The Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburgh chapter of Sisters in Crime recently announced an open call for their next anthology titled: “Gold Bridges, Dark Rivers.” Oddly, I’ve never written anything set in my hometown, so I sharpened my pencil and got down to it.
Pittsburgh
has so many idiosyncrasies I didn’t know which one to pick. The most glaringly obvious one is Pittsburghese, our local dialect, which is grammatically
incomprehensible, impossible to decipher if you’re not already fluent, and sort
of like having a secret insider handshake. When two Pittsburghers meet and slip
into it, you know they’re not jagoffs.
Here’s
a quick primer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHGYNud5Go
Since I
wanted to write a story that readers could actually comprehend, I decided to
skip that one.
Next
was some consideration on how to connect with readers. Food is always a good emotional
hook – just look at the plethora of mysteries that include recipes in their
back pages. Then came the difficulty of explaining pierogies (delicious usually
potato and cheese filled dumplings), haluski (cabbage and noodles), a
traditional Pittsburgh grilled salad (mixed greens with ranch dressing topped
by French fries), or a Primanti Brothers corned beef sandwich that includes a
fried egg.
Nope. I
began to panic. Sports teams? The Stillers, the Buccos, or the Pens? What topic
could I possibly use to lure readers into being curious about my native land?
Going
nuclear, I settled on Three Rivers, ground zero and where Pittsburgh began.
In Colonial
American times, George Washington recommended using the Forks of the Ohio River
as a strategic military location. In 1803 Lewis and Clark floated past The Point
when they launched their expedition, but local history goes way beyond that. Prehistoric
Indigenous people heaped a mound at nearby McKee’s Rocks which existed until
the powers that be bulldozed it to make way for a cement plant.
Don’t
get me started. The way we casually discard our history makes me cross my eyes
and slap my forehead. Wait a second. There’s a hook I’m passionate about.
Magically, the prologue from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet popped into
mind:
“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;”
Inspired,
I started to noodle around with the idea of two star-crossed lovers living on
opposite Ohio riverbanks and whose families were historic enemies. That gave me
the story’s base, the framework to build from, and my short story “Sacred
Drums” was born.
The
anthology’s projected publication date is year-end 2026. I hope you’ll look for
it. Meanwhile, if you’d like to read my other free read short fiction, they’re
posted on my website: https://www.reedmenow.com/short-fiction.
Enjoy
and let me know what you think!
One of the best ways to recall history is through fiction: if not for Homer would any of us know of the Trojan War?
ReplyDeleteHi Jim - good morning! I'm an avid history student and fascinated by myths that have their basis in fact and how archaeology is revealing the truth in them. Have you watched the "Time Team" program available on YouTube? If you're looking for a streaming series, I highly recommend "The Detectorists."
DeleteThe old adage of write what you know really comes into play when you write about the place where grew up..
ReplyDeleteHi Grace - True that, as long as you change the names! Sometimes I wonder if that's why I became a mystery writer - so I could figure out what on earth was going on in my family and in our neighborhood! LOL.
DeleteYour point about history is well made. What I find more interesting is the various topic ideas you went through. An editor friend always skip the first one as everyone will write on that one. Be unique.
ReplyDeleteHi Debra - great advice! I figure if I find an idea that surprises me it will surprise (and hopefully delight) any readers too. That said, surprising mystery fans and readers is tough. Everyone is already so knowledgeable.
ReplyDeleteLove this! I'd be hooked on the food angle! It's so interesting to follow your brain's path as it got to your story idea.
ReplyDeleteHi Lori - let me share another path then. Sometimes it seems insane to spend hours (no joke) trying to find exactly the right word, but when I try to substitute a different one the creative part of my brain throws a flag on the play. For instance, I was working on a title that used the word "Saves". The flag went up and all forward progress stopped. I tried twenty different variations on "Saves" until I hit "Redeems" and suddenly, the story took on a whole new depth. I love when that happens!
DeleteSounds like a plan! A Cincinnati story could be about food (brats boiled in beer), but it could be about 19th century pigs running through the streets and the original Over-the-Rhine settlers. Good choice for Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I recently visited Cincinnati for the first time for a Pretenders and Foo Fighters concert. I'd love to set a story in the American Neon Sign Museum. What a trip!
DeleteMy favorite pierogi is sauerkraut and potato – go figure. Hubs is partial to cheese and potato. I’m looking forward to “Sacred Drums.” What an intriguing title and concept.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kait! When they run the Pierogi Mascot Race (Yes, it's a thing) at the Pittsburgh Pirates (AKA Buccos) games, I root for Jalapeno Hannah, but Sauerkraut Sal is always a contender. (I swear I'm not making this up.)
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