I’m nearing the end of Hillerman’s memoir, and he has some good material on his life and experiences as an author. Now, his life as an author was heavily influenced not only by his adventures as a younger man, but also by his regimen as a journalist. Called consistently to report on issues related to the public, he was constantly going and seeing situations. He also had his key contacts within the city and state law enforcement departments and the park service, who he checked in with regularly, and whom he questioned about details related to incidents, and about issues related to the law. As he waded his way out into his first novels, he says he kept his eyes open, and when he met interesting people or unique events, they became grounds for characters and settings in future books. He had to go and see the places he was putting his characters into so that he could easily and logically describe them to the reader. And he worked regularly in his spare moments to do the work of plot building in his head, when he was laying down to bed for the night, or taking an elevator, or driving across town. He let ideas and insights lead him into the story he hoped to tell.

He had learned early on from his father to be kind to those around him, and from his mother to not fear anything, and consequently, he used his daily situations and conversations and connections as fuel for his writing.

What is key to me here, especially in the oft negative atmosphere of my introversion, is something that I knew long ago and practiced despite my personality type- back when I was in high school.

Mix.

Connect. Learn to ask questions, and to seek insights. Connect your creativity to the knowledge offered by others.

People like to share what they know if they can and it will help someone else. You just have to figure out what you need to know as a writer, and have your questions- and a hunger for understanding- ready for an encounter.