Genre fiction is a lovely thing. While I suppose that most fiction is, by definition, a member of some genre or another, it does tend to carry a certain “fiction of the masses” feel to it that more “literary” works don’t. Which is absolutely fine. Not every meal needs to be filet minion. Sometimes you want a box of Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese.
So, what to write? I’ve been a fan of National Novel Writing Month for years, so have several very rough drafts to choose from. They range from low fantasy to marginally higher fantasy, to cozy mysteries. The obvious thing to do was to pick one of these, but the question was which one?
In the end I picked a story that was dear to my heart for sentimental reasons. A good, old-fashioned cozy mystery. A genre my mom introduced me to with a steady stream of Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins, and The Hardy Boys.
So yeah. This is going to be a story for my mom.
Time period was the first decision I had to make for this story. I knew from the start that it would have a historical setting. I’m honestly less of a fan of modern mysteries. There’s something about our nearly always-connected society these days that feels like it removes a bit of the mystery. A lonely old mansion is a lot less lonely if you’ve got a decent internet connection. Or at least the ability to hot spot from your cell phone.
No, it had to be in the past.
I’ve decided on setting the story in the 1880s in the United States. The setting came quickly after that: Massachusetts. Not the whole commonwealth, but I defintely have a fondness for Boston, a city I’ve come to enjoy visiting over the years. There’s a real sense of history in the city and the surrounding area. It feels like something you can absorb as you move through it. You can actual imagine what it would have been like to wander through the streets in a bustle dress as horse-drawn carriages rumbled along beside you.
With my time and place more or less squared away, attention now turns to characters. But that is a subject for a future post.
Yours affectionately,
RS