Notes from Left Coast Crime Writers Conference (Seattle Shakedown)

The following are notes from panels I attended at Seattle Shakedown, the Left Coast Crime Writers Conference in April 2024. I posted these notes for all writers to use.

Can Death be Funny?

Comedy comes from the mismatch of reality and expectations.

Lots of funny situations are efforts of trying to fit in with others. Comedy can be found in writing about bizarre situations and the irony in them. For example, a private detective trying to remain inconspicuous while following a suspect into a bar and him winning the night’s prize of a four-foot Pink Panther doll when he comes into the bar. (It really happened.)

First-person narratives bring readers closer to the story.

Funny usually just happens, it comes naturally.

Secret Habits of Writers—panel writers share their suggestions for writing mysteries.

One writer uses giant post-it notes to keep track of things in the story and keep notes in sight. Another writer uses post-it notes around her writing space.

Several suggested writing a complete draft instead of revising it as you go along.

They all suggested using daily or weekly quotas: number of pages, number of words, the use of time. Find out what works for you—time, routine, word count, etc.

“As long as you keep writing, nothing can hurt you.” Writers actually write, just do it.

“Give yourself permission to write badly; don’t compare yourself to others.”

Another suggestion was to write in other places such as cafes, libraries, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, etc.

Also, many times, ideas come when walking, running, riding the subway. Try to always carry a notebook and pen to write down ideas, write them down as soon as possible.

Avoid bad habits such as putting too much pressure on yourself. Have a life outside of writing. Be sure to take care of yourself.

There’s no Gum on My Shoe: The Modern PI

Private investigators are social observers.

Novels reflect the time (post WWII, 1970s, etc.) places, the social issues, and people’s attitudes. Social settings can play a role in the story—regional flavor or the world and people.

Private investigators’ sidekicks—they are helping characters that do stuff the PI won’t or can’t do.

Remember it’s hard for ex-cons to go straight after prison. People don’t trust them.

Sometimes bums and homeless people can be the best witnesses. They see things others don’t.

There are usually three types of people in a mystery novel: those looking for the body, those who know where the body is, and those who buried the body.

The private investigator is a catalyst—he’s there to make things happen.

Private investigators don’t break and enter buildings. It’s popular in novels, but it doesn’t happen in real life.

Private investigators don’t pose as public officials—it’s illegal. It’s easier to pose as a person looking for someone from Facebook or Craig’s List.

Private investigators do check out clients who ask for help in finding someone.

Private investigators get a lot of calls from mentally ill people needing to check others out—“Someone is after me.”

Private investigators cannot always trust the client to tell him the truth. Clients do lie.

In novels, the client is the doorway into a more complex issue or mystery, such as looking for a runaway but in reality, they want to kill the person.

Private investigators often work for defense attorneys.

Remember, the story affects  the characters: How the characters work the case, not how the case works the characters.

Why We Can No Longer Avoid Politics in Fiction

People naturally divide themselves on issues—but it’s important to talk to each other.

The problem is people aren’t really getting to know each other and this causes division within communities.

“Politics is the systematic practice of hatred”—a quote from Henry Adams.

“We care about people who care about others.”

How can one use propaganda to gain support for the hero against his adversaries.

Writing Multiple Series

In a series, you need to write a new novel or you will lose your readers. But another way is to write a new novel for a new series.

Contracts do dictate what publishers want. They focus on the market and want to make money.

Is a series, give characters unique traits or quirks, such as the detective Kojack with his lollipop or Monk’s OCD.

“If you can’t put a clever metaphor in a character’s mouth, then cut it.”

Read books from writers who are better than you and learn from them.

Be brave enough to make characters raw and real.

Forensics Before CSI: Crimes Before Technology

In real life, there are tragic events but few answers such as why. But in mystery novels, questions are answered. Why was it done? Why did the villain feel the victim deserve to die?

In the past, they could figure out a time of death and if the body was moved. People were more observant and familiar with dead people. People in the Middle Ages were as observant, if not more so, as we are now.

Criminals did leave clues.

Plotting the novel helps to know what clues to include in the story.

The sleuth needs to network with people to find clues.

People had the ability to figure out poisons.

Believe it or not, eye of bat was an actual ingredient for eye cream in the Middle Ages.

During the 19^th century, there were mug shots and physical descriptions of characteristics.

Clues were found in a person’s clothes—articles such as letters, jewelry, heirlooms, etc.

People often watched others when questioning witnesses and suspects and their body language.

The criminal must have the means and ability to commit the crime.

Need to research the ability of the police at the time.

Depending on the time and the society, it was more important who was killed than a murder had occurred. This would determine the effort people put into finding the killer.

The goal of any investigation was to bring peace to the community.

Men usually murdered with tools of their trade and women murdered with tools in the home: weapons of opportunity.

Coroner originally meant “officer of the court.”

Good point for novels: what is what really happened is not what people think happened?

Creating Secondary Characters with Dimension

The difference between a sidekick, a secondary character, and a walk on. Sidekicks are important to the story. Secondary characters add flavor to the story but are not important to the plot. Walk-ons appear in a scene, usually to provide a piece of information necessary to solve the mystery.

A waitress in a diner is different from a waitress in a high-end restaurant.

Secondary characters (sidekicks, secondary characters, and walk-ons) interact with other characters in the story. They can filter clues to your hero. They can provide information the hero doesn’t know or missed. They often compliment characteristics of your hero. They have different backgrounds and conclusions than the hero.

There can be more than one secondary character in the novel.

If a character works in a novel in a series, bring them back in following novels.

Not every secondary character can appear in every story, but they can appear in other novels.

Secondary characters support the protagonist and support their view of the world.

Writers need to know the motivations and emotions of secondary characters. They have their own goals and stories.

Secondary characters can be red herrings.

Make the characters unique, give them quirks that separate them from others. For example, they have a fondness for certain foods or have a strange pet such as python.

Subplots for secondary characters help with the story. Maybe a minor mystery or life goal such as being able to buy a car.

Older Sleuths in Mystery

Many older protagonists are inspired by actual people. Older people in your life can inspire characters.

Older protagonists tend to know everyone and their secrets.

Writers should show the problems we have as we get older. But don’t pound home their aches and pains and physical limitations, such as using a walker.

Older people fake or embellish physical limitations to their advantage.

Older people have a lot more life experience and tend to listen more.

There is a martial art called “cane fu.”

The guy next door can be good villains.

Friendship is a huge theme in these stories. They spend a lot of time together.

Editors’ Tips

Use the six WH questions: what, where, when, who, where, and how.  For example, what do you see, hear, smell, feel, etc.

Editors do have personal relationships with their writers, even if they have never met in person.

Editors are there to make your product a commercial product.

Editors make suggestions—don’t make changes you are uncomfortable with but trust your editor.

Many writers write too long—try cutting one sentence from every page.

A recommended book—Refuse to be Done by Matt Bell.