Wednesday, February 10, 2021

You Know You're A Mystery Writer When... Part 2

 By Sybil Johnson

In June 2016, I wrote a post here on Type M on indications you might be a mystery writer. I think it’s time for the next round:

Some more indications you might be a mystery writer... 

You know you’re a mystery writer when... 

 - You see a bubble maker at an amusement park and you wonder if it could be used to create toxic bubbles.

 - The first thing you think of when you hear about a pumpkin race is: could a gun fit inside the pumpkin? 

 - While cooking dinner, you tell your spouse about a new poison you read about and neither of you think it's a strange thing to talk about while eating.

 -  You spend a day driving around with your spouse looking for good body dumping sites.

- You see a bonfire being built and you immediately wonder if there's a body inside. 

 - Your husband brings home a sample of Gloves In A Bottle, not because he thinks you'll find it useful, but because he thinks you can experiment with it and use it in a book.

 - You hear about a flight attendant not showing up for a flight and the first thing you wonder is if they’d find her body in her house, not if she’d get fired.

 - You watch every episode of The First 48, Forensic Files etc. and take notes. 

Here’s the list from the 2016 post so you don’t have to go look it up:

 - You see a body fat scale in a catalog and wonder if it could be modified to be used as a murder weapon. 

 - You start writing a romance and you kill off the love interest within the first two chapters.

- You like to pick out the mistakes on a television crime drama.

- The first thing you do when you enter a hotel room is look behind the shower curtain to make sure there’s no body. 

- You think twice about throwing out old underwear because someone could get your DNA off it. 

- You see someone in a hardhat working on a traffic light and wonder if they’re really fixing the light or doing a bit of surveillance.

- Someone annoys you and you immediately start planning their fictional death.

- Dinner conversation includes whipping out a set of lock picks and talking about trying them out on your hotel room door.

- You drool over the latest book on forensics.

- Your browser bookmarks include sites on poisons, how burglar alarms work and other things you wonder if the government will feel the need to interrogate you about.

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6 comments:

  1. Thomas Kies10:12 am

    I loved this!! Mystery writers think strange thoughts, don't we?

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  2. Sybil Johnson10:52 am

    We do indeed!

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  3. Susan D10:03 am

    ...when you hear on the news about horrible people who jump the vaccine queue, and think, Yes, another victim candidate for my next story.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sybil Johnson11:54 am

    Ah, Susan, that's a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anna11:55 am

    I love this site, read every contribution, and comment occasionally. Yesterday I commented here after recognizing myself in many of the characteristics. I thought the one word "Busted!" was the most succinct expression of that sudden shock of recognition---my admission to myself and to the whole wide world that I might someday claim membership in the company of mystery writers. Possibly my one-word comment was not posted because it might have seemed irrelevant or rude. Certainly I meant no disrespect. I don't expect this post to appear---there's no need---but I do wish to let the moderator know my sentiments. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sybil Johnson2:51 pm

    Hi Anna, Don't know why your comment didn't appear. Glad to hear from a fellow writer who has a similar thought process!

    ReplyDelete

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