The Sketch

 My love affair with the sketch goes back many years to my reading of Adventures in Contentment by David Grayson. 

At first puzzled by the seeming lack of direction the author took in his book, I suddenly realized the “novel” I was reading was, in fact, a collection of vignettes, or sketches, and each one produced a mood of contentment. 

I was enthralled with the skill of the author in making each chapter a chance for us to become satisfied with life. 

From the Adventures, I went on to discover other writers of sketches: such as Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Anthony Trollope.

A sketch is at base a mood evoking descriptive piece of writing. 

Perhaps we can think of it as the verbal equivalent of the musical tone poem. Or as a painting in words. 

One of the best discussions of the form I’ve found is in a blog post from 2007 on the Siris blog, simply entitled “Literary Sketch”. Do check it out.

The sketch is a literary form that has no plot to it, although there may be movement in the piece. Through the description of the scene, a mood is evoked and that is its strength: to use the power of words to evoke feeling and to perhaps stir us to our very core.

There is a Japanese literary form developed by Basho called haibun, a linking form of prose and haiku, which is very similar to the sketch. 

Basho composed his travel journals in haibun, as well as writing stand alone atmospheric pieces and essays in the form. I love haibun. It is a brilliant dance of prose and poetry.

Sketches were very popular in the 1800s. They were like a photograph, as it were,  that let the reader participate in a scene or an activity.

Writers, if you haven’t tried your hand at the sketch I encourage you to do so. They make excellent blogposts. Short, emotive pieces that will leave your readers happy, sad, motivated — however you want them to feel. And it that feeling is the power of the writing. Perhaps more powerful than if you just dumped a bunch of facts or opinions on them.

Readers, sketches are great for our busy lives. They are usually short. They can be read quickly and will leave you with a verbal picture of someplace you’ve never been and you get to share the feelings of the author.

If you haven’t tried the sketch, either writing one or reading one, I encourage you to do so. A well written sketch is prose poetry at its finest.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

The Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula

 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not invent the mystery genre. That honor goes to Edgar Allan Poe.

But Doyle did make the nascent genre extraordinarily popular. Once Sherlock Holmes caught on with the public, there were dozens of imitators all vying for attention.

The Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula

The formula that Doyle created for his genius sleuth endures to this day. It’s the formula all traditional mysteries follow. With stylistic variations, of course.

Here’s Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula:

1. We meet the detective at home or in his office and learn that he is a genius.
2. The client enters, tells the detective a tale of woe, and the detective decides to take the case.
3. The detective hunts for clues to solve the murder (or other crime, if the story isn’t a murder mystery).
4. The detective, having gathered enough clues finally knows who did it, and either catches the killer himself, or tells the police how the murder was done.

The significance of the Sherlock Holmes Mystery Formula is that the story’s focus is on the sleuth and the puzzle he is trying to solve.

Mysteries are Cerebral

At base, mysteries are cerebral, not visceral, reads.

Mysteries are a puzzle. The author is challenging the reader to see if he can figure out who did it before the detective’s great reveal at the end of the book.

By comparison, thrillers are visceral reads. They are packed with emotion. Their goal is to keep you on the edge of your seat, chewing on your nails.

Thrills and Spills

That doesn’t mean there can’t be thrills in a mystery, because there certainly are thrills. Often plenty of them. Car chases. Kidnappings. Shootouts. And lots more. They just aren’t the main course. The puzzle is.

My own Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery series follows, more or less, the Sherlock Holmes formula. 

If your reading diet is mainly thrillers, you might find the mystery pacing too leisurely, or sedate. At least initially.

But hang on to your hat, because by the middle of the book things are heating up and heating up fast.

Real People

My Justinia Wright series was patterned after Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin mysteries.

Like Wolfe and Goodwin, sister and brother Tina and Harry Wright are people. They have lives apart from being private investigators.

Chandler gives us little glimpses into the private life of Philip Marlowe. And I can see why the glimpses are brief. Marlowe’s personal life is rather boring. He does play chess, but it’s games out of a book.

