LUCY BURDETTE: This week I have to finish the copyedits for A DISH TO DIE FOR (coming next August), and also try to make progress on a few pages in food critic mystery #13 before the holiday season takes over completely. I was thinking about the different ways a book gets started. In DISH, the opening definitely sprang from visiting a little beach on Geiger Key, about 11 miles north of Key West. It was the perfect private and wild place to find a body. The only problems came with understanding who the guy was and why he was left there (and why Hayley’s involved, of course.)
Book thirteen (as thin as it is right now) began with characters. I knew I wanted to bring the two Scottish sisters from A SCONE OF CONTENTION to Key West–I can’t wait to see the shenanigans they and Miss Gloria get up to. UNSAFE HAVEN started with exploring a situation–a teenager thrusts her newborn into the arms of a stranger. Why?
So DISH began with place, #13 begins with people, and UNSAFE began with a situation. Reds, I’d love to hear what kinds of sparks launch your minds into a new book?
HALLIE EPHRON: My first suspense standalone, NEVER TELL A LIE, began with a yard sale. Which is also, in a way, the inspiration for CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. And they’re both set in a fictional version of my home town, both about wives who wonder whether they can trust their husbands (not something I ever had to worry about). Making it so personal cuts down a lot on the research phase of the project.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Such a good question, Lucy. Mine all seem to have different sparks, some stem from a setting, some from an idea, some from a character, situation, or relationship I want to explore. WATER LIKE A STONE, for example (since we were talking about Christmas books yesterday, ) began with a little clipping I read in a Texas newspaper about a couple who were renovating a house and found an infant's body in a wall. I also wanted to write about Christmas, about Duncan's family in Cheshire, and about the English waterways and the canals that run through that particular part of the country. I stuck all these things together and voila, a book!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:I wish I had a pattern or a reliable source, because I’d be going there right now. Prime Time began with a funny thing that happened to me, and WHOOSH, I knew it was a book instantly–what if there were secret messages in computer spam? I had no idea of anything else, but whoa, that’s a good story if I ever heard one. For TRUST ME, I had been thinking about In Cold Blood, and how Capote had written it as “true crime”-- how does anyone know what’s true? It’s all what someone TELLS them about what happens, and each person’s “true” is different from someone else’s. I thought: there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. And all true crime writers are simply saying: “Here’s “truth.” Trust me.” And then I started to write.
My newest book, STILL UNTITLED, came from a random thought about Bernie Madoff’s wife–did she know, or didn’t she? It’s completely not about that. But that’s how it started. So the “idea spark” is just the spark, not necessarily the book.
RHYS BOWEN: my starting points are all quite different, except that for my series I have to build on the lives of the characters I have to remind the reader where we are up to. For Molly it’s often real history. For Lady Georgie it’s a fun environment I’d like to visit.
For the stand-alones, usually something I’ve read about a place I’ve visited. Or…. I was in Venice. I attended the Biennale ( the big international art festival ) and I saw it was held in 1940 and 1942. And I thought it was during the war. Who attended? Immediately I thought of my aunt who visited Venice every year. As a teenager I wondered whether she had a secret lover there— and viola! Story was born.
JENN MCKINLAY: I have no idea. I'm an outliner so I spend a lot of time reading the news, studying murder cases, and thinking about how I can twist them to suit my nefarious purposes. That's the spark, I suppose. But the actual opening scenes to my books are usually a surprise. I sit down to write and hand over the introductory pages to my characters, hoping they'll know how to start the show. They haven't let me down yet.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm often sparked by news stories - not necessarily a single real-life crime, but more zeitgeist stuff. For instance, the main plot in I SHALL NOT WANT, involving migrant workers, popped into my head after reading several stories about immigrants working in Northern New England - not the place one usually thinks.
My w-i-p, AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY involves white supremacist militias, and either I'm darn lucky, or or they've been in the news for way too long a period, because I started thinking about this book, like, seven years ago.
Reds, as readers or writers, what pulls you into a story?
How interesting, the many different ways that a sparks a story for each of you . . . .
ReplyDeleteWhat pulls me into a story? I had to think about that because usually I just jump in and start reading. I guess it’s usually it’s something intriguing, a puzzle, a question . . . or a character’s behavior, I suppose . . . .
