“Persistence is the master virtue.”
The quote is attributed to the great thinker Anonymous. As I plug away at the 4th Detective Emilia Cruz mystery, KING PESO, it really resonates. But along with persistence, a few other key words have been useful lately.
A friend is a student of human behavior and has broadened my everyday vocabulary with words like “intentional” and “threading.” Not only have these words led me to consider how I plot mysteries but also how my characters behave.
And me, too.
Related: The Emilia Cruz series character bios
Intention
To act with intention, or be “intentional” is a positive I-will-own-this-outcome concept. In contrast, by not acting with intention, we are willing to be reactive. That means possibly ending up owning someone else’s agenda.
That’s not to say that acting with intention means you’ll always get your way. But to risk another quote from Anonymous: “If you aim at nothing you will surely hit it.”
Threading
Threading is another great term. When I’m threading, I’m carrying my intention through a series of actions. We talk about the “thread of a conversation,” often in the context of losing it. What if we kept the thread, unspooling it via multiple intentional interactions? Wouldn’t that improve the odds of getting what we intended?
Huh. I think that’s called persistence.
You may also like
The Forgotten Masters of World War II Thrillers
In the aftermath of World War II and horror of the Holocaust, the now-forgotten masters of World...
I think of you
This week, the Rome Arts Hall of Fame from my hometown sent out their annual call for nominations...
2023 in Review: Highs, Lows and Turning Points
How did your 2023 go? Mine went something like this. High I won the 2023 Silver Falchion award for...
CARMEN AMATO
Mystery and thriller author. Retired Central Intelligence Agency intel officer. Dog mom to Hazel and Dutch. Recovering Italian handbag addict.
0 Comments