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!
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!