Tina and Harry, on the other hand, have interesting lives — and I share their lives with you. They are, after all, real people. At least I think they are.

So the lives of my detectives get intertwined with the mystery to provide a seamless window into the world of Tina and Harry Wright, and the people and critters they care about.

Get in on the Fun

If you like books about people, if you like Wordle or other puzzles, then you’ll like the world of Tina and Harry Wright.

You can find all of the many cases in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery series on Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

Who Killed Lilly Paine?

 

This Saturday, May 20th, the newest Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles book drops.

Who Killed Lilly Paine?

by

KD McNiven

And you can pre-order it right now on Amazon.

KD McNiven

McNiven is no stranger to Action-Adventure Thrillers, Police Procedural Thrillers, and Science Fiction Thrillers.

Now she adds the Mystery Thriller to her repertoire.

KD is one of three new additions to the Underground Authors. She brings experience and talent to the table, to give us a new look at the goings on in Magnolia Bluff, Texas.

What’s It All About?

Who Killed Lilly Paine? is the 13th book in the exciting multi-author Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series.

The book revolves around two foci: the death of teenager Lilly Paine, and Deputy Detective Maddy Dawson’s re-acclimation to her home town of Magnolia Bluff. And neither one is going to be easy.

The murder is complex and the murderer elusive.

Maddy’s return home is more of an escape from a bad situation in her previous job in Nevada, than it is a joyous home coming.

During the course of the story, Maddy not only has to deal with her personal demons and self-doubts, but also the threats on her life as she slowly closes in on the killer.

Who Killed Lilly Paine? is an emotive thrill read, as well as a puzzler of a whodunit. A good addition to the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

Where Can You Get It?

Who Killed Lilly Paine? is on pre-order right now on Amazon. The book’s official launch date is May 20th. Reserve your copy today!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

I’ll Buy Anything They Write

 Last week I shared with you 10 of my favorite fictional characters. 

Today, I thought I’d share with you 13 of my favorite fictioneers. Contemporary writers who I find so very satisfying I’ll buy anything they write.

So here’s a shoutout to my Dazzling (Baker’s) Dozen.

Crispian Thurlborn

This guy can write. Weird. Fantasy. He can do so with dark wry humor. He can slowburn his way to your fear button. He can lead you down a strange and dreamy road to terror. He’s just plain good. One of my top 5 favs.

Find him on Amazon.

Richard Schwindt

Schwindt writes hilarious satire; occult detective stories laced with dark humor; poignant, introspective whodunits; humorous paranormal adventures; and fabulous literary quality short stories.

He will make you think, laugh, and cry. And that’s a pretty doggone good combo.

Find him on Amazon.

Caleb Pirtle III

Pirtle writes non-fiction by the bucket load. I’m not a non-fic guy, but I can tell you, from what I’ve read, he can spin a good yarn even writing non-fic. Doesn’t matter if he’s writing a biography of a person or a town, it will be an interesting story.

But it’s in his fiction where I think he shines. Pirtle makes the past (his favorite place to be) or the present come alive. And the people you meet in the pages of his books are just as real as your next door neighbor.

Pirtle will make you feel the heat and humidity. He’ll make you feel the hope and the despair. He will make you stop and ponder a bit of wisdom one of his people just said. He’ll make you laugh. And he’ll make you cry. He’s a magician with the written word.

I’d probably buy his grocery list. They don’t come any better than Caleb Pirtle.

Catch him on Amazon.

Joe Congel

I like well-drawn, realistic characters, who move through a realistic story. I appreciate a story that is told well. And Joe Congel does this with panache.

He writes contemporary PI novels with a hardboiled feel. And he peoples his realistic tales with well-drawn, realistic characters. 

Introduce yourself to Joe Congel. You’re in for a treat.

Check him out on Amazon.

Matthew Cormack

Cormack creates some of the best characters to ever step out of the pages of a book. They are totally lifelike.

