Writing

[jedusor]

There's this novel I've had in my head since I was fourteen. I've tried writing bits and pieces of it since then, and I've got lots of various fragments and ideas sitting in my brain and in Word documents on various computers. I tried to do NaNoWriMo in June last year and get it finished, but that didn't work very well; the words came out just fine, but they didn't tie together all that well.

Now I'm trying a different tack. Yesterday, I spent several hours mapping out a detailed outline on paper and started again at the beginning. I got 2560 words written, and I'm feeling fairly optimistic about continuing.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I'm doing it this year. I've never been able to before, due to November being right before finals. I was thinking about it the other night, and about the concept of writing what you know, and came up with an idea: a murder mystery set at a juggling festival. Problem is, I don't know the murder mystery genre well enough to mock it. Any recommendations for classic murder mysteries with which I should familiarize myself?

Comments

[androidlovesong.livejournal.com]

I'm not particularly mystery-versed myself, but I'd start with a few of the basics - Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle, D.L. Sayers, and maybe a couple of the modern top-sellers too, like James Patterson or Sue Graphton (I think that's her name. The woman who wries the alphabet books... A is for Assassination or whatever).

some classic authors

[chalepa-ta-kala.livejournal.com]

tutordennis likes Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, and Dashiell Hammett.

[qaqaq.livejournal.com]

Depends on what kind of murder mystery you're talking about. If you're thinking of a version of the classic "murder committed in an unusual way at the isolated country manor, amateur sleuth finds the clues, reveals to the gathered group of suspects that it was YOU, Lord Bingley, who committed the dastardly deed, and here is how you did it" plot, then Christie, Queen, and Van Dine are great places to start.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Heh... came across this: http://www.jugglingdb.com/news/thread.php?id=173005&group=1

And I just remembered that Bill Robinson (very tall guy, balding, mustache, married to Leslyn Keith, another tall person) wrote a juggling mystery. Not sure if it was a murder or not... he gave me a copy of it years and years ago, and I totally forgot until I read this. I just ordered a copy for you off Amazon; should be there in a few days. You should know your competition! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595098711/002-1779339-3752008

Good luck!

[mh75.livejournal.com]

uh, tons.

I'd start with some Christie (try one of Ms Marple, and one of Poirot), and work your way towards modern writers. I can make further suggestions if you like.

[misterajc.livejournal.com]

First of all, do you want the American style murder mystery (Raymond Chandler) of the British style murder mystery (Agatha Christie). The defining feature of the American style murder mystery is that when the plot begins to slow down somebody bursts into the room carrying a gun. The defining feature of the British style murder mystery is that when the plot begins to slow down everyone has a nice cup of tea.

OK, basic reading - British style. There's a huge amount of Agatha Christie out there, but the classics are probably Murder on the Orient Express, and Ten Little Indians (formerly called Ten Little N*gg*rs but you can't use that word any more). Dorothy L Sayers was excellent, too - Murder Must Advertise might be a good place to start. For more recent stuff, John Mortimer's Rumpole stories (also a TV series) are charming. I think there is a Best of Rumpole anthology. I'm also a big fan of the Jonathan Creek TV shows. If you have a bittorrent client you can download them. The hero has a day job designing tricks for a stage magician, and lives in a windmill full of magic memorabilia.

For American style, start with The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Watch the movie, too, it stays remarkably close to the book. (That book changed the meaning of the word gunsel, because other mystery writers misunderstood the way Hammett was using it.) Then go on to The Big Sleep, or anything else by Raymond Chandler.

Oh, yes, and then there's this...
http://groups.google.bs/group/rec.juggling/msg/40d408964ff862c1?dmode=source&hl=en

[ojouchan.livejournal.com]

If you want to read good quirky mysteries try reading Charlaine Harris or Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January series.

[bookishfellow.livejournal.com]

Some of my favorite mystery authors:
Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe) - straight-up pulp, light and fluffy, goes down smooth
Lindsey Davis (Marcus Didius Falco) - historical, heavy on character and relationships
Aaron Elkins (Gideon Oliver) - great at establishing a sense of place

For mysteries set at a gathering/conference/convention, check out Isaac Asimov's Murder at the ABA (American Bookseller's Association) and Mary Monica Pulver's Knight Fall (Society for Creative Anachronism; original title: Murder at the War)