I just finished Chapter 1 in my new book, so I thought it would be a good time to answer that quintessential reader question, where do you get your ideas? Yet unnamed, this is the second in my new Sid Chance PI series. When I started casting about for a plot, I decided to use some current problem as the background for the story. About that time I saw a segment on the TV news detailing how FBI agents in Miami tracked down Medicare scammers.
It dealt with small companies that pop up and disappear just as suddenly, their aim to collect claims for expensive items like motorized chairs, hearing aids, handicap aids used around the home, etc. Trouble is, the claims are fake. And by the time Medicare gets around to questioning if they're fraudulent, the companies have closed shop and moved on. They're usually storefront operations that have been cleaned out by the time investigators arrive. According to the story, the racket is more lucrative than drug dealing and much less likely to result in an arrest.
New policies are being put into effect to slow the growth of Medicare fraud, but it's going to take a while to get the situation under control. Idea Number One checked off.
But I needed another. My protag is a former National Park ranger and small town police chief turned private investigator. He would not be involved in chasing down Medicare fraud. I looked for a character with some other problem whose presence could propel my PI into another case that involved one of these illegitimate medical supply operations.
I found my character on the front page of the newspaper a couple of Sundays ago. He was Metro Nashville's youngest murderer. He shot a man during a late night drug deal when he was twelve years old. Released from prison after spending more than half his life behind bars, he is back home now in his mid-twenties. The young man's life was chronicled in a series of articles exploring the question is there hope for children who kill?
He is faced with the problem of starting his life over. He insists he will not go back to prison and wants to prove a person can change. But he hasn't found anyone willing to hire him, and he struggles to find his role in the community. Siblings who were three and four when he was locked up are now grown and have kids of their own.
He seemed like an ideal character to get my story moving, and that's what he did. He gets charged with another murder. I just need to find another 70,000 words to get him to the end. I think most writers would agree that generating ideas to initiate a story is one of the easiest parts of the job. What you accomplish with those ideas is where the hard part comes in. I'll have to let you know in a few months just how hard it was.
Or, as I like to say, now the fun begins.
Chester Campbell
Mystery Mania
Friday, October 22, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sex
In an early scene in Monday's episode of Hawaii Five-O, McGarrett is in bed with a woman. We would never have seen this in the original Five-O. In that series, we knew nothing of McGarrett's personal life. In fact, he seemed rather monkish in his dedication to fighting crime without entanglements.
Agatha Christi, the Grande Dame of mysteries, proclaimed that mysteries should have no sex. Her famous detective, Hercule Poirot, was a lot like the first McGarrett in that regard. In the all the many stories, he appears to have been smitten by only one woman, Countess Vera Roussakoff, but nothing appears to have developed from it.
Sex appears often in modern mysteries, sometimes gratuitous, but sometimes to a point. I happen to like characters with passion and messy lives. I like plots which are complicated by the main character's personal story. In Monday's episode, the sex was probably more gratuitous than pointed. It gave McGarrett a backstory, but didn't complicate the plot. In fact, the sex provided an easy out. When he needed a military satellite retasked for surveillance, he simply called his paramour, who conveniently works in a naval communications center. I'm hoping to see more of this particular backstory, but with some real complications.
I find sex hard to write about, so I tend to avoid the graphic. Instead, I try to inject it with some humor and then turn out the lights as in this passage from Pilikia Is My Business:
Agatha Christi, the Grande Dame of mysteries, proclaimed that mysteries should have no sex. Her famous detective, Hercule Poirot, was a lot like the first McGarrett in that regard. In the all the many stories, he appears to have been smitten by only one woman, Countess Vera Roussakoff, but nothing appears to have developed from it.
Sex appears often in modern mysteries, sometimes gratuitous, but sometimes to a point. I happen to like characters with passion and messy lives. I like plots which are complicated by the main character's personal story. In Monday's episode, the sex was probably more gratuitous than pointed. It gave McGarrett a backstory, but didn't complicate the plot. In fact, the sex provided an easy out. When he needed a military satellite retasked for surveillance, he simply called his paramour, who conveniently works in a naval communications center. I'm hoping to see more of this particular backstory, but with some real complications.
