E.M. Lockard
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Keeping it Simple

7/26/2013

1 Comment

 
Today I'm working on rewriting a story I originally wrote for last year's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, of course), and I'm reminded once again to KEEP IT SIMPLE.  You see, the story is a mystery - a cozy to be more specific - and it's exciting for me, because it's my first real mystery.  I've always loved reading a good mystery, but writing them never worked out.  Why?  Because I could never think of a good reason to knock somebody off.
I suppose that's a good thing in life, but an appropriate and believable motive is vital in a cozy.  If you're a fan of the TV show Castle, you may be familiar with the line, "There are two kinds of folks who sit around thinking about how to kill people: psychopaths and mystery writers."  How true that is!  I've been trying to think of not only how to kill someone, but why.  And it has taken up a disturbing amount of my time.

My trouble is really that I tend to muddy the waters when it comes to motive.  I get so confused trying to think of a good reason to kill that I end up with a long trail of half-reasons that somehow lead to the guy with the knife in his back.  Not sure what I mean?  Neither am I.  Think of it this way.  Instead of using a recipe to make cookies, I'm starting with a ready made cookie, trying to unmake it and then trying to make it again.  It doesn't work too well.  I take a crime, work backward to force some sense into it, and then try to tell the story from the beginning.  Everything gets mixed up, and I get confused, but that's not really anything new.

I need to keep it simple.  Jealousy, hate, love, money, standing/status, religion, greed, passion, etc. are classic motives for a reason.  They work.  And they work because they're realistic.

So here I go.  Back to the grindstone.  Back to my murder.  Wish me luck!
1 Comment
Postcard from Connecticut link
6/17/2023 03:43:51 am

Hello mate, great blog

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    Called "The Semi-Sane Writer", this  blog used to have its own home.  However, it felt lonely and decided to join the rest of the author's information on this site.  The author took pity on the poor, lonely blog and very nicely relocated it. 

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