Creative Experimentation in My Beatrice Mystery Series
Quick Download: This post dives into some of the experimentation I did in my murder mystery series. It attempts to give readers an X-ray view of my process writing these books.
Background
This summer I finished my three-book murder mystery series. The books pay homage to my favorite types of mysteries: the closed circle, Scooby-Doo monster stories, and the serial killer thriller. I’m a little extra when it comes to my creative writing (see any of my books … I like to play with style! So sue me!).
The Beatrice series, though, was my attempt at being more mainstream.
I failed miserably.
But readers may not have noticed all the different ways I was playing in the murder mystery sandbox. There was some method in the madness.
Novels as Multi-Modal Experiences
Back in 2012, I tried to put together a YouTube series. The high concept was that it was an interwoven series of stories that all added depth, context, and meaning to each other. If you watched “The Writers”, you could be connected to “The Gayborhood” which, in turn, may link to a satellite series called “Squirrelfriends”. While all of the series existed independently, if you took time to click around, you’d be a part of…
