Family is the Real Mystery

Ah, the joys of extended family gatherings! Pick your holiday. We love our families but the filters always seem to come off in conversations with them.

Don’t you love the questions your family members ask?  They often go something like this:

"Why do you write mysteries?"

"When will you write a real book?"

"Why do you want to write about brutal crimes like murder?"

Warning signs flash in my head as I bite back a scathing response. It’s sorta like the troll reviewer—Do Not Engage.

I’d have a different reaction if I were asked those questions at a signing or writing event. (Okay, I’ve never been asked about writing the “real” book at anything writer-related.) At a family gathering? Yeah, well, I’ve learned to smile, nod and change the subject.

Carolyn Hart says she answers these questions this way: “Murder is never the point of the mystery. Mysteries are about the messes people make of their lives and how they cope.”

Why can’t I come up with a great answer like that on the fly?

Given time to think about it (I’m a writer, not a stand up comedian), I’d explain that the attraction and defining features of a mystery are suspense, puzzles, and courage. Unlike action adventures and thrillers, mysteries are about the characters—not the murder.  Even a police procedural focuses as much on the detective as it does the actual unraveling of the case.

Lately I’ve been writing “lighter” stories, closer to the traditional mystery. Traditional mysteries cover their own swath of landscape, but run the risk of being accused of either “Cabot Cove” syndrome (where everyone in the small town dies or should be moving away from Murder Central) or otherwise dismissed as unrealistic, "cozy" little stories in little villages populated with “cute” people with “cute” jobs.

Again, I think those critics miss the point. The focus in these stories is on the characters and the relationships. There’s pain and passion, heartbreak and violence, despair and fury. It’s life as most readers live it, ordinary, unremarkable, and fraught with emotion. My favorite review says the reader wants to be “besties” with the heroine—a woman she relates to.

Rather than running from trouble or relying on forensics, computers and high tech,
the traditional mystery sleuth explores the relationships between the victim and the victim’s friends and enemies. The key is the motive--what caused turmoil in these lives? Thankfully, everyday dramas don’t often end in murder, but violent emotions resulting from those fractured relationships impact the lives of everyone involved.

This is what the traditional mystery is all about. The traditional mystery focuses on the intimate, destructive, frightening secrets hidden beneath an apparently placid surface. Readers know the jealous mother, the miserly uncle, the impossible boss, the belittling friend, the woman who confuses sex with love, the selfish sister. They encounter their counterparts in their lives—and understand that nothing can be more powerful than jealousy, anger, hatred, lust, and fear.

It is how these emotions destroy that fascinates both readers and writers of traditional mysteries. Every day we see proof that evil often triumphs. We want a world where goodness triumphs, where justice is served, where decency is celebrated. When people read or write a mystery, they affirm their commitment to justice, decency, and goodness. 

Now if I could condense that into a one-liner to zing across the dining room table at my brother…

What to you see as the appeal of the traditional mystery?

And how to you respond to those unfiltered family questions?

~ So About the Money ~ 

A traditional mystery solved by an amateur sleuth, who follows both the money and the relationships.  No farm animals were harmed in the writing or telling of this story.

Catch up with Cathy on either Facebook or Twitter. Sign up for her newsletter to hear about her next release. 

CHOICES

Photo courtesy of Americasroof at en.wikipedia

     In High School—many long years ago—I had to make a decision. If a student’s grades were high enough, he or she could take a special English class that either focused on theatre or writing. I offered to drop math in return for both classes but for reasons I could never understand my offer was refused. After a heated debate with myself I opted for theatre and never regretted my decision. Years later when I was singing at Radio City Music Hall I thought wouldn’t the Music Hall be a perfect setting for a play and between shows I began to jot down bits of dialogue, incidents that took place in the dressing room, anything that seemed possible in a small notebook which led to ... which led to ... which led to ... well here I am.

Courtesy of Dreamstime

     During rehearsals for shows I realized methods used in theatre could be applied when writing. When I write, I think of the protagonist as the star of my story in conflict with the antagonist who has his own motivation and tries to find his or her place in the spotlight. Most actors work on their motivation for hours, some for weeks, many for the entire run of a play. There’s a hoary theatre story about the actor who asks the director what his motivation is for making an exit. The director replies, “Your paycheck.”

