“Everybody, sooner or later, sits down to a banquet of consequences.” Robert Louis Stevenson
I write murder mysteries. Although they don’t all start out that way, and sometimes aren’t meant to be about murder at all. The story may begin with something that I want to explore. Human smuggling, corruption, drug dealing, greed and its ever-faithful counterpart, envy. Then, before you know it, the dead guy shows up. Since I don’t write international thrillers, my victims are everyday folks. That brings up a problem. How does a writer decide who needs killin’?
The process differs for every writer. Some find someone they really, really, really don’t like. Then they gleefully kill them off. I’ve been trying to do that to someone for a while now. The problem is, I’m still angry, and haven’t devised anything evil enough…yet. Other authors select an evildoer they’ve read or heard about and let their imagination take over. You have to admit, there’s a lot of grist for that mill. Stream-of-consciousness writers (a/k/a pantsers) just start the book and wait to see who dies. It’s as good a way as any other.
My way is a little different. One of my college majors was psychology. The study fascinated me, especially the part that dealt with how we are the masters of our destiny and authors of our downfall. The concept is like catnip to my creative mind. It’s not about blaming the victim, but about finding the moment(s) in the victim’s life that set his fate in motion. Stevenson knew his stuff.
Before I begin a book, I know three things. The victim, the protagonist, and the crime. The first mystery to be solved is why the victim died. What dreadful or unlucky event brought him to his seat at the banquet of his consequences? To discover that, I write a profile and slip on the victim’s life like a second skin. My notes delve into his childhood, education, employment, and business associates. I learn what he does for fun, and why. His personality, politics, core beliefs, and sensibilities come into play. What does he value, and why? Somewhere in this free-form writing, a behavioral pattern becomes obvious that sets the victim apart from the other characters. It’s this pattern and the victim’s reactions and rationalizations that tell me why he needs killin’. Now all that’s left is to find the right person for the job.
Writers: What’s your process? Readers: Do you read with an eye to why someone had to die? Do you feel cheated if you can’t identify an underlying cause?
(The pronoun ‘he’ is a convenience of convention, not a definitive identifier. I’ve killed women too.)
Such an interesting question. I think for me it’s less about the who than the why. What would motivate someone to off this particular person? Greed, guilt, power, prestige? For me it’s mostly been greed and power; those never seem to get old!
Unfortunately, greed and power are the motivators in most of our current misery.
Greed and power – and all their cousins.
Kit, what an amazing quote! It is as true in real life as it is in murder mysteries. I’ve always been fascinated by the need of so many to risk everything in the pursuit of power which is nothing more than the ability to force others to your will. It’s a sad human being that defines themselves by such a metric.
Julianne Spreng
So true, Julia.
This is great! Clear and to the point. I liked, “The story may begin with something that I want to explore.” And about finding the “right person to do the job.” Can’t remember but a famous Brit mystery writer has several possible perps audition during the writing. Then she’s kind of set for “red herrings.” And love the “consequences” quote. (Am waiting for that to happen in real time and real life.) Thx!
Thanks! I’m going to have to look up the Brit. Love the idea of holding auditions. Wouldn’t that concept make great fodder for a short story.
I like to let the characters decide who the true baddie is, and am never sure quite who might fall victim to them unless it starts the book, but you can be sure the name if from somebody who wrote me a bad review. LOL.