At a mystery writers’ conference last summer, I was drifting a bit as the long day was starting to catch up with me, when the presenter’s statement jolted me wide awake.
“Mysteries are not about the mystery; they’re about the characters.”
We are surrounded by two things every day. One, we are surrounded by ordinary people: butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs. Two, unfortunately in American society today, we are also surrounded by violence.
I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, which has the distinction of having dropped off of the top ten list of worst crime cities in the country in the last few years (it was #11 in 2010). The TV show, Homicide (1993-1999), was set in Baltimore. When my husband and I are staying at our summer cottage in Maryland we refer to the local Baltimore news broadcast as the “litany of murders.”
Okay, before you decide to click over to some less depressing blog, I am going to lighten up here.
So why in the world are murder mysteries and thrillers in the top three genres on anybody’s list? Why do we turn to murder–that depressing gruesome thing we hear about every night on the evening news–when we want to relax and be entertained?
Because we, as ordinary people, are fascinated by the idea of extraordinary things happening to other ordinary people like us. We want to see how the characters deal with the murder. If we find the characters engaging, if we can relate to them, then we are hooked.
But I now realize that this statement is not entirely true. I love mysteries because they are about people like me! Just not in situations like those I normally encounter in daily life. I love to see how these people, i.e., me, deal with the challenges of extraordinary events.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours? Why do you love mysteries? Do you agree or disagree that they are mainly about the characters?
Posted by: Kassandra Lamb
5 Comments
shannon
April 21, 2012 at 5:40 pmI never thought about this but it's so true. If I think back to the recent mysteries I enjoyed, I do remember the characters and their drama, not so much the plot. Interesting.
Lynn Franklin
May 11, 2012 at 3:35 pmGreat post, Kassandra, and I totally agree. Readers' interest in the characters is probably why mystery series are so popular — people want to follow favorite characters. Heck, I'd have followed Huckleberry Finn and Jim if Twain had written a series. Lee Child once gave a talk in which he stressed the importance of characters, saying readers asked for the next “Jack Reacher” story, not “Lee Child.” Now there's a depressing thought . . .
Kassandra Lamb
June 11, 2012 at 8:12 pmThis comment has been removed by the author.
Kassandra Lamb
June 11, 2012 at 8:15 pmSorry, Lynn, I was away and just saw your comment.
Yes, as authors, we have to put aside our egos and let the characters have center-stage.
Good to hear from you. Hope all is well!
Kassandra Lamb
June 12, 2012 at 7:19 pmOur reply function is acting up. Hope you saw my reply, Lynn. If not, I will try to recreate it.
Yes, we as authors have to put our egos aside and let the characters have center stage.
Thanks for coming by! Hope all is well with you.