     Actors improvise and often add a line or two or three; if the director disagrees with the actor’s “improvement.” The lines are cut unless the actor is a star in which case the stage manager tears out strands of her hair. My characters often develop minds of their own. I begin with an idea of what the characters should do, why they’re doing it, what stands in the characters way and what the story and the theme is about. Then, sometimes without any warning, my characters decide they want to go in another direction. My villain doesn’t want to be my villain anymore, an unlikely heroine emerges, pages and chapters need to be revised or cut. I may fight to keep my original idea but my characters are stubborn and after a sleepless night I think—maybe they’re right and try it their way.

     Some actors work from the inside out—motivation, background, and the reason why he is crossing from stage left to stage right. Others change their hair until they find the one that fits their character; they may rehearse with a long skirt, grow a mustache, walk with a limp, develop a twitch, gain weight or lose a few pounds—anything that will add to their portrayal. An idea, a conversation overheard, someone an author can’t forget begins the process of writing. We also use the senses as we work on the background, the characters, and who, why, what, when and where.

     First drafts are like readings where friends are corralled and the author listens and takes notes—was that a laugh, a tear, a yawn or ... oh, my God ... a cough?

     A director works with the actors, author, scenic and costume designer sometimes harmoniously ... sometimes not ... to get the results he wants. The writer works with an editor who will give a gentle push  ... or maybe a not so gentle shove to help the writer find the better book that lies within.

     The Producer of a play or show wants a hit, a chance at a Tony and someday his name on a Marquee. A Publisher doesn’t mind his books listed on the N.Y. Times Best Seller List and a prestigious award presented to one of his authors is always valued.

I SPY: Goals, Motivation, & Conflict (GMC)

Join the authors and friends of Not Your Usual Suspects for an occasional series of posts about their world of reading, writing and publishing.

Short and sweet, hopefully both informative and entertaining - join us at I-Spy to find out the how's and why's of what we do.

TODAY'S POST: I-Spy something beginning with ...

Goals, Motivation, & Conflict (GMC)

Writers have many tools for crafting a story. One of the techniques I use is Debra Dixon’s concept of GMC: Goal Motivation, Conflict. Her book (which can be purchased new through her website here, if you’re interested – beware the exorbitant prices of used copies on other sites) outlines in detail how to use this technique. In this post, I’ll briefly discuss how I’ve utilized and adapted her concepts to fit my needs.

Basically, working through the GMC of each character (especially the ones who have a point of view) helps me get a firm grip on what needs to happen in the plot to help each of these characters reach their full potential. Near the beginning of a manuscript (sometimes I’ll write a couple chapters first to get an idea of my characters), I sit down with paper and pencil and sketch something like this out (please forgive my handwriting):

At the top, I have a two-word description (usually adjective and noun) of the character, such as “ex-military loner” or “overworked CEO." Here, I've described Rachel, the heroine of a novella I'm working on, as a "dedicated nurturer." (She's a doctor who works too much, and her personal relationships suffer for it.). This descriptor is something that gives a snapshot of that character (and often makes it into my blurb about the book).

The chart has “Internal” and “External” on the x axis because we’ll be looking at each item as it affects the character internally and externally. In my experience, the "internal" column is especially important to character development and growth while the "external" often impacts the plot points.

On the y-axis are three rows, divided into Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. The Goal is WHAT the character wants or needs to achieve. The Motivation refers to WHY the character wants that goal. The Conflict is the WHY NOT, or what is preventing them from achieving their goal.

In my novella, what I have of the plot so far involves the heroine going to a high school reunion and, having had no time for a significant relationship, deciding to ask an old boyfriend to serve as her date. He agrees, but when she arrives at the hotel room, he's been murdered. She's been framed. The detective who shows up (the hero) knows her and tries to help.

