dropped off my copy of Down River in my room. (I got him to sign it on Sunday morning, though.) I stopped Brad Meltzer in the hall to ask him to sign my copy of Justice League of America, Vol. 1: The Tornado’s Path. Continuing the theme of the weekend, both authors offered encouragement and helpful advice.

Conferences offer a unique opportunity for fledgling authors to learn from established writers and each other. The road to publication is a difficult one that relies on chance as much as talent in many ways, but I feel like attending conferences like Sleuthfest gives me a little bit of an advantage. It certainly provides a lot of inspiration and encouragement, and I’m a little sad that it’s over.

I am, however, glad to be home to the critters.