Raymond Chandler, the creator of Philip Marlowe, perhaps the king of the hardboiled PIs, was not interested overly much in plot.
For Chandler, atmosphere and characterization were more important than the plot of the story. Which may be why we remember Marlowe more than we remember Chandler himself.
As a reader, atmosphere and characterization have always been of greater interest to me than the plot of a story. Mostly, I suppose, because I find the entertainment value of a story in the characters and the atmosphere.
As a reader of whodunits, I never read them to solve the puzzle. I read them for the atmosphere and the interaction of the characters with each other. I suppose I’ve been spoiled by Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe.
Plot is simple. William Wallace Cook defined plot as
Purpose, expressed or implied, opposing Obstacle, expressed or implied, yields Conflict.
All plots are nothing more than stories of conflict. No conflict, no story.
But what makes the story, the conflict, of interest to the reader is what the writer does with it. That is, how does the writer make it interesting to the reader? How does he get the reader interested in the conflict? The writer does that through atmosphere and interesting (to the reader) characters.
For my Justinia Wright novels, when I read comments such as
The action builds slowly, relying more on relationship and character development rather than on violent, gruesome murders. … Justinia (Tina) and Harry are well thought out, interesting characters that are complemented by an equally interesting supporting cast.
And
I don’t read a lot of mysteries, but when I do, I appreciate interesting characters and atmosphere. Festival of Death has both…
And
…characters are well-developed and intriguing…
I know I have succeeded in producing a novel that is more than plot, more than a mere portrayal of a conflict, but rather a novel that is alive with people who have captured the reader’s attention, interest, and perhaps his or her heart.
The new Justinia Wright novel, Death Makes a House Call, is coming soon to a virtual bookstore near you.
The story is one of death, this is a murder mystery, after all, and justice. A tale in which the one who defies human decency is apprehended and made to pay for the crime.
However, Death Makes a House Call is first and foremost a story about people: a story of life, love, and devotion.
Stay tuned! Death Makes a House Call is coming and will be here soon!
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