That's the gist, but I use the GMC to flesh things out a bit more. Using the GMC grid, I have the following for Rachel:

• Internal Goals: 1.) Connect with someone AND 2.) Find love
• External Goals: 1.) Survive her 10-yr. high school reunion AND 2.) Find out who killed her ex-boyfriend

• Internal Motivation: 1.) Tired of being alone AND 2.) Desires a deeper connection (love)
• External Motivation: 1.) Wants to be a success (to outrun her family's past/reputation) AND 2.) Wants to be cleared of ex-boyfriend's murder by finding out who killed him

• Internal Conflict: 1.) Works too much (no time for relationships as she builds her medical practice) AND 2.) She's learned from her parents how painful love relationships can be.
• External Conflict: 1.) In high school, she was the odd girl, the one with a bad family reputation AND 2.) She's attracted to Detective Jake Flynn, so working with him leads to other distractions and issues. Besides, he might have to arrest her for murder if he can't help her prove her innocence.

At the bottom of the same page, I usually add a couple sections where I can jot down specific features of my character. Under the header “Physical Traits” I put things like hair and eye color, height, age, and the like. Under “History/Background” I can jot down things like when and where the character attended school, what their degree was, a sketch of a family tree, relationship history, and anything that helps with timeline and personality development. Some of these things I know up front and some notes I add as I write the story.

The magic of this technique is it helps me create a one-page cheat sheet for each character. I use it as a reference tool as I write. Also, once I have a grip on the GMC of my hero and heroine, villain, and anyone else who is vital to the story, I usually gain a lot of insight into how the story will unfold. But plotting is another topic (and another chart — complete with color-coded sticky-notes) all together!

How about you? Do you have any questions about GMC? Have you used a similar technique to develop your characters?

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FUTURE POSTS will cover:
Kindlegraph / the art of research / writing male/male romance / rejection and writer's block / building suspense / writing love scenes / anti-piracy strategies / audio books / interviews with editors and agents / using Calibre.
We welcome everyone's constructive comments and suggestions!

What Would You Do?

While working on my latest Mindhunters book (Acceptable Risk), I knew the ins and outs of my heroine, since I'd been getting to know her for years. Catherine Montague has been the receptionist at my fictional organization, SSAM (The Society for the Study of the Aberrant Mind), since Book 1 (Only Fear). However, in Books 1-4, because Catherine was a minor character, my editor often had me cut physical or behavioral descriptions that detracted from the main characters, so Catherine was still a bit of an enigma to readers. This turned out to be a blessing as I began writing Book 5. The sparseness of description in previous books meant I could do anything with Catherine. She could be anybody.

So, of course I wanted her to be a surprise. I wanted my heroine to have a secret, and to be tormented by it because she’s been lying to the hero, a coworker with whom she’d fallen in love. 

But I also needed her to be a likable liar, so I gave her a strong motivation: her family. The betrayal she harbors runs deep—her behavior, her entire life until the point the book opens has been to repay what she’s seen as a family debt. But she’s come to the point in her life where she can no longer be untrue to herself…or to the hero she loves.

While working on this story, some interesting questions arose. What wouldn’t I sacrifice for my loved ones? What betrayals can I forgive, and why? What would be unforgivable? 

Today, Catherine's story (and her secret) is available to the world, and she can no longer hide. 

How do you feel about secrets? Are some betrayals unforgivable? What makes you more likely to be merciful?

ACCEPTABLE RISK

Book five of The Mindhunters

To repay a debt, resourceful receptionist Catherine Montague has been living a lie, and her secret betrayal eats at her conscience. She knows what she has to do to reclaim her life, but revealing the truth could mean losing everything, including the agent she’s fallen in love with.

For sexy ex-SEAL Max Sawyer, hunting killers gives him a sense of fulfillment he never would have found if he’d followed the path that was his birthright. However, when his latest mission goes horribly wrong, releasing a hardened criminal in Max’s hometown of San Antonio, Texas, it’ll take all of his charm to convince the beautiful and resilient Catherine to serve as a buffer between him and the painful ties from his past.

Amid a manhunt, the re-emergence of a serial killer, and the activity of an organized crime ring known as the Circle, Max and Catherine may be the only ones who can set things right again. That is, if Max can forgive Catherine for her deception before a killer claims her. But is mercy a risk he’s willing to take?

