| | What Kind of Stories Do You Write? | |
| | Author | Message |
---|
Dick Stodghill Five Star Member
Number of posts : 3795 Registration date : 2008-05-04 Age : 98 Location : Akron, Ohio
| Subject: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:41 am | |
| A Stodghill Says So blog: Today on that excellent website, criminalbrief.com, Rob Lopresti raised the question of fair play in mysteries. In an Agatha Christie-style story, fair play is a vital necessity. You have to play fair with the reader. Red herrings are OK, but no missing or truly misleading clues allowed. Being an average self-centered, egotistical person, I began thinking about the stories I write. They definitely are not Christie cozies where wealthy suspects gather at a country estate for a murderous weekend. Mine feature crude, coarse and often villainous people because I have spent a lifetime among such types. If I spent a weekend at a Rockefeller's estate I'd be one of the kitchen help, a guy never seen by the hoity-toity guests. Politicians, cops, private eyes, reporters, armed robbers, murderers, those are the people I have associated with all my life. Crude, coarse, often villainous people, although each of those words would be redundant when preceded or followed by "politician." Or in many cases, cops. In considering the kind of stories I write, let's examine one scheduled to appear in the June issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Two murders are committed by two different people for two different reasons. The narrator and others are aware of this, yet no one is arrested, charged and convicted. A private eye locates a man who has been missing for many years, but no explanation of how he did this is presented. The narrator takes liberties with his steady girlfriend that he has never taken before, yet what these liberties are is left to the imagination. Or take a story scheduled for a later issue of AHMM. A murder is committed, but the chances of the man behind it ever being convicted are nil. A woman who helped stage the killing benefits to the tune of $25,ooo. The narrator arrives in town broke but leaves with close to a thousand bucks in his pocket. Do either of these stories, both typical of the stuff I write, bear the slightest resemblance to a Christie cozy? Only to someone who believes a hamster resembles a gray wolf. Does either story fall under one of the accepted 13 sub-genres of mysteries? The second one is 1940s-style noir. The first falls under a category I invented myself earlier today in commenting on criminalbrief.com - "What the hell happened here?" Does it really matter what type of story a person is writing? To some it does. Is it necessary to play fair? Absolutely. Does every little detail have to be explained in full? No, at least not in the stuff I write. What kind of writer am I? 1930s-40s pulp magazine writer. Proof of that can be found on the Thrilling Detective website where my stories are headed this way: WHO SAYS THEY DON'T WRITE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO. Some people wouldn't take that as a compliment. I do. The moral of this piece, and this is the first time one has shown up, is simple: Don't Think, Just Write. |
| | | alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:02 am | |
| I know you think and write-- I like what you write. |
| | | lovesamy Guest
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:29 am | |
| One of the neat things about writing stories with a paranormal element is that I have some leeway when it comes to 'playing fair'. If my ghost can drink a beer and get drunk, who's to say he/she/it if you prefer can't? Anyone who says otherwise, I'll say prove it! However, when it comes to the mystery aspect of my novel, absolutely do I need to play fair with my readers. I agree that it is not necessary to explain every little detail in full. Yawn. But a clever writer can do it without making it seem so or not explain and not impact the reader's satisfaction. I also think it depends on the genre you are writing in. From what I have seen of fantasy, there are certain 'guidelines' re world building that fans have come to expect. Of course these 'guidelines' are very loose, but they still seem to be in place (observation based on discussions I have followed in other writers' groups). If I was writing a romance, I could not have two people fall madly in love who loathed and despised each other without showing why there was a change of heart. If I was writing a vampire story I am sure someone would give me grief if my vampire could bite someone on the neck and there'd be no consequence. Although vampires do not technically exist so I suppose I could make my vampires do whatever they want! And I agree, don't think, just write. Each of us has a unique voice that flows from us when we put fingers to keyboard or pen to paper. I believe it comes from the information and experiences we have absorbed in our travels. Once you have the words down you can get down to the business of editing and such, but don't lose your voice in the process. You may have read on writer's blogs or agent's blogs how they loved someone's voice. When Dick says don't think, just write, this is what you end up with. I have also read where folks say they don't want to change their words just because an editor or agent tells them to. When my agent tells me that I need to change something because it doesn't work, he is not trying to change my voice. He took me on because of my voice. It is like buying a house that needs a little work. You fall in love with an old Victorian that has a few broken windows and faded, peeling paint. You know that deep down that the house could be for you, and with a little paint and some new glass, a few flowers in the front yard, it will be perfect. That is what my agent does for me. He saw beyond the little imperfections and for him my voice held some promise. With his guidance I am choosing the perfect color and the right flowers! Of course, I am in this for the long haul, so my view may be different than someone who just writes for themselves or their family or any other reason. And there is nothing wrong with that, we all have our own hopes, dreams and goals. |
| | | JoElle Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1311 Registration date : 2008-05-09
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:30 pm | |
| I've heard folks talk about "rules" when it comes to writing. I've never bothered to find out what these rules are. Elves are notorious for breaking rules.
