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Article: The Frustrations of plotting crime fiction

20/1/2013

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The Frustrations of Plotting Crime Fiction

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Artwork by Bradley Wind
Successful crime fiction needs the fertile imagination of a confident author who can plot with the precision of an engineer, while juggling motive, clues, suspects and conflict like a circus clown.  It can be a frustrating process.

Crime fiction is essentially plot driven, which is rather annoying when you consider that it is primarily the strong character of the sleuths whom everyone remembers.  From Sherlock Holmes to Miss Marple, Rebus to Morse, this truth is self-evident.  No matter how well they are crafted, crime and thriller plots are easily forgotten.  Yet, crime fiction demands a compelling and credible plot to sweep the reader to a satisfying dénouement. 

Ideas for crime novels often come from seemingly unconnected events.  Recently, I viewed a BBC program Imagine, which followed best-selling writer Ian Rankin for six months.  I watched with fascination as he pulled out a battered manila folder bulging with press cuttings, scribbled notes and photographs.  These unconnected events were the source of his inspiration.

The two unconnected events which led to my own novel were my desire to set readers the challenge of a locked room mystery and the chance discovery of a family will from 1770.  Back then, ours was a dysfunctional family of ten half-siblings, two mothers and a mistrustful father.  This damning document revealed that favouritism, injustice and cruelty were rife in that farmhouse.   I began to imagine the burning resentment the will could ignite in the unbalanced mind of one of those spurned, and the murderous consequences which might follow.

A crime fiction writer who relies exclusively on real life murders for stimulation may find that their work becomes flat.  Stripped of their grisly horror, real murderers are remarkably predictable and murder is one of the easiest crimes for the police to solve.  Criminology reports throw up the same information time and time again.  Murder victims tend to know their killer.  A trio of three deadly motives, money, sex and revenge, generally lie behind the bloody act.  Statistically, serial killings by fiendish monsters are a relatively rare occurrence. Women usually murder in self-defence or after years of abuse by a husband or partner, whereas men tend to kill out of sexual jealousy or as a matter of honour.

This is where the fertile imagination of the crime fiction author needs to enrich the banal, avoid the stereotypes, switch genders and exaggerate.  Have the honour killings committed by a woman.  Let two Hannibal Lecters lurk in the dank alleys of your sleepy town.  Blur the edges of the motives.  Yes, a large inheritance is an excellent reason to kill someone but alone it can become predictable and one-dimensional.  Spice up your novel by allowing your sleuth to also uncover the murderer’s deep-seated psychological need to take revenge on the dead father who always favoured his youngest child.

Many, if not most, crime fiction writers fear readers will suss out their plot before the end of the book and be left disappointed.  This fear sometimes pressures authors into the fantastical, or they create a plot with more twists and turns than a staircase in a New York skyscraper in order to stay one step ahead of the reader.  These decisions can be a disaster.  Crime fiction writers need self-confidence and control.  Have faith in yourself and faith in the imagination of your readers.  If you’ve got doubts about your plot ask for the help of a couple of honest friends to tell you how your storyline has developed.

I was initiated into the genre of crime fiction in the bizarre world of Murder Mystery Weekends at a luxury hotel.  I wrote the scripts and directed the action but quickly learned that the guests’ imaginations were more twisted than my own. What seemed obvious to me, sent them spiralling off on a tangent.  I didn’t need to create red-herrings; they went fishing and happily netted plenty for themselves.  This experience gave me confidence.  When I wrote The Missing Heiress, I felt comfortable drip feeding clues into my story, knowing that my readers would not always spot them or understand their significance.  I wrote the book I wanted to write – and so should you.

Crime fiction writers also need supreme organisational skills and discipline.  The first step is to strip the story down to its bare bones and pin point where the conflict lies.  Make notes and place these sparse details onto a timeline or blank calendar which covers the timespan of your novel.  This helps you keep track of everything - especially the suspects.  Insert subtle clues into the plot and check your plan for pace, flow and balance.  Is your sleuth’s investigation a frenzy of activity on some days, while not much happens on others?  Does the conflict build gradually towards the climax of your book?

