Carolyn Hart! And Her Guilty Secret

"Carolyn Gimpel Hart, author of 39 marvelous novels, author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated Letter From Home, upholder of the Malice Domestic faith, champion of the amateur sleuth, devoted Sister in Crime, mailing list compiler extraordinaire, winner of more awards than anybody ever gave me, wife to dear Philip, mother to sweet Sarah and Philip Jr., grandmother to adorable Trent and Adrienne, I crown you my official heir designate. Long may you reign, preferably at the top of the bestseller lists!"
"Agatha Christie" on Carolyn Hart
--By way of Nancy Pickard's Malice Domestic Tribute

HANK: Whoo hoo. I get to introduce Carolyn Hart. (And she's gonna read it. How do I do that?) I was sitting at a table at Malice Domestic last year, I think it was? And she came and sat next to me. I remember the moment--because I (cleverly) thought: holy goodness... Carolyn Hart! I'm sure she thought my bit of choclate had gone down the wrong pipe from the goofball expression on my face. It wasnt goofball, Carolyn.

It was awe.

Welcome to Jungle Red!

(Carolyn is the (ta dah!) Guest of Honor at this spring's Murder 203. Congratulations! And more on that in a minute.)

But first--like all mystery stories, Carolyn has a secret. And right here, right now, she'd going to reveal it.


A Foggy Road

by Carolyn Hart

Recently I changed publishers after many years at one house. During that time, it became standard for editors to request an outline of a proposed book. Moving to a new house revealed my guilty secret.

I can’t outline.

I will confess - I am unable to envision a coherent path to a finale. Yes, I have a general sense of
a book, but when I start on page one, I have no idea how I will reach page 300.
My new and wonderful editor Natalee Rosenstein mildly remarked that in high school English the teacher spent a full semester instructing them how to outline, thereby making the writing of an essay efficient and predictable.

Oh, Natalee, I would if I could.

In a perfect world, an author can glibly summarize each chapter before writing the book. I do not live in that perfect world. Instead, I start each book knowing these things: the protagonist(s), the victim, the murderer, the reason for the crime, and I have a working title.

The identity of the protagonist determines the background and sensibility of the book. Is the heroine a big-game hunter, a Wall Street lawyer, a Southern belle, a small town single mom? That decision creates the world in which the story occurs.

The victim is the second most important decision. Is he or she admirable, despicable, a bully, a near saint? Whoever the victim, that person inhabits a specific world with particular members. It is this circle around the victim that provides the cast of characters.

The reason behind the crime must match the enormity of the act of murder. Trivial passions will not suffice. There must be a compelling reason for murder to occur and for the murder to occur at this time.

Finally, I cannot write a book without a working title. Often that title will change because my story changes over the course of its writing. Minor characters become major characters. A character intrudes in the action and becomes essential to the plot. A fact included in chapter three lays the foundation for an important scene in chapter ten.

Efficient? Nope. Predictable? Not by me. But I am convinced that when the story twists in a fashion that surprises me, the scene will also surprise the reader.

I wish I could outline. It might possibly diminish the despair that sweeps me when I face a blank wall halfway through a ms and fear that never, ever will I be able to finish the book. Somehow, by grace and by God, the book continues and triumphantly one day I type - 30 - on the last page.

Finding my way is never easy, but once years ago I heard Tony Hillerman talk about writing.

He said that writing a book is like walking up a foggy road. The farther you go, the clearer become the objects in the foreground. I have taken comfort from Tony’s comment for many years.

Soon writers will gather at Murder 203. They will talk about writing. We will learn from each other and we will walk up that foggy road together.

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Carolyn Hart is the Guest of Honor at this spring's Murder 203 in Connecticut--one of Jungle Red's favorite conferences. Wanna go? There's still room!

Register Today!

Here’s what this entitles you to:

- Two full days of author panels and talks for readers and aspiring writers
- Book signings
- Giveaways and free raffles
- Silent auction and live auction (including an opportunity to “buy your way”
into someone’s next mystery)
- Two breakfasts and Saturday lunch
- Our fabulous Cocktails & Crime reception on Saturday evening

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Oh, and tomorrow? One writer's reinvention of herself--with wild success! How'd she do it? She'll let you in on it--on Saturday.