Writers, do you struggle at times with writing challenges like writer’s block? Writing might look easy on the surface. After all, there is no dress code, you can work from the comfort of your own home, and you can keep your own schedule. Are you an early riser? You can write at dawn. Night owl? You can write at two in the morning. And you’re forgiven for a lot of things (like a questionable search history). But being a writer also has its challenges. Sometimes, the Muse decides not to visit. And it’s hard staring at a blank screen. Trust me. Other times, the ideas are there, but things just get in the way. Those challenges are there in crime fiction, too.
In Agatha Christie’s Death in the Clouds, a detective story writer called Mr. Clancy is on a plane trip from Paris to London. He wants to use the time to write, but he’s stuck on a few things, so he doesn’t get as much done as he’d like. Then, one of his fellow passengers, Marie Morisot, suddenly dies of what turns out to be poison. Chief Inspector Japp investigates, and he relies on the work of Hercule Poirot, who was on the flight. Mr. Clancy becomes a person of interest, because the suspected murder weapon is a blowpipe, and he has one. At one point, Poirot and one of the other passengers, Jane Grey, visit Mr. Clancy, and he explains how he’s gotten stuck on one part of his novel, and how he can move along. It’s an interesting look at some of the challenges writers face. I know, fans of Ariadne Oliver. She certainly has her share of frustrations as a writer, doesn’t she?
In Ellery Queen’s The Origin of Evil, Queen takes a house in the Hollywood Hills so he can have a writing retreat. Or, at least, that’s what it’s supposed to be. Soon enough, though, nineteen-year-old Lauren Hill discovers that he’s there, and she comes calling. Her father, Leander Hill, recently died from a heart attack that Lauren thinks was caused deliberately. She wants Queen to investigate and find out who’s responsible. Queen needs to get some writing done, so at first, he demurs. But Lauren is nothing if not persistent. Besides, there are aspects of the case that intrigue him. So, he reluctantly puts his writing aside to help investigate. It turns out that this is a complicated case that involves the past, Hill’s business, and more. I know, fans of Calamity Town. Queen tries unsuccessfully to get writing done in that novel, too.
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set in 1946, when WW II is still a very clear memory. Juliet Ashton is a London-based writer. She’s had some success and gotten some notice, so her publisher wants her to work quickly and get her next book done. She’s not making much progress, though, and is beginning to feel a little frustrated. Then, she gets a letter from Dawsey Adams, who lives on Guernsey. He’s a fan of Charles Lamb’s writing, and wonders if any London booksellers might have a copy of some of his work. Juliet sends him a book by Lamb and before long, she’s communicating with several members of what Dawsey calls the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She’s intrigued by what she learns about life on Guernsey, and about its role during the war, so she decides to travel there. When she gets to the island, she meets the people who live there, and she learns a great deal about the place. She also helps to solve some mysteries. This isn’t a crime novel as such, although crimes have been committed. But, among other things, it shows the writer’s perspective, and how writers lose (and regain) their focus.
In Meeti Shroff-Shah’s A Mumbai Murder Mystery, we meet successful novelist Radhika Zaveri. She’s just moved from New York back to her hometown of Mumbai. She’s really hoping to be able to focus herself and work on her writing. She’s glad to be back and thoroughly enjoys catching up with family and friends, although there are some pointed remarks about when her next book is coming out, and when she’s going to get married. But she takes that in stride as much as she can. Then, tragedy strikes her best friend, Sanjana. It seems that Sanjana’s father, Kirti, has suddenly died. At first, the police believe it’s a case of suicide. But Sanjana is sure that he wouldn’t have committed suicide, and that someone murdered him. She asks Radhika to help her find out what happened, and Radhika agrees. As Radhika starts to ask questions, she finds that more than one person might have had a motive for murder. She has to peel away layers of secrets and lies to find out the truth.
And then there’s Stephen King’s The Shining, which features novelist Jack Torrance. He’s had some personal issues, but he wants to get past them and focus on his writing, so he can finish his novel. He, his wife, Wendy, and their son, Danny, go to Colorado’s Overlook Hotel, where Jack has taken the job of winter caretaker. He thinks that will give him the peace and quiet and time to write. What the Torrances don’t know is that the hotel has secrets of its own. Before long, Jack begins to suffer from cabin fever, as the hotel is cut off by the weather. That’s enough in itself, but other terrible things begin to happen, and all three of the Torrances are caught up in a frightening web of events that result in real tragedy. I know, fans of Misery…
See, writers? You’re not alone. The life of a writer may look enviable. But writer’s block and interruptions can be real challenges, and writers have to find ways to move forward. Perhaps not the ways these fictional writers, too, though…
*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Simon and Garfunkel’s Homeward Bound.
Crime Writer Margot Kinberg 