He is the epitome of Bradbury’s dictum: create your characters, let them do their thing, and there’s your story. And what stories they are.

His books are, quite simply, a cut above.

And you can find them on Amazon.

James Vincett

Magnificent worldbuilding. Brilliant imagination. Fabulous characters. Incredible stories. These are the hallmarks of the science fiction of James Vincett.

His work is fabulous and I’m first in line to get his next book. I hope it drops soon.

Get his books on Amazon.

Andy Graham

Graham writes some of the best slowburn horror that you can buy. The suspense is oppressive. There are times I have to put the book down in order to catch my breath and get my pulse down.

Graham’s writing is simply top drawer, and you can get his books on Amazon.

Brian Fatah Steele

Steele writes incredibly imaginative modern cosmic horror. A worthy successor to old HPL himself.

I find his imagination unparalleled. He will show you dimensions you can’t even dream of.

His story “Bleak Mathematics”, IMO, is a modern classic.

Find him on Amazon.

John F Leonard

I love Leonard’s imagination. He can range from the cosmic to what’s in your pocket. Stuff you just can’t imagine comes out on the page to terrify you, or just plain scare the crap out of you.

He just might be one of the best writers you’ve never heard of. So make your acquaintance. Pronto. On Amazon.

Ray Zacek

Zacek is good. Plain and simple. Whether it’s biting satire, or terrifying horror, or spooky macabre — Zacek delivers.

His imagination will take you to places you may not in the end want to go. But you know you have to. This guy is one of the best.

Get his books on Amazon.

Garrett Dennis

Dennis’s Storm Ketchum is a truly enjoyable character. Sad to say, though, it looks like the Storm Ketchum series is complete. I hope not. Because Storm is the amateur sleuth par excellence and the supporting cast of characters is amazing.

The stories are as laid back as is Outer Banks island life, which is where the stories take place. Yet, don’t be fooled. Because when excitement is called for, Dennis delivers and you’ll find yourself on the edge of your chair.

I truly hope Mr. Dennis writes more stories of Storm and the Outer Banks. I’m standing in line waiting. On Amazon.

Terry Newman

I love Terry Newman’s Nicely Strongoak — dwarf PI. The mysteries are fun, intriguing, and suspense-filled whodunits. All set in a fantasy world that is not a whole lot different from our own. Great reading you don’t want to miss.

On Amazon.

Jack Tyler

I think Tyler can write anything. He’s that versatile. Steampunk. Epic fantasy. Occult detective. Humor. Police procedurals. Horror. It’s all there and it’s all good.

Whatever’s next on his list to publish, I’m there to buy it.

Tyler is one of the best writers you probably never heard of. And now you have. Go forth and support this guy.

On Amazon.

On Kindle Vella.

There’s my baker’s dozen of writers whose work I will buy sight unseen and will even wait in line to get.

Check them out. You won’t be sorry.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

Ten Favorite Fictional Characters

 

Just like real people, we have our favorite fictional people. Characters that resonate with us, just like real people do.

So I thought I’d share with you ten of my favorite fictional characters that are not of my own creation.

Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin

I was introduced to Rex Stout’s detective team in the summer of 1980. I fell in love with Wolfe and Archie immediately. There are few books that I reread. The Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin mysteries are among those that I do.

My own Justinia and Harry Wright mysteries were inspired by Stout’s characters.

Wolfe and Archie are the timeless dynamic duo.

DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy

Like Wolfe and Goodwin, what makes DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy of Midsomer Murders exceptional is the relationship and repartee between the two.

There are certain pairings that just work. The chemistry between the characters makes us laugh or cry. We see them as real. And that’s how it is with Barnaby and Troy. They are real.

Alan Snyder (TV series Colony)

In my opinion, Alan Snyder is the consummate “bad guy”. And it is not so much that he is bad, as that he is completely and totally focused on promoting Alan Snyder.