Joan, how much difference does the title make? I have been thinking about this, and wonder if this makes us choose a book…
ReplyDeleteHank, your titles are always so clever and intriguing. I love to see just how many threads or people in the book connect to your titles.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI'll be interested to hear what others think about titles. My Crooked Lane publisher want the book's title to telegraph exactly what it contains--murder, food, Key West, all wrapped up in a cozyish way.
DeleteI don't think I choose by title, but I'll have to watch myself.
The title of a book... so tricky. In a series you're trying to convey the brand. "A is for..." "B is for..." In a standalone or debut you're trying to define yourself and give the reader a hook to hold onto so they can REMEMBER the title when they go online or browse a bookstore. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" is much easier to remember than "Amnesia" (my first published).
DeleteA bit of irony there, Hallie!
DeleteTitles are one of the banes of my existence.
DeleteHallie, AMNESIA is a much more memorable title than any of THE GIRL titles! At this point, they just turn me off! I’m more interested in looking for books by favorite author or by authors recommended to me.
DeleteDebRo
Generally I tend to look for an author’s name rather than a title, but the titles I usually notice are the ones that are intriguing or that pique my curiosity, but they aren’t necessarily the ones the long and gimmicky ones.
DeleteTitles that hint at intrigue or are a familiar phrase [or a play on words] tend to catch my attention, but I don’t think I’ve ever bought a book simply because of the title . . . .
As we have discussed in previous JRW posts, a striking book cover will catch my attention more than a title.
DeleteHANK's MY PERFECT LIFE or LUCY's upcoming KW book, A DISH TO DIE FOR are good examples.
On the other hand, Hallie, how many Girl with do we have now? Or The xxxx’s Wife? They all blur into each other
DeleteJulia’s titles are always great. Cover art is important too. If I don’t have a cover image, the title needs to intrigue me all the more, and I like the more “old fashioned “ titles like The Vanishing Island Mystery or Murder In the Morning. Honestly, most of the punnish cozy titles don’t interest me, so then it becomes do I already like the author.
DeleteIf the story jumps right in to the action, I'm hooked. If I already know the character, just being in their presence again is wonderful, but a unique beginning is also the best place to start.
ReplyDeleteAs an avid mystery reader, how soon do you think the body should be introduced? I struggle with this.
DeleteI like to at least meet the victim once before they die so I have some concept of who they are. But there's no hard and fast rule. Barbara Ross's Fogged Inn (at least I believe that was the book) has the body drop in the first line of the book. It worked perfectly for that book (and isn't something she does all the time). Miranda James and Donna Andrews often don't have the body show up until page 100, but they have so much conflict and are using the time to set up suspects and motives that it works for them. It is a matter of what works best for the story.
DeleteI love hearing the various ways you all hit upon a story idea. There are a number of things that can draw me into a story. I'm on the fan side of prologues, and a good prologue can really pull me in. Some early suspense or danger can make me want to know more. Of course, in the many series I read, it's the characters that have pulled me in and kept me, along with the consistency of stories worthy of them. And, there are those occasional magnificent first lines that are irresistible, like, "It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby."
ReplyDeleteBest line ever! I'm not usually a fan of prologues because they can feel tacked on--as though the first chapter can't stand on its own. But always, it depends how well it's done!
DeleteThat’s a first line that would make me stop reading the book. If it had been “It was one hell of a night for a murder" I keep going for certain.
DeleteWOW, it's interesting to hear how each of the Reds gets inspiration for a story/book.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, it depends.
If it's a long-running series (or one of my go-to authors), I will usually read anything (and everything) they write, no questions asked.
But if it's a NEW author (or book #1 in a new series), then the first chapter has to draw me in, and keep me wanting to know more. A dramatic, memorable first line (such as in Julia's first book that Kathy mentions above) would certainly do it. Or a unique geographic setting and/or time period that I can visualize and want to know more about. And a protagonist or quirky character that I want to root for.
I have been watching FIRST CHAPTER FUN episodes since summer 2020. It's fascinating how each author's book showcased on FCF uses different hooks to entice/draw me in, and want me to keep reading after HANK (or HANNAH) reads the first chapter (or prologue and bit of chapter 1).
that shows there's a lot of leeway in how to hook a reader! And yes FCF is such a good tutorial.