In its initial stages any novel is fluid and gradually evolves. Nothing is sacred, and authors can reinvent and reject until they settle on something that feels right and continues to feel right.  But as criminal investigations intensify one wrongly placed incident can throw the whole thing off track.

Half way through writing The Missing Heiress, I hit a wall. I just couldn’t see the ‘big picture’ of my novel on the computer screen.  So I grabbed the family noticeboard from the kitchen and divided it up into days.   I scribbled down the scenes of my novel onto post-it notes and pinned them into the cork.  It worked.  I now had a physical representation of how my story would unfold and could shuffle everything around with ease until balance and pace were restored.  On top of this, I had the added satisfaction of watching the post-it notes vanish as my novel crept towards the finish line. 

I have since learnt that Apple Mac have devised an ingenious computer program called Scrivener which provides a digital representation of a cork noticeboard. No doubt, it reduces the frustration of some authors busy plotting crime fiction.  However, I wonder if it can mimic the kinaesthetic satisfaction I experienced when I ripped down those final post-it notes, rolled them into a ball and hurled them into the bin? 




This article was first printed in The View from Here magazine on December 3rd, 2012.

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Virtual blog tour commences

3/12/2012

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The View from Here online literary magazine has published my article on 'The Frustrations of Plotting Crime Fiction.'

If you are interested in writing crime fiction, or who just wants to know how I wrote The Missing Heiress then please feel free to check it out... oh, and please leave a comment on the page.


The View From Here Magazine
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Poor J.K. Rowling

29/9/2012

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POOR J. K. ROWLING

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I never thought in a million years that I would utter those words.  But two nights ago when I clicked onto her new novel ‘The Casual Vacancy’ on amazon.co.uk and read the reviews, this exclamation of sympathy escaped from my lips.  And, yes, the irony of that phrase for a fellow author allegedly worth over US$1 billion dollars has not escaped me.

Amazon has priced the hardback edition of her novel at a mere £9 whereas the kindle version is retailing at the higher price of £11.99. EBooks, which cost hardly anything to produce, are traditionally far cheaper than the dead tree version of novels and they now outsell both paperbacks and hardbacks across the globe. 

Clearly amazon has decided to capitalise on this fact - and J.K. Rowling’s incredible popularity - by making kindle owners’ pay a higher price for ‘The Casual Vacancy.’ A calculated decision to maximise profits, this was bound to be controversial.

The backlash from furious kindle owners was swift and vitriolic.

Out of thirty five reviews posted on Thursday, over twenty three people had given ‘The Casual Vacancy’ only one star out of a possible five. This brought the overall ranking of the novel down to a pathetic two and a half stars - somewhere between the worrying ‘I don’t like it’ and the apathetic ‘It’s OK.’ 

But these poor reviews were not about the quality of her prose. Each one contained an angry protest about the high price of the eBook.

Hence: ‘Poor J.K.Rowling.’

Yes, she is a big girl now and the world’s most famous living author.  I suppose in some people’s eyes she is fair game, cushioned by a huge fortune and it won’t matter to her if she becomes the centre of a bitter pricing row between amazon and kindle owners.  They might think that a rating of only two and a half stars for her new novel won’t not upset her… but will it?

Of course it will. 

Beneath her wealth and fame, J.K. Rowling is a sensitive woman and an artist who desperately wants to be taken seriously as an adult author.  She has abandoned the lucrative world of wizardry and witchcraft to prove her skill as a decent storyteller for grown-ups.  In switching genres she has taken a brave step and become a debut author all over again.  Debut authors in any genre are nervous creatures.

Those comments on amazon, those stars and those reviews matter.  They are the voice of the general public and are usually honest and revealing about the true merits of a work of fiction.  The price row about the eBook has overshadowed everything else and distorted the launch of her new novel.  I have no idea if she is aware of the drama unfolding on amazon but I would be devastated if this had happened to me.

Chin up, J.K.  You were never destined to have an easy ride.  Unlike the wonderful fictional world of loyalty, friendship and honesty you created at Hogwarts; jealousy, meanness and avarice still rule the world of muggles.


