Tag Archives: murder mystery

Blame Edith Wharton!

Posted on January 28, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

My nice husband gave me a volume of novels by Edith Wharton for Christmas. I’ve been reading House of Mirth, and tonight I just could not put it down till I finished it. So I have a very literary reason for this week’s Wuss-out Wednesday post. Doesn’t that sound higher class than “I’m tired” or “I’m drinking wine”?

In fact I am tired, and I have to admit that it is for no discernible reason. I worked for a mere eight not very strenuous hours and did not go running after work. I obviously did not write a blog post while at work. Did I write? Oh my, yes, I did. Just not a blog post.

I am working on the actual script for the murder mystery Ilion Little Theatre is putting on for a church’s fundraiser. I started it yesterday, dragging one sentence at a time out of my brain. I knew how I wanted it to start, so I wrote that. Then what? Another line. What next? Another line. Then a line that gave me a few more lines after that. Maybe this would work.

Today it was different. I had ended yesterday not exactly sure where to go next, but thinking in a vague sort of way that I would figure it out. While I worked I just sort of let the characters float around in my head. Full disclosure: I’m not even sure who the murder is yet. Soon a few lines of dialogue magically appeared. Then a few more.

When it was lunch time I wrote like a maniac, quickly getting down everything I had been composing in my head. Then I came up with a few more things. The only problem was, what I came up with does not follow consecutively with what I wrote yesterday. This is a problem I shall easily solve in editing.

Ah, now I must get to editing, mustn’t I? I came home and fired up the desktop to type in what I wrote. Then I was overcome with fatigue. I called my mother for a pep talk. I told her how tired I was, but when I got off the phone I said I would try to do something useful. She said I should do something fun, “like read a book.” So I picked up Edith Wharton JUST FOR A MINUTE.

And that brings us to the present. Ooh, and it’s 400 words. That’s pretty good for a Wuss-out Wednesday. Hmmm…. would that have made a better headline? “Pretty Good for a Wuss-out Wednesday.” Discuss amongst yourselves.

Or do you suppose I used it before? I’m too tired to check.

It’s A Crime

Posted on July 22, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did not write a blog post while at work today. I spent my time before my shift and on each break reading a true crime book by Ann Rule. She is the BEST! I love true crime. I guess the best I can do for this week’s Middle-aged Musings Monday is a couple of paragraphs about my crime obsession.

It seems to me that many people love murder. Murder mystery novels crowd library shelves. Many movies feature murder, mysterious or otherwise. And on television… it’s everywhere! Truth, fiction, police, amateurs, hit men and even the undead, although many would argue that they don’t count. I am not alone in my obsession.

I do enjoy a good fictional mystery, on the page or on the screen, but lately I am really addicted to the true stuff. I have written about this before, how I watch many shows of varying degrees of cheesiness. I only wish I had seen a good one lately, so I could write about that.

The novel I am having so much trouble writing (and I KNOW I have written about that here) is a murder mystery. Perhaps one of the reasons I am having so much trouble with it is that I am not spending enough thought on the actual crime. Silly me, I keep thinking about the characters. Well, I will have to work that out for myself.

Well, that is over 200 words. I am having a plethora of not very good posts lately and for that I apologize. Tomorrow I plan to go running early in the morning. I hope and trust that will offer enough interest for a decent Running Commentary. If not, I believe there is a library book sale I can attend. Ooh, maybe I’ll find another Ann Rule book.

Murder on the Blog Post

Posted on May 9, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Is anybody keeping score as to how many posts I write about Why I Can’t Write a Post? I hope not. In fact, why should I flatter myself that people are paying that much attention to me in the first place? At least I was working on something different this time. I was trying to kill someone.

I just said that to be dramatic. I was writing a murder mystery. You see, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… oh wait, that’s something else. It was in the North Country, as that area of northern New York State likes to call itself. And it was the 1990s, so, you know, not yesterday. My husband and I and some friends used to have a company called Murder For Hire. We put on interactive murder mystery dinner theatre.

I used to write most of them, and I like to think I was pretty good at it. We never made a lot of money, but we had a lot of fun. I really miss doing them. When I get a real intense bout of writer’s blank, sometimes I start one, just to get my creative juices flowing.

Regular readers may recall my saying that my novel is at a standstill. I keep thinking about it while at work (a good time for working out plot points), but nothing much is coming. So I started to think about something else. I thought about a possible venue for a murder mystery. I thought of an organization that might like to do one as a fundraiser. Then I thought about what kind of murder mystery they would like. Then next thing I knew, I was making notes.

I started that yesterday after I had written the day’s post, so I’ve been at it for two days now. I am enjoying it quite a bit. Will I feel confident enough to actually approach the organization I thought might like it? We shall see. And probably write a blog post about it.

Hmmmm… Who Do I Kill?

Posted on January 18, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s supposed to be easy to write a post on Lame Post Friday; that’s why I invented it. But we all know, sometimes, not so much. Oh, I know, as soon as I say “we all” or “everybody” or anything universal, SOMEBODY is sure to say, “I don’t know that” or “I don’t feel that way” or “Not necessarily.” Well, I don’t know exactly how to spell the raspberry sound, and truth be known, I almost never make that noise anyways, so, OK, if you want to say any of those things, I’ll let it slide. This time.

Where was I? Oh yes, nowhere. I did not write anything at work today. I don’t feel capable of writing anything now. It’s not Writer’s Blank, it’s not Writer’s Block, it’s not Writer’s Anything, because I don’t feel like I’m a writer any more.

Oh dear, I didn’t mean to say that. But since I did, I may as well share my current crisis, because, actually, I think it’s kind of funny. You see, I’m writing this murder mystery, and I don’t want to kill any of my characters. I like them all. And it’s not only that, I keep thinking how upset certain other characters will be if I kill off that one. Oh, or that one. I’ve even changed my mind about the murderer at least twice.

Writers who outline and stick to their outlines are now indulging in superior laughing, finger pointing and head shaking. Oh, like YOU never have problems! I’ve argued with these imaginary superior sorts before. Even when I win, I lose.

OK, I’m over 250 words. Lame, but done. I’m going to hit Publish and get on with my weekend. May your Friday be un-lame and your weekend be happy.

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