I find sex hard to write about, so I tend to avoid the graphic. Instead, I try to inject it with some humor and then turn out the lights as in this passage from Pilikia Is My Business:
He gestured to the table set for two. “Do we really want this now?” he asked.
“I think it can wait.”
“Race you to the bedroom?”
“Okay,” I said, “but it’s the only point you’ll get for speed.”
So, as a reader, how do you feel about sex in a story? As a writer, how do you handle it?
Mark Troy
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Only in San Francisco
While attending Bouchercon, I went on a three hour long cable car tour of San Francisco. The cable cars we toured in had actually been turned into busses. We went everywhere you'd expect to go, Fisherman's Wharf, we had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, Chinatown, lots of wonderful parks and classy neighborhoods and some not so classy neighborhoods. We visited Golden Gate Park and the ocean with surfers. We also drove through Haight Ashbury, which hasn't really changed a lot since the 60s and through the rainbow flag decorated Castro district contrasting a lot with the austere buildings in the financial district. Each of these places had distinct types of inhabitants as well as the tourists gawking at the sights and the people.
One place we passed that brought back old memories was the hotel I'd stayed in during the early 60s when I attended a PTA convention. Some things hadn't changed a lot, while others had definitely changed, one being back in my earlier visit cable car rides were free, this time it cost $5 one way.
I've reported about the actual Bouchercon in other places, but to make this mystery related, one thing I noticed were the many homeless people who parked themselves around the beautiful Hyatt Regency Embarcadaro where the con was held. Some, I'm positive because of their actions, were crazy.
One night, my roommate, Gay Kinman, and I went to a P.I. awards dinner in Chinatown. We took the cable car and the only way we knew it was time to get off was when I spotted all the Chinese lanterns decorating the very steep hill into the tourist part of Chinatown. After the great dinner upstairs in the old Empress restaurant which had been there long before my fist visit to San Francisco, we headed home. No cable cars were availabel though we waited in a marked cable car stop, and despite Gay's valiant efforts, no cabs wanted to stop for us. Finally, we decided to walk back to the hotel which fortunately was downhill, unfortunately, several very long blocks.
It was about 10 p.m. and there were others on the street, mainly young folks going into local pubs and dancing establishments. We also passed some of the aforementioned homeless. And no cable cars passed on the way downhill so it was a good thing we hadn't waited. Was it safe for us to be walking on the street at that hour? Probably not, but we made it.
My ride to the airport Sunday a.m. was also an adventure. I'd been told to wait in the street in front of the hotel. The valet said not to do that but to wait on a bench in front of the hotel. The van arrived early. He had a horrible time maneuvering around to get to his next pick-up because many streets had been barricaded because of a pending marathon race. Finally we arrived in front of a rather seedy hotel in Chinatown to pick up the next traveler, a young woman from Columbia who was here because of job training. While we drove, I spotted homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk in both good and bad parts of town. Next we parked on a very steep hill while the driver looked for an address--was glad when he got back in because I'm not sure I could have made it into the front seat to steer the van if the emergency brake hadn't held, in which case we would have zoomed down the hill to end up in a concrete wall. The passenger was waiting in front of a house at the bottom of the hill--a Chinese woman heading home to Seattle after visiting friends.
A note about Bouchercon itself, nearly 2000 people attended and a large percent were mystery writers (famous and not so), those who wanted to be mystery writers, and the largest group were readers and fans. The best places to find people to talk with was in hospitality room where refreshments were free, or in the bar where nothing was free.
Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Character or Plot Driven Mysteries by Morgan Mandel
This question has to have been asked before, but I'm still curious of your opinions. Which do you prefer, character or plot driven mysteries?
My favorite are the character driven mysteries. I'm drawn to the hero or heroine first before I'm sucked in by the plots. Though I like to know how a plot will end, what keeps me reading is a character's thoughts and feelings about what's happening.
That goes for whether I'm reading a mystery or writing one. What about you?
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
My favorite are the character driven mysteries. I'm drawn to the hero or heroine first before I'm sucked in by the plots. Though I like to know how a plot will end, what keeps me reading is a character's thoughts and feelings about what's happening.
That goes for whether I'm reading a mystery or writing one. What about you?
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 15, 2010
Pull Your Reader into the Plot
by Jean Henry Mead
A strong opening sentence is obviously the best way to drag your reader into the story:
~The body was hanging at eye level when Carolyn entered the room.
