I have always devoured Detective stories—yarns of murder, intrigue, deception—but never thought to actually write one.  Now I’m doing exactly that and it’s super fun.  Here’s the hitch:  even though I used to teach Creative Writing at the college level, I’m completely perplexed by the process of writing a mystery.  Why?   Because I was teaching fiction that was kind of pretentious–literary, artsy, profound.  Nothing happens in these kinds of stories, which is exactly why few people read them.

These blogs are my way of learning about an action form–not as a passive reader, but as a writer–from the inside out.  I started writing little journals about the character, setting, plot.  I penned stuff that would help me figure out what I wanted in a good story.  Stuff that would let me know how to get my detective to the next scene.  I was doing this pretty much every day in a fancy leather journal.

Now, I’m posting my entries online so that you, readers, can help me think through the process, shout out encouragement and share in my journey.  I’m here to learn:  tell me what you think!