A short report on Bouchercon 2011
In crime fiction, the hero who saves everyone has dominated the
genre for a long time. That hero is usually troubled by past events, has a big
problem with the bottle and, mostly, is unable to sustain or even commit to an
intimate relationship (one involving more than just sex). Often, this hero also
struggles to control his temper.
At the Bouchercon 2011 crime fiction convention in St Louis last
weekend, crime novelists were signalling change. The move is on towards
creating ordinary people with real problems: a family man with taxes and bills
to pay, a detective with kids to take care of, a divorced woman with issues at
work, and so on. Authors today say they write the stories they’d like to
read, knowing that it will inevitably struck a chord with readers. The result
is that heroes have become realistic protagonists who need to be able to save
themselves, rather then save everyone else.
Speaking at Bouchercon, author John Rector gave an example when
he mentioned that Jonathon King had sent a manuscript to Michael Connelly for
advice. “Change your ending,” said Connelly. “Your main character needs to save
himself, not be saved.”
The tension-builder
This reveals another reason for putting these ordinary people in
extraordinary circumstances, in order to build more tension. Linwood
Barclay went further, explaining the ordinary character with everyday problems,
referring to current affairs: “I don’t know many people who lay awake at night
worrying about terrorist attacks, but I know many who lay awake worrying about
why their kids are not home yet,” the Canadian author said.
In a different panel, Mark Billingham made a similar comment: “I’m
not scared of terrorists, but I’m scared of taking the wrong turn at the wrong
time.” He said he prefers to write about what his readers will relate to and
understand, regardless of where they live in the world.
Readers tend to support characters in which they recognise
themselves, feeling a strong connection. As Lisa Unger mentioned: “Small stakes
is what connects my readers to my characters.” Many of us wonder if we’re
strong enough to face what the protagonists in many crime novels face. Linwood
Barclay added, ”I like writing about people who are ill-equipped to fight
back.”
What would you do?
To get readers asking themselves ‘What would I do?’, Gregg
Hurwitz likes to settle his main characters into their everyday life and
examine their relationships; he does it by developing the dynamics between
characters and getting to know them “When bad things start happening, then
readers will care,” says Hurwitz, adding that when he wrote his first book, at
19, and then his next two or three, he didn’t really understand violence. “Maturity
has made me see it differently,” he says. So now Hurwitz too is more interested
in ordinary people who make the wrong choices. On the other side of the fence,
we can care for – or at least understand – the bad guy if he’s not completely
bad. Violence is then used less gratuitously.
One of the conclusions from Bouchercon this year was that if we
keep reading crime fiction, it’s because the genre can show us the realities of
ordinary people in everyday lives. It connects us all around the world by
revealing a reality that is not entirely dissimilar from one country to
another. Just look at the increasing interest in writers from South Africa,
Scandinavia, the Far East and Central Europe. Readers want to learn about
people from everywhere, but they know it won’t happen by watching the news. In
that regard, because they talk about all of us while telling their stories,
good crime writers are the historians of the present.
Authors’ recommendations
While at Bouchercon, a few well-established writers were asked
which newer authors they currently recommend. This is what they said:
Laura Lippman: Gillian Flynn, Megan
Abbott, Lisa Lutz and Sara Gran
Laurie R King: Lindsay Faye
SJ Rozan: Taylor Stevens and
Nathan Larson
Val McDermid: MJ McGrath and Stuart
Neville
As for Linwood
Barclay, he strongly recommends Defending Jacob by William Landay. “It’s
the best book I’ve read this year,” he said. The book is due to be published on
31 January 2012.
JF
(October 2011)
With much thanks to Garrick Webster for his editorial help.
No comments:
Post a Comment