I've heard folks say "write what you know". Well, I don't really do that either. I know about trucking, the airline business, childcare, and emergency medical care. I am NOT interested in writing about it.
To me writing is simply taking the stories in my head and typing them onto a word document.
Why complicate the process with rules and procedures?
|
| | | Dick Stodghill Five Star Member
Number of posts : 3795 Registration date : 2008-05-04 Age : 98 Location : Akron, Ohio
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:34 pm | |
| In the mystery field it is necessary to follow certain rules. Top of the list is the play fair rule. If you don't, you won't get published. There are certain time-tested rules that have to be followed by everyone. Of course Elves get special privileges and that's the way it should be. |
| | | P. Gordon Kennedy Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1076 Registration date : 2008-01-13 Age : 35 Location : Crystal Falls, Michigan
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:45 pm | |
| I like to write high fantasy / anventure fantasy and a little science fiction as well as poetry (nearly all my poems are written in free verse). I like to create new worlds with my writings and I like writing fantasy because it doesn't always have to be realistic, after all, it's fantasy. |
| | | JoElle Five Star Member
Number of posts : 1311 Registration date : 2008-05-09
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:53 pm | |
| - Dick Stodghill wrote:
- In the mystery field it is necessary to follow certain rules. Top of the list is the play fair rule. If you don't, you won't get published. There are certain time-tested rules that have to be followed by everyone. Of course Elves get special privileges and that's the way it should be.
Heh! Good thing this elf doesn't write mystery. Of course, I can see the necessity of "playing fair" in such a case. Though, obviously I am not good at such things - playing fair, that is - what is the fun in that? And it is interesting that one of the masters of mystery, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, did believe in faeries. Smart man! |
| | | Sponsored content
| Subject: Re: What Kind of Stories Do You Write? | |
| |
| | | | What Kind of Stories Do You Write? | |
|
Similar topics | |
|
| Permissions in this forum: | You cannot reply to topics in this forum
| |
| |
| Latest topics | » Current events - world viewSun Apr 24, 2022 8:53 am by Abe F. March » Status of forumTue Oct 26, 2021 11:33 pm by Abe F. March » RSS-feed Directory of best Free Marketing TipsMon Jun 21, 2021 4:06 am by ryanerwindm » Alice Shumate CrookerSun Jun 20, 2021 2:31 pm by Shelagh » Alice Tue Jun 15, 2021 1:12 pm by Abe F. March » Activity on the forumFri Mar 12, 2021 10:31 pm by Abe F. March » Call it begins Fri Mar 12, 2021 6:41 pm by Ierus » Merry ChristmasTue Dec 22, 2020 11:04 am by Abe F. March » Climate ChangeMon Sep 21, 2020 12:02 am by Abe F. March » Animal charactersSat Jul 11, 2020 12:01 pm by Abe F. March » VirusSun Jun 28, 2020 7:59 am by Abe F. March » Just an observationSun May 31, 2020 3:10 pm by Shelagh » DebtSun May 24, 2020 5:42 am by Abe F. March » Still activeMon Feb 24, 2020 9:42 am by Shelagh » best fantasy books?Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:26 am by cpena |
Published Authors on Twitter |
|
|