~ The snow was so deep that only Snerdly’s cap was visible.
~ A foot hung from Fido’s mouth.
~Today is probably the last day of my life.
I’m sure you can think of better opening sentences to suspend disbelief while inviting your reader into your fictional world. It’s a writer’s job to seduce and lure--one carefully crafted step at a time to an adventure away from the real world.
The reader needs to know where you’re taking him and why. Is your fictional world believable? Fantasy writers can get away with great stretches of the imagination but mystery writers need to stick to the facts. So don’t have a body suspended in mid-air unless you have a logical reason to do so.
Your opening sentence had better lead into the main theme of the plot. Don’t start with a couple kissing on a park bench unless one or both are shot or witness a nearby killing. And don’t start with boring backstory or it won’t be long before you lose your reader. Jump immediately into the action. Keep your reader breathless for pages before you let her up for air.
Motivation and goals are essential in developing your plot. Another good way to lose your reader is to have your protagonist risk his life simply because he had his foot stepped on. If the killer murdered the character’s mother, you then have a believable reason for him to go after the culprit. Some amateur sleuth stories border on the ridiculous when ordinary people decide to trap a killer simply because they think they can. Give them good reasons to place their own lives in danger.
Don’t people your plots with too many characters. Mark Twain wrote that the best way to get rid of characters when they’re no longer needed is to have them jump down a well. Better yet, make sure characters are only there to further the plot and can be eliminated when you tie up all the story’s loose ends.
Killing off characters can be painful for the writer but extraneous side plots can kill a story. In the old western films cowboys used to ride off into the sunset with the townspeople staring after them. Not so with mystery novels, no matter what the sub genre. We want to leave the reader wanting more. Readers like to solve the mystery on their own before the conclusion, so don’t make the killer’s identity the most unlikely candidate in your plot. Be fair when you plant red herrings and clues so that the reader will be able say, “Aha, I should have known it was him (or her). “
What’s the best opening sentence you’ve written or read?
A strong opening sentence is obviously the best way to drag your reader into the story:
~The body was hanging at eye level when Carolyn entered the room.
~ The snow was so deep that only Snerdly’s cap was visible.
~ A foot hung from Fido’s mouth.
~Today is probably the last day of my life.
I’m sure you can think of better opening sentences to suspend disbelief while inviting your reader into your fictional world. It’s a writer’s job to seduce and lure--one carefully crafted step at a time to an adventure away from the real world.
The reader needs to know where you’re taking him and why. Is your fictional world believable? Fantasy writers can get away with great stretches of the imagination but mystery writers need to stick to the facts. So don’t have a body suspended in mid-air unless you have a logical reason to do so.
Your opening sentence had better lead into the main theme of the plot. Don’t start with a couple kissing on a park bench unless one or both are shot or witness a nearby killing. And don’t start with boring backstory or it won’t be long before you lose your reader. Jump immediately into the action. Keep your reader breathless for pages before you let her up for air.
Motivation and goals are essential in developing your plot. Another good way to lose your reader is to have your protagonist risk his life simply because he had his foot stepped on. If the killer murdered the character’s mother, you then have a believable reason for him to go after the culprit. Some amateur sleuth stories border on the ridiculous when ordinary people decide to trap a killer simply because they think they can. Give them good reasons to place their own lives in danger.
Don’t people your plots with too many characters. Mark Twain wrote that the best way to get rid of characters when they’re no longer needed is to have them jump down a well. Better yet, make sure characters are only there to further the plot and can be eliminated when you tie up all the story’s loose ends.
Killing off characters can be painful for the writer but extraneous side plots can kill a story. In the old western films cowboys used to ride off into the sunset with the townspeople staring after them. Not so with mystery novels, no matter what the sub genre. We want to leave the reader wanting more. Readers like to solve the mystery on their own before the conclusion, so don’t make the killer’s identity the most unlikely candidate in your plot. Be fair when you plant red herrings and clues so that the reader will be able say, “Aha, I should have known it was him (or her). “
What’s the best opening sentence you’ve written or read?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The New Publishing Reality by Christine Duncan
I had lunch recently with a friend who writes. She had been trying to sell her mystery and although she got good feedback, the manuscript kept being returned to her with notes that said something like, "loved this, but don't think I can sell it." What did they want? She asked.
