By Martha Reed
This month’s theme seems to be about introspection and
change. That’s not a bad thing, and I wonder if I would ditch all introspection
if I moved somewhere warmer where I wasn’t trapped inside my house for three
months of the year. Would I ponder the meaning of Life as much if I spent my
mornings walking along a sandy beach under some restless palms? Probably.
That’s what I do.
But I also think this viewpoint is a big part of being a
writer. It’s more than merely observing details and drawing conclusions – there
are those quiet moments when you sit in stillness and try to connect the dots. I’ve
noticed that I naturally try to connect larger themes – life experience, the
concept of God, world religions, common sense, economics and money matters, courage
in the face of war whereas some of my friends, especially the married ones with
children try to connect themes between the people they know. Who is engaged and
how that engagement extends the dynamics of the family; who is doing well at
school and who is struggling and how to help; how to support those precious
children who want to become soldiers and ballerinas.
This insight made me rethink my latest novel because I think
when I drafted it I was too focused on connecting great themes and I lost the
bit that makes us human, and recognizable – the bit where the individual goes
walking along the tideline on the beach looking for sand dollars while she/he
ponders the universe. So, for this next revision, I’m going in low and pinning
my characters to the page. What do they think and feel? I have the plot; it’s
the skeleton on my story. What I’m going to do next is put some meat on the
bones.
Louise Penny does this really well in her Inspector Gamache
novels. I highly recommend that you start at the beginning of her series with
STILL LIFE. But I’m also on the lookout for other recommendations. Is there anyone
who writes a human mystery so well that you would recommend it to the world?
Inquiring minds want to know.
7 comments:
I have two favorites. Julia Spencer-Fleming's Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series and Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series (which is coming to A&E soon!) I want to write like them when I grow up!
I've been told I do that 'pinning' thing really well with my characters--so you might want to read my latest, A War Of Her Own. WWII homefront novel about what life was like for women back home building ships--facing men in the workplace for the first time, women finding their voice.
Annette picked my favorite: Julia Spencer-Fleming. I also like Julie Hyzy's White House Chef series. Two completely different types of mysteries, but both do a good job of characterization.
STILL LIFE? Okay, off to Amazon to check it out.
Introspection? Hmmm. Sounds like broccoli except it scrubs the soul clean. :) Maybe I should try it. :)
I agree with the Spencer-Fleming series - it has a prime spot on my bookcase!
I recently reread one of Margaret Atwood's short stories, The Age of Lead, in which the protagonist ponders her life and a long-term relationship in the context of watching a tv special on the ill-fated Franklin expedition. Brilliant!
Margaret Atwood is one of my top 10 authors - although her writing is so good it scares me - I don't know that I'll ever open Handmaid's Tale again but it's on the shelf. I even thought about applying to McGill to meet her until I learned I needed to speak French. BRRRR! That idea strikes terror in the hearts of Francophiles everywere.
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