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Plotting and Planning...

24/8/2011

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Plotting and Planning...

I recently arrived at a very confusing stage in the writing of  The Missing Heiress.  I had spent a long time  laying down the chronological outline of the plot into an excel document but I could not work with it.  Every time I thought of a new clue, redherring or lead for Detective Lavender to follow, I struggled to place it into the scheme. 

I just couldn't see the 'big picture' using the excel format and the 'balance' did not seem right.  There is majot event about three quarters of the way through The Missing Heiress.  My plan revealed too much information in the days leading up to this event and left nothing for Lavender to uncover afterwards.   On some days, his investigation was a frenzy of activity - on others not much happened at all.
   
I had read somewhere that many authors use postcards to help them with the hundreds of ideas flashing around in their imagination.  Events and scenes can be written down on postcards and shuffled around physically, to see how they follow each other and build up to the climax.  Well, I didn't have any postcards handy but I had a pair of scissors and plenty of paper.  Two hours later, I had a huge pile of paper slips, all covered with scribbled notes.

The next thing to do, was to lay them out in a chronological format which worked.  I needed something big.  Whilst the family were away at a football match, I requisition the kitchen noticed board, covered it with paper and marked out large squares.  Each square was a different day of the investigation.  Finally, I laid out my scribbled notes and shuffled them around until I felt the plot flowed smoothly and balance was restored.
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It worked.  Delighted with the results, I promptly sat down and wrote another 1,000 words.  Is this the way to beat writers' block, I wonder?  I can see at a glance where I am going next and I love the tactile and visual nature of my two foot by three foot novel plan.  I look forward to steadily removing the slips of paper, binning them and gradually watching the  kitchen notice board reappear.

Sadly, my family were not  impressed with my brilliant  idea when they returned home from the match.  They were more concerned that the flyers from the pizza takeaway shops had disappeared.  It took a while before  peace was eventually restored...and I think I'm going to have to buy another kitchen notice board.  ;)
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The dreaded editing and revision process

1/8/2011

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The dreaded editing and revision process

Like most authors, I loathe it.  It took me six months to completely revise and edit Catching the Eagle.  I have just finished revising a short story for the Knox Robinson website, and have been reminded again just how gruesome this process is.

Unfortunately, unless you want to appear a complete fool to your publisher and the general public, necessity demands that writers go through a finished story with a fine tooth comb.  But typos, missing apostrophes and commas are only part of the process.

The first thing I do when revising a finished story is hit the 'find' button on my PC and type in '-ly.'  I have often been accused of over doing the adverbs and this is by far the easiest way to check out whether they have been breeding like rabbits again across my prose.  Once balance has been restored on the adjectival front, I then examine how passive and/or active my verbs are, by using the 'find' button to seek out the words 'was' and 'were' and anything ending in '-ing.'

By this point, I am usually ready for a stiff drink but somehow I have to resist because I need to check out my very Northern habit of using the word 'that' in every sentence - often incorrectly.  Having spent years telling Secondary school children to try to avoid the infantile words 'get'/'big'/'little' and 'small' - I next examine whether, or not, I have been practising what preach. 

At this point the mood in my study has usually turned sour with boredom and the concentration has become a strain.  While the written language may be improving, the audible language has turned a pale shade of blue.  After a final look for any overuse of the word 'as,' and the misuse of the word 'whilst,' I then hit the 'print' button and grab my 'red' pen.  Yes, 'Miss' marks her own work - in red ink.

It is unbelievable how different a story looks on the printed page; how many mistakes there are; how many sentences and whole sections exist which are surplus to requirement.  The first draft usually ends up covered in crossings out, arrows and other strange hieroglyphics.  Finally, the corrections are transferred to the word processed version.

I then breath a huge sigh of relief, grab a glass of wine and seek out a trusted friend to review the whole thing.  :)
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THE BIRTH OF A NEW BOOK

29/5/2011

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The Birth of a New Book

At last the muse is with me. 