My take? Simple. They want a writer who has a platform that will sell the book. Now if you are not already famous in some other venue, just how do you do that?
Establish an internet presence. Join Facebook and Twitter and start a fan page. Blog. No, don't just start a blog--be disciplined about it and do it religiously.
Investigate bookstores, blogs and groups that are about your topic. In other words, if you write mystery check out places like Stopyourekillingme and Crimespace (and makeminemystery!)Check out places where you could speak, or give talks. Learning to promote takes almost as much time as learning to write, and it changes all the time. Put in the effort.
Make yourself a marketing plan and submit it with the book. Don't promise what you have no means or intention of delivering. But show off your hard won knowledge of what it will take to promote and let the publisher/editor/or agent know that you know that it is part of your job.
Don't quit with the first (or thirteenth or twentieth rejection.) It's a hard market out there and selling the book to the publisher is just the first hurdle.
Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Bereano mystery series. Book Two, Safe House is available now.
My take? Simple. They want a writer who has a platform that will sell the book. Now if you are not already famous in some other venue, just how do you do that?
Establish an internet presence. Join Facebook and Twitter and start a fan page. Blog. No, don't just start a blog--be disciplined about it and do it religiously.
Investigate bookstores, blogs and groups that are about your topic. In other words, if you write mystery check out places like Stopyourekillingme and Crimespace (and makeminemystery!)Check out places where you could speak, or give talks. Learning to promote takes almost as much time as learning to write, and it changes all the time. Put in the effort.
Make yourself a marketing plan and submit it with the book. Don't promise what you have no means or intention of delivering. But show off your hard won knowledge of what it will take to promote and let the publisher/editor/or agent know that you know that it is part of your job.
Don't quit with the first (or thirteenth or twentieth rejection.) It's a hard market out there and selling the book to the publisher is just the first hurdle.
Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Bereano mystery series. Book Two, Safe House is available now.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Weather Forecasts
It’s the time of year when I start to think about the cold ahead – and don’t look forward to it. Except for the extra, guilt-free reading time it gives me! Really, who can feel too bad about curling up inside when the temp dips below freezing and the wind is blowing? It’s the perfect time to try out some new authors. And I’m actively looking for some writers I’d like to spend time with this winter. A friend has recommended David Rosenfelt – I like dog mysteries, so will give him a read.
I’m also looking at some horse mysteries. I love the Carolyn Banks’ dressage-themed horse mysteries and have read Sara Gruen’s Riding Lessons and enjoyed it as well. So I’m picking up more Sara Gruen, along with Horseplay: A Novel by Judy Reene Singer.
I’m going to explore some more cozy mysteries – I’ve been finding I really like them, too…and for some reason the cooking and tea ones are the ones I’m drawn to. So, I’m looking for authors in that genre as well. Joanne Fluke is one writer I want to try.
My Kindle also has some titles by authors I’ve always enjoyed reading: Lee Child, Agatha Christie, Laura Childs. I know I’ll enjoy a snowy afternoon defeating the bad guys and finding the guilty parties with these titles, and that’s always fun.
But it’s also very rewarding to find a favorite new author…so, go ahead, load up your ereader or your shopping cart with some “sure-to-please” or some “new-to-me” authors. That way, you don’t have to dread the weather forecast.
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
I’m also looking at some horse mysteries. I love the Carolyn Banks’ dressage-themed horse mysteries and have read Sara Gruen’s Riding Lessons and enjoyed it as well. So I’m picking up more Sara Gruen, along with Horseplay: A Novel by Judy Reene Singer.
I’m going to explore some more cozy mysteries – I’ve been finding I really like them, too…and for some reason the cooking and tea ones are the ones I’m drawn to. So, I’m looking for authors in that genre as well. Joanne Fluke is one writer I want to try.
My Kindle also has some titles by authors I’ve always enjoyed reading: Lee Child, Agatha Christie, Laura Childs. I know I’ll enjoy a snowy afternoon defeating the bad guys and finding the guilty parties with these titles, and that’s always fun.
But it’s also very rewarding to find a favorite new author…so, go ahead, load up your ereader or your shopping cart with some “sure-to-please” or some “new-to-me” authors. That way, you don’t have to dread the weather forecast.
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
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