But I’ve Never Written a Murder Mystery Before
My Agent Drops the “M” Bomb
My agent said, “Evelyn, after reading your book proposal I’ve classified your book as a murder mystery. The genre is your choice, but as you know, my specialty is turning books into movies.” He had to go and drop the “M” bomb, every fiction writer’s dream.
The Dumb Part
I was still reluctant and whined, “But I’m a nonfiction writer. I've never written a murder mystery before. I don’t even read murder mysteries. I have a thing about violence.” (Okay, that last part sounded dumb coming from a writer who’s pitching a book about a murder.)
I'd written five nonfiction books before, Among the Orangutans: The Biruté Galdikas Story, It’s a Jungle Out There: How to Promote Your Children’s Book, and three Costa Rica travel books. I’d already finished a 64-page nonfiction book proposal and several chapters of Voices from the Mist.
And now he throws this at me?
Sometimes Ya Gotta Start from Scratch
So, here I am ready to share Voices from the Mist, the Last Days of Dian Fossey with the world, and I've gotta start over from scratch. While a nonfiction book reads like a report, a murder mystery reads like a riveting story. It should have been a no-brainer, but it still took me a while to agree (I was afraid). It wasn’t easy getting off the train halfway to my destination and being told to walk backwards back to the station. But my agent's case was clear — did I want to write a report, or did I want to write a fascinating book that had movie potential? I was on a new path. I’d just have to take a different train to get there.
It wasn't a question of whether I could do it or not, it was that I had to wrap my head around an entirely new genre. The first step was research. Read murder mysteries, duh. Second, how do you write a murder mystery? I went online and started taking classes. Some worked, and some didn't. IMHO, I got nothing out of courses given by famous writers. (I don’t want to offend, so I won’t tell you who, just know they are HUGE.) I ended up in a most unusual place, Self-Publishing School. I explained in a conference call I had an agent and would not self-publish but the course had everything I wanted, step-by-step classes, instructors who had published their own murder mystery books, access to an editor, and a writing coach. I’ve been in their capable hands ever since.
Dian’s Voice Comes to Life
I've learned to write a murder mystery. I must plant clues along the way and involve you, the reader, sidekick to my amateur detective. This style includes elements for a much richer experience, such as dialogue, which comes easily to me since I went through it all in person and kept a journal. I can still hear Dian Fossey's voice… Mountain gorillas are mighty wonderful beasts, aren’t they?
I'm happy to write my story as a murder mystery. I'm finished with the first edit now and about to send it to my editor for another round. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned for the next chapter.
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