So, we're doing a little housecleaning here. First, I'm the new president of Mystery Writer's of America Norcal for 2021. I have big shoes to fill. Laurie King has done a superb job of keeping the home fires of MWA Norcal burning brightly. I'm not really sure how I'll even remotely measure up, but hope springs eternal.
And I'm not really writing culinary mysteries anymore, so I think a change in the title of this blog is way past its due date. New title. With the help of my lovely son-in-law, I'm working on a new website, also WAY OVER DUE.
Ta da! First blog of the New Year. I hope to have new content every Sunday. I made this presentation on FaceBook Live a couple of months ago. It was a mess because I'm pants at social media and pushed one button, but it wasn't the RIGHT button. It's up on the MWA YouTube channel if you're interested, but I'm going to post little snippets of it here.
I grew up on Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett. And Jane Austen. Odd bedfellows, I admit. I’m going to start posting a brief Primer on the ABC’s of mystery writing that I hope will help you begin that mystery novel you want to write or you’ve written already but you’re struggling with it.
First things first, I think that ALL books are mysteries in one way or another. Do Romeo and Juliet ride off into the sunset? Shakespeare keeps us guessing for a while. Does Jane Eyre marry her Mr. Rochester? Yes, but not until God punishes him for the chutzpah in thinking he can marry Jane while his crazy wife stomps around the attic playing with matches. Spoiler alert. So, yes, I think that all books should keep you guessing. For the mystery, there should a LOT of guessing and a lot of suspense. Emphasis on suspense. That's what turns the page. The worst thing that can happen to a writer is when someone doesn't want to turn the page anymore. So, yes, suspense, keep it coming.
S
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