He does some good things. He does a lot of bad things. But mostly he does what will benefit himself. Regardless of the outcome for others.

If you haven’t seen Colony, give it a watch. The show only lasted three seasons. But I think it is a great SF alien apocalypse story. Unfortunately, the acting is only so-so, save for Snyder’s character. But the show is totally worth watching. A fabulous story and a great bad guy.

Solomon Kane

Robert E Howard’s 16th and 17th century. Puritan adventurer is a masterful creation.

Kane is a Christian Puritan, but isn’t overly religious. Although he does have his own very strong moral code.

He is a wanderer. He is the consummate knight errant.

In many ways, he combines the action of Conan with the introspection of Kull.

And although Conan is far more popular, I think Solomon Kane is the superior character.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson

Holmes and Watson. I first met them sometime during my elementary school years. Sixty or more years ago. And I still find the duo interesting enough to make my favorite list.

The inimitable Holmes and the faithful Watson. Their world is a man’s world. So much so, that every modern re-creation infuses women into the story and gives them a place that Holmes and Watson would never have wanted. They were two men very much at ease with each other. Comrades. And in my opinion, that’s what makes the stories work and makes them so memorable.

Rona (Church Mouse)

RH Hale’s Church Mouse is a towering modern gothic novel of incredible power.

It is the story of Rona, who becomes a servant to vampires.

In some ways, Church Mouse is one long character study. But what an exciting and terrifying study it is.

If you haven’t read Church Mouse, you really need to do so. Even if you don’t like vampires, you’ll love Rona.

Church Mouse on Amazon.

Peter (Don’t Dream It’s Over)

Matthew Cormack’s Don’t Dream It’s Over is one of the great novels you’ve probably never heard of. Like Church Mouse above.

Also like Church Mouse, Don’t Dream It’s Over is a very long and fascinating character study.

The world as we know it has come to an end. But Peter survived. From his pen we learn what the new world is like. What hopes and dreams remain. And we learn about Peter himself. He is the unlikely hero. The person all of us would like to be.

Even if you don’t like post-apocalyptic novels, you have to read Don’t Dream It’s Over. It truly is a great novel.

Don’t Dream It’s Over on Amazon.

Doc Bannister and Eudora Durant

Caleb Pirtle’s series The Boomtown Saga is a magnificent historical novel series. It is literary mystery at its finest.

The books revolve around the intertwining stories of con-artist Doc Bannister and widow Eudora Durant.

These are two of the finest characters I’ve ever met. They are real people who come alive when you open the book. So real in fact, that I may have fallen in love with Eudora.

The Boomtown Saga will transport you back in time and introduce you to two of the most intriguing people you will ever meet. Real or otherwise.

The Boomtown Saga on Amazon.

Philip Marlowe

I came to Raymond Chandler’s fiction late in life. And I’m glad I did. I’m able to much better appreciate his picturesque prose, Chandlerisms, and the introspection and observations of PI Philip Marlowe.

In many ways, Marlowe is larger than life. And that is okay. It’s his keen observations about life, his feelings for or against people, that make him such an intriguing character.

Dracula

Almost all contemporary vampires are actually spinoffs of the silent film Nosferatu. And when compared to Stoker’s Dracula are very limited creatures.

Bram Stoker’s vampire is a creature of immense paranormal power.

He can walk about in daylight, although his power is diminished.

He can shapeshift to a variety of creatures and can even assume the shape of fog.

He can change his appearance.

His power of mental telepathy and control of people from afar is phenomenal.

His strength is supernatural.

Dracula is a predator of almost unlimited power and abilities and that makes him a true force to be reckoned with.

He is the perfect bad guy because he’s almost indestructible.

And maybe that’s why modern film, TV, and fiction opt to cast their vampires in the form of Nosferatu instead of Stoker’s Dracula.

Dracula, though, is truly better. He’s much more terrifying.

Those are ten of my favorite fictional characters. Drop your 10 in the comments section below.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!