And I've found the time to make a start.  :)

I sat down yesterday evening and started plotting my new novel onto  an excel sheet.  Just twenty two chapters at the moment, with a few sentences each, and a massive 'to do' list at the bottom, concerning the research I need to undertake.  It has got no title (although, I think the words 'disappearing heiress' may feature prominently) and it is very, very rough.  But it is a start.  Detective Lavender and Constable Woods have another case to solve.

The location is sorted and it will mean spending more time spent at one of our favourite hotels, The Riverdale in Bellingham, wandering around beautiful Northumberland to get 'a feel' for the backdrop.   How we have to suffer for our art...  ;)

I'm looking forward to a good summer.  Research aside, I'm setting myself a target of 5000 words a week for the next seven weeks and then maybe, 1000 words a day during the six weeks school summer holiday.  Hopefully, it should be finished by September.  It will not be as long as Catching the Eagle but the events only span six weeks, rather than the twenty six months of my first book.

Wish me luck, folks. 
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The Incredible Kindness of Friends...

15/5/2011

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The Incredible Kindness of Friends...

A wise woman I used to to know, once said to me that if we have just one good friend in this world then we are blessed.  At the time I thought that this was rather sad -which poor souls have only one friend?  But this week I have really appreciated the wisdom behind those words.  It is the adjective, not the numeral, which counts.

Youngsters often seem to be involved in a competition with their peers to have the busiest social life: Christmas and birthday cards are counted and the tally displayed;  the number of 'friends' on facebook is regularly reported.  Being 'popular' and part of the 'in-crowd' has never gone out of fashion and I'll admit to being this shallow when I was young.  Then we age, move around the country, change our jobs and family circumstances and the number of our friends (those people for whom we consistently make time) dwindles.   We can become so wrapped up in work and family life that we neglect good people.  Sadly, I realise now that I have let many good friendships go.  It can be quite a shock when those significant birthdays or anniversaries come around and you suddenly realise that you can barely fill a back room at the local pub for the party, never mind the O2 arena.

The upside of this, however, is that hopefully the quantity of friends we had in our youth has been replaced, in our thirties and forties, by the quality friendship of a few. 

And it is to those stalwarts who have stuck beside me - especially over the last few years when I have been distracted with this novel - that I would like to pay tribute in this blog.

Without the unswerving support and encouragement of Zena Breckner and Sam Blain this novel would never have been finished.  Both of them volunteered to read it, chapter by chapter, as it progressed and gave me invaluable  feedback and help.  The nagged me, criticised me and encouraged me in the way that only good friends can.  Very often I forced myself to sit down at the computer and get on with it only because I knew they were waiting for the next installment.  More often than not, it was their praise which motivated me to run back into the study and write some more. Whether Catching the Eagle ever takes off or not, I will be eternally grateful to these two for guiding me to the finish line.

Now Jill Boulton, a friend I have sadly neglected over the years, has come back into my life and, without hesitation, has volunteered to use her experience and skill as a professional editor to help me with the proof reading.  I am delighted.

In fact, when I start to count my blessings - as I have this morning - I realise that there has been a whole army of people out there who have been encouraging me, one way or another, from the sidelines.  I also realise that there are other friends in my world who would not hesitate to step in and help me if I needed their specialist skills; they are simply just waiting for the call. 

In a bleak fortnight which has been dominated with personal problems and bad news, the continuing help, encouragement and advice given to me by my friends stands out like a beacon of hope.  It is simultaneously humbling - and a cause for pride.

In one of my more insecure moments, I chanced upon an MSN survey which revealed to me that I had far below the number of good friends everyone else in the UK claimed to possess.  I remember that this bothered me at the time.

Today, I smile and think back back to Katie's words:   'if you have just one good friend in this world then you are blessed....' 

Today I feel very blessed.