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One Book Wonders and Life's Lessons

 

After I sold my first book, I worried about being a one-book wonder.  When I sold my second book, you would have thought the fretting would disappear, but no, I anguished over the third book.  Finally I figured out that the ‘validation’ from selling the next book would always be with me, my verson of the Sally Field syndrome, ‘you like me, you really like me’.   Every writer’s set of insecurities and demons  vary.

This year at the RWA Atlanta conference, I made the pilgrimage like many other writers to Margaret Mitchell’s house.  The irony of the situation did not escape me.  Here was a woman who wrote only one book, but what a book it was.  ‘Gone With The Wind’ was a Pulitzer Prize masterpiece whose impact to this day resonates. 

Still she must have had her own demons.  First, she almost didn’t submit her book to the publisher.  Then she requested all her papers be destroyed upon her death.  Since her husband complied with Margaret’s wishes, we don’t know what else she may have been working on at the time of her untimely death.  However, what a legacy she left with the one book she completed.

As I toured Apartment One and listened to the guide, I did smother a smile when I saw the setup where Margaret wrote over one thousand pages of manuscript.  So many discussions one hears at RWA conferences revolve around writers’ sometimes exacting requirements for a working environment [what music to play, not to play, etc.]  Another form of a writing roadblock, yet here Margaret had set up shop with a manual typewriter on a small table facing the street. 

While I attended a lot of great workshops and saw many wondrous sights on my road trip, the one thing that has motivated me the most was seeing Margaret’s house.  She had a passion to be something and to reach for it.  What she became was a writer and what a writer she was, demons and all,…even if it was only one book.   What is your passion, insecurity and/or writing demon?

Carol Stephenson

http://www.carolstephenson.com

Her Dark Protector, 2013 EPIC and IDA finalist            

Fight or Flight?

I’ve often wondered how I would act in the face of danger. For instance, if a mugger cornered me, would I be calm, cool, and collected? Would I freeze up? Would I kick him in the… um, shins, and run? I’d like to think I could make a wise decision based on a split-second analysis of available exit routes, strengths and weaknesses, and whether I’d had my Wheaties for breakfast.

I probably think about scenarios like these more than the average person, though likely not more than my dear fellow suspense writers. Because – spoiler alert! – there is DANGER in my books. And maybe even the occasional mugger. So I have to think about the myriad ways my various characters would respond in such a situation, and why. What’s more, I have to consider how their actions shape the way they act in the rest of the book.

Behavior is a combination of three factors: biology, psychology, and social environment. For a character to behave in a believable manner, writers must consider each of these factors when deciding on the appropriate sequence of events.

• What is the character physically capable of (e.g., has she had her Wheaties)?
• What is his/her mental state and thought process at the time of the event (e.g., is she thinking about her grocery list when she is surprised by her attacker or is she expecting an ambush)?
• And what is going on in the character’s surroundings that promote or inhibit one reaction over another (e.g., is there a gun, or are there others present who could get hurt)?

There are so many combinations of factors a writer can put together. My characters probably hate me for what I put them through. But hey, they come out stronger in the end, right?

For example, my heroine in ONLY FEAR is being stalked. When she first finds out it’s Serious (yes, with a capital “S” AND italicized), her home has been invaded by the man, her sanctuary desecrated. Despite her experience as a psychiatrist, she crumbles. (Well, just a bit, anyway… I love my strong heroines, after all.) But her growth arc in the book shows her growing stronger as she faces each dangerous encounter. And when family members are threatened, her behavior changes. She’s willing to take on more risk for those she loves.

My hero, on the other hand, is an experienced ex-Secret Service agent. He already knows how to deal with danger on a daily basis, and welcomes the opportunity to face it head-on if it means defeating an evil force. But he’s also dealing with something from his past that hinders his confidence. His reaction to danger is quite different than the heroine’s.

And of course, when you get the hero and heroine together, they can do anything. Because love crosses into physical, psychological, and social realms. And love conquers all.

What about your characters? How would they act when faced with danger and why?