DeleteAbsolutely, there are many ways to get a reader's attention. And as a reader, I expect certain (different) elements to be present in a cozy vs a thriller. But hopefully not formulaic ones.
DeleteSometimes it's the first line, the first paragraph, the first couple of pages, and seeing the character's name on the page will pull me in.
ReplyDeleteTitles, first lines, authors, and reviews are the things that spark my interest, in no particular order. I intensely dislike "cute", puns, wordplay in the title, but I expect I'm in the minority.
ReplyDeletePrior to my first Kindle, I spent lots of time in bookstores. Lucky you to get a spot on that fist display in the front of the door. Also the rack of best sellers, and, equally intriguing, the one featuring staff recommendations. Why do I presume that people who work in a bookstore are discerning readers? Maybe because they are.
Anyway, back in the day I read so many first lines first paragraphs first pages. And then bought an armload of books, at least one of which turned out to be something I didn't like but always finished.
Now I order a sample. Which I may or may not get around to reading. Right now there are 300 plus samples on my Kindle. Since I buy all my books, this is more economical than buying a book outright, then wishing I hadn't. I just looked at my TBR stash and see this one: The Anomaly: A Novel. Hervé Le Tellier. What an intriguing title! How can anyone resist?
Lucy Roberta, I'm reading UNSAFE HAVEN right now. Great title, pulled me right into the first line/paragraph/page, and from there on I was hooked. Who knew you had been incubating this story for so long!
One last thing. A good many years ago when I was planning a trip to Dallas to see my kids, Debs invited me to have a drink with her. I was thrilled at the thought of being in the rarefied air along with my favorite author! She suggested that I read this blog and also come to Left Coast Crime and Bouchercon. I discovered that knowing the writers that I read was amazing. And meeting writers I'd never heard of just as wonderful. Virtual is fine but nothing to compare with being there. I'm all registered for Minneapolis, and look forward to a reunion with some of my favorite people in the world, the Jungle Reds!
Masks and all.
Thanks so much Ann, and aren't we all glad that you and Debs had that first drink! I too love the staff recommendation shelves--those books are usually not the obvious bestsellers, but some things that might otherwise go missed.
DeleteFinat, I am right there with you about the pun titles. Enough already!
DeleteAnn, just knowing you're going to Minneapolis makes up my mind! We must meet.
DeleteI'll be in Minneapolis, too!
DeleteThat said, when a series starts with punny titles, it must continue. I'm heading into book 12 in my Country Store series, every one with a pun. Sorry! At least I can credit Reds commenter Grace Koshida for the brilliant title for book #11, which takes place at St. Patrick's Day - Four Leaf Cleaver.
ANN/KAREN/EDITH: We have to plan a Reds readers get-together in Minneapolis!
DeleteI am registered. But I have not booked any travel for MN yet for a few reasons.
Right now the daily COVID rates are 10x higher than in Ontario so local/prov govt have issued travel advisories to NOT go to Minnesota (or nearby Michigan and Wisconsin).
EDITH: Puns are not my forte, so I was pleased when you picked one of my suggested titles for Country Store #11. I don't expect inspiration for future titles to come any easier, though!
I'd love that, Grace. I can't remember the last conference where the Reds and Reds-adjacent identified each other by a sticker or something on their badges. That was fun.
DeleteAnd Jess Lourey and Lori Rader-Day are going to be the toastmasters! Which will be awesome.
DeleteI wish you'd get back to Texas for a visit, Ann! You and Julie! We could have drinks on the patio at Rick's Chophouse again!
DeleteOh Debs, I so need to make that trip. COVID has interfered with life big time. And when I do, it’s your turn to come to Melinda’s on Lake Dallas/Lewisville/Shady Shores.
DeleteGreat peeks into process! As a reader who is also a writer, I notice great first lines and have been trying to up my game at writing them. As to what sparks the idea, it can be any of what the Reds mentioned: a news clipping, wanting to feature a return character, a holiday, a setting.
ReplyDeleteFirst lines are hard Edith!
