Wednesday, September 7, 2022

MURDER GO NOT SO LIGHTLY

Hey! It’s the monthly blog hop/ known as the Insecure Writers Support Group founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. If you're a writer, insecure, or just supportive of writers please join us. The first Wednesday of every month, a question is offered on the IWSG blog that members can answer in their blog post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, or a personal experience. Answering the question is optional. Please consider visiting some blogs and leaving a comment. Your words are appreciated. Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.  

 The awesome co-hosts for the September 7 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Olga Godim, Michelle Wallace, and Louise - Fundy Blue!

This month's question:  What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why? 


For shootin’ sure

The worst genre for me to tackle would be True Crime 

I can write and read about blood, gore, and torture in a novel

Because it’s fiction. 

But I couldn’t write a book based on real horrific circumstances

I wouldn’t want that horror in my psyche.

Back when I read Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood  


I was creepily fascinated until I learned it was based on the real murders of the Clutter family in 1959.

It was called a “nonfiction novel”

And some still pose the question:

Is In Cold Blood a creative work? A novel? Or journalism? 





I also learned that Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird helped Truman wih the research of In Cold Blood. Both grew up in Monroeville, Alabama and were best friends and remained close until              Truman's jealousy over Lee's  success caused them to go their separate ways. Didn't know that.


 



But what surprised me the most was learning that Truman Capote also wrote 

Breakfast at Tiffany's .

Oh, the dichotomy Truman!

Romantic comedy & Neo-noir.




But I guess that’s the fun of being a writer, isn’t it?

We’re not just storytellers

We create characters and build worlds

With the freedom to write

Whatever our fertile brains desire.

So?

Which genre wouldn’t you tackle?

 

Always,

Em-Musing

 

10 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

How interesting that Truman Capote wrote true crime and Breakfast at Tiffany's. I couldn't write true crime either.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Truman certainly wrote a variety.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Shame to lose a friendship over jealousy, isn't it?

Carol Kilgore said...

From what I've read about Truman Capote, he was a little quirky, so in that context, I can somewhat understand how all of this rolls into the same man.

kimlajevardi.com said...

I chose romance on my blog, but I can definitely see the innate horror of writing true crime. Real people and real pain changes the dynamic significantly.

Damyanti Biswas said...

I enjoyed this post a lot. I love how you bring about the dichotomy of Truman and it's left me wondering how he managed to nail both of them.

Leod Fitz said...

My biggest problem with the idea of writing true crime is trying to get that much of the story right. Nonfiction in general intimidates me just because the author owes it to the audience to be as accurate as possible and I always find myself second guessing exactly what it is that I truly KNOW about what happened.

Steven Arellano Rose Jr. said...

I wouldn't bother attempting to write true crime myself. I see enough of it in the news and it's scary and depressing enough as it is yet we have to be aware of the bad going on out there so we don't ignorantly step into a dangerous situation. Yet, I write horror fiction which is mostly supernatural. So, that's why I don't write slasher horror because it tends to reflect the real homicidal crimes that go on in the world. So, yes, I'm an escapist when it comes to reading and writing fiction.

Deniz Bevan said...

I agree! True crome would just be scary and grim. Even military stuff is better as fiction...

Nick Wilford said...

Fascinating facts in this post. I don't think I'd have the stomach for true crime either.