Community Spirit by Morgan Mandel

Sunday morning my husband and I went to a pancake breakfast sponsored by the American Legion. He's a member of the Sons of the American Legion, and likes to attend their events, plus who could pass up their great breakfast spreads!

We also enjoy being members of the Festival Committee, which runs a five day event with the Fourth of July as the main fulcrum.

Those are a but a few organizations in our area, which help the community and also give their members a feeling of belonging. There are quite a few others.

How can community organizations relate to writing, especially mysteries?

• Bestowing a community spirit on your characters can be a way of rounding them out, showing they have values, generosity, and are decent people, as well as giving them a focus or goal.
• Or, the opposite - A character can be devious and pretend to have the well being of the community at heart, but actually be plotting a vicious crime.
• Organizational doings can be a great backdrop for something unusual to take place, like a murder.
• Characters suffering from the results of crime can find a measure of relief by becoming part of a community and getting caught up in the spirit.

Have you included something similar in one of your books, or do you know of an example? What do you think of the idea of including some form of community spirit in a mystery?

Morgan Mandel

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