DeleteI'm a first line cheater and usually start with dialogue. :)
DeleteRecently, I've had the itch to write a Christmas story. After reading Carolyn Hax's Holiday Hootnanny advice column in the Washington Post, I dove deep into my own sibling memories. I came up with a plot while washing windows (spritz, squeegee, wipe) and need to tweak it with a diabolical twist.
ReplyDeleteLaughing because I get my BEST ideas when my hands are busy. Then *remembering* the brainstorm until I can get to the keyboard is the challenge. AND also often the way an idea presents itself at first is great but needs the unexpected twist that comes to you later.
DeleteI hear you, Hallie - I'm always sure I will remember the spark, until I get to my desk and spend the next hour trying to remember what I need to remember :)
DeleteI KNOW I won't remember, so I whip out my phone and dictate a quick text or email to myself.
DeleteCar rides for me. Always when I'm driving, of course, and can't fumble for my phone for fear of getting pulled over.
DeleteMe too, Julia. When I need to work through a tricky scene I drive around and talk it out. The very act of being shut away seems to clear my mind
DeleteDriving is always a fabulous place for me to get ideas - difficult to write them down, tho. LOL.
DeleteLove these peeks into the process of some of my favorite books!
ReplyDeleteCharacters and situations draw me into the story. I'm always curious about what catches a character's attention and eager to follow the thread. In my own writing, I'm much like Jenn. Outline and then let my characters run with it.
Exactly! A well developed character really will do the heavy lifting if you let them.
DeleteA well-written beginning is what pulls me into the story. I don't want to meet a lot of characters all at once but some sort of quirky thing is best. As for titles, I'm no help. The author's name is what grabs me on the book, not the title. However, if it's a new to me author I am just not sure what works for me.
ReplyDeleteJudi, for me, if it's a new author I'm usually pulled in by the premise. If I read the flap copy describing the plot, and I go, "OOooo," I'll pick up the book and give it a try. I abandon books early if they don't impress me, through. Don't have time to continue with a book I'm not loving.
DeleteJulia, I do the same thing. If tha story sounds like something I will enjoy, I too will go, "OOooo," and give it a try. I rarely abandon books although during the past 2 years I've done that more.
DeleteAs soon as I had hit Publish it came to me that what I do with a new author is to read the inside flap. I so agree, Julia, I do not have time to continue with a book I am not loving. As it is I am afraid I might run out of life before I run out of all the good books I want to read!
DeleteJulia, your titles are always terrific!
DeleteAs always, Reds, thanks for sharing a little of how you make the sausage. I'm always much more intrigued by a multi-layered story that has what some might consider disparate elements. Infants in a wall/Christmas/waterways, for instance. Because life actually works that way; we are interested in lots of different things, and humans are never so one-dimensional. I appreciate stories that pull together unique situations out of such interests.
ReplyDeleteFirst lines, even first chapters, don't make me stop reading or pull me through. I think premise and character do. I'm willing to wait for the payoff, as long as it's interesting along the way.
I will confess to the same as Ann: not a fan of the cutesy, which seems to have gotten so much more prolific since 15-20 years ago. And I don't care how big the cat is on the cover, it will not make me read it unless I'm already a fan of the series or author. Cats solving crimes, too. Just no. Lillian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown have a lot to answer for. Just kidding! (I was a huge fan of Qwill and his Siamese.)
Karen, I'm the same way about cats solving crimes, I have to confess. Which is odd, because I like a good fantasy very much. In fact, I've enjoyed mysteries that went full fantastical about animals, like Eric Garcia's CASUAL REX (dinosaurs exist and live in human costumes to make it through the day; the hero is a T Rex shamus) or THREE BAGS FULL by Leoni Swan(n?) where the dead shepherd's death is solved by his sheep.
DeleteI SO agree about cats or dogs solving crimes, Karen.
DeleteGlad to know I have such good company!
DeleteMy youngest daughter and I read the Cat Who books together, one after the other. But she was nine!
Same! I don't want to read from the point of view of pet no matter how cute they are.
DeleteFirst, Lucy I finished UNSAFE HAVEN on Saturday. Very well done. Brava.
