with R. Michael Phillips
We are so pleased to again welcome mystery author R. Michael Phillips to Omnimystery News.
Michael visited with us last week to discuss the third book in his Ernie Bisquets series, Passage of Crime (R. M. Phillips; July 2013 hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook formats), and we asked him back today to tell us a little more about his creative writing process.
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Photo provided courtesy of
R. Michael Phillips
Ernie Bisquets is an accomplished pickpocket, plying his trade in the affluent Mayfair section of London. Always impeccably dressed, and well versed in the current topics of interest to the swells he targets, he is able to blend in amongst them without raising a suspicious brow. He has his own code of honor — "I don't steal from those who can't afford it" — and always thinks twice before putting himself or others in danger. Likable, philosophical and pragmatic, streetwise, capable, and knowledgeable in his own fashion. He suffered hardship in life, never knowing his father and losing his mother at an early age, but has kept his kindness toward others and a positive attitude. Etc., etc., etc.
This is character mapping, one of the most important aspects in story creation. Besides the basic physical appearance of a character, you need to map the background, cause and affect of motivation, and, most importantly, how they interact with all the other characters. A simple grid can accommodate this last portion of the mapping, but for the essentials try this link: The EpiGuide.com Character Chart for Fiction Writers. It's rather extensive, but for complex characters you'll need all the background you can dream up. For most characters you won't need to fill in the entire chart at first, but as your story progresses you can continue to fill in as needed. All this is extremely helpful for a character series.
Once the backgrounds are established you can move on to relationships. I use a basic chart for this. Starting with character #1, chart their relationship with character #2, character #3, etc. After that, move on to character #2, charting their relationship with character #1, character #3, character #4, etc. Do this until you've got a sound relationship between all your characters.
To continue this further, take your main characters — antagonist and protagonist — and detail what their intentions/motivations are, what obstacles are in their way, how they intend to overcome those obstacles, and who will ultimately triumph through the interaction between themselves and other characters. This will also give you the bones of a synopsis.
Once this is established, move on to your plot lines. How many plot lines in the story? The main plot is a given, but then there are the sub-plots. How do they affect the overall story? Which characters drive the plot lines? I find sub-plots to be an especially fun part of story creation. Taking what appears to be an unimportant plot diversion at the beginning of the story and weaving a specific aspect of it into the main story for that "Aha!" moment near the end is always exciting. Think of these little sub-plots as great foreshadowing tools.
Now, down to the writing. Like anything else, there is always more than one way to do something. Sift through all the advice that's out there, but you need to find your own voice. As for the mechanics, some writers work from detailed outlines, some just forge ahead with a basic idea and a keyboard. You also need to figure this out for yourself. As for me, I start out with a basic synopsis of the story, and write a three of four line outline for the first three chapters. Once these are underway I let the characters takeover, continuing to jot down additional chapter outlines as we move along. My thought here is — if the twist in a chapter surprises me, it will probably surprise my readers.
Above all this advice is one basic rule, never give up. If you have a story to tell, tell it. Take the criticism in stride, pull from it what you can to make the story better, and then keep at it until it's published.
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Michael is a classically trained artist who has been painting for over 30 years. By combining his creative talents with a passion for art and antiquities he conceived the fictional world of the East London Adventurers Club, home to The Ernie Bisquets Mystery Series and the new Inspector Flannel Series.
For more information about the author and his work, please visit his website at EastLondonAdventurersClub.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Passage of Crime
R. Michael Phillips
An Ernie Bisquets Mystery (3rd in series)
London's East End, once known for poor boroughs and a derelict rail yard, is enjoying an optimistic resurgence. Despite this sweeping out of old rubbish, a cautious step is still advised when passing by a few remaining dark alleys. If only Mary Walsh had listened.
Prophet Brown called Detective Inspector Flannel after stumbling upon the body of a young woman in one such alley. Flannel quickly realizes she is not the random victim she appears. Add to that, the crime scene is hauntingly reminiscent of an old unsolved case — a case that almost ended an otherwise brilliant career eight years ago.
For the moment, Prophet Brown is the only solid link between the two cases. He has been in the employ of a charismatic and well-connected Member of Parliament for 17 years; the very man Flannel unsuccessfully accused of the murders in the previous case.
Flannel finds himself navigating a very treacherous course. His superiors have warned him for the last time to tread cautiously around the MP, as the rising tide of the past threatens to pull him under. Reluctantly, Inspector Flannel turns to a most unlikely ally, a reformed pickpocket named Ernie Bisquets. Together they disentangle a mesh of old lies and current clues attempting to bring a ruthless murderer to justice — ignoring the dangerous notion of murder being a carefully disguised trait passed from one generation to the next.