Thank you, my good friends. 
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Researching a two hundred year old mystery…

6/5/2011

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Researching a two hundred year old mystery…

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Morpeth market and gaol tower c.1890
We started researching my husband’s Charlton ancestors when our daughter was born in 1994.  There’s something about having children which not only makes you look forward to the future but also makes you curious about where you all came from. We knew that the little stranger in our arms was the latest in a long line of Charltons but who were those shadowy figures in history that had passed down her surname and contributed to her genetic makeup?  What were their stories?  We wanted to give our children a history which was uniquely theirs.

In August 2004, we made an amazing discovery. I was chatting on a genealogy message board when a very helpful stranger gave us the following extract about hubby’s Great-great-great-great- Grandmother:

                “In Heddon on the Wall baptism register there is recorded the baptism on 27th of July 1815 of Mary, the daughter of Priscilla Charlton
. A note in the register says “mother a married woman: her husband transported.”

We were stunned. Transported?  If hubby’s 4x great- Grandfather had been a convicted felon, what had he done?

I was also amused.  My mild-mannered husband was descended from a notorious criminal.  It was good to know his ‘respectable’ family had a skeleton in the closet. 

Being eternal optimists, our first instinct was to Google ‘James Charlton, Kirkley Hall.’  Unbelievably, it paid off. 

There is an article called ‘Liberty is Sweet’ on  wearside.online which tells a potted version of the story.   James Charlton was controversially convicted of stealing over £1,157 from Kirkley Hall in 1810.  However, our surprise quickly turned to indignation: James was found guilty mainly on the testimony of a condemned horse-thief with whom he shared a prison cell in Morpeth gaol.  This treacherous cad gained his own freedom and escaped hanging as a result of turning King’s Evidence against his cell mate.  Our ancestor was framed.   The mystery of the burglary at Kirkley Hall had never been properly solved.

I had always dreamed about writing an historical novel and now the perfect plot had just fallen into my lap.  But how to uncover the rest of the story?

Our first attempt at research was a failure.  We contacted wearsideonline.com and politely asked them where they obtained their information.  The foreign owners of the website replied, quite rudely, by telling us to: “go and read some books.”

However, since this shaky start we have been bowled over by the kindness of strangers.  People have gone out of their way to help us gather what information there still remains about this two hundred year old mystery.  A woman I had never met found us the records of the prosecution case at The National Archives.  A professional genealogist, who was also researching shady Regency criminals, contacted us and helped us solve the mystery of what ultimately happened to James Charlton.  

We made several visits down to The National Archives ourselves; gleaned valuable information from the helpful folks at the Ponteland Local History society and spent hours trawling through two hundred year old newspapers in the Gateshead Central Library. 

Sometimes the research was fun and formed part of an amusing family day out.  Although, after a few years, the kids started complaining about the number of graveyards we visited.  My son also recently informed me that our trip to see the ‘family pile’ – Morpeth Gaol – was a sobering experience for an eight year old.

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More Charlton villains case the joint at Kirkley Hall.
Once we all turned up on Open Day at Kirkley Hall (now an Agricultural College.)  The staff happily gave us access to their own information about the burglary in 1809 but strangely enough, they were unwilling to let us roam freely around the hall.  We can imagine the frantic whispering:  ‘Quick – lock up the silver!  The Charltons are back!’   

We enjoyed a drink and toasted hubby’s beleaguered ancestor in every public house mentioned in the court case documents.  As James Charlton sipped brandy and gambled away his meagre wages in most of the pubs in Ponteland, the pub crawl took quite some time...  ;) 

Bit by bit, the story came together.  By January 2009, I decided I had enough information to start writing the novel – and then the hard work began.  A Literature degree and a lifetime of teaching English is not a guarantee that you can turn into an author overnight.  It has been a steep learning curve and I am still learning.  Turning this Regency miscarriage of justice into a historical ‘who-dunnit’ quickly became an obsession.  For twenty months I spent every spare minute hammering away at my keyboard.  By the summer of 2010 I finally completed Catching the Eagle. 

Or so I thought.  The editing and revising process has been gruelling.

I posted the first 20,000 words on ‘Authonomy’ in November 2010 and again, thanks to the helpfulness of strangers, the revision and the editing continued - and will do so until I find an agent/publisher for Catching the Eagle.


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