Great post. Looking forward to reading "Sausalito." I haven't been able to finish a novel for many reasons, so short stories are where I currently live. Old movies have been a big part of my life, so I enjoy writing in the noir period of the late 40s. Don't follow many rules. I go where the story takes me. Many of my crime pieces don't have dead bodies. Blackmail or prostitution often suffice. Trying to keep if fun these days.
Nice write up. And points out one of my biggest pet peeves as a reader. Fiction is so formulaic these days. In one way, that's comforting to some readers since they know what to expect. But to me, it's a snore fest. We writers need to let our imaginations soar instead of following a particular literary formula. Trust me, there are plenty of readers out there wanting that literary difference.
A great read. Dennis Lehane is among my favorite authors. His Patrick and Angie series was one of the most important inspirations for my detective series.
His later work really seems to have strayed from the humor he found in P&A. What do you think?
I would contend that all stories are crime-adjacent.
- yes, we've talked about this before, and i agree. It's interesting to look at fiction through that lens.
For me, I do really like craft rules, but as far as what is supposed to be in crime fiction? I have no idea or interest. You're right that those kind of rules create repetitive and boring fiction. Ripe with tropes.
I loved how The Man Who Died Twice, the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series, played up the trope of the dead guy start by having the dead guy himself ask the “detectives” to find out his killer. A similar thing happens in Glass Onion, a movie full of twists and turns and even better (in my opinion) than Knives Out. Have you seen these?
Enjoyed this post. I have my first southern suspense novel coming out maybe 9 or 10 months. A dead body for sure, a unique burial and a haunting secret. Loved writing it. Short stories and poems are fun too! Write whatever strikes you!
Over the course of ten Nick Hoffman mysteries, I played with where the body would show up and in one book nobody was killed but there was plenty of mayhem, academic and otherwise. It was fun varying the "placement" and of course interviewing medical examiners and doctors to investigate various kinds of deaths.
Children are fair game, though, right?
Great post. Looking forward to reading "Sausalito." I haven't been able to finish a novel for many reasons, so short stories are where I currently live. Old movies have been a big part of my life, so I enjoy writing in the noir period of the late 40s. Don't follow many rules. I go where the story takes me. Many of my crime pieces don't have dead bodies. Blackmail or prostitution often suffice. Trying to keep if fun these days.
Nice write up. And points out one of my biggest pet peeves as a reader. Fiction is so formulaic these days. In one way, that's comforting to some readers since they know what to expect. But to me, it's a snore fest. We writers need to let our imaginations soar instead of following a particular literary formula. Trust me, there are plenty of readers out there wanting that literary difference.
A great read. Dennis Lehane is among my favorite authors. His Patrick and Angie series was one of the most important inspirations for my detective series.
His later work really seems to have strayed from the humor he found in P&A. What do you think?
I would contend that all stories are crime-adjacent.
- yes, we've talked about this before, and i agree. It's interesting to look at fiction through that lens.
For me, I do really like craft rules, but as far as what is supposed to be in crime fiction? I have no idea or interest. You're right that those kind of rules create repetitive and boring fiction. Ripe with tropes.
Great post!
I loved how The Man Who Died Twice, the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series, played up the trope of the dead guy start by having the dead guy himself ask the “detectives” to find out his killer. A similar thing happens in Glass Onion, a movie full of twists and turns and even better (in my opinion) than Knives Out. Have you seen these?
Enjoyed this post. I have my first southern suspense novel coming out maybe 9 or 10 months. A dead body for sure, a unique burial and a haunting secret. Loved writing it. Short stories and poems are fun too! Write whatever strikes you!
Great post. I have not been a short story fan, but maybe you changed that.
Over the course of ten Nick Hoffman mysteries, I played with where the body would show up and in one book nobody was killed but there was plenty of mayhem, academic and otherwise. It was fun varying the "placement" and of course interviewing medical examiners and doctors to investigate various kinds of deaths.
Don’t kill the dog? Now she tells me🤦♂️😇