Writing a Mystery Novel

I’ve been a big fan of mystery novels since I was a child. I would peruse the library and leave with a stack to keep me occupied for weeks. I enjoyed the classic Sherlock Holmes and the writings of Poe as well as the modern Hardy Boys and Brains Benton.

I’m not sure if it was the excellent writing or my vivid imagination, but I would get so involved in the story that I felt as if I were there. Well written novels could make me cold in the middle of summer if the story was placed in the winter.

A few years ago I started on my own mystery novel. I tried to think of the ideal story I’d like to read, and write it for others to enjoy. I’ve studied many books on writing technique and when I read the work of my favorite authors I think about their writing methods and styles and consider what makes it a “good read” for me.

Nearly every year I attend a writing conference in order to learn from others who have been successful with their writing. I don’t have lofty goals of being the next Stephen King, but I would like to see my story published.

 I have met several of my favorite authors at conferences. Pictured with me above is writer Tim Dorsey who has successfully published fifteen novels. Tim travels the country promoting his work by meeting with fans and doing book signings. He will be in Columbus Ohio 7:00 P.M. next Wednesday, February 22 at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 East Broad Street.

Tim is very personable and we have had several conversations at conferences over the last few years. One of these discussions centered on choosing appropriate names for characters in his novels. You guessed it, in his next novel there was a demented photographer named Lear!

In a couple of weeks I will be attending the annual Sleuthfest Writer’s Conference in Orlando. I am furiously trying to put the finishing touches on my novel as I have a meeting scheduled with an agent to discuss my manuscript.

I was thinking…Is it too late to change the name of one of my bad guys to Dorsey?

“Close, But No Cigar”

While we’re on the subject of tobacco, let’s talk about the once popular saying, “Close, But No Cigar.” I’ve heard many people use this expression over the years, but what does it mean, and where did it come from? 

The meaning is obvious. When something is attempted but not achieved, the goal was almost met, but you were not close enough. An example might be in the game of horseshoes, the horseshoe lands very close, but after measuring, it’s determined that it’s not close enough to qualify for points.

Several years ago, in carnivals and county fairs across the nation, there was a popular game that allowed men to show off their strength. For five cents a man was given a large wooden mallet and allowed to strike a platform. The platform was designed like a teeter totter with a metal weight on the other side. The strike would cause a metal weight to zoom up a vertical slide. The height attained by the effect of the impact would supposedly measure the strength of the game player.

 A bell at the top of the vertical slide would ring if the weight made it to the top. If the bell rang, the player would win a cigar. To keep their dignity intact, men would often pay nickel after nickel in order to make that bell ring. The carnival worker, to draw attention to the game, and to encourage the player to try again would yell “Close, But No Cigar.”