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I want intriguing characters in compelling situations from the beginning - regardless of subgenre. After that, the story has to develop in a way that keeps me engaged.
As a writer, well, my ideas are all over the place. Sometimes it's a snippet of overheard conversation (ROOT OF ALL EVIL). Sometimes it's learning a bit of history (THE STORIES WE TELL). I just learned that Buffalo has oodles of tunnels built for a multitude of purposes and I'm itching to see what I can do with that!
thanks very much for reading Liz!! The tunnels sound like an amazing plot element--go for it!
DeleteGood stories evolve, I think. There's that spark of character or place or situation, then who knows where an opening will take us? Even those outliners (I'm looking at you, Jenn) know that the story will take on a life of its own and go where it needs to go before you type The End. And that's what grabs me, sucks me in, and keeps me turning those pages and sighing when I'm done (and flipping back through and re-reading the parts that grabbed me the most). The possibilities! What will a favorite character do this time? Who's that new character worming their way into a repeat appearance? Will everyone make it out alive? Unscathed? Titles might get my attention, ditto opening sentences, but it's the writing itself that will carry me through a book. What does an author do with all those words? I've read fairly short books and marveled at what the author accomplished, then slogged through books three-four times as long, thinking, okay already, what happens at the end?? And the Reds, I'm happy to report, never let me down.
ReplyDeletethanks Flora for the kind words, and for your insights into what keeps you reading. I think we've all started books with great openings that fall flat. And others with slow starts that build and build...
DeleteSo true, Flora! My books constantly surprise me even when I think I have it all nailed down.
DeleteThank you all for the peek at the inspiration for your stories. For me, titles can be sensational or meh, but it's character and story and how the story is told that does it for me. In many cases, I am just going to read what a particular author writes, especially a much loved series.
ReplyDeleteI do not trust critics, nor the opinions of people who work in bookstores. (Why was everyone so in love with Where the Crawdads Sing?) I don't trust buyers for these bookstores when my favorite authors are nowhere to be found! I trust some reviews but don't read them very often until I am submitting my own. (Shrug.) Lately I've found that I really like genres I had never considered (thanks, Jenn) like romance and cozies.
It's true that an opening line or scene can draw me in and that does happen, to my surprise, with new to me authors. Authors whom I know and love, I guess I don't analyze it, I just wade in.
As I write this, I am looking at the cover of a yet unopened Sons of Valor. The illustration is of military men in a firefight with flames all around them. This book is completely different from anything I've read in a long time. I'll keep you posted!
Happy to help, Judy! :)
DeleteTitles will get me to pick up a book but not necessarily purchase it. It's the book synopses and scanning the first couple of pages that will tempt me buy a new-to-me author. Books written by authors I like make it easier to just pick the book and take home. What can turn me off an author that I've enjoyed is when the series makes a radical turn with no warning.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that no one has mentioned prose or voice, two of the things that will draw me into a book and keep me reading.
ReplyDeleteYes, to both. In fact, I think that's the answer to Judy's question about Where the Crawdads Sing, above. The prose was compelling to me.
DeleteI am more drawn to voice than prose. In fact, if a book is too prosy, I'll generally pass. Life is too short (for me) to read a three page description of the snow falling. I remember Mary Higgins Clark saying that being a technical writer her helped her to be a better suspense writer because she learned to change "she glided across the room like a swan across the pond" to "she walked". LOL.
DeleteI'm with you Jenn, more interested in voice than beautiful prose. Though it's a treat to get both in one book isn't it?
DeleteI don't think good prose necessarily equates with too much description or flowery writing. I just mean writing that uses words effectively--and correctly, by god! If there is awkward grammar, unless it's dialogue, I am out.
DeleteThat is exactly what I meant by "how the story is told." Irwin and I both appreciate good prose and we love the "Britishisms" that you use, Debs. The prose in "Crawdads" didn't do it for me. Thus libraries and bookstores.
DeleteWhen I open a book and start to read, I want to know where I am and what is happening . So, either immediate action or sense of place, whether that be a forest, closet or crowded street. A character described is okay if it leads to action, place or relevant conversation, such as a plea for help.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, who could resist something like “The steaming spaghetti should have stayed on the plate.” Where could that lead?